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- “I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
- “But man has always succeeded in rising again.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Category Archives: Actors
“These kids only want to talk about acting method and motivation. in my day all we talked about was screwing and overtime.” — Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum, Cannes 1954, photograph by Leo Mirkine It’s his birthday today. The greatest. Excerpt from Are You Anybody? An Actor’s Life, by Bradford Dillman For the past fifty years Robert Mitchum has been captivating filmgoers with his sleepy demeanor. … Continue reading
“The trouble with Hollywood is everybody is crazy for money.” — Ann Dvorak
Anna McKim chose “Ann Dvorak” as her stage name. She chose a challenging name to pronounce (for American audiences, that is) over her easily-pronounceable real name. Who does that?? Well, she does. It says a lot. It’s mischievous. I love … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Howard Hawks, Mervyn LeRoy, Pre-Code
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“I am happy – as happy as anyone can be who believes that life isn’t quite to be trusted.” — Clara Bow
In 1927, provocative novelist Elinor Glyn, popularized the term “It”, “it” being sex appeal, or what the kids would now call “riz”. Earlier, Glyn hswept the world with her controversial erotic novel Three Weeks but It was mainlined into the … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Edward Herrmann
With a career as long and diverse as Edward Herrmann’s there is much to discuss. When he died, I wrote a piece for Ebert, focusing on just one moment in Warren Beatty’s Reds, a moment that (in its small way) … Continue reading
“The reality is you don’t arrive, you don’t have a crone ceremony and suddenly get wisdom.” — Olympia Dukakis
“I recognize that the real pulse of life is transformation, yet I work in a world dominated by men and the things men value, where transformation is not the coinage. It’s not even the language! Winning is everything in Hollywood. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre
Tagged Anton Chekhov, Olympia Dukakis
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“I think something once broken and put back together is even stronger.” — Jared Padalecki
It’s his birthday today. Jared Padalecki talks a lot about his process (when he’s asked, which is not too often unfortunately). He reads the script over and over again, reciting the lines over and over, as he takes a run, … Continue reading
“I have an idea that the Irish possess a built-in don’t-give-a-damn that helps them through all the stress.” — James Cagney
It’s his birthday today. One of my favorite actors. From Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors, by Peter Bogdanovich: He was different from most of the great stars of the golden age in that he often … Continue reading
“He’s one of those actors who knows that his face IS the story.” – Sam Shepard on Harry Dean Stanton
It’s Harry Dean Stanton’s birthday today. I’m pretty sure my introduction to Harry Dean Stanton – whose birthday it is today – was as Molly Ringwald’s sad dad in Pretty in Pink (he made a huge impression on me). It … Continue reading