Birthday's to share this week : 10th - 16th July 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Travis Fimmel does on 15th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 37, 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 10th July 

• Chiwetel Ejiofor - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Sofia Vergara - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress | Producer 

Monday 11th July

• Rachael Taylor - Born 1984, turns 32 - Actress
• Caroline Quentin - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actress | Writer | Director
• Mark Lester - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor
• Stephen Lang - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Tom Holland - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Writer | Actor  

Tuesday 12th July

• Topher Grace - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Brian Grazer - Born 1951, turns 65 - Producer | Writer | Actor
• Bill Cosby - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Michelle Rodriguez - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actress
• Cheryl Ladd - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress  

Wednesday 13th July

• Patrick Stewart - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Robert Forster - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Harrison Ford - Born1942, turns 74 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Cheech Marin - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Cameron Crowe - Born 1957, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ken Jeong - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  

Thursday 14th July

• Harry Dean Stanton - Born 1926, turns 90 - Actor
• Matthew Fox - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor
• Jackie Earle Haley - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Scott Rudin - Born 1958, turns 58 - Producer
• Joel Silver - Born 1952, turns 64 - Producer
• Deborah Mailman - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress  

Friday 15th July

• Diane Kruger - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress
• Brigitte Nielsen - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress | Producer
• Ken Kercheval - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor
• Jan-Michael Vincent - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor
• Forest Whittaker - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Travis Fimmel - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor  

Saturday 16th July

• Will Ferrell - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Corey Feldman - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Phoebe Cates - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress

Travis Fimmel was born near Echuca, Victoria, Australia to mother Jennie - a recreational officer for the disabled, and father Chris, a cattle and dairy farmer. He grew up on a 5,500 acre farm property in Lockington - a town in northern Victoria about 200kms north of Melbourne with his two elder brothers. He left school at age seventeen and had aspirations of playing Australian rules football as his career. In his late teens he relocated to Melbourne to play for the St. Kilda club, but was sidelined before he even began with a broken leg. He gained a place at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology to study architecture and engineering, but chose to travel the world instead.

Whilst training at a Melbourne gym he was talented spotted by a representative of the Chadwick Models Agency. He headed overseas to the US in 2002 and was signed up instantly by 'LA Models' and shortly afterwards became the worlds first male model to sign a six figure deal with an exclusive one year contract with Calvin Klein to model their underwear range for men. He also became the face of CK's 'Crave' mens fragrance. As a consequence People Magazine named him on of the world's sexiest bachelors in 2002 and was regarded as the most in demand male model in the world. He appeared on the front cover of several magazines, appeared on numerous chat shows including those of Jimmy Kimmel and Sharon Osbourne, as well as a slot on entertainment news programme 'Extra!'. He also starred in music video clips for Jennifer Lopez and Janet Jackson.

Fimmel soon thereafter started taking acting lessons with renowned coach and acting mentor Ivana Chubbuck who also coached the likes of Brad Pitt, Gerard Butler, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry. From here, he landed the lead role in the 2003 Warner Bros. television series of 'Tarzan' which ran for just eight episodes and starred Sarah Wayne Callies (of 'Prisonbreak' and 'The Walking Dead' fame) as Jane Porter, and Mitch Pileggi as Richard Clayton - billionaire uncle of Tarzan/John Clayton.

From here he secured a role in the made for television movie 'Southern Comfort' in 2006 with Madeleine Stowe and Eric Roberts, and then Australian drama thriller 'Restraint' with Teresa Palmer in 2008, with 'Surfer, Dude' with Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Scott Glenn and Willie Nelson that same year. In 2009 he secured a real boost to his television profile starring opposite Patrick Swayze in 'The Beast' about a rookie undercover cop (Fimmel) buddied up with a hard nosed seen it all veteran cop (Swayze). The short-lived series was well received by critics but less so by audiences, but none of that really mattered as after just thirteen episodes the series ended due to Swayze's death from pancreatic cancer.

2010 saw him star in 'Pure Country 2 : The Gift', a musical western film; Australian supernatural horror 'Needle' with Ben Mendelsohn, John Jarrett and Tahyna Tozzi which picked up several awards around the horror circuit. 'Ivory' with Peter Stormare and Martin Landau followed, and then 'The Experiment' with Adrien Brody and Forest Whittaker closed out the year.

After this came a couple of episodes on 'Chase' for the NBC which ran for eighteen episodes and then the made for television movie 'Outlaw Country' with Mary Steenburgen and Luke Grimes in 2011. 'The Baytown Outlaws' came next with Billy Bob Thornton, Eva Longoria and Zoe Bell, and then 'Harodin' with Peter Fonda.

In 2013 Fimmel secured the lead role of Ragnor Lothbrok in the History Channel's series 'Vikings' which has now run for four seasons with a fifth now commissioned. Shot mostly in Ireland which Fimmel describes as beautiful, but wet, the film traces the story of the Norsemen led by Ragnor as they venture forth beyond their native Scandinavia and cause a stir in England and France especially, whilst keeping rival Viking clans at bay too back home. There has also been a spin off series 'Vikings : Athelstan's Journal' in which he has also starred in the majority of episodes being the central character.

Bringing us up to date is 'Maggie's Plan' just released with Ethan Hawke, Greta Gerwig and Julianne Moore, and the Duncan Jones epic action fantasy 'Warcraft : The Beginning' based on the hugely popular video and board game. Both films remain on general release, with the latter now the highest grossing video game adaptation, with a Box Office haul of US$422M.

Next up is Sci-Fi world disaster epic 'Inversion' in pre-production and 'All Quiet on the Western Front' also in pre-production. Fimmel has twenty-two acting credits to his name and just one award nomination - but it remains early days yet! He lists his leisure time pursuits as Australian rules football, surfing, camping, motor bike riding, the beach and getting down & dirty back at the family farm - which these days he finds it increasingly hard to do given his busy work schedule.

Travis Fimmel - underwear model, sword swinging warrior, AFL enthusiast, family farm hand, a star on the rise and increasingly keeping us entertained on the small and big screen - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 4th - 10th October 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Christoph Waltz does on 4th October - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 59 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 4th October

• Armand Assante - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor | Producer
• Liev Schreiber - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Christoph Waltz - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Susan Sarandon - Born 1946, turns - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Alicia Silverstone - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actress | Producer

Monday 5th October

• Kate Winslet - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actress
• Karen Allen - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actress
• Guy Pearce - Born1967, turns 48 - Actor | Singer
• Jesse Eisenberg - Born 1983, turns  32 - Actor
• Vic Armstrong - Born 1946, turns 69 - Stuntman | Director | Second Unit Director | Actor

Tuesday 6th October

• Ioan Gruffudd - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actor
• Elisabeth Shue - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actress | Writer

Wednesday 7th October

• Simon Cowell - Born 1959, turns 56 - Television Personality | Producer | Writer | Composer
• Tim MInchin - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer

Thursday 8th October

• Matt Damon - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Paul Hogan - Born 1939, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Edward Zwick - Born 1952, turns 63 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Chevy Chase - Born 1943, turns 72 - Actor | Writer
• Sigourney Weaver - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress | Producer

Friday 9th October

• Guillermo del Toro - Born 1964, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Chris O'Dowd - Born 1979, turns 35 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Scott Bakula - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Brian Blessed - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
• Pete Docter - Born 1968, turns 47 - Director | Writer | Actor
• Brandon Routh - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actor

Saturday 10th October 

• Charles Dance - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Martin Kemp - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director | Musician

Christoph Waltz was born in Vienna, Austria to mother Elisabeth Urbancic and father Johannes Waltz, both film and television set and costume designers. His family lineage includes an actor and actress, and his great grandparents worked in the theatre too. He studied acting at the Max Reinhardt School of Drama at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In the latter half of the 70's he studied method acting with the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, both in New York.

His career began as a stage actor performing in theatres in Vienna, Salzburg and Zurich. He became a prolific television film actor throughout the 80's and 90's, securing his debut film appearance in 1977's 'Der Einstand'. Subsequently he played in 36 television movies and 15 television series and mini-series including thirteen episodes of 'Parole Chicago' in 1979, 'The Gravy Train' in 1990 and 'The Gravy Train Goes East' in 1991. His early films include 'The Mysterious Stranger' in 1982, 'Goldeneye' in 1989 (not to be confused with the Pierce Brosnan Bond outing, but the bio-pic of Sir Ian Fleming), 'Catherine the Great' in 1995 (with an emerging Catherine Zeta Jones) and 'Ordinary Decent Criminal' in 2000 (with Kevin Spacey).

More TV films followed over the next decade interspersed with more TV series all the way up to 2009's 'Inglorious Basterds' for Director Quentin Tarantino. After thirty years making a respectable living in mostly German speaking television and film roles, his multi-award winning role as Colonel Hans Landa catapulted him into the Hollywood mainstream and international stardom. His role in Tarantino's film gained him the Best Supporting Academy Award, the BAFTA, the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.

After this there has been no looking back with 'The Green Hornet' following in 2011 for Michel Gondry, and then 'Water for Elephants', 'The Three Musketeers' for Paul W.S.Anderson and 'Carnage' for Roman Polanski all that same year.

In 2012 Waltz did it all again with Tarantino as Dr. King Schultz in 'Django Unchained' for which he again received much critical acclaim garnering him the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe, BAFTA and ultimately Academy Award.

'Epic' came next in 2013 to which he added his voice talents to this animated feature, and that same year 'The Zero Theorem' for Terry Gilliam, and then 'Muppets Most Wanted' and 'Horrible Bosses 2' in 2014 followed up by 'Big Eyes' earlier this year for Tim Burton.

Next up we'll see Waltz as Franz Oberhausen in Bond 24 - 'Spectre' due for release next month, and then for 2016 'Tarzan' for David Yates, and 'Tulip Fever' with Alicia Vikander (Profiled last week). His second Directing duty after 2000's 'Wenn man such trait' is the based on a true story 'The Worst Marriage in Georgetown' in which he also starts and is currently in pre-production.

All up Waltz has 107 Acting credits, two Directing credits, two as Producer, and along the way so far he has picked up 82 award wins including the two previously mentioned Academy Awards with Quentin Tarantino at the helm, and a further 26 award nominations.

Although born in Austria, his father applied for German citizenship following his birth, and in 2010 he received Austrian citizenship too, so now holding dual passports. Waltz has three children with his first wife, and a daughter born in 2005 with his second wife Judith Helste. They split their time living between London, Berlin and Los Angeles, and Waltz speaks fluent German, French, English and can more than get by in Italian.

Christoph Waltz - good mates with QT, has acting in his DNA, often portrays charming yet sinister characters infused with dark humour, reads psychology, listens to classical music, enjoys fine art and fine wine and he worries about the digital age! With so much going on since his star began to shine much much more brightly, it's a wonder he has time to make films - let alone pick up all his awards! Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 28th June - 4th July 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Margot Robbie does on 2nd July - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 25, 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 28th June

• John Cusack - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Mel Brooks - Born 1926, turns 89 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Bruce Davidson - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Director
• Kathy Bates - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actress | Director
• Mary Stuart Masterson - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actress | Producer | Director

Monday 29th June

• Nicole Scherzinger - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actress | Singer
• Gary Busey - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor

Tuesday 30th June

• Vincent D'Onofrio - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Wednesday 1st July

• David Gulpilil - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Writer
• Dan Aykroyd - Born 1952, turns 63 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• David Prowse - Born 1935, turns 80 - Actor
• Trevor Eve - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor | Producer
• Liv Tyler - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actress
• Pamela Anderson - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actress | Producer
• Genevieve Bujold - Born 1942, turns 73 - Actress | Writer

Thursday 2nd July

• Margot Robbie - Born 1990, turns 25 - Actress
• Lindsay Lohan - Born 1986, turns 29 - Actress | Producer

Friday 3rd July 

• Connie Nielsen - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actress
• Tom Cruise - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Producer

Saturday 4th July

• Gina Lollobrigida - Born 1927, turns 88 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director
• Eva Marie Saint - Born 1924, turns 91 - Actress

Margot Elise Robbie was born in Dalby, Queensland, Australia to mother Sarie Kessler, a physiotherapist, and her father a former farm owner. She was raised by her single mother on Queensland's Gold Coast with her sister and two brothers, spending her childhood between the beach on the Gold Coast and her grandparents farm in Dalby. She attended the private Somerset College in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast where she studied drama, and after graduating in 2007 she moved to Melbourne to begin her professional acting career.

Within a year the young Robbie has starred in two Aash Aaron Directed films - 'Vigilante' and 'I.C.U.' From here her attentions and opportunities were drawn to television work with the initial episode of the ABC's 'Review, with Myles Barlow', and then two episodes on 'The Elephant Princess', and one on 'City Homicide' before the role that really set her on a career path with over 300 episodes of 'Neighbours' between 2008 and 2011. During this time too she appeared in various Channel Ten programmes including 'Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'.

Leaving 'Neighbours' behind in 2011 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career Stateside where she auditioned for the new TV Series of 'Charlie's Angels' but missed out, instead clinching ABC's 60's drama 'PanAm' with Christina Ricci. The series ran for just 14 episodes and was cancelled after its first season due to declining ratings despite its positive reviews.

From here Robbie returned to the big screen securing a role in the Richard Curtis Directed romantic comedy drama 'About Time' with Bill Nighy, Domhnall Gleeson and Rachael McAdams. The film was generally a critical success and fared well commercially bringing in US$87M off US$12M to make. In turn this led to Martin Scorsese casting her as the wife to Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' in 2013. Her role as Naomi Lapaglia was highly praised and garnered her an MTV Movie Award nomination and an Empire Award win. The film became Scorsese's biggest commercial success to date.

'Focus' came next earlier this year with co-star Will Smith playing a rookie grifter, and although the film received mixed reviews, her performance was again praised. Although released at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year 'Z for Zachariah' has yet to be released in Australia. This Sci-Fi thriller filmed in New Zealand is Directed by Craig Zobel and also stars Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Due this year too is 'Suite Francaise', a WWII drama romance Directed by Saul Dibb and co-starring Kristen Scott Thomas and Michelle Williams. Coming up too is the David Yeats big screen adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burrows 'Tarzan' with Robbie starring as Jane Porter alongside Alexander Skarsgard in the title role with Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou and John Hurt and due for a mid-2016 release. 

'The Taliban Shuffle' (aka 'The Fun House') is a comedy set within the backdrop of a war stricken Afghanistan and Pakistan and co-stars Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Tina Fey and Alfred Molina and is also due in mid-2016. Filming right now too is the DC Comics adaptation of Supervillain offering 'The Suicide Squad' as Directed by David Ayer with Robbie playing Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn - the first live action outing for this character. The film will also star Will Smith, Jared Leto, Joel Kinsman, Jai Courtney and Viola Davis and is set for August 2016. Also confirmed are her roles in 'Dangerous Odds' and 'Violent Talent' due further down the track. 

To date Robbie has 15 acting credits and a Producer credit on her early 'I.C.U.' offering. She has one award win for the 'Wolf of Wall Street' and eight other nominations including the BAFTA Rising Star Award this year.

Robbie lives in London with a bunch of mates and is romantically linked to Tom Ackerley - a British Assistant Director.

Margot Robbie - blond, blue eyed, beautiful - a star on the rise and increasingly in demand - as a little girl from country Queensland you done good! Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 18th - 24th January 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week? John Hurt does, on 22nd January - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 75,  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 18th January

• Kevin Costner - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Jason Segel - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• John Boorman - Born 1933, turns 82 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Dave Bautista - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actor | WWE Wrestler

Monday 19th January

• Antoine Fuqua - Born 1966, turns 49 - Director | Producer
• Nash Edgerton - Born 1973, turns 42 - Stuntman | Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Editor
• Shawn Wyans - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Composer
• Logan Lerman - Born 1992, turns 23 - Actor
• Tippi Hedren - Born 1930, turns 85 - Actress

Tuesday 20th January

• David Lynch - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Skeet Ulrich - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor
• Tom Baker - Born 1934, turns 81 - Actor

Wednesday 21st January 

• Martin Shaw - Born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
• Geena Davis - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actress | Producer

Thursday 22nd January

• Diane Lane - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actress
• Linda Blair - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actress
• Piper Laurie - Born 1932, turns 83 - Actress
• John Hurt - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor
• Matthew Newton - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Jim Jarmusch - Born 1953, turns 62 - Director | Producer | Actor | Writer | Editor | Composer

Friday 23rd January

• Rutger Hauer - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
• Richard Roxburgh - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Ewen Bremmer - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor

Saturday 24th January

• Ed Helms - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Natasha Kinski - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actress

John Vincent Hurt was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England to Phyllis Massey - an amateur actress and engineer, and Arnauld Herbert Hurt - a mathematician and later Anglican clergyman. He has an older brother - Michael - who became a Roman Catholic monk and writer and adopted the name Brother Anselm. He also has an adopted sister - Monica. He had a fairly strict upbringing - interestingly being forbidden to watch films at the nearby local cinema, or to mix with other children because they were considered beneath him, and the family.

He attended St. Michael's Preparatory School in Otford, Kent and from age 12 he moved to Christ's Hospital School in Lincoln where he boarded. By this time he had already developed a keen interest in acting as a possible career but his parents discouraged the notion leading him instead toward art teaching. Even his Headmaster dismissed the idea telling the young Hurt he would never stand a chance in such a profession! At 17 he joined Grimsby Art School, and two years later gained a scholarship to St. Martin's School of Art in London, and a year after that he secured another scholarship to RADA where he trained for two years.

In 1961 & '62 he successfully secured small parts in the television series 'Z-Cars' and 'Probation Officer' with his film debut coming in 1962's 'Young and Willing'. Throughout the fist half of the 60's he appeared in many theatrical plays whilst securing the occasional film and television role - first came 'The Contact', then 'This is my Street', and in 1966 'A Man for all Seasons' with an all star cast. Theatre continued to play and active role in his acting career, whilst at the same time carving a name for himself in television productions too.

It was probably his portrayal of Quentin Crisp in 1975's 'The Naked Civil Servant' that brought him to real prominence for his outstanding and very real performance as the troubled gay writer and raconteur which gained him a Best Actor Award at the British Academy Television Awards. This was followed up by his turn as Emperor Caligula in the much acclaimed television series 'I Claudius' with Derek Jacobi. Then came 'Midnight Express' in 1978 for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe, following this up a year later with Ridley Scott's 'Alien' stealing the film with the alien chest bursting scene which has been acclaimed as one of the most memorable scenes in film history.

After this came his turn as John Merrick opposite Anthony Hopkins in 'The Elephant Man' for which he won another BAFTA Award, as well as Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. He also starred in Michael Camino's much maligned and commercially disastrous 'Heaven's Gate', followed up by Sam Peckinpah's 'The Osterman Weekend', and then in the big screen adaptation of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty Four'. In 1989, came 'Scandal' and then the likes of 'The Field' with Richard Harris, 'King Ralph' with John Goodman, 'Rob Roy' with Liam Neeson, 'Dead Man' with Johnny Depp, 'Wild Bill' with Jeff Bridges, 'Contact' with Jodie Foster, and 'All the Little Animals' with the young up & coming Christian Bale in the 1990's.

As the new century turned over the demand for his acting talents continued unabated with films including 'Lost Souls', 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin', 'Hellboy' and its sequel 'Hellboy II', 'The Skeleton Key', 'The Proposition', 'V for Vendetta', 'The Oxford Murders', 'Outlander' and '44 inch Chest', not to mention his roles in two epic film franchises - 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', and his turn as the wand maker in three 'Harry Potter' instalments.

Turning 70 he continued very much in demand with roles in the remake of the classic Graham Green novel 'Brighton Rock', and then 'Melancholia', 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', 'Immortals', 'Only Lovers Left Alive', 'Snowpiercer' and most recently 'Hercules' opposite Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Throughout, his television series appearances have included 'Crime and Punishment' in 1979, 'The Storyteller' from 1987-88, 'Watership Down' from 1999-2000, 'The Alan Clark Diaries' from 2004-06, 'The Confession' in 2011, 'Merlin' from 2008-12, and 'Doctor Who' in 2013. He has lent his voice talents to numerous productions over the years including both 'Watership Down' and 'Lord of the Rings' in 1978, 'The Black Cauldron' in 1985, 'Thumbelina' in 1994, 'The Tigger Movie' in 2000, 'Dogville' in 2003, 'Valiant' in 2005, 'Charlie Countryman' in 2013 and more. He has 'AKA Nadia' and 'ChickLit' in post-production for a 2015 release, 'Tarzan' currently filming for 2016, and 'Damascus Cover' and 'The man who killed Don Quixote' currently in pre-production.

Hurt has 196 acting credits to his name spread over six decades so far. He has 23 award wins and another thirteen nominations including two Academy Award nominations for 'The Elephant Man' and 'Midnight Express'; a Golden Globe win for 'Midnight Express' and a nomination for 'The Elephant Man'; and BAFTA wins for for 'The Naked Civil Servant', 'Midnight Express', 'The Elephant Man' and in 2012 the Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, plus four other nominations.

He was married to Annette Robertson from 1962-64; to Donna Peacock from 1984-90; to Joan Dalton from 1990-96 with whom he has two sons - Alexander John Vincent (born 1990) and Nicholas (born 1993), and to Anwan Rees-Myers from 2005 to the present day. It was upon his fourth marriage that he gave up alcohol. He is a patron of the Proteus Syndrome Foundation (thought to be the condition his character John Merrick suffered from) and Project Harar to provide aid relief to Ethiopia for children with facial disfigurements and Derby QUAD - an arts centre in Derby. He was honoured with the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2004, and Knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 New Years Honours List for services to drama.

John Hurt - totally diverse character actor keeping it real in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Cops & Robbers, Westerns, Comedies, period pieces, drama, thrillers, horror, animation and children's fare; known for an instantly recognisable deep gravelly voice; and often playing authoritative characters or those racked by physical torment -  you have left an indelible mark on the history of modern cinema that remains ongoing and that continues to keep us entertained and enthralled. Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-