Birthday's to share this week : 13th - 19th March 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jai Courtney does on 15th March - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 30, 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 13th March

• William H. Macy - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Emile Hirsch - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actor
• Common - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter

Monday 14th March

• Michael Caine - Born 1933, turns 83 - Actor | Producer
• Quincy Jones - Born 1933, turns 83 - Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Jamie Bell - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor
• Ansel Elgort - Born 1994, turns 22 - Actor
• Corey Stoll - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor
• Billy Crystal - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Wolfgang Petersen - Born 1941, turns 75 - Director | Producer | Writer

Tuesday 15th March

• Jai Courtney - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor
• Greg Nicotero - Born 1963, turns 53 - Make Up & Special Effects Specialist | Producer | Writer | Director | Actor
• David Cronenberg - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Writer | Actor
• Judd Hirsch - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor
• Renny Harlin - Born 1959, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Eva Longoria - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Director

Wednesday 16th March

• Kate Nelligan - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actress
• Jimmy Nail - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Victor Garber - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor
• Gore Verbinski - Born 1964, turns 52 - Producer | Director | Writer

Thursday 17th March

• Kurt Russell - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Gary Sinise - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Rob Lowe - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Producer
• John Boyega - Born 1992, turns 24 - Actor
• Lesley-Anne Down - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actress | Writer

Friday 18th March

• Vanessa Williams - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Queen Latifah - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actress | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Adam Levine - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter 
• Luc Besson - Born 1959, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Brad Dourif - Born 1950, turns 64 - Actor

Saturday 19th March

• Bruce Willis - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Harvey Weinstein - Born 1952, turns 64 - Producer
• Glenn Close - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Ursula Andress - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actress | Original Bond Girl

Jai Stephen Courtney was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia to mother Karen, a teacher at Galston Public School where he and his sister attended, and father Chris who worked for the State owned and operated electricity company. He grew up in the north western Sydney suburb of Cherrybrook where he later attended the Cherrybrook Technology High School before going onto the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts at the Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia.

In 2005, Courtney scored his first film break in the controversial short film 'Boys Grammar' about bullying taken to the extreme in an exclusive private boys school that was inspired by true events at a private boys school in Sydney. From here he picked up two episodes on 'All Saint's' in 2008 - an Australian fictional medical drama series, and then two episodes on 'Packed to the Rafters' in 2008/09 - an Australian award winning family centred drama series.

His first feature film outing came in 2009's 'Stone Bros.' and Australian Aboriginal stoner comedy that cost US$3.4M to make and grossed less than US$100K. In 2010 Courtney secured the role of Varro in the first season of 'Spartacus : Blood and Sand' over ten episodes.

2010 was probably the turning point for Courtney starring with Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, and Rosamund Pike in the Christopher McQuarrie big screen adaptation of the Lee Child penned 'Jack Reacher' novels. The film retuned US$219M off US$60M ensuring a sequel would follow - and it does in October this year with 'Jack Reacher : Never Go Back'.

Next up was another big screen seasoned actioner with Bruce Willis in the fifth instalment of the 'Die Hard' franchise with 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in which Courtney plays Jack McLean - the estranged son to Willis' John. The film made US$305M off its US$90M budget.

'Felony' came next in 2013 with this modern day Australian crime thriller Written, Produced and Starring Joel Edgerton with Tom Wilkinson and Melissa George. The following year saw 'I, Frankenstein' with Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy and Miranda Otto, and although the film was critically panned, it did recover its US$65M budget with a Box Office take of US$71M.

2014 also saw the launch of the 'Divergent' series with the first instalment headed up by Shailene Woodley and also starring Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, Maggie Q and Ashley Judd. 'Insurgent' followed in 2015 as the second in four instalments. In the meantime that same year there were two wartime offerings with Angelina Jolie's biographical sports drama film 'Unbroken', and then Russell Crowe's Directorial debut 'The Water Diviner'. The former made US$164M and the latter US$31M.

2015 saw 'Terminator : Genisys' in which Courtney plays the pivotal role of Kyle Reece in this fifth film in the franchise which brought Arnold Schwarzenegger back into the role originally made famous by him in 1984. The film made US$441M from US$155M and was intended to be the first in a there film reboot, but in early this year Paramount announced that for now, a sequel was off the radar. 'Man Down' then followed in late 2015 but has yet to be released in Australia. This post-apocalyptic war thriller stars Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman and Kate Mara and premiered in September 2015 at the Venice International Film Festival.

Next up is the hotly awaited 'Suicide Squad' due for release in August this year. Based on the DC Comics Extended Universe antihero comics of the same name, Courtney stars as 'Boomerang' (how appropriate) - a deadly boomerang wielding assassin. Directed by David Ayer the film also stars Will Smith, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Margot Robbie, and Viola Davis, with a sequel already announced for 2017. Following this is another war time drama 'The Kaiser's Last Kiss' also with Christopher Plummer, Eddie Marsan and Lily James, and is currently filming.

Courtney has eighteen Acting credits to his name and has two award nominations both for Best Supporting Actor on 'Felony'. He lives in Los Angeles and from 2006 until 2014 was romantically linked to Actress Gemma Pranita.

Jai Courtney - unsuccessful in securing a place at NIDA but has scored success nonetheless; plays guitar and sings and in another life may have pursued a career as a musician; was a serious rugby player in his early years (hence his build); and he has a three skull tattoo drawn by his six year old God-daughter 'inked on my flesh forever'. With only 18 films your star is on the rise, being increasingly sought after and in demand, and maybe typecast in blockbuster action fare, your following is increasingly assured. Happy 30th Birthday Jai, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-