actors i like

One of England's most popular actors for more than two decades, Martin is noted for his versatility. He has starred in over 100 TV roles, his long TV career beginning in 1967 with "ITV Play of the Week: Love on the Dole (#12.20)" (1967). Prior to "The Professionals" (1977), he had always been careful to be very different in each of his roles to avoid being typecast, and to spend long periods in the theatre. His theatrical career has been very distinguished, with a string of West End successes, beginning in 1967 with the first revival of "Look Back in Anger" and most recently on Broadway as Lord Goring in "An Ideal Husband" which won him a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk award for Best Actor. The Professionals was an international hit, and brought him offers of similar roles. Never one to take the obvious route, Martin refused them all, including the American series "The Equalizer" (1985), preferring variety of work to riches. He works almost exclusively in England, where he lives in a beautiful Quaker house in Norfolk, once owned by an ancestor of Abraham Lincoln. He is a pilot, and owns and flies a vintage biplane, a Boeing Stearman, along with his wife Vicky. Reticent about his private life, he dislikes interviews, and has little respect for the press. Recent projects are a hospital drama, "Always and Everyone" (1999) from Granada, in which he plays consultant Robert Kingsford, and as Adam Dalgliesh in the BBC adaptations of P.D. James's novels "Death in Holy Orders" (2003) and The Murder Room (2004) (TV).

Born into an academic family - his father is a history lecturer at Winchester University College (formerly King Alfred's College) in Winchester and his mother is a comparative religions lecturer at the Open University - Colin Firth's first acting experience came in infant's school when he played "Jack Frost" in a Christmas pantomime. Three of his four grandparents were Methodist missionaries and he spent his early childhood in Nigeria, returning to England at age five where he entered a comprehensive school in Winchester. He spent two years at the Drama Centre in Chalk Farm where he was "discovered" while playing "Hamlet" during his final term. His first professional role was as "Bennet" in the West End production of "Another Country". From this performance, he was chosen to play the character of "Judd" in the movie of the play. He went on to play a variety of character parts in both film and television. For his portrayal of "Robert Lawrence" in the 1989 TV production Tumbledown (1988) (TV), he received the Royal Television Society Best Actor award and also a BAFTA nomination. He also received a BAFTA nomination for "Mr. Darcy" in the 1995 TV version of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995). In 2011, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his commanding leading role, playing British King George VI in O logos tou vasilia (2010).

Ewan Gordon McGregor was born 31 March 1971 in Crieff, Scotland. At 16, he left Crieff and Morrison Academy to join the Perth Repertory Theatre. His parents encouraged him to leave school and pursue his acting goals rather than be unhappy. McGregor studied drama for a year at Kirkcaldly in Fife, then enrolled at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a three-year course. He studied alongside Daniel Craig and Alistair McGowan, among others, and left right before graduating after snagging the role of "Private Mick Hopper" in Dennis Potter's 1993 six-part Channel 4 series "Lipstick on Your Collar" (1993). His first notable role was that of "Alex Law" in Shallow Grave (1994), directed by Danny Boyle, written by John Hodge and produced by Andrew MacDonald. This was followed by The Pillow Book (1996) and Trainspotting (1996), the latter of which brought him to the public's attention. He is now one of the most critically acclaimed actors of his generation, and portrays "Obi-wan Kenobi" in the first three Star Wars episodes. McGregor is married to French production designer Eve Mavrakis, whom he met while working on the TV show "Kavanagh QC" (1995). They married in France in the summer of 1995 and have two daughters, Clara Mathilde and Esther Rose. McGregor formed a production company, with friends Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Damon Bryant, Bradley Adams and Geoff Deehan, called "Natural Nylon", and hoped it would make innovative films that do not conform to Hollywood standards. McGregor left the company in 2002.

Matthew Macfadyen may have been born in Norfolk, but as the son of an oil worker he spent at least part of his childhood in Indonesia before finishing his education back in England and winning a place at RADA in 1992.

He won critical acclaim in the UK with his work with the stage company Cheek By Jowl in the 1990s and was well established as a stage actor when he made his first TV appearance in Wuthering Heights (1998) (TV). A couple more TV roles followed but it was his role as Tom Quinn, head of Section D, in the hit BBC series _"Spooks" (2004)_ that really made his name at home. And, indeed, established his home - he met his wife, Keeley Hawes, while working on the show.

A steady stream of TV and film work followed, with his performance as Mr Darcy in Pride & Prejudice (2005) firmly establishing his name worldwide.

Ray Stevenson has Gaelic roots although he was brought up in the North-East of England. He was born in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. His father was a pilot in the Royal Air Force, his mother is Irish and he has an older brother and a younger brother. Ray got the acting bug in his youth during his visits to the Saturday Morning Picture Show at the Newcastle Odeon. He kept quiet about his aspirations to become an actor for a while and during that time had a career as an interior designer. He was further inspired to become an actor after seeing John Malkovich in the play Burn This at the Lyric Theatre in the West End. When aged 27 Ray Stevenson studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Ray is married to actress Ruth Gemmell who he met when they worked together on the Granada TV drama Band of Gold. They later played husband and wife on the series Peak Practice.

Elegant and handsome British lead actor Jeremy Irons was born in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, which is a small island just off the south coast of England. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic School for two years, then joined Bristol Old Vic repertory company where he gained much experience working in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary dramas. He moved to London in 1971 and had a number of odd jobs before landing the role of "John the Baptist" in the hit musical "Godspell". He went on to a successful early career in the West End theatre and on TV, and debuted on-screen in Nijinsky (1980). In the early 80s, he gained international attention with his starring role in the Granada Television serial adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel "Brideshead Revisited" (1981), after which he was much in demand as a romantic leading man. He went on to a steady film career.

In 1984, he debuted on Broadway opposite: Glenn Close in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" and, in the mid-80s, he appeared in three lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company. For his work in David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers (1988), he won the New York Critics Best Actor Award. For his work in Reversal of Fortune (1990), he won the Oscar for Best Actor. He is married to actress Sinéad Cusack, with whom he appeared in Ydatini hora (1992) and in the Royal Shakespeare Company plays. He appeared with his son Samuel Irons and his father-in-law Cyril Cusack in the film Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World (1989) (TV).

Having worked extensively in film, theatre and television in both the UK and the US, and on location in many parts of the world, Payne most recently starred in the fascinating psychological drama One Point O (2004), which was well received at Cannes. He also starred in the live action feature film Riders (2002), with Natasha Henstridge and Stephen Dorff and has also appeared in Douglas Aarniokoski's Highlander: Endgame (2000), Dungeons & Dragons (2000) alongside Jeremy Irons, Thora Birch and Marlon Wayans, and Hellborn (2003). Other film credits include Kevin Hooks ' Passenger 57 (1989), Apocalypse (1999) with the late Richard Harris, Julien Temple's Absolute Beginners (1999), The Brothel (1999), Switch (1999), with Ellen Barkin and Kounterfeit (1996) (V) with Hilary Swank.

Television credits include leading roles in Simon West's "Keen Eddie" (2003) which aired in June 2003, I taragmeni zoi tou Oscar Wilde (1997) and Smart Money (1996) for the BBC, and "Tales from the Crypt" (1989) for HBO. Theatre credits include the lead in the London West End productions West and Greek, and the lead in Nicholas Hytner's Alice, as well as playing Frank'n'further in the Rocky Horror Show.

Born in Paisley, Scotland, to Margaret and Edward Butler, Gerard Butler was raised along with his older brother and sister in his hometown of Paisley, Scotland. He also spent some of his youth in Canada. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he and his siblings were raised primarily by their mother, who later remarried. He had no contact with his father between the ages of two and 16 years old, after which time they became close. His father passed away when Gerard was in his early 20s. Butler went on to attend Glasgow University, where he studied to be a lawyer/solicitor. He was president of the school's law society thanks to his outgoing personality and great social skills.

His acting career began when he was approached in a London coffee shop by actor Steven Berkoff, who later appeared alongside Butler in Attila (2001/I) (TV), who gave him a role in a stage production of Coriolanus. After that Butler decided to give up law for acting. He was cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting. His film debut was as Billy Connolly's younger brother in _Mrs. Brown (1997)_. While filming the movie in Scotland, he was enjoying a picnic with his mother, near the River Tay, when they heard the shouts of a young boy who had been swimming with a friend who was in some trouble. Butler jumped in and saved the young boy from drowning. He received a Certificate of Bravery from the Royal Humane Society. He felt he only did what anyone in the situation would have done.

His film career continued with small roles, first in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and then Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, Butler was cast in two breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in the USA Network mini-series Attila (2001/I) (TV). The film's producers wanted a known actor to play the part but kept coming back to Butler's screen tests and decided he was their man. He had to lose the thick Scottish accent, but managed well. Around the time Attila was being filmed, casting was in progress for Wes Craven's new take on the Dracula legacy. Also wanting a known name, Butler wasn't much of a consideration, but his unending tenacity drove him to hounding the producers. Eventually, he sent them a clip of his portrayal of Attila. Evidently they saw something because Dracula 2000 (2000) was cast in the form of Butler. Attila's producers, thinking that his big-screen role might help with their own film's ratings, finished shooting a little early so he could get to work on Dracula 2000 (2000). Following these two roles, Butler developed quite a fan base, an Internet site and began appearing on lists everywhere.

Since then he has appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan, alongside Angelina Jolie. The role that garnered him most attention from both moviegoers and movie makers alike was that of Andre Marek in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003). Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague. Last year he appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004), playing the title character in the successful adaptation of the stage musical. It was a role that brought him much international attention. Other projects include Dear Frankie (2004), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005).

In 2007 he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in the Warner Bros. production 300 (2006), based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, and Butterfly on a Wheel (2007) co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello, which aired on network TV under the title Shattered. He most recently starred in P.S. I Love You (2007) with Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank .

In 2007, he appeared in Nim's Island (2008) and RocknRolla (2008), and recently completed the new Mark Neveldine / Brian Taylor film Gamer (2009). His latest film The Ugly Truth (2009) co-starring Katherine Heigl began filming in April 2008.

Adam Cullen's portrait of David Wenham has won The 2000 Archibald Prize

Has a brother and five sisters

In 1999 he presented the Village Roadshow Pictures Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

2001 - David Wenham on stage at Adelaide's Festival Theatre narrated historical Australian texts, accompanied by the city's symphony orchestra. The pieces included the former prime minister's famous 1992 Redfern speech on the need for Aboriginal reconciliation and native title laws.

March 13, 2002 - signed up as an "Ancient Forest Guardian" in Sydney, together with some other actors from down under, e.g. Sam Neill(NZ) and Toni Collette (Aus)

Before acting, David used to call bingo in Sydney's Marrickville Town hall, then was an insurance clerk.

Daughter Eliza Jane (with Kate Agnew) was born the 10th of October, 2002.

In the cave scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) where Faramir lifts the Ring from under Frodo's shirt, he was afraid of accidentally stabbing Elijah Wood, so a swordsman was called on to do the scene.

Was cast in The Lord of the Rings because of his resemblance to his on-screen brother, Sean Bean. As Wenham notes, they both have big noses.

Has been voted Australia's sexiest man alive.

Although he only appears in two of the Lord of the Rings films, he appeared in a Best Picture nominee for three years in a row. In 2001, it was Moulin Rouge. In 2002 and 2003, they were The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

His nickname, "Daisy", originates from his childhood. His sisters called him Dais or Daze for short. Then someone added a "y" and the rest is history.

2003 Green Room Award nominee for his work in an Australian stage production of "True West."

One older brother: Peter Wenham

Parents: Kath and Bill

Five older sisters: Anne, Carmel, Helen, Kathy and Maree

He and Kate Agnew have been together since c. 1994

Has appeared with two of 2001's Best Supporting Actor Nominees. That year's winner was Jim Broadbent, with whom he appeared in Moulin Rouge! (2001). The other was Ian McKellen, who reprized his Oscar-nominated role opposite Wenham in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

Read a poem called "The Crocodiles Are Crying" at the Steve Irwin Memorial Service.

Studied acting at Theatre Nepean in Sydney, Australia.

Girlfriend, Kate Agnew, gave birth to their second child, a girl named Millie, in late November 2008.

Personal Quotes

"I like cooking, but I like other people cooking more."

"My life at the moment is a bit like my wardrobe. Organised chaos."

for his characters in 300 and troy

Brooding actor of the 1970s with sunken cheeks best known for his role of James Dean in the 1976 mini-movie which co-starred ex-wife Meg Foster. Also played the evil Gabriel in the TV series "Beauty and the Beast" (1987).

Graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts when he was 21.

Of Scottish and Irish descent.

Has appeared in episodes of two different series with Scott Bakula in which he played a character involved in mining: he played a Russian miner named Stawpah in the "Quantum Leap" (1989) series finale "Mirror Image" and an alien mine foreman in the "Enterprise" (2001) episode "The Xindi".

Perhaps his most famous appearance is in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) episode "In the Pale Moonlight," where he plays Romulan Senator Vreenak, who Captain Sisko, Avery Brooks, attempts to dupe into believing that the Dominion is about to invade his homeland. That episode is considered by many to be one of Star Trek's finest and his hissing delivery of the line "It's a FAKE!", regarding the recording Sisko provided is especially popular.

William Hurt was trained at Tufts University and The Juilliard School and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including the most recent nomination for his supporting role in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence (2005). Hurt received Best Supporting Actor accolades for the role from the Los Angeles Film Critics circle and the New York Film Critics Circle.

Hurt spent the early years of his career on the stage between drama school, summer stock, regional repertory and off-Broadway, appearing in more than fifty productions including "Henry V", "5th of July", "Hamlet", "Uncle Vanya", "Richard II", "Hurlyburly" (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award), "My Life" (winning an Obie Award for Best Actor), "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" and "Good". For radio, Hurt read Paul Theroux's "The Grand Railway Bazaar", for the BBC Radio Four and "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx. He has recorded "The Polar Express", "The Boy Who Drew Cats", "The Sun Also Rises" and narrated the documentaries, "Searching for America: The Odyssey of John Dos Passos", "Einstein-How I See the World" and the English narration of Elie Wiesel's "To Speak the Unspeakable", a documentary directed and produced by Pierre Marmiesse. In 1988, Hurt was awarded the first Spencer Tracy Award from UCLA.

for dune

Hugo Wallace Weaving was born on April 4, 1960 in Nigeria. The middle sibling of three, Hugo has an older brother Simon and a younger sister Anna who both also currently live and work in Australia. During his early childhood, the Weaving family spent most of their time traveling between Nigeria, Great Britain, and Australia. This was due to the cross-country demands of his father's job in the computer industry. Later, during his teens, Hugo spent three years in England in the seventies attending Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School in Bristol. There, he showed early promise in theater productions and also excelled at history, achieving an A in his O-level examination. He arrived permanently in Australia in 1976 and finished his education at Knox Grammar School, Sydney. He graduated from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art), a college well-known for other alumni such as Mel Gibson and Geoffrey Rush, in 1981. Since then, Hugo has had a steadily successful career in the film, television, and theater industries. However, he has illustrated that, as renowned as he is known for his film work, he feels most at home on stage and continually performs in Australian theater productions, usually with the Sydney Theater Company. With his success has also come extensive recognition. He has won numerous awards, including two Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI) for Best Actor in a Leading Role and three total nominations. The AFI is the Australian equivalent of an Academy Award, and Hugo won for his performances in Proof (1991) and The Interview (1998). He was also nominated for his performance in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). He garnered the Best Acting prize for The Interview (1998) at the Montreal Film Festival in 1998 in addition to his AFI Award and, that same year, won the Australian Star of the Year. More recently, roles in films such as The Matrix trilogy as Agent Smith and The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Lord Elrond have considerably raised his international profile. His famous and irreplaceable role in The Matrix movies have made him one of the greatest sci-fi villains of the Twenty-first Century. With each new film, television, or theatrical role, Hugo continues to surpass his audience's expectations and remains one of the most versatile performers working today. He resides in Australia and has two children with partner Katrina Greenwood. Though Hugo and Katrina have never married, they've been a committed couple for over 25 years; while Hugo was quoted as saying marriage "petrified" him in the 1990s, by middle of the following decade he said he no longer felt that way, and that he and Katrina have toyed with the idea of marrying "when we're really old".

Kevin McKidd was brought up in Elgin, Scotland and was a member of the Moray Youth Theatre before going on to study Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. While at university Kevin became involved with Bedlam Theatre, the university's student theatre company. At this point Kevin decided to give up on engineering and dropped out of university to pursue acting full-time. In 1994 he landed the leading role in the stageplay 'The Silver Darlings', produced by Robert Carlyle's Rain Dog Theatre Company. It was only a matter of time before Kevin made his screen debut as the vicious gangleader Malky Johnson in Gillies Mackinnon's Small Faces (1996). His next role was as the tragic, gentle giant Tommy in Trainspotting (1996).

James Purefoy was born and brought up in Somerset. After leaving school at the age of sixteen he took a succession of different jobs, including working on a pig farm and as a porter at Yeovil District Hospital, before travelling and working extensively throughout Europe. At eighteen James returned to college to take his A-Levels, one of which was Drama. It was there that he realised that this was something he felt inspired by and so applied for and was accepted onto the acting course at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Whilst playing the title role in Henry V in the first term of his final year at Central he was seen by a casting director from the RSC and invited to join the company immediately in Stratford. Although initially asked only to play Ferdinand in Nick Hytner's production of The Tempest he left the RSC two years later having performed in eight productions and been directed by the likes of Adrian Noble, Roger Michell and Gene Saks playing, amongst other, Edgar in King Lear and Malcolm in Macbeth. Over the next six years he divided his time between theatre and television. In the theatre he worked with Katie Mitchell on Women of Troy at the Gate; Matthew Warchus, Ken Stott and Jude Law on Death of a Salesman at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; Iain Glen on Hamlet at Bristol Old Vic; Bill Alexander in a critically acclaimed season at Birmingham Rep playing leading parts in The Servant, The Way of the World and Macbeth and with Simon Callow, Joseph Fiennes Rupert Graves, and Helen McCrory, on Les Enfants du Paradis, again for the RSC. As well as appearing in the BBC's landmark period drama, _"Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The" (1996) (mini)_ he has always chosen to do a wide variety of parts on television, to avoid being typecast. From the psychopathic rapist in BBC1's Calling the Shots (1993) (TV) with Lynn Redgrave to the fraudster Darius Guppy in LWT's The Prince; from the urbane observer Nick Jenkins in Channel 4's "A Dance to the Music of Time" (1997) to the sad stalker in Granada's series "Metropolis" (2000), James has always managed to confound people's expectations of him. Over the last few years he has been busy making feature films, on average at the rate of three a year. Early credits include Jedd in Feast of July (1995) for Merchant Ivory, and as the bisexual Irish baker, Brendan in Rose Troche's Bedrooms and Hallways (1998). From the alcoholic roustabout Tom in Mansfield Park (1999) to the wannabee 'Bond' actor Carl Phipps in Maybe Baby (2000); the gambling, womanising Daniel in Women Talking Dirty (1999) with Helena Bonham Carter to the noble, enigmatic Prince Edward in Brian Helgeland's A Knight's Tale (2001). He has continued to surprise those who seek to pidgeon-hole him in his film career - always choosing to play parts that juxtapose strongly with the one he has just completed. Last year he returned to the theatre to play the rake Ned Loveless in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production of 'The Relapse' at the National Theatre in London, before embarking on the biggest challenge he has yet faced - playing George in the big budget _George and the Dragon (2003)_, with, among others, Michael Clarke Duncan, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo and Patrick Swayze. This movie will be released in the summer of 2003. He lives alone in London.

Ciaran Hinds was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on February 9, 1953. He was one of five children and the only son. His father was a doctor who hoped to have Ciaran follow in his footsteps, but that was not to be. It was his mother Moya, an amateur actress, who was the real influence behind his decision to become an actor. Though he did enroll in Law at Queens' University of Belfast, he left that in order to train in acting at RADA. He began his stage career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre as a pantomime horse in the production of "Cinderella". Staying with the company for several years, he starred in a number of productions, including playing the lead roles in "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "Faust". His stage career has included working with The Field Day Company and a number of world tours. He has starred in a number of productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including a world tour in the title role of "Richard III". Hinds' film career began in 1981 in the movie Excalibur (1981), which boasted a cast rich in talented actors including Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne and Patrick Stewart. In-between his movie work, he's amassed a large number of television credits. Playing such classic characters as "Mr. Rochester" in Jane Eyre (1997) (TV), and "Captain Wentworth" in Persuasion (1995) has increased his popularity and most definitely given him much increased recognition. As for his personal life, you won't be likely to see his name in the weekly tabloids. He likes to keep his private life private. It is known that he is in a long-term, committed relationship with a French-Vietnamese actress named Hélène Patarot and they have a daughter together and live in Paris. He is in very high demand and his reputation as a quality, professional actor is sure to keep him busy for as long as he chooses.

Ronan D. J. Vibert

Trivia

Attended RADA 1983-1986. Parents David Vibert and Dilys Jackson, both artists. Brother Cevn, a computer systems engineer.

He studied Law at Bristol University and graduated in 1985 with a degree in law but decided to study acting.

Whilst at Bristol University he directed and/or appeared in over 20 productions.

Whilst at the Central School of Speech and Drama he met his wife Emma and graduated from there in 1989. IMDb Mini Biography By: SRChambers

Spouse Emma Hewitt (1988 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Has a daughter named Lily, born on 23 March 2002

Was set to play Dr. William Birkin in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), but left the project.

Had an uncredited role as Dr. William Birkin (and the narrator) in Resident Evil (2002).

Has a daughter named Ruby, born August 2005.

Shares two roles with Hans Conreid. Conreid appeared in the Walt Disney animated version of Peter Pan, while Isaacs appeared in the 2003 live action film. Both films followed a tradition encouraged by James Barrie, and followed in most stage productions, that Mr. Darling and Captain Hook be played by the same actor. Accordingly, he and Conreid played both parts in their respective films.

Longtime best friend of writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson.

In addition to doubling for Mel Gibson, Girard Swan worked as his Stand In and Photo Double on The Patriot (2000).

Met his wife at drama school.

His family originates from Eastern Europe.

Speaks Spanish fluently.

Harry Potter co-star Gary Oldman is one of his favorite actors.

Ranked 54 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars (2009).

Has a cult following due to the weekly 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' on BBC, Radio Five Live, where he is regularly saluted ('Hello to Jason Isaacs!') by his former classmate and film critic Dr Mark Kermode, a practice which the fan base of this show picked up.

Bill Nighy was born on December 12th 1949 in Caterham, Surrey. His father managed a garage in Croydon and his mother worked as a psychiatric nurse. At school he gained 'O'-levels in English Language and English Literature and enjoyed reading, particularly Ernest Hemingway. On leaving school he wanted to become a journalist but didn't have the required qualifications. He eventually went on to work as a messenger boy for the Field magazine. He stayed in Paris for a while because he wanted to write "the great novel", but he only managed to write the title. When he ran out of money, the British consul shipped him home. A girlfriend suggested that he should become an actor, so he trained at Guildford School of Dance and Drama. Since then he has found continuous work as an actor, on stage, screen and radio. His stage work includes National Theatre roles in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, David Hare's Skylight and Blue Orange. Bill's partner was actress Diana Quick (he asked her to marry him but she said: "don't ask me again", he called her his wife because anything else would have been too difficult). They have a daughter, Mary Nighy, who is studying at university and contemplating an acting career. She has already began to appear on TV dramas and radio programs.

Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London to Margaret (Welsh) and Bernard (Irish) Rickman. Alan has an older brother David, a younger brother Michael and a younger sister Sheila. When Alan was 8 years old, his father died. He attended Latymer Upper School on a scholarship. He studied Graphic Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, where he met Rima Horton, who would later become his life partner. After three years at Chelsea College, he did graduate studies at the Royal College Of Art. He opened a successful graphics design business, Graphiti, with friends and ran it for several years before his love of theatre led him to seek an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). At the relatively late age of 26, he received a scholarship to RADA, which started a professional acting career that has lasted over 35 years, with no signs of stopping, a career which has spanned stage, screen and television and has lapped over into directing, as well.

Rickman first came to the attention of American audiences as "Vicomte de Valmont" in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" on Broadway in 1987 (he was nominated for a Tony for his performance in the role). Denied the role in the film version of the show, Rickman instead made his first movie appearance opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988) as the villain, "Hans Gruber". Rickman's take on the urbane villain set the standard for screen villains for decades to come. Though often cited as being a master of playing villains, Rickman has actually played a wide variety of characters, such as the romantic cello-playing ghost "Jamie" in Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply (1990) and the noble "Colonel Brandon" of Sense and Sensibility (1995). He's treated audiences to his comedic abilities with films like Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and roles like "Dr. Blalock" in_ Something the Lord Made (2004)_ and "Alex Hughes" in Snow Cake (2006), showcase his ability to play ordinary men in extraordinary situations.

In 2001, Rickman introduced himself to a whole new, and younger, generation of fans by taking on the role of "Severus Snape" in the movie versions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He has continued to play the role through the sixth movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Most recently, Rickman took on the daunting task of singing a part in a Stephen Sondheim musical as he took on the part of "Judge Turpin" in the movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

Eldest of 6 children born to photographer Mark Fiennes and his wife, Jini - aka Jennifer Lash - a novelist. Siblings are Martha Fiennes, a director; Magnus, a musician; Sophie, a producer; and twins Joseph Fiennes, an actor, and Jacob, a gamekeeper. Foster brother Michael (Mick) is an archaeologist. Cousin is British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Attended Bishop Wordsworth Boys' School, the Chelsea College of Art & Design, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Joined Britain's Royal National Theatre in 1987 and the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.

the son of a welder and a homemaker, won a scholarship to Britain's Rose Bruford Drama College, where he received a B.A. in theatre arts in 1979. He subsequently studied with the Greenwich Young People's Theatre and went on to appear in a number of plays throughout the early '80s, including "The Pope's Wedding," for which he received Time Out's Fringe Award for Best Newcomer of 1985-1986 and the British Theatre Association's Drama Magazine Award as Best Actor for 1985. His film debut was Remembrance (1982). In 1986, he played Sex Pistol Sid Vicious in the biopic Sid and Nancy (1986), picking up the Evening Standard Film Award as Best Newcomer. In 1988, he received a Best Actor nomination from the British Academy of Film and TV Arts for his portrayal of '60s playwright Joe Orton. His ability to transform himself physically and his command of accents have allowed him to play a broad range of characters and a number of historical figures, including, in addition to those mentioned above, Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK (1991)) and Ludwig van Beethoven (Immortal Beloved (1994)).

David Thewlis was born David Wheeler in 1963 and lived with his parents above their combination wallpaper and toy shop in Blackpool during his childhood. Originally he came to London with his band Door 66, however he changed his plans and entered Guildhall School of Drama. He had minor roles in films and TV until he took the main role in Naked (1993). The film won him several awards including the New York Critics Award. He has since been in many other films including DragonHeart (1996), Restoration (1995), Black Beauty (1994) and recently took the part of Professor Remus John Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). He has lived with the British actress Anna Friel since 2001.

Paul Bettany was born into a theatre family. His father, Thane Bettany, is still an actor but his mother, Anne Kettle, has retired from acting. He has an older sister who is a writer and a mother. His maternal grandmother, Olga Gwynne (her maiden and stage name), was a successful actress, while his maternal grandfather, Lesley Kettle, was a musician and promoter. He was brought up in North West London and, after the age of 9, in Hertfordshire (Brookmans Park). Immediately after finishing at Drama Centre, he went into the West End to join the cast of "An Inspector Calls", though when asked to go on tour with this play, he chose to stay in England.

Father of the actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno who, like her father, works with director Peter Brook (eg. in Brook's Qui Est La?, Paris, spring 1996). Born: December 16, 1941 in Cercola, Italy Died: January 7, 1994 (age 52) in Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Gisli Gardarsson was born in Iceland but is Irish related.

He grew up in Norway where he started his acting career. He was accepted at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 1997, which he graduated from in the year 2001. The school has a 4-year actor education.

During his last year at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts, Gisli co-founded Vesturport. Gisli has directed, acted and produced various theatre and film productions.

Since it's foundation in 2001, Vesturport has performed in most major theatre venues around the world and has produced 5 feature films (Childeren, Parents, Brim, Country Wedding (co-producer) and Kings Road (co-producer).

Gisli debuted as a director (where he also played Romeo) with his circus-inspired version of W. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre. The production transferred to the Young Vic Theatre in London where it opened to great critical and audience acclaim.

The production transferred to the West End in London. Again, the production was hailed by the press and the audience.

Gisli directed and adapted Georg Buchner's Woyzeck with original score and lyrics by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Woyzeck opened at the Barbican Theatre in London in October 2005. Due to it's success, it was brought back to the Barbican a year later. It has since performed at Reykjavik City Theatre, The City Theatre of Ludwigshafen, The Amsterdam Het Musik Theatre, at a theatre festival in Spanish Salamanca, in Aarhus - Denmark, at the Uijeongbu Arts Centre in Seoul in South Korea and performed to a completely sold out run at BAM in New York in October 2008.

Time Out Magazine selected Woyzeck as theatre show of the year 2006.

Gisli was awarded the European Film award Shooting Star for his role in Children at the Berlin Film Festival in 2007.

Gisli co-directed and adapted Metamorphosis at the Lyric Hammersmith in London also performing the part of Gregor Samsa, the salesman who turns into a bug. Again Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed the music for the production. The production received fantastic reviews being hailed as the production of the year in various papers and magazines, being completely sold out during it's two runs in London and National Tour.

Metamorphosis recently won the Best Theatre Production of the year Award, at the Icelandic Theatre awards and was nominated for the Evening Standard Awards in the UK. It was voted as best international production of the year 2009 by 2 of the main newspapers in Australia. The production is booked for touring beyond 2010. Amongst other at BAM in New York where it will perform in December, 2010.

Gisli wrote and directed a heart-warming romantic musical, Love, set in an old people's home, celebrating the passion of two people who find love right at the end of their lives, and sing about it! 5 -STARS - 'A surprise alternative hit. This is the best show the Lyric has staged. I ADORED IT.' Daily Mail

Love was one of the biggest commercial hits in Iceland, running for 2 years in 2006 and 2007. It has been staged in S-Korea and is due to be revived commercially in the UK in the near future.

Gisli directed and adapted a stage version based on the Lucas Moodysons Film Together in Iceland in February 2008. The production was performed in Iceland and Mexico in 2008.

Gisli is The Lead Hassansin (Zolm) in the blockbuster film Prince of Persia directed by Mike Newell, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. The film had its world wide release in May 2010.

In England, as an actor, he has performed with the Knee High company under the direction of Emma Rice in A Matter of Life and Death, as Jack Walser in Angela Carters Nights at the Circus and as Don John, in Don John.

Date of Birth 1 January 1962, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

Nickname Rox

Height 5' 11" (1.80 m)

Spouse Silvia Colloca (25 September 2004 - present) 1 child

Trivia

Graduated from prestigious Australian theatrical school NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) in 1986.

One of six children of an accountant.

Went to ANU in Canberra to study economics before deciding to become an actor. Lives in New South Wales on the Eastern beaches.

Has a flat in Notting Hill, London.

Has directed plays in Australia.

Is the youngest of his six siblings.

The mouth piece he wore as the Fantom in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003) distorted his voice so much that he had to redub his dialogue for the film's release.

Assumes a different accent and octave-level for each character, with his character's voices ranging from the wimpy screech he used as the Duke for "Moulin Rouge" to his rich, deep Romanian accent as Dracula in "Van Helsing.".

Like Christopher Lee and Frank Langella he has portrayed Dracula and Sherlock Holmes, unlike them he played Sherlock Holmes before playing Dracula.

Appears in two films where Victorian British characters are altered in an action packed fantasy setting - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and Van Helsing (2004).

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film Van Helsing (2004), he did not receive a nomination however.

Met Italian actress Silvia Colloca during the filming of Van Helsing. He played Dracula and she played his wife. They got married a year later in Tuscany, Italy.

Son Raphael Roxburgh was born February 2007.

His directorial debut, 'Romulus, my father', received a record-breaking 16 nominations in the prestigious 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI), including best film and best director.

For his performance as Hamlet in the Belvoir Street Theatre production of "Hamlet", he was awarded the 1995 Variety Club of Australia Stage Award, the 1994 Sydney Theatre Critic's Circle Award (Best Performance by an Actor) and was nominated for the 1995 Green Room Award (Best Actor).

Has played both the part of Sherlock Holmes and his arch-enemy Moriarty (Holmes in Hound of the Baskervilles in 2002, Moriarty in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003).

Robert Downey Jr. has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. With an amazing list of credits to his name, he has managed to stay new and fresh even after three decades in the business. In 1992, Downey received an Academy Award nomination and won the BAFTA (British Academy Award) for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of Chaplin (1992).

In August of 2008, Downey starred with Ben Stiller and Jack Black in the comedy Tropic Thunder (2008), and went on to receive an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Kirk Lazarus".

Downey was honored by Time Magazine's "Time 100" in 2008, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In December 2009, Downey starred in the action-adventure Sherlock Holmes (2009). The film, directed by Guy Ritchie, co-starred Jude Law and Rachel McAdams and earned Downey a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical in January of 2010. Downey and director Guy Ritchie are preparing to reproduce the success of Sherlock Holmes (2009) as they are working together again on the production of the sequel. In the summer of 2009, Downey achieved critical acclaim and worldwide box office success for his starring role in Iron Man (2008), Jon Favreau's big-screen rendering of the Marvel comic book superhero. The film co-starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.

In early Summer 2010, Downey re-teamed with director Jon Favreau and reprised his role as "Tony Stark/Iron Man" in the hugely successful sequel to the original film, Iron Man 2 (2010), starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Mickey Rourke.

Downey has since recently filmed Due Date (2010), a sensational comedy, directed by Todd Phillips, in which he plays the role of an expectant father on a road trip racing to get back in time for the birth of his first child. Due Date (2010), starring The Hangover (2009)'s Zach Galifianakis, was released in November 2010.

In addition, Robert Downey Jr. has jump-started the Team Downey Production Company with wife Susan Downey, whose first much-awaited production will be a heist film titled Yucatan (2013), an original development by Steve McQueen intended to propel him to stardom.

Another upcoming Team Downey project is Emergency! (2013): This Book Will Save Your Life" - a tale by Neil Strauss that ventures to tell of one man's survival in a dangerous world - which Team Downey will develop into a feature film with producing partner Michael De Luca.

But prior to this distinguished global success, Downey starred in powerful yet humbling roles inspired by real-life accounts of some of history's most precious kept secrets, including Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly (2006) in 2006 co-starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Woody Harrelson, and Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) co-starring Nicole Kidman, a film inspired by the life of Diane Arbus, the revered photographer whose images captured attention in the early 1960s. These roles exhibited Downey's unwavering momentum from the previous year of 2005, in which he starred in the Academy Award®-nominated feature film Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005), directed by George Clooney, in Shane Black's action comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) co-starring Val Kilmer, and in David Fincher's suspenseful _Zodiac (2007/I)' alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Gary Oldman, about the notorious serial killer who haunted San Francisco during the 1970's.

Marking his debut into music, Debuting Robert Downey Jr. released his debut album titled "The Futurist" on the Sony Classics Label on November 23rd, 2004. The album's eight original songs, that Downey wrote, and his two musical numbers debuting as cover songs revealed his sultry singing voice and his musical talents. Downey continued to display his versatility in two very different films in October 2003: the musical/drama The Singing Detective (2003), a remake of the BBC hit of the same name, and the thriller Gothika (2003) starring Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz.

In 2001, Downey made his prime-time television debut when he joined the cast of the Fox-TV series "Ally McBeal" (1997) as attorney "Larry Paul". For this role, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Comedy Series. In addition, Downey was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

In 2000, Downey co-starred with Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire in Tromera paidia (2000), directed by Curtis Hanson. In this dramatic comedy, Downey played the role of a bi-sexual literary agent. Also in 2000, he starred alongside Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy in the hit comedy, Bowfinger (1999).

In September of 1999, Downey appeared in _Black and White (1999/I)', written and directed by James Toback, along with Ben Stiller, Elijah Wood, Gaby Hoffmann, Brooke Shields and Claudia Schiffer. In January of 1999, he starred with Annette Bening and Aidan Quinn in In Dreams (1999), directed by Neil Jordan. In 1998, Downey co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes in U.S. Marshals (1998), directed by Stuart Baird and he starred with Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner in the critically acclaimed Two Girls and a Guy (1997), directed by James Toback.

In 1997, Downey was seen in Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man (1998), alongside Kenneth Branagh, Daryl Hannah and Embeth Davidtz; in One Night Stand (1997), directed by Mike Figgis and starring Wesley Snipes and Nastassja Kinski; and in Hugo Pool (1997), directed by his father, Robert Downey Sr. and starring Sean Penn and Patrick Dempsey.

In 1995, Downey starred in Restoration (1995), with Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan and Ian McKellen, directed by Michael Hoffman. Also that year, he starred in Richard III (1995), in which he appears opposite his Restoration (1995) co-star McKellen. In Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994), with Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, Downey starred as a tabloid TV journalist who exploits a murderous couple's killing spree to boost his ratings. In Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993), he appeared as an aspiring film make-up artist whose best friend commits murder. For the comedy Heart and Souls (1993), Downey starred as a young man with a special relationship with four ghosts. Downey's other film credits include The Soloist (2009), The Last Party (1993), Soapdish (1991), Air America (1990), Chances Are (1989), True Believer (1989), Johnny Be Good (1988), 1969 (1988), Less Than Zero (1987), The Pick-up Artist (1987), Back to School (1986), Tuff Turf (1985), Ilektroniko manouli (1985), Firstborn (1984) and Pound (1970), marked as Robert Downey Jr.'s feature film debut, directed by Robert Downey Sr..