Birthday's to share this week : 17th - 23rd December 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Katheryn Winnick does on 17th December - check out my tribute to this Actress Birthday Girl turning 40, 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 17th December

• Sarah Paulson - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actress | Singer
• Milla Jovovich - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter
• Katheryn Winnick - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actress
• Armin Mueller-Stahl - Born 1930, turns 87 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Bernard Hill - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor 
• Eugene Levy - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Bill Pullman - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Director | Producer 
• Peter Farrelly - Born 1956, turns 61 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Rian Johnson - Born 1973, turns 44 - Director | Writer | Editor 
• Giovanni Ribisi - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor | Producer

Monday 18th December

• Keith Richards - Born 1943, turns 74 - Songwriter | Singer | Musician | Composer | Actor
• Steven Spielberg - Born 1946, turns 71 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
• Ray Liotta - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actor | Producer
• Brad Pitt - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer 
• Steve Austin - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
• Robson Green - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer 
• Casper Van Dien - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Rachel Griffiths - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress | Director | Producer | Writer
• Katie Holmes - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer

Tuesday 19th December

• Jennifer Beals - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Jake Gyllenhaal - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actor | Producer  

Wednesday 20th December

• Todd Phillips - Born 1970, turns 47 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor | Songwriter
• Jonah Hill - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jenny Agutter - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actress   

Thursday 21st December

• Jane Fonda - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actress | Producer
• Julie Delpy - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Writer | Director | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Editor
• Samuel L. Jackson - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Singer 
• Ray Romano - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Writer | Producer 
• Kiefer Sutherland - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Steven Yuen - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor 

Friday 22nd December

• Hector Elizondo - Born 1936, turns 81 - Actor | Producer
• Ralph Fiennes - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Director | Producer | Singer
• Vanessa Paradis - Born 1972, turns  45 - Actress | Singer 

Saturday 23rd December

• Estella Warren - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress
• Nick Moran - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director 

Katerena Anna Vinitska (aka Katheryn Winnick) was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada (now part of the greater City of Toronto). She is of Ukrainian descent and spoke Ukrainian as her first language at home until she was eight years of age, before speaking English. From the age of seven she began training in martial arts, and by the time she turned thirteen she had already attained her first black belt. She opened her first martial arts studio at the age of sixteen, and by the time she was 21 she had opened two others - one in Toronto and the other in New York. She holds a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a second-degree black belt in Karate, and is also a licensed bodyguard. She was kicked out of Summer Camp when she was fourteen for reckless behaviour, and clearly needing something to vent her anger and frustration at the world, so she turned wholesale to martial arts ultimately winning silver at the Canadian National Taekwondo finals. She studied at the York University in Toronto, and then acting at New York's William Esper Studio before actively pursuing an acting career initially in New York and then Los Angeles. 

Winnick gained her television debut on an episode of 'PSI Factor : Chronicles of the Paranormal' in 1999 and then on five episodes of high school television series 'Student Bodies' and a single episode of Tia Carrere's television series 'Relic Hunter' that same year too. Winnick secured her first film role in the 2001 Sci-Fi horror mystery offering 'Biohazardous' and 'Smoking Herb' the following year together with mystery drama thriller 'Fabled' and 'Two Weeks Notice' with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. Crime drama 'What Alice Found' was released in 2003, then '50 First Dates' with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and then horror crime film 'Satan's Little Helper' in 2004 and 'Going the Distance' also that year. In between time there were one off appearances on television shows including 'Oz', '1-800-Missing', 'Wild Card' and 'CSI : Miami'.

In 2005 Winnick played Ivana Trump in the biographical drama film 'Trump Unauthorised' (if only she knew then what she knows now!!), then the straight to video horror offering 'Hellraiser : Hellworld', the made for television movie '13 Graves', then the sport comedy 'Cloud 9' with Burt Reynolds and the RomCom 'Failure to Launch' with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. 'Kiss Me Again', 'Tipping Point', horror thriller 'Amusement' and 'Cold Souls' with Paul Giamatti saw out the decade. Meanwhile there had been further appearances on television shows including 'Criminal Minds', 'House', ' Law & Order' and 'CSI : Crime Scene Investigation'. 

'Tranced', action RomCom 'Killers', 'Radio Free Albemuth', Edward Zwick's 'Love & Other Drugs' with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway and the 48 minute short film 'Night and Day' were all released in 2010. The following year saw crime horror drama 'Choose' with Kevin Pollack and Bruce Dern, then 'Bat $#*! Crazy' and 'Stand Up Guys' with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin and then Roman Coppola's 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III' with Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. 'The Art of the Steal' with Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon and Jay Baruchel came along in 2013 and in the meantime there had been more regular TV work on seven episodes of 'Bones', and ' The Glades', 'Nikita', and 'Transporter : The Series'.

In 2013 she starred in the History Channel's acclaimed television series 'Vikings' in so far fifty two episodes spanning now six seasons as Lagertha who according to legend was a Viking shieldmaiden and ruler from what is now Norway and the onetime wife of famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok played in the series by Travis Fimmel. Over the years this series has been nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards and has amassed a total 22 wins and 75 nominations so far. Winnick has herself been nominated six times for her portrayal of Lagertha, and it has been reported that her role as Lagertha 'may be the most exciting feminist character on TV'.

Whilst filming episodes of 'Vikings' Winnick also appeared in a single episode of 'Person of Interest', the twelve minute short film 'Stripped' in 2016, and the Stephen King adapted 'The Dark Tower' earlier this year with Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba which went on to gross US$112M at the Box Office from its US$60M budget outlay despite its generally negative Reviews. Next up for Winnick is crime drama 'Speed Kills' with John Travolta, Matthew Modine, Kellan Lutz, James Remar and Jennifer Esposito, and she lent her voice to the cast of video game 'Call of Duty : WWII' recently released.

All up Winnick has sixty Acting credits to her name and she has so far garnered two award wins and another seven nominations. In 2009 she was selected by Vanity Fair magazine to appear in the high-profile and very selective 'Vanities' section, and in 2015 Winnick was named brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watch maker Raymond Weil, and in 2016 the face of their feminine Shine Collection.

Katheryn Winnick - a self confessed 'tom-boy'; the literal translation of her name in Ukrainian is 'winemaker'; has served her time in horror films, straight to video productions, one off television appearances and has risen to prominence with 'Vikings'; has worked with some big name Hollywood heavy hitters; has the talent, the brains and the beauty and is definitely on the up and up. Happy 40th Birthday to you Katheryn, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 10th - 16th July 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Travis Fimmel does on 15th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 37, 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 10th July 

• Chiwetel Ejiofor - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Sofia Vergara - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress | Producer 

Monday 11th July

• Rachael Taylor - Born 1984, turns 32 - Actress
• Caroline Quentin - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actress | Writer | Director
• Mark Lester - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor
• Stephen Lang - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Tom Holland - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Writer | Actor  

Tuesday 12th July

• Topher Grace - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Brian Grazer - Born 1951, turns 65 - Producer | Writer | Actor
• Bill Cosby - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Michelle Rodriguez - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actress
• Cheryl Ladd - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress  

Wednesday 13th July

• Patrick Stewart - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Robert Forster - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Harrison Ford - Born1942, turns 74 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Cheech Marin - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Cameron Crowe - Born 1957, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ken Jeong - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  

Thursday 14th July

• Harry Dean Stanton - Born 1926, turns 90 - Actor
• Matthew Fox - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor
• Jackie Earle Haley - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Scott Rudin - Born 1958, turns 58 - Producer
• Joel Silver - Born 1952, turns 64 - Producer
• Deborah Mailman - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress  

Friday 15th July

• Diane Kruger - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress
• Brigitte Nielsen - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress | Producer
• Ken Kercheval - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor
• Jan-Michael Vincent - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor
• Forest Whittaker - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Travis Fimmel - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor  

Saturday 16th July

• Will Ferrell - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Corey Feldman - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Phoebe Cates - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress

Travis Fimmel was born near Echuca, Victoria, Australia to mother Jennie - a recreational officer for the disabled, and father Chris, a cattle and dairy farmer. He grew up on a 5,500 acre farm property in Lockington - a town in northern Victoria about 200kms north of Melbourne with his two elder brothers. He left school at age seventeen and had aspirations of playing Australian rules football as his career. In his late teens he relocated to Melbourne to play for the St. Kilda club, but was sidelined before he even began with a broken leg. He gained a place at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology to study architecture and engineering, but chose to travel the world instead.

Whilst training at a Melbourne gym he was talented spotted by a representative of the Chadwick Models Agency. He headed overseas to the US in 2002 and was signed up instantly by 'LA Models' and shortly afterwards became the worlds first male model to sign a six figure deal with an exclusive one year contract with Calvin Klein to model their underwear range for men. He also became the face of CK's 'Crave' mens fragrance. As a consequence People Magazine named him on of the world's sexiest bachelors in 2002 and was regarded as the most in demand male model in the world. He appeared on the front cover of several magazines, appeared on numerous chat shows including those of Jimmy Kimmel and Sharon Osbourne, as well as a slot on entertainment news programme 'Extra!'. He also starred in music video clips for Jennifer Lopez and Janet Jackson.

Fimmel soon thereafter started taking acting lessons with renowned coach and acting mentor Ivana Chubbuck who also coached the likes of Brad Pitt, Gerard Butler, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry. From here, he landed the lead role in the 2003 Warner Bros. television series of 'Tarzan' which ran for just eight episodes and starred Sarah Wayne Callies (of 'Prisonbreak' and 'The Walking Dead' fame) as Jane Porter, and Mitch Pileggi as Richard Clayton - billionaire uncle of Tarzan/John Clayton.

From here he secured a role in the made for television movie 'Southern Comfort' in 2006 with Madeleine Stowe and Eric Roberts, and then Australian drama thriller 'Restraint' with Teresa Palmer in 2008, with 'Surfer, Dude' with Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Scott Glenn and Willie Nelson that same year. In 2009 he secured a real boost to his television profile starring opposite Patrick Swayze in 'The Beast' about a rookie undercover cop (Fimmel) buddied up with a hard nosed seen it all veteran cop (Swayze). The short-lived series was well received by critics but less so by audiences, but none of that really mattered as after just thirteen episodes the series ended due to Swayze's death from pancreatic cancer.

2010 saw him star in 'Pure Country 2 : The Gift', a musical western film; Australian supernatural horror 'Needle' with Ben Mendelsohn, John Jarrett and Tahyna Tozzi which picked up several awards around the horror circuit. 'Ivory' with Peter Stormare and Martin Landau followed, and then 'The Experiment' with Adrien Brody and Forest Whittaker closed out the year.

After this came a couple of episodes on 'Chase' for the NBC which ran for eighteen episodes and then the made for television movie 'Outlaw Country' with Mary Steenburgen and Luke Grimes in 2011. 'The Baytown Outlaws' came next with Billy Bob Thornton, Eva Longoria and Zoe Bell, and then 'Harodin' with Peter Fonda.

In 2013 Fimmel secured the lead role of Ragnor Lothbrok in the History Channel's series 'Vikings' which has now run for four seasons with a fifth now commissioned. Shot mostly in Ireland which Fimmel describes as beautiful, but wet, the film traces the story of the Norsemen led by Ragnor as they venture forth beyond their native Scandinavia and cause a stir in England and France especially, whilst keeping rival Viking clans at bay too back home. There has also been a spin off series 'Vikings : Athelstan's Journal' in which he has also starred in the majority of episodes being the central character.

Bringing us up to date is 'Maggie's Plan' just released with Ethan Hawke, Greta Gerwig and Julianne Moore, and the Duncan Jones epic action fantasy 'Warcraft : The Beginning' based on the hugely popular video and board game. Both films remain on general release, with the latter now the highest grossing video game adaptation, with a Box Office haul of US$422M.

Next up is Sci-Fi world disaster epic 'Inversion' in pre-production and 'All Quiet on the Western Front' also in pre-production. Fimmel has twenty-two acting credits to his name and just one award nomination - but it remains early days yet! He lists his leisure time pursuits as Australian rules football, surfing, camping, motor bike riding, the beach and getting down & dirty back at the family farm - which these days he finds it increasingly hard to do given his busy work schedule.

Travis Fimmel - underwear model, sword swinging warrior, AFL enthusiast, family farm hand, a star on the rise and increasingly keeping us entertained on the small and big screen - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-