…are today’s stars

who can carry on the legacy of the past

and keep the promises of the future.

The Golden Age of Film is now part of history. It began in 1891 with Edison and Eastman and ended in the late 1960’s with the collapse of the studio system and the rapid growth of television. The legends of that fabulous era are now gone and it is time to pass the torch.

*See “Selecting a Future Legend”

Hugh Jackman Born Hugh Michael Jackman on October 12th, 1968 in Sydney, Australia Married to Deborra-Lee Furness and they have one adopted son Oscar, age 4
“Well, if I have to choose just one…it would be Hugh Jackman….He is a throwback to the classic stars…he can do it all…drama, singing, dancing, all of it plus he has the “magic” or “aura” to become a legend in his own right.” Bernadette from Waretown, New Jersey

Oh, how right you are, Bernadette! This handsome, sexy Aussie is a 6’3” package of incredible talent. Men admire him and women adore him. Right now, Hugh is taking Broadway by storm in the musical bio of Peter Allan “The Boy From Oz” and is the favored one to garner a Tony for his performance. He will also host the event on June 6th. Yes, the very same actor who wowed them as “Wolverine” in “X-men” and “X-2” is now shaking his maracas in 8 shows every week at the Imperial Theatre. And, meanwhile across town, he fights evil in monster form as “Van Helsing” wearing a cape, a hat and sometimes a loin cloth (but that’s another story! ).

For more on Hugh go to www.jackmanslanding.com

NEWS!

Hugh just received the 2004 Drama League award for Distinguished Performance of the Year in “The Boy From Oz”.

Congratulations, Hugh!

Kevin Spacey Born Kevin Spacey Foster July 26th, 1959 in South Orange, New Jersey Married but has given no pertinent data.
“He came to my attention in “Swimming With Sharks” in which he played a sadistic Hollywood producer….He took chances with many of the films he chose to do….I knew when I saw a Kevin Spacey film, good or bad, he would make it interesting…” Christine from Millbrae, California

More from Christine:

“Hope you are up to editing. I never know what to cut when I find an interesting subject (Ed. note: Fear not, Christine. It was so thorough I decided to let you do it all!). Kevin was the youngest of 3 children. His father was a technical writer and they eventually wound up in Southern California. Kevin was described as a “hellion” at home and at school…(he) was shipped off to a military school where he lasted only a few months. Back home, he attended high school in the San Fernando Valley (and) became interested in drama. (He) played Von Trapp opposite Mare Winningham in “The Sound of Music” . The pair graduated as co-valedictorians.

He became involved in amateur comedy, doing stand-up, impersonating Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Carson etc. (and) he spent 2 years studying drama at Juillard. He left before he graduated to join the NY Shakespeare Festival. (Kevin) made his stage debut in Ibsen’s “Ghosts” but had become interested in films. He remained active in the theatre community and won a Tony for Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers”. He won his first Oscar as Supporting Actor in “The Usual Suspects” and ,in 1999, received a star on the Walk of Fame.

Right now, he’s finishing up a project he has wanted to do for years, producing, directing and playing Bobby Darin in “Beyond the Sea” and doing his own singing.

We don’t know much about Kevin’ s private life and that’s the way he wants it. In an age… (where ) 20-year-olds are writing their memoirs, Kevin remains something of an enigma. “

Thanks, Christine. I couldn’t have said it better myself

Arabella

Sean Astin Born Sean Patrick Astin on February 25th, 1971 in Santa Monica, California. Married to Christine Astin and they have 2 children.
“ He’s a terrific actor….He has done all types of characters from Sam Gamgee in “Lord of the Rings” to Doug in “50 First Dates”….plus he should have gotten an nomination for supporting actor in “LOTR: The return of the King”…He is fantastic!” Jessi from Evans City, Pennsylvania (and our research coordinator)

I haven’t seen the LOTR trilogy (shame on me) but I have seen Sean in “Rudy” and I was bowled over with his performance. This picture won critical acclaim and probably was the one that announced his talent to the world. He is truly a credit to his parents, John Astin and Patty Duke, also fine actors. Sean is also an accomplished director. In 1994, he directed and co-produced “”Kangaroo Court” with his wife Christine and it was nominated for an Oscar. He also narrated part of the 1998 Oscar-winning documentary “The Long Way Home” .

Right now, Sean has 4 pictures in post-production so we will be seeing a lot about him in coming months.

Meryl Streep Born Mary Louise Streep on June 22nd, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey Married to Don Gummer and they have 4 children.
“Oh, come on..I can only think of one and she’s possibly the greatest…that’s Meryl Streep…she already has 2 Oscars and…(is) nominated almost every time she does a movie…” Paul from Syracuse, New York

And with “The Manchurian Candidate” now in post-production, Paul, she gets another crack at it. This hard-working actress was nominated in 1978 for “The Deer Hunter”, in 1979 for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (she won), in 1981 for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”, and in 1982 she won for “Sophie’s Choice”. She was nominated again in 1983 for “Silkwood”. 1985 for “Out of Africa”, 1987 for “Ironwood”, 1988 for “A Cry in the Dark”, 1990 for “Postcards from the Edge”, and 1995 for “ The Bridges of Madison County” . In 1998 she was nominated again for “One Sure Thing”. 1999 for “Music of the Heart” and 2002 for “Adaptation”. That’s 13 nominations in all and doesn’t even touch the other awards she has received. That gal must have a mantle 10 miles long! It is certainly a fitting tribute to her fabulous talent.

Denzel Washington Born December 28th, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York Married to Pauletta Washington and they have 4 children.
“ …One of the sexist leading men in Hollywood today…He makes every character he plays unforgettable….I vote him the Actor You Most Want to Take Home!...”

Nice thought, Maria Louisa, but I doubt if Pauletta would let him go. By the way, Denzel and Meryl Streep have a few things in common….they are both in the upcoming “The Manchurian Candidate” and they both have very large collections of awards. Denzel has 2 Oscars out of 5 nominations and a huge collection from across the board including Golden Globe and People’s Choice.

He was given the Best Supporting Actor award in 1989 for “Glory” and Best Actor Oscar for “Training Day” in 2001. His nominations included his real-people roles: as Steve Biko in “Cry Freedom” (1987), “Malcolm X” (1002) and Ruben Carter in “ The Hurricane” (1999).

But Arabella’s favorites were “The Pelican Brief” with Julia Roberts in 1993 and “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995).

*Selecting a future legend…..

To be eligible, a star must have at least five pictures in release, a career that began after 1950 and a body of work that was completed mainly in the period after 1969. For example:

Elizabeth Taylor, age 72, made 58 films to date, 43 of them before 1969. That puts Miss Elizabeth squarely in the golden age column. Of course she began her career as a child actress. On the other hand, Clint Eastwood, 73, made 64 films to date, but only 20 of them pre-dated 1969, making him a candidate for future legend. Of course there always has to be one guy who confuses the whole issue! Paul Newman, at 79, is making his 60th movie..and that makes 30 in each era! We will have to reserve a special place for him!