Birthday's to share this week : 28th May - 3rd June 2017

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Tom Holland does on 1st June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 21, 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 28th May

• Sondra Locke - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actress | Director | Producer
• Kylie Minogue - Born 1968, turns 49 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Writer | Producer | Actress | Director
• Carey Mulligan - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actress  

Monday 29th May

• Annette Benning - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actress 
• Lorelei Linklater - Born 1994, turns 23 - Actress 
• Danny Elfman - Born 1953, turns 64 - Composer | Songwriter | Musician | Actor 
• Rupert Everett - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer  

Tuesday 30th May

• Harry Enfield - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Duncan Jones - Born 1971, turns 46 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Joachim Ronning - Born 1972, turns 45 - Director | Writer | Producer  

Wednesday 31st May

• Clint Eastwood - Born 1930, turns 87 - Actor | Director | Producer | Composer | Songwriter | Singer
• Tom Berenger - Born 1949, turns 68 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Colin Farrell - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Brooke Shields - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actress | Producer  

Thursday 1st June

• Heidi Klum - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Sarah Wayne Callies - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actress | 
• Amy Schumer - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director  
• Morgan Freeman - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Director
• Robert Powell - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor
• Brian Cox - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
• Jonathan Pryce - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Singer
• Tom Holland - Born 1996, turns 21 - Actor | Director
• Ed Oxenbould - Born 2001, turns 16 - Actor

Friday 2nd June

• Stacy Keach - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Lasse Hallstrom - Born 1946, turns 71 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Dennis Haysbert - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actor | Producer  
• Liam Cunningham - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Director | Producer
• Wentworth Miller - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Kevin Feige - Born 1973, turns 44 - Producer 
• Zachary Quinto - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Producer  
• Dominic Cooper - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor
• Justin Long - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director 

Saturday 3rd June

• James Purefoy - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor
• Imogen Poots - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actress

Thomas Stanley Holland was born in Kingston upon Thames, London, England to mother Nicola Elizabeth Frost, a photographer, and father Dominic Holland, a comedian, radio host, television personality, writer and author. Tom has three younger brothers - Sam and Harry, twins three years younger, and Patrick eight years his junior. Tom was educated at Donhead Preparatory School located in Wimbledon, and then Wimbledon College - a Jesuit Roman Catholic Secondary School for boys at Edge Hill, also in Wimbledon. In 2012 he attended the BRIT (British Record Industry Trust) School for Performing Arts and Technology at Selhurst, Croydon, London.

His performance career began with dance at a dance school in Wimbledon. His early potential was spotted by a choreographer visiting his dance school in 2006 as part of that years Richmond Dance Festival. After a series of auditions and two years of training in mid-2008 the young Holland made his West End debut in 'Billy Elliot, the Musical' playing the role of Michael, Billy's best mate, at the Victoria Palace Theatre. By September of that same year Holland was playing the lead character of Billy, to positive Reviews. In March 2010, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the stage musical, the current actors playing Billy in rotation, including Holland, were invited to 10, Downing Street to meet with the then British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. He finished his run in the show in late May that year.

2012 saw the release of his first feature film, but in voice only, and in the English dubbed version of the Studio Ghibli animated fantasy film 'Arrietty' with fellow voice Actors Saoirse Ronan, Olivia Coleman, Mark Strong, Geraldine McEwan and Phyllida Law. That same year he appeared in his first feature film 'The Impossible', Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor telling the story of the devastating tsunami that struck Thailand on Boxing Day 2004. Holland portrayed one of the three sons of the on-screen husband and wife team of Watts & McGregor. The film was critically lauded and picked up 27 award wins and 65 nominations including multiple award wins and nominations for Best Young Actor and Breakthrough Actor for Holland.

The following year Holland lent his voice talents to the role of Eddie in Steven Knight's Written and Directed 'Locke', with Tom Hardy as the only physical presence in the whole film behind the wheel of his car driving down a motorway in England on his way home. That same year saw dramatic romantic thriller 'How I Live Now' with Saoirse Ronan. 2015 brought the highly acclaimed period television drama series 'Wolf Hall' over six hour long episodes with Holland playing Gregory Cromwell to Mark Rylance's Thomas Cromwell, Damien Lewis as Henry VIII and Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn. Later that year came the Ron Howard's action adventure period piece inspired by the classic novel Moby Dick, 'In the Heart of the Sea' with Chris Hemsworth, Cilian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson and Benjamin Walker.

2016 saw what might be regarded as his breakout role, albeit for only a brief but not insignificant, appearance in 'Captain America : Civil War' as the latest incarnation of Spiderman (aka Peter Parker) alongside an all star cast that you'll know already. 2016 also saw drama thriller 'Edge of Winter' with Joel Kinnaman and then the yet to be released in Australia historical action adventure biopic 'The Lost City of Z' as Directed by James Gary and starring also Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller.

Due for release later this year is historically set 13th Century Irish drama adventure 'Pilgrimage' with Richard Armitage and Jon Bernthal and 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' due mid year this year also that sees Holland get his own stand alone movie as the web slinging young hero following on directly from the events that unfolded in 'Captain America : Civil War'. 

Currently in Post-Production is historical drama Bio-Pic about Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, 'The Current War' due early 2018 with Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse, Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla and Holland as business magnate Samuel Insull. Currently filming is 'Avengers : Infinity War' in which Holland reprises his role as Spider-Man, and in Pre-Production is the film adaptation of the 'Uncharted' video game series for Director Shawn Levy, and dystopian Sci-Fi adventure 'Chaos Walking' for Director Doug Liman and also starring Daisy Ridley. Recently announced for a 2019 release is a 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' sequel. 

All up Holland has nineteen acting credits to his name  and one as Director on his own three minute short film 'Tweet' featuring his family as the principal cast. So far Holland has garnered eleven award wins including the BAFTA Rising Star Award earlier this year, and another fourteen nominations all for his performances in 'The Impossible', 'Captain America : Civil War' and 'In the Heart of the Sea'.

Tom Holland - just turning 21, but already much achieved in your short film and television career, in demand, clearly on the rise and with the accolades to prove it, and seemingly with Hollywood at your feet. We'll keep watching as your further career and your big screen appearances unfold - we wish you well. Happy Birthday to you Tom, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 16th - 22nd April 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Claire Foy does on 16th April - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 33, 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 April

• Ellen Barkin - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actress | Producer
• Claire Foy - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actress
• Anya Taylor-Joy - Born 1996, turns 21 - Actress
• Martin Lawrence - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Lukas Haas - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter  

Monday 17th April

• Nick Hornby - Born 1957, turns 60 - Writer | Producer
• Sean Bean - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer
• Jennifer Garner - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress | Producer
• Rooney Mara - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actress | Producer  

Tuesday 18th April

• Hayley Mills - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress
• Maria Bello - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actress | Producer
• America Ferrera - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actress | Producer
• Britt Robertson - Born 1990, turns 27 - Actress
• James Woods - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
• Rick Moranis - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Eric Roberts - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor 
• David Tennant - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor
• Eli Roth - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director  
• Edgar Wright - Born 1974, turns 43 - Director | Writer | Producer | Actor  

Wednesday 19th April

• Tim Curry - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Singer
• James Franco - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Hayden Christensen - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actor | Producer
• Ashley Judd - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Kate Hudson - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer  

Thursday 20th April

• Jessica Lange - Born 1949, turns 68 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Leslie Phillips - Born 1924, turns 93 - Actor | Producer
• Ryan O'Neal - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor 
• Andy Serkis - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer 
• Nicholas Lyndhurst - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor

Friday 21st April

• Charles Grodin - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor | Writer | 
• Toby Stephens - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Writer | Director 
• James McAvoy - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
• Andie MacDowell - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actress | Producer | 
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Singer

Saturday 22nd April

• Amber Heard - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Jack Nicholson - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• John Waters - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer 
• Lee Tamahori - Born 1950, turns 67 - Director | 
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor 

Claire Foy was born in Stockport, Manchester, England to mother Caroline - a pharmaceutical company employee and father David Foy - a sales consultant. She is the youngest of three children, and with sister Gemma and brother Robert grew up in Manchester and Leeds. The family moved to Buckinghamshire because of her fathers job relocation, and at age eight her parents divorced. At twelve years of age Claire attended Aylesbury High School for Girls, before going on to Liverpool John Moore's University where she studied drama. She also trained for a year at the Oxford School of Drama, graduating from her studies in 2007, after which she moved to a shared house in Peckham in south-east London.

While studying at Oxford, Foy took roles in several stage plays. In 2008 she scored her small screen debut in a pilot episode of supernatural horror series 'Being Human' which continued its run over five series. That same year she also took a single episode on the BBC's long running medical soap opera 'Doctors'. Later that year she gained the lead role in the fourteen episode mini-series of Charles Dickens 'Little Dorrit' as Amy Dorrit alongside Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Courtenay, Andy Serkis and Eddie Marsan. This led to a role in the two part mini-series 'Terry Prachett's Going Postal' with Charles Dance, David Suchet, Andrew Sachs and Timothy West. This was followed up with made for television film 'Pulse'.

In 2011 Foy secured her big screen debut in the fantasy action adventure film 'Season of the Witch' with Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and Christopher Lee. That same year came drama film 'Wreckers' with Benedict Cumberbatch, and four episode mini-series 'The Promise' in which Foy took a leading role. Made for television film 'The Night Watch' was released too in 2011, and then 'Hacks' seeing out the year. In between time there was nine episodes over two series of the updated to 1936 London era 'Upstairs Downstairs' as Lady Persephone Towyne which ran from 2010 through to 2012. This led to another television mini-series running across six episodes in 2012 'White Heat' with Sam Claiflin, Jeremy Northam and Juliet Stevenson.

'Vampire Academy' followed in 2014 with Zoey Deutch, Gabriel Byrne, Olga Kurylenko and Joely Richardson, and that same year 'Crossbones' - a nine part mini-series set during the 1700's pirate years with John Malkovich as legendary pirate Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach. Later that year was biographical drama film 'Rosewater' with Gael Garcia Bernal as Iranian/Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari. Two episodes on the four-part mini-series 'The Great War : The People's Story' followed, and then Foy lent her voice work talents as the Narrator on drama documentary 'Frankenstein and the Vampyre : A Dark and Stormy Night' recounting the story of the evening in 1816 which led to the creation of Frankenstein and the first modern vampire story.

Highly acclaimed historical drama 'Wolf Hall' aired over six episodes in 2015 with Damien Lewis as King Henry VIII, Mark Rylance as his trusted advisor Thomas Cromwell and Foy as Anne Boleyn - the second wife of the King. The series also starred Bernard Hill, Tom Holland and Jonathan Pryce and picked up eleven award wins and 42 nominations including the Golden Globe and BAFTA for best limited television series.

This was followed up by a role in 'The Lady in the Van' with Maggie Smith, Jim Braodbent and Alex Jennings, and then her Golden Globe and SAG Award wins for her on the first season of the critically acclaimed Netflix production 'The Queen'. Here she plays the young Princess Elizabeth who ascends to the throne as HRH Queen Elizabeth II and charts her early years up to the mid/late 1960's. Her run however, will come to an end after Season Two concludes as Foy hands over to an older actress to portray the maturing Queen. Season Two is currently in production and goes to air later this year.

This brings us up to date, with love story feature film 'Breathe' due for release in October this year. Starring Andrew Garfield and Foy in the lead roles as husband and wife, this true story of Robin Cavendish is Directed by Andy Serkis and tells the story of how Cavendish became an advocate for the disabled after being diagnosed with Polio at age 28 and given three months to live. He was 64 when he died, confined to a wheelchair and could only breathe by artificial means having been paralysed from the neck down, but this didn't stop him! In between time there have been several stage play appearances over the years including most recently as Lady Macbeth opposite James McAvoy in 2013's 'Macbeth' production at London's West End Trafalgar Studios.

In 2014 Foy married British Actor Stephen Campbell Moore whom she starred alongside in 'Season of the Witch', 'Pulse' and 'Lady in the Van', and with whom she has a daughter, Amalia, born in early 2015. All up Foy has 22 acting credits to her name, she has two award wins for her performance on 'The Crown' and eight other nominations mostly for 'Wolf Hall' including a BAFTA nod.

Claire Foy - a star on the rise and increasingly in demand; has already achieved much in just the nine years since her breakout role but was never sure of her acting abilities when she worked in supermarkets and dead end jobs growing up; is a home girl at heart and is still getting used to being in the spotlight. We'll keep watching Claire as your star shines brighter and in the meantime Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 5th - 11th February 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Damian Lewis does on 11th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 46, 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 5th February

• Michael Mann - Born 1943, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer | Cameraman
• Tom Wilkinson - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor
• Michael Sheen - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Tony Jaa - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Stuntman
• Charlotte Rampling - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress
• Barbara Hershey - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actress
• Jennifer Jason Leigh - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Laura Linney - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer

Monday 6th February

• Gail Hunnicutt - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actress
• Jim Sheridan - Born 1949, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Dane DeHaan - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actor  

Tuesday 7th February

• James Spader - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Eddie Izzard - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Chris Rock - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Ashton Kutcher - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  

Wednesday 8th February

• John Williams - Born 1932, turns 85 - Composer | Musician | Songwriter
• Nick Nolte - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Producer
• Seth Green - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Mary Steenbergen - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actress | Producer | Singer | Songwriter  

Thursday 9th February

• Mia Farrow - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actress
• Joe Pesci - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actor
• Ciaran Hinds - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor
• Tom Hiddleston - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Michael B. Jordan - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actor   

Friday 10th February

• Robert Wagner - Born 1930, turns 87 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Apted - Born 1941, turns 76 - Director | Producer
• Alexander Payne - Born 1961, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Laura Dern - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actress | Producer | Writer 
• Elizabeth Banks - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Emma Roberts - Born 1991, turns 26 - Actress
• Chloe Grace Moretz - Born 1997, turns 20 - Actress 

Saturday 11th February

• Jennifer Aniston - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Burt Reynolds - Born 1936, turns 81 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Damian Lewis - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor
• Taylor Lautner - Born 1992, turns 25 - Actor

Damian Watcyn Lewis was born in St. John's Wood, London, England to mother Charlotte Bowater and father John Watcyn Lewis a City of London Lloyd's Insurance Broker. His Grandfather on his mothers side was a Lord Mayor of London from 1969 to 1970 - Sir Ian Bowater. He was educated at the independent co-educational prep school Ashdown House in East Sussex and then the prestigious Eton College. He made his mind up to pursue an acting career at age sixteen, and he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London from which he graduated in 1993. From there he worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company as a stage actor appearing in various plays by Shakespeare and Ibsen. Growing up he would often visit relatives in the USA during the English Summer holiday period.

He gained his first small screen role in the made for television film 'Micky Love' with Rik Mayall in the title role and also with Alan Cumming and Peter Capaldi. This led to one-off appearances on television series 'Agatha's Christie's Poirot', 'A Touch of Frost' and 'Life Force' seeing out the '90's, but not before his big screen debut in 'Robinson Crusoe' with Pierce Brosnan in the lead role. The early new decade saw eight episodes on 'Hearts and Bones' and then all ten episodes on the highly acclaimed WWII action drama series 'Band of Brothers'. Following this came the Stephen King adaptation of 'Dreamcatcher' in 2003 Directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Morgan Freeman, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg.

'The Forsyte Saga' saw Lewis play Soames Forsyte in this television mini-series that spanned ten episodes chronicling three generations of an upper-middle class English family from 1870 through to 1920. 'Keane', 'Brides' and 'Chromophobia' came next with the latter also starring Ralph Fiennes, Ian Holm, Rhys Ifans, Ben Chaplin, Kristen Scott Thomas and Penelope Cruz in 2005. The two part mini-series of four British POW escaping from a German Prison Camp during WWII 'Colditz' saw Lewis star alongside Tom Hardy, Timothy West, Jason Priestly and James Fox. 

'An Unfinished Life' for Director Lasse Hallstrom saw Lewis co-star with Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas and Jennifer Lopez, before 2006's 'Alex Rider : Operation Stormbreaker' with an all star line up that also included Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Mickey Rourke, Andy Serkis and Alicia Silverstone. 'The Situation', 'The Baker', 'The Escapist' came before a return to television with his role as Charlie Crews across two seasons and 32 episodes of 'Life' which saw his wrongly imprisoned police officer character freed and returned to the force after serving time.

Historical fantasy adventure offering 'Your Highness' came next in 2011 with all star line up comprising the likes of Charles Dance, James Franco, Danny McBride, Justin Theroux, Toby Jones, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel and made back just over half its production budget receiving largely negative Reviews along the way. That same year came along 'Homeland' which Lewis headlined along with Claire Danes in which a bipolar CIA Agent becomes convinced that an American POW has been turned by al-Queda and plans to carry out a terrorist attack on American turf. Lewis starred in the first 37 episodes with the series continuing after his departure. The show was a huge hit garnering 54 award wins and another 155 nominations including Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy wins and nominations for Lewis's portrayal of US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody. 'Will' and TV Movie 'Stolen' also were released in 2011.

2012 saw the hard hitting London Metropolitan Police Flying Squad drama film based on the classic 1970's British television series 'The Sweeney' with Ray Winstone, Plan B, and Hayley Atwell. The film received very mixed Reviews and lacklustre Box Office receipts. The next year brought another adaptation of 'Romeo & Juliet', followed by 'The Silent Storm', then American Civil War mini-series 'To Appomattox' with Lewis playing William T. Sherman, the renowned General serving the Union Army. Werner Herzog's Bio-pic of Gertrude Bell's life 'Queen of the Desert' came next in 2015 with Nicole Kidman in the lead role as Bell, with James Franco, Robert Pattinson and Jenny Agutter also starring.

Acclaimed middle-ages historical drama 'Wolf Hall' followed with Mark Rylance in the lead role as Thomas Cromwell - chief adviser to the court of King Henry VIII as played by Lewis. The BBC 2 mini-series which ran for six episodes received eleven award wins and a further 41 nominations and also starred Claire Foy, Bernard Hill, Tom Holland and Jonathan Pryce.

'Bill' and 'Our Kind of Traitor' bring us up to date in terms of film roles with television drama series 'Billions' based on an ambitious and hugely successful hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Lewis) and Charles Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) as the ruthless US Attorney who has a disliking for wealthy criminals who attempt to buy their way out of justice, as Axelrod is seemingly doing. The show has so far ran for just one season of twelve episodes, with Season Two premiering in the US later this month.

Next up on the film front is 'Ocean's Eight' for Director Gary Ross. A spin off of the successful 'Oceans 11, 12 and 13' film franchise this has the Ocean's team being all female led by Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock - and Danny Ocean's estranged sister) with her crew comprising Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter and Rihanna with Lewis playing chief villain in the piece, Debbie's ex-lover and the subject of the gang's daring heist. The film will also star Matt Damon, James Cordon, Richard Armitage and a bunch of cameo appearances. It is due for release in June 2018.

All up Lewis has five award wins including a Golden Globe for 'Homeland' and a further 28 nominations. He has 42 Acting credits to his name  and two as Producer. He married Actress Helen McCrory in 2007 and together that have a daughter Manon (born in 2006) and a son Gulliver (Born in 2007). In 2010 he became a Trade Justice Ambassador for Christian Aid and in 2014 HRH Queen Elizabeth II awarded Lewis an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in her Birthday Honours List for services to the world of British drama film and television.

Damian Lewis - was invited to dine at the Whitehouse with President Barack Obama on the strength of 'Homeland'; was mentioned briefly as the next Bond, James Bond; has a flawless American accent and is often cast as an American despite being English; plays the guitar, keyboard, golf and soccer and has represented his country in celebrity tournaments of both sports. A growing body of work as much on the small screen as on the big screen, more and more in demand, and already critically applauded for numerous performances - Happy Birthday to you Damian, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-