Birthday's to share this week : 30th October - 5th November 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Toni Collette does on 1st November - check out my tribute to this 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 30th October

• Juliet Stevenson - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actress
• Clemence Poesy - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actress
• Henry Winkler - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kevin Pollak - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director  

Monday 31st October

• Stephen Rea - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor
• Peter Jackson - Born 1961, turns 55 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Rob Schneider - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Dermot Mulroney - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Director | Musician
• Piper Perabo - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress | Producer
• Willow Smith - Born 2000 - turns 16 - Actress | Singer  

Tuesday 1st November

• Toni Collette - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Lyle Lovett - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter
• Robert Luketic - Born 1973, turns 43 - Director | Producer | Writer  

Wednesday 2nd November

• David Schwimmer - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director
• John M. Chu - Born 1979, turns 37 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Stefanie Powers - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actress | Producer  

Thursday 3rd November

• Roseanne Barr - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kate Capshaw - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actress
• Gary Ross - Born 1956, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Dolph Lundgren - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Hal Hartley - Born 1959, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Editor | Composer
• Dylan Moran - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Writer  

Friday 4th November

• Matthew McConaughey - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Sean Combs - Born 1969, turns 47 - Singer | Songwriter | Producer | Actor
• Loretta Swit - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actress  

Saturday 5th November

• Tilda Swinton - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Tatum O'Neal - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress | Producer
• Famke Janssen - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Sam Shepard - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor | Writer | Director | Singer
• Robert Patrick - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer
• Sam Rockwell - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Producer

Antonia Collett was born in the Western Sydney suburb of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia to mother Judith Cook who worked in a customer service role, and father Bob Collett, a truck driver. She attended Blacktown Girls High School until aged sixteen, and then the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney (whose other notable alumni include Nicole Kidman, Rose Byrne, Rebel Wilson and Baz Luhrmann) before going onto the National Institute of Dramatic Art, also in Sydney. Her first acting role came in a school production of 'Godspell'. Early on in her career she added the letter 'e' to her surname, and so she became Toni Collette.

In 1990 Collette secured her first small screen appearance on a single episode of 'A Country Practice'. Two years later she appeared in her feature film debut 'Spotswood' (aka 'The Efficiency Expert') with Anthony Hopkins, Ben Mendelsohn and Russell Crowe. Her breakout role came two years after that in 'Muriel's Wedding' playing the lead character of Muriel Hislop alongside Bill Hunter and Rachel Griffiths - a role for which she gained 18kgs in weight in just seven weeks. Collette won her first Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress for her performance as Muriel in this much loved film. 'Clockers' followed and then 'Cosi' with Ben Mendelsohn and Rachel Griffiths agains with David Wenham, Jacki Weaver and Barry Otto.

From this point on there was really no looking back for Collette with roles coming through thick and fast before the '90's closed out on the likes of 'The Pallbearer', 'Emma', 'Lillian's Story', 'Clockwatchers', 'Diana and Me', 'The Boys', 'Velvet Goldmine' and '8½ Women'. And then there was the critical and commercial hit 'The Sixth Sense' with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment that put Director M. Night Shyamalan on the map with six Academy Award nominations including Colette's first, for Best Supporting Actress.

The new decade launched with 'Shaft' with Samuel L. Jackson, 'Hotel Splendide' with Daniel Craig, 'Changing Lanes' with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson again, 'About a Boy' with Hugh Grant, 'Dirty Deeds' with Sam Neill and then 'The Hours' with Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. 

'Japanese Story', 'In Her Shoes' and then 'Little Miss Sunshine' saw another award worthy role in this critical and commercially successful little independent film. 'The Night Listener' with Robin Williams came next followed with 'Like Minds', 'The Dead Girl', 'Evening', 'Towelhead', 'The Black Balloon' and 'Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger' closing out the decade. In the meantime there has also been 2001's television film 'Dinner with Friends' and the 2006 television film 'Tsunami : The Aftermath' which garnered Collette her first Primetime Emmy nomination.

The last five years have seen multiple films across multiple genres including supernatural horrors 'Fright Night' and 'Krampus'; comedy dramas 'Foster', 'The Way, Way Back', 'Enough Said', 'Lucky Them', 'A Long Way Down', 'Hector and the Search for Happiness' and 'Miss You Already'; with comedies 'Mental' and 'Tammy', the drama 'Glassland' and the bio-pic 'Hitchcock' in between.  

The very successful 'United States of Tara' for Showtime which ran for 36 episodes over three seasons ran from 2009 through to 2011 and was highly acclaimed winning Collette further award wins and nominations as Tara Gibson diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder suffering multiple personality traits - nine in fact running throughout the three seasons. There was also the television series for CBS 'Hostages' with Dylan McDermott which ran for just one season in 2013 over fifteen episodes with the show being cancelled thereafter. Australian television mini-series 'The Devil's Playground' followed in 2014 running for six episodes in which Collette starred in four. Along the way Collette also starred in the Broadway play 'The Realistic Joneses' once again to critical acclaim wining her, and her cast a Drama Desk Special Award.

Bringing us up to date in 2016 there is the thriller 'Unlocked' for Director Michael Apted with Noomi Rapace, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich and Orlando Bloom; Australian drama 'Jasper Jones' with Hugo Weaving; and thriller 'Imperium' with Daniel Radcliffe. For a 2017 release and in post-production is Iraq War drama 'The Yellow Birds' with Jack Huston, Tye Sheridan, Jason Patrick and Jennifer Aniston' 'xXx : Return of Xander Cage' with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson; comedies 'Fun Mom Dinner' and 'Please Stand By' with Dakota Fanning; comedy drama 'Madame' with Harvey Keitel currently filming and for Director Fred Schepisi and in pre-production is drama 'Andora' with Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson and Joanna Lumley.

Collette has also lent her voice talents to 'The Priness and the Cobbler' in 1993; 'The Magic Pudding' in 2000; 'Mary and Max' in 2009; 'The Boxtrolls' in 2014 and 'Blinky Bill : The Movie' in 2015. She has 68 Acting credits to her name, four as Producer and six for her singing performances. She has garnered one Academy Award nomination for 'The Sixth Sense'; she has one Golden Globe win for 'United States of Tara' and four other nominations; two BAFTA nominations; one Primetime Emmy Award win and two other nominations; and a further 24 wins and another 42 nominations so far, including six Australian Film Institute wins and five other nominations. She also has pursued her musical interests with her band 'The Finish' for which her husband plays drums. She released there debut album 'Beautiful Awkward Pictures' in 2006 and toured Australia to promote it thereafter.

She has been married to musician Dave Galafassi since early 2003 with whom she has two children Sage Florence (born in 2008) and Arlo Robert (born in 2011). Collette is an advocate for animal rights and a supporter of 'PETA' - 'People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals'.

Toni Collette - has been in demand since starting out with no sign of that demand flagging anytime soon; is equally at ease in comedies, dramas, thrillers, horror and bio-pics; is more often that not critically lauded for her grounded, real and nuanced performances; still calls Sydney home; and despite her long flowing red hair, has shaved it off completely five times to date. Happy Birthday to you Toni, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 31st July - 6th August 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

M.Night Shyamalan does on 6th August - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 46, 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 31st July

• J.K.Rowling - Born 1965, turns 51 - Writer | Producer
• Geraldine Chaplain - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actress | Writer 
• Michael Biehn - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Wesley Snipes - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Dean Cain - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director 

Monday 1st August

• Adrian Dunbar - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Demian Bichir - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Sam Mendes - Born 1965, turns 51 - Producer | Director
• Jason Mamoa - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jack O'Connell - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actor  

Tuesday 2nd August

• Simon Kinberg - Born 1973, turns 43 - Writer | Producer
• Kevin Smith - Born 1970, turns 46 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Editor
• Sam Worthington - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer
• Edward Furlong - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer
• Mary-Louise Parker - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress  

Wednesday 3rd August

• Evangeline Lilly - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress
• Steven Berkoff - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Martin Sheen - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director
• John Landis - Born 1950, turns 66 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Stuntman
• John C.McGinley - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Max Landis - Born 1985, turns 31 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor  

Thursday 4th August

• Billy Bob Thornton - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Daniel Dae Kim - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor
• Greta Gerwig - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Abigail Spencer - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress | Writer | Producer  

Friday 5th August

• John Jarratt - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Mark Strong - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor
• James Gunn - Born 1970, turns 46 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Songwriter  

Saturday 6th August

• M.Night Shyamalan - Born 1970, turns 46 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Barbara Windsor - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actress
• Michelle Yeoh - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Vera Farmiga - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actress | Director
• Melissa George - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress  

Manoj Shyamalan was born in Mahe, Pondicherry in south west India to mother Jayalakshmi, an obstetrician and gynaecologist , and father Nelliate C. Shyamalan a graduate with a medical degree from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, located in Pondicherry. In the 60's following the birth of their first child, Veena, the parents relocated to the USA, with the mother returning to India during the latter half of her pregnancy with Manoj to be at the family home in Chennai. Following his birth, the young lad spent the first six weeks in Pondicherry (now known as Puducherry) and was raised thereafter in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. He was raised a Hindu and attended Waldron Mercy Academy - a Roman Catholic grammar school in Philadelphia, and then the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania. From here he gained a New York University Merit Scholarship in 1988 and attended the Tisch School of Arts in Manhattan from where he graduated in 1992. It was at this time that he gave himself the 'Night' as a middle name.

The young Shyamalan had always fancied himself as a film maker having been given a Super 8 camera as a young boy. By age 17, he had made forty-five or so home movies, and was an ardent fan of Steven Spielberg. His first film was made while studying at University - 'Praying with Anger' - a semi-autobiographical film released in 1992 which he wrote, Produced, Directed and starred in at a cost of US$800K, and it returned US$1.4M from its limited release. His next film came in 1998 with 'Wide Awake' which he wrote and Directed for US$6M and starred Denis Leary, Robert Loggia, Rosie O'Donnell and Julia Stiles - again only with a limited release it made just US$306K, but this comedy drama offering picked several award nominations on the circuit.

This was followed up by the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 'The Sixth Sense' with Bruce Willis, Toni Collette and Hayley Joel Osment. Made for US$40M it returned US$673M and remains Shyamalan's most commercially successful film to date. The film picked up 32 awards wins and 53 further nominations including six Academy Award, two Golden Globe, four BAFTA and one SAG nomination. The film was Written and Directed by Shyamalan. He followed this up quickly with 'Unbreakable' in 2000 which he again wrote, Directed and Co-Produced too. Starring Bruce Willis again with Samuel L. Jackson with Robin Wright this film returned US$248M from its US$75M budget and was hailed both a critical and commercial success picking up two award wins and another twelve nominations.

This success was followed up in 2002 with 'Signs' with Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and Rory Culkin. Made for US$72M it made US$408M and was again critically acclaimed and a commercial hit picking ups three award wins and a further thirty nominations. 2004's 'The Village' which was Writen, Produced and Directed by Shyamalan fared less well with the critics but commercially was worthwhile returning US$275M from US$60M and starred Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Adrien Brody and Bryce Dallas Howard.

'Lady in the Water' in 2006 was Shyamalan's poorest performing feature film both critically and at the Box Office yielding just US$72M from its US$70M outlay. 'The Happening' came next which fared better at the Box Office making US$164M against a budget of uS$48M but less so critically. 'The Last Airbender' in 2010 represented more big budget family oriented action fantasy adventure fare at a cost of US$150M - it returned US$320M but was panned by the critics and picked up five Razzie Awards.

2013 brough 'After Earth' with Will and Jaden Smith and Zoe Kravitz based on a story by Will Smith, and written for the screen, Produced and Directed by Shyamalan. It returned US$244M from a budget cost of US$130M but it too was slated by the critics. This was followed up in 2015 by the found footage horror film 'The Visit' that Shyamalan wrote, Co-Produced and Directed out of his own US$5M to fund the film. It retuned a tidy US$99M based on that meagre investment and was hailed positively by the critics stating that Shyamalan had returned to form - lets's hope so!

Next up and due in January 2017 is 'Split' - a psychological horror thriller with James McAvoy that again is Written, Produced and Directed by Shyamalan. In the meantime he has had various television network productions on the go or in the pipeline including 'Proof' for Syfy, 'Lost Horizon' for NBC and 'Wayward Pines' which has just finished its second season with Matt Dillon in the lead role for Fox. There was also 'Devil' a 2010 film which he wrote and Produced, and the new television series of 'Tales from the Crypt' recently announced for 2017 which he is writing and Directing for. Next up is 'Labour of Love' just announced for a 2018 release and starring Bruce Willis.

All up Shyamalan has seventeen Writer credits to his name, fourteen as Producer and fourteen as Director with nine cameo appearances in his own films. He has twelve award wins and 36 other nominations including two Academy Award nods for Direction and Writing on 'The Sixth Sense', one Golden Globe and two BAFTA's for the same film.  He has been married to Bhavna Vaswani since 1993 whom he met while studying at New York University, and with whom he has three daughters. He set up his own Production Company with Ashwin Rajan - 'Blinding Edge Pictures' which has produced all his films since 'Unbreakable' in 2000.


M.Night Shyamalan - the lord of the plot twist ending that often we never see coming; still commanding our attention largely because of his more notable early cutting edge body of work; always place ordinary everyday people in extraordinary circumstances; Writes, Produces, Directs and often cameo's in his own films; and is a big fan of Spielberg and Hitchcock and you can see their touchstones in much of his work. Despite the very mixed views about his career and film making choices, his films have grossed US$2,85B from a combined US$800M budget - so that's not such a bad statistic, and this humble Blog Writer remains a fan! Happy Birthday to you Manoj - from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 15th - 21st March 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Bruce Willis does on 19th March - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 60, 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 15th March

• Jai Courtney - Born 1986, turns 29 - Actor
• David Cronenberg - Born 1943, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Greg Nicotero - Born 1963, turns 52 - Make-Up & Special Effects Artist | Producer | Director | Actor 
• Renny Harlin - Born 1959, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Eva Longoria - Born 1975, turns 46 - Actress | Producer | Director

Monday 16th March

• Gore Verbinski - Born 1964, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Bernardo Bertolucci - Born 1941, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer

Tuesday 17th March

• Rob Lowe - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor | Producer
• Kurt Russell - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Gary Sinise - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Patrick Duffy - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor | Director
• Lesley-Anne Down - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actress

Wednesday 18th March

• Queen Latifah - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actress | Writer | Singer
• Vanessa Williams - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actress | Writer | Singer
• Luc Besson - Born 1959, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Adam Levine - Born 1979, turns 36 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor

Thursday 19th March

• Bruce Willis - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Harvey Weinstein - Born 1952, turns 63 - Producer
• Ursula Andress - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actress
• Glenn Close - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer

Friday 20th March

• Holly Hunter - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actress | Writer
• David Thewlis - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actor
• Spike Lee - Born 1957, turns 58 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
• William Hurt - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actor

Saturday 21st March

• Gary Oldman - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Matthew Broderick - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor
• Timothy Dalton - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Rosie O'Donnell - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actress | Writer

Walter Bruce Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany to mother Merlene and father David - a US soldier. Living on a US Military Base for his very early life, he was later raised in Penns Grove, New Jersey. He is the oldest of four children with sister Florence and two brothers David and Robert - the latter of which died of pancreatic cancer in 2001. Willis attended Penns Grove High School in his hometown where he developed a stutter but learned to deal with it through stage acting. 

Finishing High School he worked as as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and  as a transport driver at the DuPont Chambers Works Factory. Having spent time also as a private investigator he joined Montclair State University in the Drama Programme, but left in his junior year and moved to New York City where he supported himself as a bar tender whilst treading the boards in various Off-Broadway stage plays.

He then left New York for California and auditioned for numerous television shows. He appeared in the mid-80's in the likes of 'Miami Vice' and 'The Twilight Zone', and then secured the role as David Addison Jnr. out of 3,000 other hopeful Actors in the successful five series long 'Moonlighting' alongside Cybill Shepherd from 1985-1989. Having starred in a number of small uncredited film roles in the early 80's, his first big screen break came with Blake Edwards in 'Blind Date' with Kim Bassinger in 1987, and then with Edwards again in 'Sunset' in 1988. That same year he took his first outing in a film that would catapult him into the movie stratosphere with an action hero franchise that is now synonymous with his name - 'Die Hard'. The Actor performed all of his own stunts in the first film, and subsequently the series that has so far seen five films for John McClane has generated a total worldwide Box Office haul of US$1.44B off a combined production budget of US$390M.

The success of 'Die Hard' gave rise to two sequels in the 90's with 'Die Hard : Die Harder' in 1990 and 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' in 1995 which cemented Willis' star status as a bona fide action hero. But with these successes came less well received fare with the likes of 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' , 'Striking Distance', 'Hudson Hawk' and 'Color of Night'. Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' in 1994 gave his career a lift as did Terry Gilliam's '12 Monkey's' in 1995 and Luc Besson's 'The Fifth Element' in 1997. Others that flew largely under the radar included 'Last Man Standing', 'Mercury Rising', 'Breakfast of Champions', 'The Story of Us', interspersed with more quirky popular fare 'North' and 'Death Becomes Her'. 'Armageddon' for Director Michael Bay received very average critical ratings but with a Box Office stash of US$554M was the biggest commercial success of 1998 worldwide. 'The Sixth Sense' brought Willis back into the limelight and helped him close out the 90's on a high note with upcoming Director M. Night Shyamalan.

Continuing his busyness into the 2000's he kicked off with 'The Whole Nine Yards' for which he reprised his role as Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski in 2004's 'The Whole Ten Yards', and 'Unbreakable' with M. Night Shyamalan once more. Playing either the hardened war hero in the likes of 'Hart's War' and 'Tears of the Sun', or the grizzled police officer type in 'Hostage', '16 Blocks', 'Live Free or Die Hard', 'Surrogates' and 'Sin City', his career continues to entertain and draw an audience for the on-screen spectacle he provides.

As 2010 clicked over his action status continued unabated with 'The Expendables' in 2010 headed up by stable mate Sylvester Stallone and all all star 80's ensemble action hero cast, and then again with 'The Expendables 2' in 2012 - he pulled out of 2014's 'Expendables 3' because allegedly he demanded a bigger pay cheque which Stallone and his Producers were not prepared to pay. 'RED' in 2010 and 'RED 2' in 2013 also helped keep the action star mantle in place, with other notable offerings including  'Looper' and 'Moonrise Kingdom' in 2012, 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in 2013 and 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' in 2014. 'Catch .44', 'Lay the Favourite', 'The Cold Light of Day', 'G.I.Joe : Retaliation' and 'The Prince' bring us up to date. Next up is 'Vice' likely to go straight to DVD & BluRay in early 2015, with 'Rock the Kasbah' later in 2015 and 'Captive' and 'Extraction' due in 2016.

Outside of the movie business, Willis is an astute property owner and investor, and businessman. For a few years he co-owned Production Company 'Cheyenne Enterprises', several small businesses, was co-founder of 'Planet Hollywood' and owns a small percentage of 'Sobieski Vodka'.

He has 104 acting credits to his name and would be regarded as one of Hollywood's busiest jobbing Actors. He also has seven Producer credits to his name and wrote the story too for 'Hudson Hawk'. He won the Golden Globe in 1987 for 'Moonlighting' and has two Primetime Emmy Awards for 'Moonlighting' and 'Friends' and all up has garnered twenty award wins and a further 33 nominations throughout his career to date. He also has enjoyed success as a singer and recording artist with three solo albums and four compilation albums.

He was married to Actress Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000 with whom he has three children - Rummer (born 1988), Scout (born 1991), and Talulah (born 1994). In 2009 Willis married model Emma Harding with whom he has two children - Mabel (born 2012) and Evelyn (born 2014). A supporter of the constitutional right to bear arms, he has some Republican political leanings but describes himself a 'apolitical', and he has actively supported military intervention in Iraq as a means to restore democracy and freedom ultimately. He took a pay cheque of US$5M for the first 'Die Hard' instalment in 1998 and US$25M twenty years later for 'Live Free or Die Hard' . . . not a bad pay day!

Bruce Willis - head shaven, wisecracking, smirking gun toting action hero; Box Office draw card; predictably familiar; always entertaining and as colourful off-screen as on it - keep doing what you do and we'll keep putting our bums on seats you watch you do it! Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-