Birthday's to share this week : 19th-25th June 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Joel Edgerton does on 23rd June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 42, 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 19th June

• Paul Dano - Born 1984, turns 32 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Zoe Saldana - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Sadie Frost - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
• Kathleen Turner - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actress | Producer
• Gena Rowlands - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actress  

Monday 20th June

• Nicole Kidman - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Martin Landau - Born 1928, turns 88 - Actor | Producer
• Stephen Frears - Born 1941, turns 75 - Director | Producer
• John Goodman - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Josh Lucas - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actor
• Robert Rodriguez - Born 1968, turns 48 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Composer | Songwriter | Editor | Cinematographer | Cameraman | FX Executive  

Tuesday 21st June

• Chris Pratt - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor
• Benjamin Walker - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor
• David Morrissey - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Juliette Lewis - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Lana Wachowski - Born 1965, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer  

Wednesday 22nd June

• Meryl Streep - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Lindsay Wagner - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress | Producer
• Kris Kristofferson - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Bruce Campbell - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Uwe Boll - Born 1965, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Randy Couture - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | UFC Wrestler  

Thursday 23rd June

• Joel Edgerton - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Bryan Brown - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Producer
• Joss Whedon - Born 1964, turns 52 - Producer | Writer | Director | Actor | Editor | Composer | Songwriter
• Frances McDormand - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress | Producer  

Friday 24th June

• Nancy Allen - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actress
• Peter Weller - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Director
• Dan Gilroy - Born 1959, turns 57 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Iain Glen - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer  

Saturday 25th June

• Anthony Bourdain - Born 1956, turns 60 - Television Personality | Producer | Writer
• Timur Bekmambetov - Born 1961, turns 55 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Ricky Gervais - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Television Personality | Singer | Songwriter

Joel Edgerton was born in Blacktown, west of Sydney, Australia to mother Marianne, a housewife and mother, and father Michael, a solicitor and property developer. He has an older brother, Nash, who works as a stuntman, actor and Director, and whom Joel describes as his best friend. He graduated from The Hills Grammar School in Kenthurst, north-west of Sydney in 1991 and went onto Nepean Drama School at the University of Western Sydney from where he graduated in 1994 before appearing in various stage productions with the likes of The Sydney Theatre Company amongst others.

His first small screen appearance came on a single episode of 'Police Rescue' in 1995 with his first big screen appearance a year later in 1996 in 'Race the Sun' with Halle Berry, James Belushi, Casey Affleck, Steve Zahn and Bill Hunter. This was followed up by a nine minute short film that same year, 'Loaded' Co-Directed by brother Nash and Kieran Darcy-Smith. The following few years saw more television series roles including 'Big Sky', 'Fallen Angels', 'Spellbinder', 'Wildside' and 'Water Rats'. 'Praise' followed in 1998 for Director John Curran and the 26 minute short film 'Bloodlock' for brother Nash and Kieran Darcy-Smith once more. 'Erskineville Kings' with Hugh Jackman and 'Dogwatch' saw out the decade.

The following few years saw a number of made for television movies including 'Secret Men's Business', 'The Three Stooges' and the 'The Secret Life of Us' with Claudia Karvan and Deborah Mailman, and which spawned a spin-off television series of the same name with largely the same cast, and Edgerton reprising his role in 32 episodes as Will McGill from 2001-2002. There were also several short films including 'Gate', 'The Pitch' Written by the Edgerton brothers and Directed by Nash, 'Animalis' and 'Saturn's Return'. Perhaps the role that really established him was as Owen Lars in 'Star Wars : Episode II - Attack of the Clones' in 2002 - a role he would reprise in 2005 in 'Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'.

In between time, there was 'The Hard Word' with Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, Gregor Jordan's 'Ned Kelly' biopic with Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush, the Sinatra biopic of the crooners tour of Australia 'The Night We Called it a Day' with Dennis Hopper and Melanie Griffiths all followed. Antoine Fuqua's epic retelling of 'King Arthur' with Clive Owen, Ray Winstone, Stellan Skarsgard and Keira Knightley, and then 'Kinky Boots' with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nick Frost took us up to 2006.

'Open Window', 'Smokin' Aces', 'Whisper', 'The Square' Directed by Nash and written by Joel, 'Acolytes', 'Separation City' and 'The Waiting City' saw the decade out with eight episodes of Australian action drama series 'Dangerous' in 2007, and further short films 'Crossbow', 'Father' and 'Spider' again Directed by, and Co-Wriiten by brother Nash, with ABC mining drama 'Dirt Game' in 2009.

2010 saw the highly acclaimed and Oscar nominated 'Animal House' for David Michod with Jackie Weaver, then 'Warrior' with Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte, and the remake/prequel to John Carpenter's classic 'The Thing' in 2011. 'Wish You Were Here', 'The Odd Life of Timothy Green' and then highly praised Osama bin Laden hunt him down film by Katherine Bigelow 'Zero Dark Thirty' with Jessica Chastain. This was followed by his turn at Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's lavish period piece 'The Great Gatsby' with Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire in this equally acclaimed production. The Police thriller 'Felony' Produced, Written and Starring Edgerton came next in 2013, with Ridley Scott's biblical epic adventure tale of brothers Moses and Ramses in 'Exodus : Gods & Kings' with Christian Bale, Ben Kingsley and John Tuturro.

'Life' followed in 2015, as did Egerton's Directorial debut with 'The Gift' which he also wrote, Produced and starred in to positive critical and commercial success making eleven times its budget outlay. 'Black Mass' with Johnny Depp in the lead role of James 'Whitey' Bulger in this true crime biographical drama set in the mid-70's South Boston area. 'Jane Got a Gun' was Co-Written for the screen by Edgerton and stars him too in this action Western that has yet to receive a cinema release in Australia, despite its release in the US at the end of January where it tanked - possibly due to its troubled production and repeatedly delayed release.

'Midnight Special' was released on a limited basis only just very recently to generally positive reviews, although it has so far only recovered one-third of its Budget costs. That film is Directed by Jeff Nichols and stars Michael Shannon, with whom Edgerton reprises that relationship next with 'Loving' due in November this year and very warmly received at this years Cannes Film Festival where the film received a standing ovation, and subsequent Oscar speculation of Edgerton's first nomination. He has lent his voice talents also over the years to '$9.99', 'Legend of the Guardians : The Owls of Ga'Hoole', and short films 'The Cartographer' and 'The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello'.

Next up is 'American Express' due next year and Directed by Nash Edgerton with Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton, David Oyelowo and Sharlto Copley, and then 'Bright' in pre-production for David Ayer with Will Smith and Noomi Rapace. All up Edgerton has 68 acting credits, nine Writer cerdits, six as Producer and three as Director. He has thirteen award wins and another 24 nominations so far.

Edgerton is an ambassador for the 'Fred Hollows Foundation' which restores eye sight to the less fortunate in poorer countries through a simple low cost procedure. In 1996 he and brother Nash Co-Founded Blue Tongue Films with Kieran Darcy-Smith and David Michod that has since produced feature films, short films and music videos for many named artists.

Joel Edgerton - multi-talented; multi-faceted across the film making game; has worked across just about all genres; is widely respected; grounded, real and has film making values that he holds dear; is clearly much sought after, and another great Australian success story - Happy Birthday to you Joel, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-