Birthday's to share this week : 16th-22nd October 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jon Favreau does on 19th October - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 50, 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 16th October

• Angela Lansbury - Born 1925, turns 91 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Tim Robbins - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Gary Kemp - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter  

Monday 17th October

• Lawrence Bender - Born 1957, turns 59 - Producer | Actor
• Rob Marshall - Born 1960, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Choreographer
• Eminem (aka Marshall Bruce Mathers III) - Singer | Songwriter | Producer | Actor
• Matthew Macfadyen - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor
• Margot Kidder - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actress
• Felicity Jones - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress  

Tuesday 18th October

• Jean-Claude Van Damme - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Zac Efron - Born 1987, turns 29 - Actor | Producer | Singer  

Wednesday 19th October

• Michael Gambon - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor
• John Lithgow - Born 1945, turns 71 -  Actor | Producer | Singer
• Jon Favreau - Born 1966, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Trey Parker - Born 1969, turns 47 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Animator | Singer | Songwriter | Composer 

Thursday 20th October

• Timothy West - Born 1934, turns 82 - Actor
• Thomas Newman - Born 1955, turns 61 - Composer | Songwriter | Musician
• Danny Boyle - Born 1956, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Viggo Mortensen - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer
• Snoop Dogg (aka Calvin Cordozar Broadus) - Born 1971, turns 45 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Writer | Actor | Producer  

Friday 21st October

• Ken Watanabe - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Catherine Hardwick - Born 1955, turns 61 - Director | Producer | Writer | Production Designer
• Carrie Fisher - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actress | Writer | Singer

Saturday 22nd October

• Catherine Deneuve - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actress | Singer
• Saffron Burrows - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress
• Christopher Lloyd - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor
• Derek Jacobi - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor
• Jan de Bont - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Cinematographer
• Jeff Goldblum - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor | Producer
• John Howard - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor
• Bill Condon - Born 1955, turns 61 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Spike Jonze - Born 1969, turns 47 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Cameraman
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Television Personality  

Jonathan Kolia Favreau was born in Flushing, Queens, New York to mother Madeleine - an elementary school teacher who died in 1979 from leukaemia, and father Charles Favreau - a special needs education teacher. Favreau graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1984, and attended Queens College at the City University of New York from 1984 through to 1987 before dropping out. For a short time he worked for the New York based global investment bank, securities trading and brokerage company Bear Sterns on Wall Street, before returning to Queens College in early 1988. By that Summer he dropped out for good before completing his degree, and headed to Chicago to chase down a career in comedy. There he honed his craft at the ImprovOlympic Theatre and Training Centre, and the Improv Institute which subsequently closed its doors in 1994.

His first big screen role came as a Chicago cab driver in 'Folks' in 1992 for Director Ted Kotcheff with Tom Seleck and Don Ameche. This was followed up with an uncredited extra role in the Danny DeVito Directed and starring 'Hoffa' with Jack Nicholson in the title role. In 1993 he gained his first significant role in 'Rudy' alongside Sean Astin in the lead role as Daniel E. Roettiger and Favreau playing D-Bob in this sports-bio set in the college football world of the University of Notre Dame in the mid-'70's. On set he met Vince Vaughn who had a small role to play in the film. In 1994 he starred in 'PCU' (Port Chester University) alongside Jeremy Piven and David Spade, and then Joel Schumacher's 'Batman Forever' with Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carey and Chris O'Donnell. 'Notes from Underground' followed that same year in 1995. In the meantime there had been appearances on the likes of 'Seinfeld', 'Chicago Hope', ' The Larry Sanders Show' and 'Fallen Angels'.

1996 saw his debut as a Screenwriter with his penned 'Swingers' with Favreau playing alongside Vince Vaughn, and Directed by Doug Liman. 'Swingers' was made for just US$200K and grossed close to US$5M. Before the end of the decade came 'Persons Unknown', 'Dogtown', end of the world Sci-Fi action drama 'Deep Impact', Peter Berg's 'Very Bad Things' and television series appearances on 'Tracey Takes On . . .', 'Friends' and made for television movies 'Desert Breeze' and 'Rocky Marciano' with Favreau playing the lead role as the undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion.

The new decade launched with 'Love & Sex', 'The Replacements' and this his Directorial debut with 'Made' in 2001 in which he also starred, wrote and Produced, and hired his mate Vince Vaughn to star alongside. The film received positive Reviews and just about recovered its US$5M budget outlay from the worldwide Box Office. Marvel's 'Daredevil' with Ben Affleck came next in 2003, then 'The Big Empty' and then his second outing as Director with the Christmas themed 'Elf'. 'Something's Gotta Give' with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, and then 'Wimbledon', 'The Break Up' with Vince Vaughn and former 'Friends' Co-Star Jennifer Aniston. In the meantime Favreau Directed 'Zathura' - the follow-up to 'Jumanji' which whilst faring reasonably well critically, did less so commercially.

2008 saw Favreau Direct, Co-Produce and star in the first outing for Marvel's 'Iron Man' with Robert Downey Jnr. in the lead role. This first film in the hugely successful and popular franchise returned US$586M from its US$140M budget. He followed this success up again in 2010 with 'Iron Man 2' making US$624M from its US$200M budget, and in 2013 acted as Executive Producer on Shane Black's 'Iron Man 3' and reprised his role as Happy Hogan, now Head of Security for Stark Industries. This third instalment made US$1.22B from its US$200M budget costs.

Three RomCom's followed in quick succession with 'Four Christmases', 'I Love You, Man' and 'Couples Retreat' - the first and last of these both with regular stablemate Vince Vaughn, before the Sci-Fi Western 'Cowboys and Aliens' Directed and Co-Produced by Favreau with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford starring.

There were then support acting gigs in 'John Carter', 'People Like Us', 'Identity Thief', 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and 'Entourage' with his turn as Writer, Producer. Director and Star in 'Chef' in 2014. In the meantime he took an Executive Producer credit on the hugely successful 'The Avengers' in 2012, on last years 'Avengers : The Age of Ultron' and the upcoming 'Avengers : Infinity War Parts 1 & 2' due on 4th May 2018 and 3rd May 2019 respectively.

Bringing us up to date this year there has been crime drama 'Term Life' with Vince Vaughn again, his highly acclaimed live action/CGI retelling of Disney's classic 'The Jungle Book' which Favreau Directed, Co-Produced and lent his voice talents to and which grossed US$967M from its US$175M budget. Next up is his reprisal of his 'Iron Man' role as Happy Hogan in 'Spider-Man : Homecoming', and the recently announced Disney live action/CGI remakes of 'The Lion King' and 'The Jungle Book 2' with Favreau set to Direct both. Television Sci-Fi drama comedy series 'Orville' is due in 2017 with Favreau as Executive Producer. Meanwhile, he has lent his voice talents to 'Rocket Power', 'Dilbert', 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command', 'Family Guy', 'Rugrats', 'Open Season', 'Robot Chicken', 'G-Force', 'Zookeeper', 'Star Wars : The Clone Wars' and 'The Jungle Book', and he has appeared on episodes of 'My Name is Earl', 'Monk' and 'The King of Queens'.

All up Favreau has 65 Acting credits to his name, 22 Producer credits, twenty as Director and six as Writer. He has three awards wins and eight other nominations. He married physician Joya Tillem in late 2000 with whom he has three children - Max (born in July 2001), Madeleine (born in April 2003) and Brighton Rose (born in August 2006). Looking purely at his Marvel adaptations which he has either Directed or Co-Produced, the combined worldwide gross Box Office receipts amount to close to US$5.35B and add to that 'The Jungle Book' then this sum rises to close to US$6.32B . . . that's a pretty good track record methinks!

Jon Favreau - he Stars, he Produces, he Directs and he Writes; is as equally comfortable making big action epics or small independent features; and now seemingly at ease too with the latest cutting edge moviemaking technology to further enhance our cinematic experience. A proven track record of keeping us entertained on the big screen and the small screen, in front of the camera and behind it, and we just keep coming back for more - Happy 50th Birthday to you Jon, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-