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 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!
Sunday 23rd November
- Miley Cyrus - Born 1992, turns 22 - Singer | Actress
- Vincent Cassel - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
- Franco Nero - Born 1941, turns 73 - Actor | Producer | Writer
- Robert Towne - Born 1934, turns 80 - Producer | Director | Actor | Writer
Monday 24th November
- Billy Connolly - Born 1942, turns 72 - Actor | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Television Personality
- Colin Hanks - Born 1977, turns 37 - Actor, Producer | Director
- Stephen Merchant - Born 1974, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer
- Katherine Heigl - Born 1978, turns 36 - Actress | Producer
Tuesday 25th November
- Christina Applegate - Born 1971, turns 43 - Actress | Producer
- Dougray Scott - Born 1965, turns 49 - Actor
Wednesday 26th November
- Mark L. Lester - Born 1946, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Actor
- Tina Turner - Born 1946, turns 68 - Singer | Actress | Writer
Thursday 27th November
- Kathryn Bigelow - Born 1951, turns 63 - Director | Producer | Writer
- Robin Givens - Born 1964, turns 50 - Actress
- John Alderton - Born 1940, turns 74 - Actor
- William Fichtner - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actor
- Sharlto Copley - Born 1973, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Director
Friday 28th November
- Randy Newman - Born 1943, turns 71 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Writer
- Ed Harris - Born 1950, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- Judd Nelson - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actor
- Ryan Kwanten - Born 1976, turns 38 - Actor
- Alfonso Cuaron - Born 1961, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer | Cinematographer | Editor
- Joe Dante - Born 1946, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Actor | Editor
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Born 1984, turns 30 - Actress | Writer
Saturday 29th November
- Joel Coen - Born 1954, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor
- Andrew McCarthy - Born 1962, turns 52 - Actor | Director
- Tom Sizemore - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
- Don Cheadle - Born 1964, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- Garry Shandling - Born 1949, turns 65 - Actor | Producer | Writer
William Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland to William Connolly his father and mother Mary McLean. At age four his mother abandoned the young Billy and his sitter Florence when father William was away serving in the Army. From there the two young children were cared for by Aunts Margaret and Mona Connolly - his fathers sisters. He attended St. Peter's Primary School in Partick and then St. George's Secondary School in Govan.
From age twelve he knew he wanted a life as a comedian, but graduating from school at 15 with two engineering qualifications he was too young to go into the shipyards so worked as a bakery delivery lad until he turned 16 when he joined a shipyard as a boilermaker. Having completed a five year apprenticeship as a boilermaker in 1966, Connolly had a brief stint of ten weeks helping build an oil platform in Nigeria. Returning to Scotland he joined a marine engineering ands shipbuilding firm, but had ambitions to become a folk singer.
After recording one folk album with a Tam Harvey as 'The Humbeldums' the partnership fell away as Harvey left to be replaced by Gerry Rafferty (of 'Baker Street' fame) with whom Connolly enjoyed more cult status and critical acclaim than financial reward. In 1971 this partnership too brook up as Rafferty focused on a solo career, so pushing Connolly in a similar direction. 1972 saw Connolly's first solo album, with a double album follow up in late 1973 that proved his breakthrough with a much wider British audience, compared to his previous only Scottish following. It was however, his inaugural appearance on the TV chat-show 'Parkinson' with erstwhile host Michael Parkinson in 1975 that really put Connolly's face on the map.
As the 70's rolled on, so Connolly's success grew in the UK and in Canada, Australia and New Zealand - English speaking markets that embraced his humour and perspectives on life, but, the US was proving much more elusive - doe mostly to his challenging accent. Joining the cast in 1979 of 'The Secret Policeman's Ball' propelled him further into the mainstream with the likes of John Cleese and Peter Cook, and, he was heralded as one of the highlights of the album. In 1981, Connolly was invited back for 'The Secret Policeman's Other Ball' and the album and subsequent film did attract a wider US following who were by now warming to Connolly.
Throughout the 80's Connolly secured minor roles in TV movies and feature films, as well as performing on 'Live-Aid' ahead of good friend Elton John, completing his first 'World Tour', and appearing at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday celebrations. In 1990 he appeared as a guest of Whoopi Goldberg in an HBO Special, and it is said that his performance on this show was the pivotal moment that he broke the US market. From there he moved himself and his family to Los Angeles, and shortly thereafter he and his family won Green Cards.
His first TV appearances in dramatic roles cakes in the 1975/76 Season of 'Play for Today', with his first film role in 1978 alongside Richard Burton in 'Absolution'. From here he took roles/guest appearances on 'The Kenny Everett Television Show' in 1982/83, 'Head of the Class' in 1990/91, 'Billy' in 1992, with interim bursts on 'Minder', 'City Lights' and others. His film career began to take off with 'Water' in 1985 with Michael Caine, 'Indecent Proposal' in 1993 with Robert Redford, the acclaimed 'Mrs. Brown' in 1997 with Judi Dench, 'Still Crazy' in 1998 with Stephen Rea and Bill Nighy, 'The Debt Collector' in 1999 for which he received top billing, 'Beautiful Joe' in 2000 with Sharon Stone, 'The Man Who Sued God' in 2001 with again top billing, 'The Last Samurai' in 2003 with Tom Cruise, 'The X-Files: I want to Believe' in 2008 with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, 'Gullivers Travels' in 2010 with Jack Black, 'Quartet' in 2012 Directed by Dustin Hoffman and starring a Who's Who of English acting talent, and he has 'The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies' due for imminent release and 'Wild Oats' due in 2015. He has also lent his voice talents to 'Brave', 'Open Season' and 'Open Season 2'.
He has 63 acting credits to his name for which he has won two awards and eight other nominations, including three BAFTA nominations and an Outstanding Achievement Award granted in 2012. He has released 34+ albums, 12 DVD's of his stand-up shows from across the world, he has written three plays, hosted a number of television series including his 'World Tour' series of Scotland, and then Ireland, England and Wales, and then Australia and then New Zealand, as well as other similar tours of the US including 'Route 66'. He has had more guest appearances on TV chat shows than you can poke a banjo at, and his wife Pamela Stephenson has written two best-selling biographies on her husband - 'Billy' and 'Bravemouth'.
In 1985 he divorced Iria Pressagh to whom he had been married for 16 years. In 1989 he married Pamela Stephenson with whom he remains very happily married. He has five children - two with Pressagh (Jamie and Cara) and three with Stephenson (Daisy, Amy and Scarlett). He stopped drinking alcohol on New Years Eve 1985. He underwent minor surgery in for prostate cancer in 2013 and is being treated for early signs of 'Parkinson's Disease'. He is a patron of Celtic Football Club, is a patron too of 'The National Association for Bikers with a Disability', is an accomplished banjo and ukulele player, and has been known affectionately throughout his career as 'The Big Yin' ('The Big One'), and in 2003 he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
On a personal note I have seen Billy Connolly live on stage numerous times in Sydney, and he really is quite brilliant! I liken him to the late great Robin Williams for his energy, his stage presence and his take on observational humour from all walks of life and all subject matter. Connolly and Williams - two of the comedy greats that I am pleased to name in the same sentence, and both of whom I have had the privilege of seeing live.
Billy Connolly - incredibly funny man; diverse acting talent; very watchable and entertaining in his TV shows; foul mouthed, bushy haired and bearded with trademark goatee; stand-up singer, poet, songwriter and entertainer - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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