Category Archives: Actors

“I don’t care how afraid I may be inside — I do what I think I should.” — Katharine Hepburn

Barbara Walters: “Kate, you always wear pants. Do you even own a skirt?” Katharine Hepburn: “I have one, Miss Walters. I’ll wear it to your funeral.” Dan and I discussed her, in my interview with him about his new book. … Continue reading

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“If you are going to do good work, you have to risk failing badly.” — Natasha Richardson

It’s Natasha Richardson’s birthday. I have seen a couple of live performances I will never forget, performances where I think as they are happening: I am so lucky to have witnessed this.. It’s rare. Natasha Richardson, in Cabaret, gave one … Continue reading

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“You can’t study comedy; it’s within you. It’s a personality. My humor is an attitude.” — Don Rickles

It’s his birthday today. When Don Rickles died, John Stamos and Bob Saget couldn’t stop talking about him. Rickles, famously cantankerous, had loved both of them like sons. The stories they told about Rickles, on the late-night talk-show circuit were … Continue reading

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“You are not acting so much as being. The result is realism.” — Gary Cooper

It’s his birthday today. Cary Grant had a funny theory about Hollywood and how stardom was being like a crowded streetcar. Peter Bogdonavich asked Cary Grant to elaborate. Grant said: Becoming a movie star is something like getting on a … Continue reading

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“I started at the top and worked my way down.” — Orson Welles

It’s his birthday today. When Orson Welles was just a teenager, he traveled to Ireland. And although it seems improbable (perhaps not, because this is Orson Welles we’re talking about), he decided to audition for the newly-formed Gate Theatre, and … Continue reading

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“I’ve always had everything I wanted, and I never wanted a great deal. ” — Aline MacMahon

“I pass emotions through a filter not generally used by actresses. I find the ground to meet my characters and am able to move from one feel to another. It is real stuff — no tricks, simply expressed.” — Aline … Continue reading

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“I was never totally involved in movies. I was making someone else’s dream come true. Not mine.” — Mary Astor

“The reminder that there are people who have worse troubles than you is not an effective pain-killer.” — Mary Astor It’s her birthday today. Her memoir is great, by the way. Her story was told – by everyone else – … Continue reading

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“A woman came up to me after one of the screenings with tears pouring down her face and sobbed, You’ve defined my entire life for me on the screen.” –Jill Clayburgh

This was part of a larger series. I would throw a name at Mitchell, ask him to describe that person in “one word” and then we would discuss. Here’s our discussion on Jill Clayburgh, whose birthday it is today. SOM: … Continue reading

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“I don’t cook and I don’t care.” — Ann-Margret

Ann-Margret entertaining US troops in Vietnam, 1966 Today is Ann-Margret’s birthday. Her autobiography, Ann-Margret: My Story is wonderful. What a career. And it’s still unfolding. There are so many classic scenes. Tommy. Carnal Knowledge. Of course, too, there is the … Continue reading

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“I only began to sing because I couldn’t get a job as an actress.” — Barbra Streisand

You can’t understand Barbra Streisand if you don’t know the famous story of her audition for I Can Get It For You Wholesale, which ended up being her big break. She made a splash in her Broadway debut, which of … Continue reading

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