Bill Nighy does on 12th December - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy, turning 66, 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 6th December
- Judd Apatow - Born 1967, turns 48 - Director | Producer | Writer
- Nick Park - Born 1958, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer | Animator
- JoBeth Williams - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actress | Producer
Monday 7th December
- Ellen Burstyn - Born 1932, turns 83 - Actress
- Nicholas Hoult - Born 1989, turns 26 - Actor
- Jeffrey Wright - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor
Tuesday 8th December
- Dominic Monaghan - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actor | Producer
- Rick Baker - Born 1950, turns 65 - Make-up Artist | Special Effects Designer | Actor
- Kim Basinger - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actress
- Teri Hatcher - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress
Wednesday 9th December
- Judi Dench - Born 1934, turns 81 - Actress
- Kirk Douglas - Born 1916, turns 99 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- John Malkovich - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- Beau Bridges - Born 1941, turns 74 - Actor | Producer | Director
Thursday 10th December
- Kenneth Branagh - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- Xavier Samuel - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor
Friday 11th December
- Hailee Steinfeld - Born 1996, turns 19 - Actress
- Mo'Nique - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actress | Producer | Writer
Saturday 12th December
- Jennifer Connolly - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actress
- Paula Wagner - Born 1946, turns 69 - Producer
- Bill Nighy - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor
William Francis Nighy was born in Caterham, Surrey, England to mother Catherine Josephine Whittaker, a psychiatric nurse, and father Alfred Martin Nighy, the manager of a car garage and former family chimney sweeping business owner. He was raised a Roman Catholic, and served as an alter boy. He attended the John Fischer School in Purley where he first took part in the school theatre group, and from where he graduated with two O'Levels in English Language and English Literature. Working as a messenger boy for The Croydon Advertiser, he later trained at the Guildford School of Acting.
Nighy made his stage debut in London at the National Theatre in 'Illuminatus' which first opened in 1977. His first small screen appearance came with the weekly television police force drama series 'Softly, Softly : Taskforce' in 1976 with three episodes on 'Play for Today' from 1978 to 1982. From that point on there has been regular television work throughout the years up until the present day with the likes of appearances on 'Minder', the acclaimed 'The Men's Room' in 1991, 'Bergerac', 'Peak Practice', 'Wycliffe', 'Kavanagh QC', 'State of Play', 'The Girl in the Cafe', 'Gideon's Daughter' and more recently the Worricker trilogy with Nighy playing the lead role of Johnny Worricker in 'Page Eight', 'Turks & Caicos', and 'Salting the Battlefield'.
His radio career is also worthy of mention. In 1981 he played Samwise Gamgee in 'The Lord of the Rings' BBC Radio dramatisation, and then there was the BBC Radio versions of the successful 80's television political satire series 'Yes, Minister' and the acclaimed 'Kerton's Story' and for BBC 4 'Baldi'.
In between television, radio and an increasingly busy film schedule there has also been notable stage appearances with The National Theatre again, including Tom Stoppard's 'Arcadia' and then Joe Penhall's 'Blue/Orange' for which he picked up an Olivier Award nomination for his performance.
Nighy's big screen debut came with an uncredited bit part in Joan Collin's 'The Bitch' in 1979, and another uncredited role in 'Death Watch' a year later, and the television movie 'Little Lord Fauntleroy', also uncredited that same year. His first credited film role came alongside Donald Sutherland in 1981's war time spy drama 'Eye of the Needle'. 'The Curse of the Pink Panther' followed in 1983 as Directed by Blake Edwards and with an all star line up including Moore, Niven, Wagner, Lom, Loggia and Lumley. The 80's saw out with 'Mack The Knife' and 'Phantom of the Opera'.
A bunch of television series and made for TV movies occupied Nighy in the early part of the 90's with the Robin Williams vehicle 'Being Human' being his first big screen role that decade in 1994. After some lesser fare he gained recognition for 1998's 'Still Crazy' as ageing Rock Star Ray Simms. 'Guest House Paradiso' followed in 1999 with Adrian Edmonson and Rik Mayall to see out the decade.
'Blow Dry' saw in the 2000's in 2001 with Alan Rickman and that same year the award winning 'Lawless Heart' and then 'Lucky Break'. But, it was playing an ageing Rock Star again that really helped establish his film career in 2003 with 'Love Actually', as Directed by Richard Curtis, and again featuring an all star cast. 
'Notes on a Scandal' came next in 2006 with Blanchett and Dench, 'Hot Fuzz' with Pegg and Frost again, 'Valkyrie' with Cruise and Branagh, 'The Boat That Rocked' with Seymour Hoffman and Frost once more, and 'Glorious 39' with Redmayne and Lee seeing out another decade.
2010 delivered 'Wild Target' and a role in the first concluding film in the 'Harry Potter' series, and then in 2011 the popular 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' which he would reprise in 2015's 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. This was followed up by 'Wrath of the Titans', the reboot of 'Total Recall', then 'Jack the Giant Slayer', another outing for Richard Curtis in 'About Time', then 'I, Frankenstein' and 'Pride'.
Next up there is 'Dad's Army' due in early 2016, 'Okja' in pre-production for 2017, 'Payne & Redemption' and 'Their Finest Hour and a Half' both currently filming for later on in 2016, and 'Norm of the North' in post-production. Nighty has lent his voice talents also to numerous other films including 'Flushed Away', 'Astro Boy', 'Rango', 'Arthur Christmas', and for numerous video games. All up Nighy has 129 Acting credits and he has won one Golden Globe for 'Gideon's Daughter' in 2007 and has been nominated twice more. He has two BAFTA wins for 'State of Play' and 'Love Actually' both in 2003 and another nomination. Plus, there are another twelve award wins and a further 18 nominations.
For 27 years Nighy shared a relationship with English Actress Diana Quick with whom they have a daughter Mary, born in 1984, and also an Actress. The couple split on good terms in 2008.
Bill Nighy - Actor of stage, television, cinema, radio, video and audio; has played the dead, the living dead, comedy, drama, romance and rockers and often does so with a palid gaze, deadpan one liners, a menacing stare and perfect timing. Clearly busy beyond belief Bill, but why let up now when you're so far ahead and still so sought after, and when your audience keep buying tickets. Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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