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Claude Berri
Producer · Known for Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, The Lover
Claude Berri (1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, distributor and actor. Berri was a leading figure of the French film industry both a director and as a producer. Following a short film that won an Academy Award, Berri achieved success with his first feature film, The Two of Us (1967). He then had a varied career, producing and distributing both mainstream and avant-garde films. During the 1970s, Berri's films as a director were mostly comedies but he later found increased success with several high-profile literary adaptations. In 1986, his two-part film Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring won public and critical acclaim, becoming his best-known work. He next directed Uranus (1990) and most notably Germinal (1993). In 1997, he directed the historical biopic Lucie Aubrac. Directors whose films were produced by Berri include Roman Polanski, Jacques Demy, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Claude Sautet, Miloš Forman, Claude Zidi, Jacques Rivette, Patrice Chéreau, Alain Chabat, Abdellatif Kechiche and Dany Boon. Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), was from Romania, and his father, Hirsch Langmann, was a furrier from Poland. In 1943, during the Nazi occupation of France, Berri's parents entrusted him for his safety to a family in the countryside. He spent the rest of the occupation being fostered by "an antisemitic couple" who were unaware that he was Jewish. His sister, screenwriter and editor Arlette Langmann, was born after the war. Berri's original vocation was to be an actor. He began a career in the early 1950s but struggled to find roles, which prompted him to turn to directing and eventually producing. In 1965, he gained notice for The Chicken, which won the Award for best short film at the 38th Academy Awards. In 1967, Berri directed The Two of Us (Le Vieil homme et l'enfant), a partially autobiographical film that told the story of a Jewish child, entrusted during World War II to a benevolent and antisemitic old farmer who remains unaware that the boy he is caring for is a Jew. The film was a great success in France and abroad. Berri also adapted the story into a novel, released the same year as the film. During the years that followed, Berri became active as a producer and film distributor while continuing to direct his own films. Also in 1967, with his associate (later brother-in-law) Jean-Pierre Rassam, Berri bought the international distribution rights for Miloš Forman's The Firemen's Ball which was a great success and was nominated to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Berri's company, Renn Productions, which he had founded to produce The Two of Us, gradually became a major player in the French film industry. ... Source: Article "Claude Berri" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Jeep Swenson
Robert Alexander "Jeep" Swenson Jr. (January 5, 1957 – August 18, 1997) was an American professional wrestler, stuntman and actor. Swenson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Patricia Maxine (née Wells) and Robert Alexander Swenson Sr. He was married to Erin Hillsman. The couple had a daughter named Kayleigh. Swenson wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987 and 1988 for manager Gary Hart. He debuted on March 7, 1987, defeating Perry Jackson in a 2 minute challenge match. His main feud was with Bruiser Brody, who was wrestling as the masked "Red River Jack". According to Swenson, he had the largest biceps in the world at that time. He was billed as being from South Africa, although he was clearly an American. Swenson returned to wrestling for a match at World Championship Wrestling's Uncensored pay-per-view on March 24, 1996. He performed as a member of the "Alliance to End Hulkamania". He was originally named The Final Solution, but following complaints from Jewish organizations to the Turner corporate offices, his character was renamed The Ultimate Solution. WCW claimed they were unaware that The Final Solution was the name Adolf Hitler gave to his plan to destroy the Jews. The Alliance consisted of the Dungeon of Doom, the Four Horsemen, The Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta, all working to end Hulk Hogan's career. Swenson boxed as an amateur middleweight and later had a short career as a professional boxer. He won his first two bouts by knockouts, but his third fight was stopped in round one after he was knocked down twice by Frankie Garcia in his pro debut. The 6' 4", 405 lb. Swenson appeared as pit fighter "Lugwrench" Perkins in the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred. He also played James Caan's bodyguard Bledsoe in the Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler film Bulletproof, before playing possibly his best known character Bane in the 1997 film Batman & Robin. On August 18, 1997, Swenson died of heart failure at the UCLA Medical Center. He was 40 years old. Hulk Hogan, Davey Boy Smith, and James Caan gave eulogies at his funeral.[2]
Ky-Mani Marley
Ky-Mani was born in Falmouth, Jamaica, but at the age of nine, he relocated to the inner-city of Miami. During his youth, Ky-Mani was unaware of his musical abilities, sports being his first love. With his mother's direction, he took piano and guitarlessons and played trumpet in his high school band. In addition to tapping into his musical talents, Ky-Mani was an athlete, competing in soccer and American football. As a teenager, Ky-Mani started rapping and deejaying; his first single was "Unnecessary Badness". He became inspired as a singer after being asked to sing a hook to a song during a recording session at a studio in Miami. Ky-Mani soon began experimenting with laying tracks, at times with his brothers, Stephen, Julian andDamian.
Roy Battersby
Roy Battersby (1936-2024) was a British director. He started his career making documentary features for the BBC, including work on their groundbreaking science series Tomorrow's World. In 1970 he directed the innovative scientific documentary film The Body, before moving into drama and directing TV plays, often working with writer Colin Welland. He made with several films for the Play for Today series but his role as an organiser with the Workers Revolutionary Party and his Trotskyist politics led to him being blacklisted by the BBC at the behest of Special Branch and the security services, a fact which Battersby was unaware of at the time. Once his association ended in the 1980s, Battersby was allowed to direct at the BBC once more. Serials such as 1986's King of the Ghetto led to regular work on Between the Lines in the early 90s. Now specialising in crime drama, he also helmed several episodes of ITV's Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost and Cracker. His 2005 film Red Mercury was shown at the Montreal World Film Festival, where it was nominated for best film. In 1996, Battersby was awarded the Alan Clarke award at BAFTA. He was married to actress Judy Loe and is the stepfather of actress Kate Beckinsale.
William Eubank
Director · Known for Ghost Soldier
William Campbell Eubank (born November 15, 1982) is an American director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature directorial debut with the sci-fi drama "Love" (2011), and went on to direct the sci-fi mystery "The Signal" (2014), the disaster thriller "Underwater" (2020), the supernatural horror "Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin" (2021), and the military action adventure "Land of Bad" (2024). Like filmmakers Steven Spielberg and David Lynch, Eubank is an Eagle Scout. When Eubank was young, he had an interesting experience with the verisimilitude of cinema. At the time that he first watched the 1974 film "Chinatown," set in the year 1937, Eubank was unaware that it was a period piece, assuming it to have been made contemporaneously in 1937. When he found out it had been made almost four decades after the era it depicted, Eubank came to a realization about film's power. Eubank drew significant inspiration from his grandfather, a US Navy cinematographer. From the stories he would tell – one involved operating a camera while flying underneath the Golden Gate Bridge – Eubank decided he wanted to either serve in the US Navy or pursue a career in film. Admitted to Annapolis, at the last minute before reporting to campus Eubank decided to instead take his shot at the arts. He began working at Panavision Woodland Hills as a camera repair technician and digital imaging technician and describes his eight years at Panavision as serving as his film school. Eubank credits the company's kindness to him as being essential to his development as an artist saying "I owe my entire career to those guys".
The Chau Ngo
The Chau Ngo is a Vietnamese cinematographer and director working in Germany.
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known by his stage name The Edge (or just Edge), is an Irish musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 14 studio albums with the band and one solo record. As a guitarist, the Edge has crafted a minimalistic and textural style of playing. His use of a rhythmic delay effect yields a distinctive sound that has become a signature of U2's music. Description above from the Wikipedia article The Edge licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The Kid Mero
The Soul Stirrers
The Valleyfolk
The Valleyfolk is a YouTube-based comedy group originating in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former SourceFed hosts Joe Bereta, Elliott Morgan, Lee Newton, and Steve Zaragoza. The channel launched in January 2018 and gained over 93,000 subscribers within the first 24 hours.
The Naked Cowboy
The Enigma
The Coolie
The Beau Brummels
The Hooters
The Rizzler
Cast · Known for Rolling Loud: The Movie
Christian Joseph (born April 19, 2016), known online as The Rizzler (or simply Rizzler), is an American social media personality from New Jersey. He is best known for his "Rizz Face", an expression where he squints his eyes while stroking his chin and pursing his lips. From Wikipedia
The Vixen
The Vixen is the stage name of Anthony Taylor, an American drag performer, best known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and placing seventh. Her appearance on the show was notable for raising a conversation around racial dynamics both among her fellow drag queens and in the show’s fandom.
The Born Ruffians
The Clarksons Twins
The Math Club
Producer · Known for Barbie in the Nutcracker
The Latin Lover
Memphis-area professional wrestler who appeared in a single match in 1990 before disappearing from TV. Not to be confused with the similarly-named Mexican professional wrestler with the same name who debuted in 1992.
Bob the Drag Queen
Christopher Caldwell (born June 22, 1986), also known as Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, musician, and reality television personality, known for winning the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bart the Bear 2
