All about Celebrities

Brad Pitt

2006-11-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Biography

This sensuously handsome blond actor emerged as one of the most celebrated screen sex symbols of 1990s Hollywood. Brad Pitt started out in TV guest spots (including a recurring role on the CBS primetime soap "Dallas" in 1987) that tended to capitalize on his wiry good looks. He co-starred in "Glory Days" (Fox, 1990), a short-lived drama about post-high school angst. Pitt entered features via the well-traveled low road, appearing in supporting roles in such standard teen fodder as slasher flicks, sex comedies and family-oriented sports dramas.

Pitt gained relatively instant stardom as the hitchhiking hunk—part charmer, part thief—who seduces Geena Davis in the female buddy movie, "Thelma & Louise" (1991). The following year, he achieved leading man status sporting a formidable pompadour as the fictitious, aspiring teen idol "Johnny Suede", and maintained the hairstyle as a soft-hearted yet hard-boiled vet turned cartoon cop in "Cool World,” Ralph Bakshi's uneven blend of live-action and animation. Pitt gained some critical esteem playing the troubled younger brother who casts a mean fishing line in Robert Redford's "A River Runs Through It" (also 1992), but fared less well as a bearded psycho killer in "Kalifornia" (1993). He provided a delightful character turn as a stoner roommate in the Quentin Tarantino-scripted "True Romance" (also 1993). Pitt subsequently played his first high profile lead in a Hollywood blockbuster as Louis, the lachrymose narrator of "Interview With the Vampire" (1994). His depressed bloodsucker seemed all the more anemic paired with a lively Tom Cruise. Pitt's star qualities were better displayed in "Legends of the Fall" (also 1994), as the wild, middle brother of a colorful Western clan. In a change of pace from glamour roles (and to subtly subvert his being dubbed "the sexiest man alive" by People magazine), the actor played a scruffy, arrogant policeman tracking a serial killer with Morgan Freeman in "Seven" and earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination as a twitching mental patient/animal rights activist in the Terry Gilliam-directed "12 Monkeys" (both 1995).

After a turn as a prosecutor in Barry Levinson's "Sleepers" (1996), Pitt adopted a Belfast accent as an IRA gunman seeking refuge in the home of a NYC cop (Harrison Ford) in "The Devil's Own" (1997). What had been a long a troubled shoot resulted in a muddled and uneven drama. Pitt caused some controversy with a Newsweek interview in which he made disparaging comments about the film and its script. With "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997), he adopted an Austrian accent to play an egotistical man who undergoes a conversion of sorts when he is befriended by the youthful Dalai Lama. That film was also the subject of some debate when it was revealed that Heinrich Harrer (Pitt) had been a Nazi Party member; the resultant negative publicity and mixed reviews probably hurt the film's box office. Pitt followed by reuniting with his "Legends of the Falls" co-star Anthony Hopkins in the languid "Meet Joe Black" (1998), a loose remake of "Death Takes a Holiday" with the younger thespian portraying the Grim Reaper in human form.

Further downplaying his attractive facade, Pitt was cast as Tyler Durden, the straight-shooting but charismatic mastermind behind "Fight Club" (1999), an underground society of disaffected young men who engage in fisticuffs. He continued in a similar vein with a turn as an Irish gypsy with a flair for bare knuckles boxing in "Snatch" (2000). In both of these films, Pitt's muscular physique was on display but in "Fight Club,” he favored a scruffy look while in "Snatch,” he was covered in tattoos. Off-screen, however, Pitt's celebrity status as a hunky Hollywood icon soared into the stratosphere after his romantic relationship with equally beautiful and popular TV star Jennifer Aniston culminated in 2001 with a storybook wedding—complete with fireworks—in Malibu. The couple's every move quickly became must-have fodder for entertainment-oriented media outlets everywhere.

In "The Mexican" (2001), he offered a relaxed, loose turn as a somewhat dim low-level gangster sent south (over the objections of his long-time girlfriend, played by Julia Roberts) to retrieve the title object, an antique pistol that supposedly carried a curse. He remained busy portraying the protégé of a retiring CIA operative (Robert Redford) in "Spy Game" and joining George Clooney and the ensemble of the Steven Soderbergh-directed remake of "Ocean's Eleven" (both 2001). That year Pitt also made a notable guest appearance on his wife's famous sit-com "Friends" playing a now-thin high school pal of Monica's who's harbored a long animosity toward Rachel (Aniston), as well as a much discussed slot on MTV's stunt-prank series "Jackass," where the actor was violently "kidnapped" from L.A.'s Pink's hot dog stand as several dumbfounded witnesses observed. In 2002, Pitt made brief cameo appearances in Soderbergh's experimental film "Full Frontal" (as himself) and Clooney's directorial debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," and in 2003 voiced the title character in the animated feature film "Sinbad."

After years of downplaying his handsome, heroic looks by appearing in scruffy beards and long hair, Pitt finally took a role that cast him as every bit the beautiful Golden Boy, playing the legendary Greek hero Achilles in director Wolfgang Petersen's epic "Troy" (2004), a role that inspired excitement among his male and female fans alike. The actor also agreed to rejoin Clooney, Soderbergh, et al, for the sequel romp "Ocean's Twelve" (2004), this time playing a Rusty with his own love interest (Catherine Zeta-Jones), although the film lacked much of the charm of the first outing. The actor then found himself at the center of an intense media whirlwind when he announced he was splitting from Aniston: one of the speculated reasons for the divorce of the dream couple centered on rumors of an on-set relationship with Angelina Jolie during his next film, the Doug Liman-helmed action-fest "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), in which the actors played a bored married couple surprised to learn that they are each secretly assassins, ultimately hired to kill each other. Though both actors initially refuted the rumors—and, after frequently being photographed together in their private lives, took a coyer stance later on--the intense media and public interest in their possible relationship propelled the film to huge box office receipts, thanks in large part to their palpable on-screen chemistry. Their "are they or aren't they?" coupling captivated star watchers and was the most written-about celebrity story of 2005 (prompting the coining of the term "Brangelina") as their relationship gradually emerged in the public eye as Pitt accompanied Jolie on her missions of mercy to third world nations, petitioned to adopt her two adopted children, and ultimately revealed that he and Jolie were expecting their own biological child together as well.

After a noted absence from the big screen, but not the tabloid pages, which seemed to concoct a new and ridiculous story about Brangelina every week, Pitt returned with a strong and rather mature performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Babel” (2006), a dense and heartbreaking look at confusion, fear and the depths of love. Set on different continents—Asia, Africa and North America—“Babel” told three separate stories brought together by a single random act of violence. Pitt played an American tourist traveling Morocco when a stray bullet from a rifle crashes through a bus window and seriously wounds his wife (Cate Blachett), touching off a series of events—including the couple’s Mexican housekeeper (Adriana Barraza) trying to cross the border, a neglected Japanese girl (Rinko Kikuchi) scouring Japan for love in all the wrong places, and two Moroccan boys (Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Caid) dealing with their responsibility for the shooting—that underscore the fear and confusion brought about by the failure to communicate. Meanwhile, Pitt reunited with Soderbergh, Clooney, Damon, et al. for “Oceans 13” (2007), the third—and hopefully last—installment to the hipster caper series, then signed on to play America’s most notorious outlaw, Jesse James, in “The Assassination of Jesse James” (2007).

Also Credited As: William Bradley PittBorn: on 12/18/1963 in Shawnee, OklahomaJob Titles: Actor, Chauffeur, Delivery manFamily
Brother: Doug Pitt. owns computer company; born c. 1966
Daughter: Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. born May 27, 2006 in Namibia; mother is Angelina Jolie
Daughter: Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt. legally adopted in 2006; mother is Angelina Jolie
Father: William Pitt.
Mother: Jane Pitt.
Sister: Julie Pitt. born c. 1969; married with at least one child
Son: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. legally adopted in 2006; mother is Angelina Jolie
Significant Others
Companion: Angelina Jolie. met while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"; rumored to be romantically involved throughout filming, but this was denied by both parties; began being photographed together as a couple in spring 2005
Wife: Jennifer Aniston. met in 1998; married July 29, 2000 in Malibu, California; announced separation on January 6, 2005, after more than fours years of marriage; Aniston filed for divorce March 2005; divorce finalized October 2005.
Wife: Jennifer Aniston. began dating in spring 1998; marrried on July 29, 2000 in Malibu, California
Companion: Gwyneth Paltrow. met on set of "Seven" (1994) where they played a married couple; became engaged in November 1996; separated in June 1997
Companion: Jill Schoelen. met on set of "Cutting Class"; (1989); broke up in 1989
Companion: Jitka Pohlodek. dated briefly in 1993
Companion: Juliette Lewis. met on the set of the 1990 TV-movie "Too Young to Die?"; together for three years; broke up c. February 1993; reportedly were engaged
Companion: Katja von Garnier. German; born c. 1966; dated in 1997
Companion: Robin Givens. dated briefly in 1988 after working together on episodes of the TV sitcom "Head of the Class"
Education
University of Missouri at Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, journalism, 1982-86

Photos

2006-11-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Sandra Bullock

2006-10-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Biography

One of Hollywood's leading contenders for the coveted title of "America's Sweetheart" in the mid-1990s, the unconventionally beautiful, raven-haired Sandra Bullock first gained widespread attention as Sylvester Stallone's partner in the satirical sci-fi actioner "Demolition Man" (1993). The daughter of a German opera singer mother and an American voice coach father, she began performing on stage as a child extra in her mother's operas. After college, Bullock landed some Off-Broadway roles and a part in the TV-movies "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" (NBC, 1989) and "The Preppie Murder" (1989) before nabbing the lead in the short-lived TV sitcom version of "Working Girl" (NBC, 1990).
After snagging the female lead in a small indie "Who Shot Patakango?" (1989), Bullock saw her feature career began to excel. She co-starred in the romantic comedy "Love Potion No. 9" and delivered a superb performance as a cynical feminist artist in "When the Party's Over" (both 1992). "Demolition Man", coupled with her appearance as an aspiring country & western singer in Peter Bogdanovich's ill-fated "The Thing Called Love" (1993), introduced her to a wider audience, paving the way for her first taste of movie stardom as Annie, the reluctant bus driver opposite Keanu Reeves, in the blockbuster "Speed" (1994). Her innate wit, intelligence and general likeability helped elevate what could have been a standard "girl" role, allowing her to drive off with the film's best notices.
In a part originally intended for the overpriced Demi Moore, Bullock headlined the romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), a surprise hit co-starring Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher as the other points of a love triangle. Now a full-fledged movie star, she was equally adept in a Julia Roberts-type role as a hapless computer operator stumbling onto a major conspiracy in "The Net" (1995). Bullock rebounded from the pallid caper comedy "Two If By Sea" (1996, opposite Denis Leary) with a dramatic supporting turn as a law student who finds herself attracted to a married Southern lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) she is assisting in Joel Schumacher's feature version of the John Grisham's best-seller "A Time to Kill" (also 1996). Unfortunately, Richard Attenborough's "In Love and War" (1996), based on the real-life romance between author Ernest Hemingway (Chris O'Donnell) and the nurse he fictionalized in "A Farewell to Arms", proved a disappointment with the actress miscast as the slightly older woman. Equally disappointing was the inevitable (and misguided) sequel "Speed 2: Cruise Control" (1997), which teamed her with Jason Patric on a luxury liner taken over by a madman. Bullock earned a reputation through interviews as a fun-loving type who nonetheless doesn't suffer fools gladly, and her mixture of brazenness and caginess only served to warm the hearts of audiences. Trying to shake the girl-next-door image with which she'd be saddled, she managed to make herself seem even more down-to-earth, still a girl-next-door, but a smart, edgy and witty one.
Bullock wrote, produced, directed and co-starred in (opposite McConaughey who shared producing duties) "Making Sandwiches" (1997), a 40-minute short screened at the Sundance Film Festival. As executive producer of "Hope Floats" (1998), she proved she had an eye for the type of Everywoman role that had earned her kudos in the past. The film garnered generally favorable reviews and generated a respectable box office. Later that year, the actress lent her vocal talents to the character of Miriam in DreamWorks animated biblical tale "The Prince of Egypt" and co-starred with Nicole Kidman as sisters who use witchcraft to solve their romantic problems in "Practical Magic" (which she also co-executive produced). Bullock continued to prove her savvy by teaming with Ben Affleck in the romantic road movie "Forces of Nature" (1999).
While prior and subsequent producing efforts were successful, Bullock and co-star Liam Neeson couldn't save the awkward and unfunny crime comedy "Gun Shy" (2000). She returned to form later that year as a NYC writer and party girl sentenced to "28 Days" of rehab. Here the actress capably portrayed both the often hard-to-watch human weakness as well as humor of her addict character. She next impressed moviegoers (if not many critics) with a turn as a tomboyish streetwise FBI agent posing as a polished beauty queen in the romantic comedy "Miss Congeniality". Paired with Benjamin Bratt, Bullock further proved to be a delightful comedic actress, flaunting her character's newfound grace with the appropriate gracelessness—she revised the role for the 2005 sequel, "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005), this time posing as a Las Vegas showgirl. An active producer and actress, Bullock went forth into the new millennium with many projects on her plate, including strangely appropriate mentions for such iconic heroine roles as Wonder Woman and Lois Lane.
While she didn't play any superheroes, Bullock was very busy for the next few years taking on a variety of roles in rapid succession. In 2002, she starred as a homicide detective in "Murder by Numbers," and as a southern playwright in the film adaptation of "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." She next went back to her romantic comedy roots, starring with Hugh Grant in the underwhelming "Two Weeks Notice" (2002), with the actress playing the aide-de-camp to a reckless mogul who doesn't appreciate the doting care she gives him. At this point in her career, Bullock was entering dangerous Doris Day territory, playing winsome, klutzy roles that were better suited for someone younger. However, her very brief turn in the racially charged, multi-plot drama "Crash" (2005) was a step in the right direction, with Bullock playing a middle aged white L.A. woman of privilege who, after a traumatic carjacking, angrily acts out on all of her worst prejudices and racial fears.
The actress then played To Kill a Mockingbird author Nelle Harper Lee opposite Toby Jones as Truman Capote in the biopic "Infamous" (lensed 2005)--not to be confused with 2005's "Capote" with Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the same roles—as they become involved with convicted killer Perry Smith (Mark Ruffalo) in a film based on Gore Vidal's oral biography. Bullock next re-teamed with her "Speed" co-star Keanu Reeves for "The Lake House" (2006), as a doctor and an architecture school dropout who live in the same house two years apart and fall in love via letters they exchange through a mailbox that mysteriously bridges time. She was then set to star opposite Julian McMahon in the thriller "Premonition" (lensed 2006), which follows a housewife whose husband dies in a car crash only to reappear alive the next day.
Also Credited As:
Sandra Annette Bullock
Born:
on 07/26/1964 in Arlington, Virginia
Job Titles:
Actor, Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Bartender, Cleaning woman, Coat checker, Waitress

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2006-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Jessica Simpson

2006-09-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Biography

Debuting as an adorable, all-American-looking pop singer with a powerful vocal range and squeaky clean image, Jessica Simpson initially stood in the shadows of her equally young, equally blonde pop predecessors Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in her early career. Routinely compared to the two divas—sometimes unfairly—Simpson has struggled to be nothing more than herself. Yearning to make her mark, Simpson found her true voice not in music, but on television. As the star of “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica” (MTV 2003- ), a reality show co-starring husband Nick Lachey, formerly of the deflated pop band 98 Degrees, Simpson has become a household name. But because of her frequently naive, sometimes needy and often spoiled demeanor and near constant goof-ups on the show (a.k.a. “pulling a Jessica”), Simpson has propelled beyond mere celebrity into the realm of cultural zeitgeist.

Born on July 10, 1980 in Dallas, Texas, Simpson was raised in a strict Christian home. Her father, Joe Simpson, was a minister at her local parish, as well as being a professional psychologist (and later Simpson’s manager). When she turned 12, Simpson received a purity ring as a gift from her dad--a silver band with a cross to be worn until her wedding day. According to Simpson, she indeed retained her virtue until she married Lachey. Simpson’s talents as a singer were apparent at an early age when singing gospel at her dad’s church. At 12, Simpson attempted to break into show business by auditioning for “The Mickey Mouse Club” (Disney Channel, 1988-1995), but lost the part to the likes of Spears and Aguilera--already, the two future stars were dogging Simpson’s career.

The following summer, after her failure with “The Mickey Mouse Club”, Simpson was discovered by the head of a small label, CCM, while singing at a church camp. Simpson spent the next three years recording her debut album, but the label folded before it could be released. Her grandmother funded a small pressing of the album, but it failed to make any impact in the mainstream. However, Simpson was a hit on the Christian Youth Conference circuit, where she sang with such gospel biggies as Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans. In 1997, she made another push into the mainstream and was signed by Sony after singing an a cappella version of “Amazing Grace” in then-CEO Tommy Mottola’s office. Columbia Records later released her first official album, Sweet Kisses, in 1999. The album would go on to sell close to 2 million copies, and the single, I Wanna Love You Forever, almost went platinum as well. However, her follow-up albums, Irresistible and In This Skin, didn’t fair nearly as well.

Despite slumping record sales, Simpson kept her career alive in other mediums: the singer cameoed as herself in the Dana Carvey comedy "Master of Disguise" (2002) and in 2003, she landed a recurring role as Annette, a girlfriend of Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) on “That 70’s Show” (Fox, 1998- ) and also starred in an episode of “The Twilight Zone” (UPN, 2002-2003) called “The Collection”. As Miranda Evans, Simpson played a babysitter who looks after a young girl and her dolls, only to discover that she is slated to be next in the collection.

But Simpson’s greatest claim to fame emerged with her MTV reality show with hubby Lachey. Though the cable channel didn’t have high hopes at first, the show proved to be an instant hit, thanks in large part to Simpson’s routine gaffes. In one infamous episode, Simpson confused Chicken of the Sea with actual chicken; in another, she refused to have Buffalo wings because she didn’t “eat buffalo”. Upon learning that the Happy Hour favorite wasn’t made of actual buffalo, Simpson added to the confusion: “Why name it a Buffalo wing when it’s not buffalo?” But Simpson took the inevitable jibes at her intelligence in stride, even going so far make the dumb blonde routine a conscious part of her celebrity image. And it was Simpson who laughed last, as her show, once anticipated to be a ratings dud, was renewed for a second and third season.

Simpson’s third album, In This Skin, released amid heavy cross-promotion with the show, did not fare particularly well on the charts at first, but eventually became something of a sleeper hit upon re-release as her star continued to rise (Lachey's simultaneously launched solo album did not fare as well). As the couple's popularity skyrocketed, ABC inked them to host their own variety special, "The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour" (2004), which aired on Easter Sunday and drew sky-high ratings with 11.5 million viewers--high enough to prompt the network to sign the couple for a Christmas follow-up, "Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas" (2004), and "Nick & Jessica's Tour of Duty" (2005), a special in which they entertained U.S. troops in Iraq. The couple's high profile proved to be a marketing bonanza (Simpson launched cosmetic and clothing lines, and garnered commercial endorsements for the likes of Pizza Hut's Buffalo wings) and also fueled the career of Jessica's younger sister, singer/actress Ashlee Simpson, who also earned her own MTV reality show and album deal.

The downside of the young couple's newfound fame was that they were suddenly fodder for a seemingly endless array of cover stories among the weekly celebrity gossip magazines, usually weighing in on the state of their marriage. Almost as soon as Simpson was cast as cutoff-clad Southern Belle Daisy Duke in the big screen remake of the fondly recalled '70s series "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005) her star was shining even brighter than ever, and even though Lachey had ventured into acting as well with a recurring role on The WB's "Charmed" in 2004, speculation ran rampant that her higher profile, compounded with extended periods apart and the availability of other partners, was taking its toll on his ego and her marriage. But even as coverage of their every outing reached critical mass on the verge of the "Dukes" premiere, the couple stood fast and insisted their bond was enduring. Meanwhile, Simpson shed a layer of her feminine "baby fat" and appeared leaner and more overtly sexy than ever, steaming up her Brett Ratner-directed music video "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by washing the film's car the General Lee in Daisy's pink, barely there bikini. She took some flack for her more sexually provocative image from conservative Christian groups, but the tyro actress proved imminently charming and sunny in her big screen debut, though Meryl Streep had nothing to worry about. Throughout the rest of the year the celebrity magazines dogged Simpson and Lachey, breathlessly reporting their every move and trumpeting the couple's alleged split, and after repeated denials the one-time "Newlyweds" did indeed formally announce their separation over Thanksgiving weekend in 2005.

Born: on 07/10/1980 in Dallas, TexasJob Titles: SingerFamily
Father: Joe Simpson. manages daughters career
Mother: Tina Simpson.
Sister: Ashlee Simpson. born October 3, 1984
Significant Others
Husband: Nick Lachey. began dating Summer of 1999; separated April 2001; engaged in February 2002; married on October 26, 2002; announced separation November 23, 2005

Photos

2006-09-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jesica Simpson and Nick Lachey

Sharon Stone

2006-09-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

Biography

A self-described "ubergeek" who couldn't get a date to her high school prom, Sharon Stone proved that brains (an IQ of 154) were certainly no impediment to forging a career in the entertainment industry, especially when capitalizing on naturally blonde good looks as a fetching piece of "eye candy" in movies both good and bad. The former beauty pageant contestant and Ford model made her film debut with a non-speaking part as a beautiful woman fleetingly glimpsed from a moving train in Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories" (1980) and then survived more than a decade of mostly mediocre parts to claw her way to stardom. A journalist's dream, she is one of the best interviews in Hollywood, talking smart, tough and funny (she once described former beau Dwight Yoakam as less appealing than a "dirt sandwich"), and bringing back an old-fashioned, high-octane glamour to her role as a "movie star". Despite demonstrating considerable range as an actor, Stone has shown her true genius to be self-invention, creating a persona to rival that of stars like Joan Crawford and Betty Davis from a more style-conscious, bygone era.

The high points for Stone through the 80s were few, though she did attract notice as Ryan O'Neal's conniving actress girlfriend in "Irreconcilable Differences" (1984) and as Robert Mitchum's daughter-in-law in the much-watched ABC miniseries "War and Remembrance" (1988). Mostly, she persevered as a stereotypical blonde in lackluster films like Wes Craven's "Deadly Blessing" (1981, whose saving grace was meeting best friend Mimi Craven, the director's ex-wife), "King Solomon's Mines" (1985) and its sequel "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold" (1987), "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol" (1987) and a remake of "Blood and Sand" (1989, in a role that had done considerably more for Rita Hayworth). She didn't fare any better on the small screen either, including a regular role as the wife of a bed-wetting baseball pitcher in the short-lived "Bay City Blues" (NBC, 1983).

Stone's first real break came playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's kick-boxing secret agent "wife" in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi actioner "Total Recall" (1990). After five more forgettable thrillers and comedies, she finally achieved the proverbial "overnight" success as a voracious bisexual crime writer in Verhoeven's controversial and popular erotic thriller "Basic Instinct" (1992), written by Joe Ezsterhas. Her panties-less, leg-crossing scene brought Stone much notoriety but has haunted her ever since. Though she really didn't want to do "Sliver" (1993), another sizzling sex melodrama written by Ezsterhas which did middling business stateside and boffo box office overseas, she couldn't find any other part she liked better, so she made the mistake of retreating into the much more familiar and conventionally sympathetic role as the victim of a psychotic voyeur. Trying to escape the sex-bomb trap, she begged for the frigid wife role (they offered her much more to play the girlfriend) in "Intersection" (1994) and scored great reviews despite its limited success.

Stone again flexed her international box-office clout paired with Sylvester Stallone in the explosive actioner "The Specialist" (1994), and though she couldn't make Sly sexy, her good work helped make the picture (which James Woods walked off with) worth watching. She liked the script for "The Quick and the Dead" (1995) and became its co-producer, paying half of Leonardo DiCaprio's wages out of her own salary when the project ran into difficulties. Stone looked terrific in Western duds playing something of a distaff version of a Clint Eastwood-like gunfighter, and director Sam Raimi helmed the smartly derivative tale with style to spare. Unfortunately, the critical reception was uneven, and the public stayed away. She rebounded as Ginger, the Vegas hustler who wins the heart of Robert De Niro, in Martin Scorsese's "Casino" (also 1995). No part before had ever made such heavy demands on the actress, and she was a revelation, letting loose with a corker of a performance as the beautiful and unstable, ultimately pathetic moll with no inner life that yielded a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

The now highly-paid, much-in-demand diva, boasting her own production company (Chaos) and a first-look deal with Miramax, filmed a remake of the noir classic "Diabolique" with Isabelle Adjani and Chazz Palminteri and played a death-row inmate whose lawyer (Rob Morrow) works to save her from execution in "Last Dance" (both 1996). The former (a pale imitation of the 1955 classic) was notable more for her battle with its producer over refusing to bare her flesh, while the latter, despite presenting a uniquely drab, unglamorous Stone, was in the wrong place at the wrong time, following so close on the heels of the previous year's "Dead Man Walking". Protecting her hard-won stardom, Stone had became a clever manipulator of her public image, on heavy press days reportedly changing outfits between each interview and photo session, a practice unheard of since the days of Carole Lombard and Norma Shearer. Onscreen and off, she understood that her power resided in her unwillingness to relinquish her femaleness.

Stone's acting teacher Roy London had told her that audiences could love to hate her, and the advice made her a star. In her personal life, however, the wreckage of femme fatalities left in her wake solidified her image as an "ice princess", a tag she sought to lose in order to be taken seriously as an actress. Stone went to work on changing the public's perception of her, crediting Miramax executive Harvey Weinstein with having the foresight to see she could convincingly play a relatively normal, single mother "when everyone else said it was impossible" (of course the fact that her production company ultimately provided financing for 1998's "The Mighty" made his decision infinitely easier). That said, her strong, emotional performance in a secondary role confirmed her range, and her marriage to San Francisco Examiner editor Phil Bronstein helped with her transition from sex bomb to domestic goddess.

Having reached the age of 40, she intended to keep her clothes on, and her superstar clout led to the diversity she had craved in movies like "Antz", the 1998 animated film which vocally reunited her with Woody Allen, "Sphere" (1998, cast as a biochemist in the lackluster Barry Levinson venture), "Gloria" (1999, a remake to unsettle John Cassavetes' final repose) and, terrifically, in "The Muse" (1999, playing the titular role to writer-director-star Albert Brooks, a Greek muse who lends her inspiration to Hollywood types, but not without turning their lives upside down with her demands). She appeared, in fine form, in a brief but pivotal appearance as the alcoholic wife of a horse breeder in the otherwise dismal "Simpatico" (also 1999). Although Stone would sometimes resurface in low-profile projects--including "Picking Up the Pieces" (2000), "Beautiful Joe" (2000) and in a charming turn opposite Ellen Degeneres in HBO's lesbian-themed "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (2000)--but her 1998-2003 marriage to San Francisco Chronicle publisher Phil Bronstein kept her away from Hollywood--geographically and on film--for many years (and produced at least bizarre anecdote: the publisher was bitten on the foot by a komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo during a birthday visit there arranged by Stone in 2001). Also in 2001, the actress suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly proved fatal.

After filing for divorce from Bronstein, Stone returned looking as fit and fabulous as ever and lit up the big screen again in director Mike Figgis' sly reinvention of a haunted house thriller "Cold Creek Manor" (2003). Stone gave one of her most campy—but unenjoyable—turns as the villainous model-cum-mogul Laurel Hadare opposite Halle Berry in the lackluster "Catwoman" (2004) on screen, while off-screen she was the subject of a courtroom battle after producers backed out of an alleged verbal $19.36 million agreement for her to star in a sequel to "Basic Instinct"—she later settled, with part of deal including a planned sequel. After a brief appearance in the unsurprisingly rotten “Jiminy Glick in La La Wood” (2005), Stone played one of four ex-girlfriends tracked down by a man (Bill Murray) who received an anonymous letter from the mother of his unknown son in Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers” (2005).

Born: on 03/10/1958 in Meadville, PennsylvaniaJob Titles: Actor, Model, Producer, Counter girl, WaitressFamily
Son: Laird Vonne Stone. adopted May 7, 2005
Son: Quinn Stone. Adopted June, 2006

Photos

2006-09-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mandy Moore

2006-08-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Biography

A naturally pretty, bubbly singer and actress hailing from teen pop Mecca Orlando, Florida, Mandy Moore went from local musical theater and fame as the "National Anthem Girl" for her performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Orlando sports events to a platinum debut album at age fifteen. Spotted by producers who heard her take on the patriotic hymn and suggested she cut a demo, Moore was soon a fourteen-year-old sitting pretty with a record deal. Touring with the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC in 1999 exposed the young singer to a large audience, and demand for her debut single "Candy" was so strong that her album release date was actually pushed up, a rare occurrence in the business.

With a video that was strangely provocative although the teenaged Moore has always dressed conservatively in comparison to her teen pop genre-mates Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, "Candy" launched her MTV career as well. Reaching platinum sales by 2000, Moore was now a fixture on MTV, guest hosting the popular daily series "TRL" and starring in specials including "Mandy's Spring Break Makeover". Noting the performer's charm, charisma and excellent screen presence, the network offered Moore her own series, the summer 2000-premiered talk show "The Mandy Moore Show", which resumed in the summer of 2001 retitled "Mandy".

A star whose work has crossed media lines from the beginning, Moore began working as a Neutrogena spokesperson soon after "Candy" was released, and in 2000, the home video "Magic Al and the Mind Factory" surfaced, a children's project she had filmed in 1998. 2001 saw the actress make her big screen debuts, first with a small voice role in "Dr. Dolittle 2" and next as a pivotal supporting player in the G-rated Garry Marshall comedy "The Princess Diaries". As the popular tormentor of unlikely princess Mia (Anne Hathaway), Moore set aside her sunshiny image to play your typical catty schoolgirl bully. Excited for the opportunity to work with legends Marshall and star Julie Andrews, Moore enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive reaction to her entry into film, including a rather warm critics' reception.

As "The Princess Diaries" was set to open in 2001, Moore had just finished filming "A Walk to Remember" (2002), a period romance set in small town America that paired her quiet good girl character opposite troubled popular boy Shane West in a syrupy but effective teen "Love Story"-type tale, and had released a self-titled album that showed a more mature, musically experimental side to the singer, who had a hit with the edgy beat-driven leadoff single "In My Pocket".

After her debut starring role drew respectable box office numbers, Moore was next cast as the lead in "How to Deal" (2003), playing a teen whose cynical views on romance—spurred by her splintered family's misadventures in love—is turned on its head when she falls in love for the first time. That film was followed by another musical release, 2003's Coverage in which Moore attempted to bring songs by Elton John, Todd Rundgren, Cat Stevens and other classic rock and pop artists to her generation of fans. She next played the rebellious, overprotected first daughter of the United States President who, on a road trip to escape constant surveillance, unknowingly falls for the undercover Secret Service agent assigned to shield her in "Chasing Liberty" (2004).

After that conventionally mild crowd-pleaser, Moore co-starred in the sly indie comedy "Saved!" and demonstrated a surprisingly convincing edgy side playing Hilary Faye, an overzealous and self-righteous Christian school student who demonstrates a surprising degree of intolerance when her pregnant best friend refuses to be "saved" and questions their moral stances. The actress' dramatic depths and improvisational abilities added layers of complexity to her character, which in another's hands would've been entirely unsympathetic. For “Racing Stripes” (2005), a family-friendly combination live-action and animated feature, Moore provided the voice of Sandy, a young horse who helps Stripes the zebra run his first race. Moore also scored with a winning recurring stint on the HBO comedy series "Entourage" in 2005 playing herself, sort of, who has a complicated romance with her co-star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) while shooting a big screen superhero movie for director James Cameron. Moore then signed on to play Diane Keaton's daughter in the comedy "Because I Said So" (lensed 2005).

Also Credited As: Amanda Leigh Moore, Mandy MoreBorn: on 04/10/1984 in Nashua, New HampshireJob Titles: Actor, Singer, TV hostFamily
Mother: Stacy Moore.
Significant Others
Companion: Zach Braff. began dating early 2005; split in June 2006
Companion: Andy Roddick. dating as of December 2002
Companion: Wilmer Valderrama. played foreign exchange student Fez on Fox's "That '70s Show"; together from July 25, 2000 to early 2002

Photos

2006-08-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan

2006-08-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Biography

When it came time to find a young actress to assume the role of the twins (originated by Hayley Mills) for the 1998 remake of "The Parent Trap", an exhaustive casting search occurred throughout the USA, Canada and even in London. Perhaps because the behind-the-scenes figures opted to avoid the obvious and cast the Olsen twins, thousands of girls were considered. After three callbacks and a screen test with stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, auburn-haired, freckle-faced Long Islander Lindsay Lohan won the role. Although she was just eleven when she was cast, she had an impressive resume.

The oldest child of four born to former actors, Lohan became a child model at age three, purportedly the first red-haired child signed by the Ford Modeling Agency. TV commercials for various products followed, including a Jell-O spot with pitchman Bill Cosby. Lohan also had recurring roles on two daytime dramas (CBS' "Guiding Light" and NBC's "Another World") before she landed the first movie role for which she ever auditioned. Playing separated at birth twins, one American and one British, for "The Parent Trap" remake, she turned in a delightful performance. Lohan next filmed the telepic "Life-Size" (2000)--originally a "Wonderful World of Disney" production later released on home video--opposite Tyra Banks as a Barbie-style doll come to life, part of Lohan's three-picture deal with Disney. In 2000, Lohany was cast Bette Midler's teen daughteer on the short-lived CBS sitcom "Bette" (2000). After shooting the pilot episode, the show's producers decided it would be easier on the L.A.-based crew if filming moved to California, and Lindsay gave up the role to stay in New York, and the role was recast although the series was canceled shortly thereafter.

Lohan next played Lexy Gold in Disney Channel telepic "Get a Clue" (2002). The young actress also pursued a musical career when Emilio Estefan, Jr., took her under his professional wing in 2002. with a five-album production deal and the promise of an aggressive effort to sell her popular style "with a rock edge" to a major record label. She also has worked as a model for Abercrombie & Fitch Kids (A&F Kids) and Calvin Klein Kids.

Lohan continued her relationship with the Mouse Factory, signing on to play Anna Coleman in the theatrical remake of the body-swapping comedy "Freaky Friday" (2003) opposite Jamie Lee Curtis as the mother-and-daughter team who wake up one day in each other's bodies. The film was a surprise summer, generating over $100 million at the box office, raising Lohan's profile even further and landing her in a public fued with fellow teen queen Hilary Duff (the two briefly shared a boyfriend: singer Aaron Carter). Like Duff, she also incorporated her singing career into his acting gig, with the "Freaky Friday" soundtrack including her debut single, "Ultimate." Lohan returned to the public eye carrying the girl-minded comedy "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" (2004) on her solo shoulders. Lohan played Lola, an egocentric teen who is uprooted from the home town that seemingly revolves around her and finds herself competing for attention in Manhattan, with grander and grander schemes. The actress provided vocals on four songs from the film's soundtrack: "Drama Queen (That Girl)," "What Are You Waiting For," "A Day in the Life" and a medley that incorporates the original song "Don't Move On" with her take on Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" and David Bowie's "Changes."

Next up was a slightly edgier role, taking on the lead in "Mean Girls" (2004), a funny if familiar comedy penned by Tina Fey exploring in-fighting amongst a clique of catty high school girls. The film proved to be a box office success and firmly cemented Lohan's star power, even beyond her teen and 'tween core audience. Under the wing of new mentor Tommy Mottola, the famed head of Sony Music, Lohan also released her first full album, Speak, which swifty achieved platinum status, featuring the single "Rumors," in which she decried the gossipy buzz that had suddenly surrounded her every move.

Indeed, the young actress' rapidly maturing body and youthful sex appeal combined with a reputation for enjoying the Hollywood fast lane suddenly made her regular fodder for gossip magazines, which dutifully followed her denials about having received breast implants, her brief relationship with TV actor Wilmer Valderrama, her alleged hard-partying ways, an agressive paparazzi pursuit that resulted in a fender bender, and, after her figure had turned voluptuous and her titian hair became her trademark, her eyebrow-raising rapid weight loss (which the actress attributed to a healthier lifestyle) and new look as a blonde. The actress also had to deal with press reports regarding her estranged father Michael Lohan, whose alleged substance abuse and short temper (he reportedly threatened the lives of his ex-wife and children) resulted in several brushes with the law, including a legal restraining order preventing him from contact with his family and jail time for a litany of legal offenses including assaulting his brother-in-law at his son's first communion party, violating terms of his restraining order and a 2005 drunk driving crash in which his vehicle struck a utility pole in Long Island and caught fire. Further estranging his famous daughter, he also sought to claim a percentage of his offspring's earnings.

Despite all the lurid press, Lohan's popularity continued unabated and Disney cast her in further family fare, this time the remake of the studio's famous "Love Bug" franchise, "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005) as a young girl who inherits the legendary Volkswagen Beetle and takes to the NASCAR race circuit. The Mouse House did have some concerns about the then-voluptuous Lohan's image for its young audiences in some scenes, and spent considerable sums to digitally decreade her burgeouning bust size when it was deemed distracting. Later in 2005 she was in her second auto accident of the year, again blaming pursuing paparazzi. her private life made headlines again when she confessed to Vanity Fair that she had indeed experienced an eating disorder, bulemia, that accounted for her significant weight loss, and was shocked back to healthy ways after she was confronted by "Saturday Night Live's" Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey while hosting the show in 2005. She also admitted to experimenting with drugs. The cover story was released just as Lohan was hospitalized for a reported asthma attack in Miami after ringing in 2006 there. Within a week, Lohan denied having made the statements to the magazine, saying her words were "misconstrued and misconstructed" - The magazine stood by the story.

She joined the cast of Emilio Estevez's independent film "Bobby" (lensed 2005), about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and was set to costar in "Chapter 27" (lensed 2006), an indie film about a woman who befriends Mark David Chapman during the weekend that he kills John Lennon

Born: on 07/02/1986 in Long Island, New YorkJob Titles: Actor, Model

Photos

2006-08-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan And Jason Biggs

Hilary Duff

2006-07-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

Biography

As talented as she is appealing, the bubbly blonde actress Hilary Duff became a showbiz veteran at an early age, making her professional debut in the Columbus Ballet production of "The Nutcracker" at the tender age of six. She starred in a number of feature projects including "Casper Meets Wendy" (1998) and "Soul Collector" (1999) before gaining wide exposure as the title character in the teen sitcom "Lizzie McGuire" (2001). The popular Disney show chronicled the life of a teenage junior high student and her friends. The show uses a cartoon version of Lizzie (her alter ego) as a commentator, which added originality to the highly rated show.

The following year, Duff was cast in her second Disney project, but this time she starred as a free-spirited teen enrolled in a straight-laced military school in "Cadet Kelly" (2002). The original television feature delivered the network's highest household rating ever, leading to her big screen debut in the 2003 action feature "Agent Cody Banks." The film starred Frankie Muniz as an elite undercover agent for the CIA. Duff was cast as Muniz's love interest who's father becomes the CIA's targeted subject.

She then headlined a frothy, fluffy big screen outing for her TV persona, "The Lizzie Maguire Movie" (2003), where Lizzie jets to Italy, is mistaken for a look-alike international pop star and is transformed from gawky teen to glam idol. Shortly after the movie established her as a viable film star, Duff also released a successful 2003 pop album Metamorphosis and #1 hit single "So Yesterday." She closed out her breakthrough year by playing Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt's fashion-conscious daughter Lorraine in the bland but popular remake of "Cheaper By the Dozen" (2003).

Duff took center stage in her next film, "A Cinderella Story" (2004), a sugary, clunky and nonsensical attempt at a contemporary retelling of the classic fable that squandered the charms of its teen star. Somewhat better was the uneven "Raise Your Voice" (2004), a melodramatic but slightly more mature tale than the previous Duff fare which cast her as a small town teen chanteuse who travels to L.A. to attend a performing arts high school and learn rote coming-of-age lessons. Duff next appeared in yet another cute and cuddly romantic comedy, “The Perfect Man” (2005), wherein she tries to hook up her mom (Heather Locklear) with the right guy so she’ll stop moving to another city whenever she breaks up with her latest beau. The movie was rocked by a spate of bad reviews, leaving one critic on the verge of vomiting from its sugary sweetness.

Duff then rejoined the original cast for the sequel, “Cheaper By the Dozen 2” (2005), then appeared alongside her sister, Haylie, in “Material Girls” (lensed 2005), a fish-out-of-water comedy about two young heiresses who lose their father’s fortune and are forced to make their own way in the real world. Duff then provided her voice for “Foodfight!” (2006), an animated tale about the after-hour antics of grocery store produce.

Also Credited As: Hilary Ann DuffBorn: on 09/28/1987 in Houston, TexasJob Titles: Actress, DancerFamily
Father: Bob.
Father: Bob Duff.
Mother: Susan.
Mother: Susan Duff.
Sister: Haylie. older
Sister: Haylie Duff. older; member of music group inventing venus
Significant Others
Companion: Aaron Carter. no longer together
Companion: Joel Madden. lead singer of the band "Good Charlotte"; began dating July 2004
Companion: Jordy Masterson. brother of actor Danny Masterson; briefly dated in January 2004
Education
Harvard University, 2005
Milestones
1993 Made her acting debut with the Columbus Ballet Met production of "The Nutcracker"
1998 Starred as the Friendly Ghost's best friend Wendy in the successful video release "Casper Meets Wendy"
1999 Co-starred in the television feature "Soul Collector"
2001 Received break-out role as Lizzie in the Disney Channel's original series "Lizzie McGuire"
2002 Starred in the Disney original movie "Cadet Kelly"
2003 Played one of twelve children in the comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen," starring Steve Martin
2003 Portrayed the love interest to Frankie Muniz's character in "Agent Cody Banks"
2003 Starred in the "The Lizzie McGuire Movie"
2004 Set to star as an aspiring songwriter in "Raise Your Voice" with Rita Wilson and John Corbett
2004 Starred in the modern day version of "A Cinderella Story"
2005 Reprised her role as one of twelve children in the comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen"
2005 Starred as a teenager whose quest is to find the perfect partner for her single mom, played by Heather Locklear in "The Perfect Man

Photos

2006-07-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

George Lopez and Hilary Duff

Photos

2006-06-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton and "Mr. Bentley" Derek Watkins

Paris Hilton on filming new ad for the Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger.

Paris Hilton in Hous Of Wax Film

Paris Hilton and Her Sister Nicky

Paris Hilton

2006-06-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

Biography

Credited As: Paris Whitney HiltonBorn
Born: Paris Whitney Hilton on 02/17/1981
Job Titles: Actress
As the great granddaughter of famed hotelier Conrad Hilton and co-heir to the Hilton fortune, one would think that Paris Hilton had everything she could ever want. But instead of being satisfied with a position in life some would kill for, Hilton has stridently endeavored to make her own mark in the world--she and her younger sister Nicky were first among an increasing pack of young, hard partying socialites-turned-model/actresses that the media dubbed "celebutantes." In doing so, however, Hilton has regularly created a public spectacle of herself; and a few of her escapades have proved to be embarrassing. And while her name was bound to attract a certain degree of notoriety, the rabid partygoer and hyperactive socialite has in reality become famous for doing absolutely nothing of merit.

Hilton was born on February 17, 1981 and spent most of her youth growing up in the world famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, which Conrad bought during the Great Depression. Of course, Hilton grew up in other homes as well, most notably in the Hamptons and Beverly Hills. Upon graduating high school in 2000, Hilton immediately embarked on her quest for fame, first by modeling for such famed fashion designers as Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Bouwer and Catherine Malandrino. Hilton also posed for spreads in numerous magazines, including GQ, Vanity Fair and FHM. The heiress even tried to start her own modeling company and makeup line, but both ventures soon fizzled.

Hilton also received a lot of media attention because of who she may or may not have been dating—the paparazzi seemed to make up relationships based on who she was seen cavorting with. She was spotted with “Titanic” (1997) star Leonardo DiCaprio, which the press inflated into a full-blown romance when it was only a casual relationship. Hilton was also seen with “T2” (1991) star Edward Furlong, Welterweight boxing champ Oscar de la Hoya and Tommy Hilfiger model Jason Shaw, to whom she was engaged for a short time. However, Hilton wasn’t satisfied with getting in the news solely because of her love life. So together with her tamer sister Nicky, Hilton bounced from party to party in an effort to drum up as much attention as possible. At the after party for “30 Years to Life” (2000), for example, Hilton bullied her way past a line waiting for the bathroom. When confronted with her rudeness by a fellow partier, Hilton retorted that she was merely trying to get a look at herself in the mirror. She then expatiated about her accomplishments, much to the annoyance of those unfortunate enough to be within earshot.

Becoming known for her barely-there fashion victim outfits, glued-to-her-ear cell phone and penchant for dancing atop nightclub tables, Hilton did eventually segue into an actual acting career, though most of her appearances were cameos as herself or someone very similar. She made her film debut in “Zoolander” (2000), a Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson vehicle about an inept fashion model who goes undercover to stop a secret cartel of political assassins posing as models. Hilton was one of many cameos in the film that included Donald Trump, Lenny Kravitz and Garry Shandling. Her next cameo was in “Wonderland” (2003), a noir-like drama about a down-and out John Holmes, the ex-porn star who got caught up in a multiple murder case involving his former drug dealers. Another cameo was tacked on her resume when Hilton played a club-goer in the big budget “The Cat in the Hat” (2003), starring Mike Myers as the famous Dr. Suess character, and she had another don't-blink moment in "Raising Helen" (2004).

Hilton went from movies to television with a starring role in a reality show with life-long friend, Nicole Richie, daughter of pop singer Lionel Richie. In “The Simple Life” (Fox, 2003- ), Hilton and Richie ditched the glamorous Manhattan social scene and donned overalls and work boots to milk cows and bail hay on an Arkansas farm. Though completely out of her element, Hilton managed to survive the experience. Meanwhile, Hilton grabbed more headlines and inches in the gossip columns and US Weekly for her various alleged social misadventures: she reportedly went topless in a popular Manhattan club, though Hilton later denied the rumor; and she was also seen locking lips with the notorious Ingrid Casares.

Hilton's biggest headline came in late 2003 when rumors popped up about a videotape of Hilton having sex with ex-boyfriend, Rick Salomon, ex-husband of Shannen Doherty (with whom Hilton has reportedly had public rows). Though the heiress and her lawyers initially denied the existence of such a tape, Hilton finally acknowledged her participation once a three minute teaser was spread far and wide across the Internet. The Hilton family’s p.r. team and lawyers went so far as to imply that their client may have been drugged—a move that later spurred Salomon to file a $10 million slander suit. There were also allegations that Salomon or someone in his circle may have purposely leaked the video, which was the subject of much public disussion and levity despite the heiress' continued failure to display any serious talent beyond an ability to pose. Hilton, meanwhile, was embarrassed to the point where she found herself retreating from the limelight, including having to cancel a promotional interview with David Letterman, who joined other late night comedians eviscerating her in their monolgues and stand-up routines.

Such was the price of fame--but as a result of the flare-up of notoriety "The Simple Life" pulled in big ratings numbers, so perhaps Hilton knew what she was doing all along. A second season of the "The Simple Life," with Paris and Nicole traveling across country, was quickly scheduled and shot, and a third season cast the duo as interns at various businesses. And each season seemed to arrive with another public Paris mishap: in 2004 one her "co-stars," her tiny Chihuahua Tinkerbelle, turned up missing and caused a media furor, but the dog was ultimately discovered and returned to her mistress unharmed; in 2005 hackers cracked open the contents of the heiress' Sidekick device and posted much of the material on the Internet, including cell phone numbers and email addresses for celebrity cohorts such as Lindsay Lohan and topless digital camera shots of Hilton passionately kissing a female Latin MTV personality.

In 2005 Hilton appeared in her first major film role--though still in support of star Elisha Cuthbert--in the warmed-over horror remake "House of Wax," playing Paige, an insecure, possibly pregnant student who joins her friends on a road trip only to be stalked by a pair of killers who make their home in an isolated town's wax museum. Although the character didn't tote a chihuahua or wear predominantly pink fashions, she did doff her clothes and seemed ready to make a sexy video, so the part wasn't exactly a stretch, and the film wasn't exactly a critic's favorite. At the same time, Hilton announced that her friendship with Richie had reached an impasse, and she expected to replace her on "The Simple Life" with another pampered gal pal, Kimberly Stewart (the daughter of rock star Rod Stewart and TV personality Alanna Hamilton). However, after several months of speculation, Fox announced that both heiresses would return for a new season together...and then later indicated that there was "no room" on its 2005-2006 schedule for "The Simple Life," and released the series to be shopped to other networks. E! Entertainment picked up fourth season, set to debut in spring 2006, featuring the celebutantes taking turns running a household.

Hilton stoked controversy again with a 2005 TV spot for Carl's Jr.'s Spicy BBQ Six-Dollar Burger in which she seductively washes a Bentley, clad only in a skimpy bathing suit and stiletto heels, while a version of Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" plays in the background. The Los Angeles-based Parents Television Council deemed the ad unsuitable for family viewing, calling it little more than "soft core porn," protesting the campaign and considering petitioning the FCC for a ruling on whether the spot violates decency standards. Her personal life was equally tumultuous: she split from her fortuitously named fiance, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, whom she had known since childhood, after a four-month engagement and within weeks was involved with another Greek shipping heir (and male model) Stavros Niarchos; and she was ordered by California authorities to surrender her latest pet, a kinkajou named Baby Luv, or move to another state where exotic animals are legal, even was she was criticized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for treating her pets as fashion accessories. Back to work, she had a starring role in (and a producer credit on) "National Lampoon's Pledge This!" (2005), playing the president of an elitist sorority at South Beach U presiding over a group of unlikely freshman girls who are trying to gain entrance and acceptance into the sorority.

Tom Cruise

2006-06-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Biography

Engagingly sexy with a wall of perfect teeth and a grin to defrost the coldest of hearts, Tom Cruise exploded onto screens during the mid-1980s in a series of teen roles that made the most of his athleticism and revealed the boyishly handsome star's charisma. The actor quickly graduated to adult superstar status and by decade's end had held his own opposite both Paul Newman and Dustin Hoffman as each garnered Best Actor Oscars in his company. By the mid-90s, he was indisputably the most powerful movie star of his generation, only bested by the relatively grizzled Harrison Ford as the world box-office champ, and by the end of the millennium he had surpassed even Ford, becoming Hollywood's most bankable star with five consecutive films grossing in excess of $100 million prior to the release of the hotly anticipated "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), Stanley Kubrick's directorial swan song. Cruise had managed this feat without developing an insufferable movie star ego, perhaps his greatest accomplishment of all--and yet in 2005 his public behavior veered far from his usual genial image, even though his career was still flying high.

A peripatetic childhood saw him attend a dozen schools by age 12, and when a knee injury derailed his wrestling ambitions, Cruise turned to acting, landing the role of Nathan Detroit in his high school production of "Guys and Dolls" and dropping out in his senior year (school had long been a problem for the dyslexic Cruise) to pursue the dream full-time. By 1981, Cruise was in Los Angeles where he met Paula Wagner, then an agent at Creative Artists Agency, who would subsequently guide his film career. After making his feature debut in a small role in Franco Zeffirelli's notorious Brooke Shields-starrer "Endless Love", he gained attention in a showy supporting role as an increasingly lunatic gung-ho cadet in "Taps" (both 1981). He next landed his first starring role opposite "older woman" Shelly Long in "Losin' It" (1983), a middling teen coming-of-age comedy. Prospects brightened when he persuaded Francis Ford Coppola to cast him in a small role as a tough guy in "The Outsiders" (1983), though he failed to stand out amidst teen heartthrobs like Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio.

Cruise gained celebrity in the superior teen sex satire "Risky Business" (also 1983) as an anxious, affluent, suburban teen poised precariously on the brink of young adulthood, creating a resonant protagonist for young Reagan-era audiences. He even put on some extra pounds to emphasize the softness and vulnerability of the character who flirts with illicit capitalism. In a star-making scene, Cruise, clad in a button-down Oxford shirt, Jockey briefs, and cool shades, played air guitar and danced wildly to Bob Seger's anthem, "Old Time Rock'n'Roll." This celebrated sequence provided a key to the actor's subsequent mega-success: he was an attractive but fairly regular guy to whom audiences could easily relate. Intriguingly, the part also showcased Cruise's magnetic sexual appeal much more effectively than many subsequent screen roles.

Cruise performed well in a more naturalistic mode in "All the Right Moves" (1983), a sober high school football drama which pitted him against hot-headed coach Craig T Nelson that fared modestly at the box office. He next grew his hair long and made the wrong move donning green tights for Ridley Scott's colossal fantasy flop, "Legend" (1985). Cruise, however, solidified his star status and established his onscreen persona with one of the signature hits of the 80s, "Top Gun" (1986). Defiantly politically incorrect, with flying sequences edited to the rhythms of pop tunes, the film functioned as both Navy recruiting ad and glossy romantic adventure. No longer the engaging boy-next-door, Cruise's Maverick was a prototype for roles to come, a cocky loner who plays by his own rules, confronts a crisis, then is triumphantly transformed.

Not content to be a matinee idol, Cruise crafted his career carefully, teaming with talented directors and co-stars for "The Color of Money" (1986) and "Rain Man" (1988). The former, Martin Scorsese's sharply made, nicely textured sequel to 1961's "The Hustler", cast him as a talented but arrogant small-time pool hotshot, a younger, greener version of Paul Newman's Fast Eddie Felsen. They made an eclectic pair, Cruise's boisterous All-American boy versus Newman's seasoned con man, and though the old stud picked up the Best Actor Oscar, he was clearly passing the mantle to the new stud, and not just on the screen. The time spent talking with the politically-active Newman had a profound consciousness-raising effect on Cruise who would later choose Oliver Stone's extremely anti-war "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) to counter his contribution to the jingoistic "Top Gun". He broadened his serious dramatic credentials in his work with director Barry Levinson on "Rain Man", playing another self-centered hotshot whose relationship with his autistic brother (Dustin Hoffman) changes his life. Hoffman shone as the idiot savant and took home Oscar, but Cruise was equally important to the Oscar-winning Best Picture equation.

For Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July,” he did not have to share the spotlight (with anybody but the man at the helm who snared the Best Director Oscar for his efforts) and earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for a hard-hitting portrayal of paraplegic, anti-war activist Ron Kovic. Cruise then stumbled a bit with his next two projects. Though "Days of Thunder" introduced him to love of his life Nicole Kidman and inaugurated a long-term association with screenwriter Robert Towne, it suffered from an inordinately short editing period, causing Cruise (who also received a "from story" credit) to remark: "My regret is making a movie to meet a release date like that. Big mistake. I won't do it again." Scalded by critics, it still raked in $166 million worldwide, but there was no saving "Far and Away" (1992), a goofy period romance co-starring Kidman ("The honeymoon project, that's what we call it. I loved making that movie. It's a picture I look forward to showing to our kids in a few years"). He returned to box office clover after that critical and commercial disappointment, successfully confronting an iconic Jack Nicholson in Rob Reiner's highly popular court-martial drama, "A Few Good Men" (1992).

Cruise's hotshot lawyer bent on toppling his corrupt bosses in "The Firm" (1993) could have been a brother to his character in "A Few Good Men.” Despite a stellar supporting cast (i.e., Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter and Wilfred Brimley, among many others), he shouldered carried the smooth adaptation of John Grisham's giant bestseller, tackling the deceptively difficult character with a vibrancy that guaranteed a successful box office for his first thriller. Director Sydney Pollack (rebounding from the disastrous "Havana" 1990) and his outstanding team of scriptwriters (Towne, David Rabe, David Rayfiel) brought a few extra plot twists and added some dramatic and ethical complexity to the attractive and entertaining tale.

Cruise then raised eyebrows—and more than a few hackles—by accepting the central role of the vampire Lestat in David Geffen's lavish production of Neil Jordan's "Interview With the Vampire" (1994). Many balked at the idea of the All-American go-getter playing the decadent, ambisexual European predator of Anne Rice's novel. Rice herself was the harshest critic as she traveled about the country trashing the casting decision while on a book tour. Sporting blond locks and blue contact lenses (his eyes are naturally green), Cruise eventually won Rice's approval and generally positive (if hardly enthusiastic) notices. The film was also notable for teaming the superstar with less familiar heartthrobs Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas. Although Cruise was only 32 at the time, there was a peculiar sense of his passing on the baton. (Ironically, Pitt was only a year younger.) In any event, the film earned mixed reviews while doing brisk business.

Cruise was all but omnipresent in the media as he aggressively promoted his feature producing debut, the post-Cold War espionage movie "Mission: Impossible" (1996). Based on the fondly remembered 60s TV show, the project had languished in various development hells before Cruise got involved. This marked the inaugural project for Cruise/Wagner Productions, the company the actor formed with his one-time agent in 1992. Rumors abounded about his clashing with director Brian De Palma over budgetary and story matters. Nonetheless, despite international location shooting, high-tech stunts, computer-generated visual effects and last-minute re-writes by a stellar assortment of writers (including his buddy Towne again), "Mission: Impossible" came in on time and under budget at approximately $67 million (Cruise deferred his $20 million actor's salary). Though many critics deemed it an extravagant but cold vanity production with a confused storyline, most admired the cinematic technique, and the mixed reviews didn't inhibit ticket buyers, proving the actor could attract crowds to a movie that didn't entirely make sense.

The sweetly offbeat romantic comedy "Jerry Maguire" (1996), in which he played the eponymous, shallow, back-stabbing sports agent, provided a sort of mid-career breakthrough for Cruise. For years he had portrayed irresistible smoothies, turning the world on with his smile while piloting fighter jets and driving race cars. Though it was a classic Cruise performance, bursting with the usual cocky charm and boyish charisma, there was an added dimension of desperation and a new maturity to his screen persona. He had played characters who had been up against the ropes before but perhaps never for so long or so convincingly. Here was a slickster whose powers had failed him, exposing a seldom seen vulnerability which made his eventual comeback that much sweeter. This time, the critics and moviegoers reached consensus, and Cruise garnered his second Best Actor Academy Award nomination. Three years would pass before he returned to the screen, though he and Wagner would produce "Without Limits" (1998), Towne's biopic about fabled long distance runner Steve Prefontaine.

Cruise took himself out of the game at the height of his career to work with Kubrick on "Eyes Wide Shut,” starring opposite Kidman for the first time since "Far and Away". Far from feeling hostage to the famous perfectionist's obsessive vision, the pair relished their brush with genius, diving in to share the adventure with eyes wide open. "For me it was no sacrifice. He became a dear friend and a mentor. Sometimes I'd look at him and think, This guy made '2001'! I'll carry the experience the rest of my life." The director gained the couple's trust as only a true friend could. When he filmed Cruise and Kidman in the nude scene that opens the film, Kubrick closed the set and operated the camera himself, intensifying the intimacy among the three of them. Sex and violence have long resonated as twin bogeymen in the rhetoric of the moral majority, but sex that is not degrading or a joke has been curiously absent from commercial cinema for some time. Though time will tell if Kubrick's swan song can revive the erotic impulse and its consequences as viable mainstream fodder, "Eyes Wide Shut" is a significant notch in Cruise's artistic belt, one well worth the tens of millions of dollars he gave up as the 18-week shoot ballooned to 52 weeks over 15 months.

Following the arduous shoot with Kubrick and the mixed critical and box office reaction to "Eyes Wide Shut", Cruise took on a pivotal role in Paul Thomas Anderson's ensemble drama "Magnolia" (1999). Playing a cocky sex guru who runs seminars designed to empower men, the actor offered a charismatic turn that was alternately chilling and humorous. Having taken a role in an ensemble piece, Cruise reminded audiences and reviewers alike of his capabilities as a dramatic actor and earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He segued back to leading parts in more high profile mainstream work reprising his role as Ethan Hunt in the big-budget, special effects laden "M:I-2" ("Mission: Impossible 2" 2000), directed by John Woo. For a variety of reasons, the film's shooting schedule fell behind forcing the release date to be moved back several months and for Cruise to postpone his long-awaited teaming with director Steven Spielberg on the futuristic thriller "Minority Report."

Before tackling that film, Cruise reunited with his "Jerry Maguire" helmer Cameron Crowe for an American remake of the perception-bending 1997 Spanish film "Abre los ojos" aka "Open Your Eyes." During the making of that film, titled "Vanilla Sky" Cruise endured a very public and acrimonious split from his Kidman, and while the reasons were never revealed he clearly laid the blame at her door, even as he entered into a relationship with his "Vanilla Sky" co-star Penelope Cruz (Cruise and Kidman later amicably worked out their divorce battles for their children's sake in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001). "Vanilla Sky" (2001) opened to mixed reviews, seen as a competent and often compelling puzzle with a somewhat unsatisfying endgame, and Cruise's performance as David Aames, a successful publisher finds his life taking a turn for the surreal after a car accident with a obsessive lover, was seen as appropriately intense but perhaps a little over-the-top in his efforts to subvert his pretty boy looks with Hollywood-made scars. The actor was finally given the opportunity to work with Spielberg on "Minority Report" (2002), a crackerjack collaboration filled with skillful action sequences and a thought-provoking expansion of sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick's premise of a future where police use precognitives to prevent murders before they happen. Playing Detective John Anderton, the head of the special unit who finds himself the subject of a manhunt after the psychics predict that he will commit a murder, Cruise is in top heroic form on the run from his own officers.

Up next Cruise turned in one of his more nuanced performances for director Ed Zwick in "The Last Samurai" (2003), playing Capt. Nathan Algren, an alcoholic veteran of Custer's battles with Native Americans who travels to Japan to help Westernize the Imperial army, only to be captured by a rebellious samurai leader (Ken Watanabe) and embrace the ways of the bushido code, finding his lost honor along the way. Although the film follows the slightly patronizing white-man-embraces-and-improves-indigenous culture template of movies such as "Dances With Wolves," Cruise's initial anguish and his subsequent reclaiming of his own soul were skillfully and subtlety conveyed by the actor, earning him a Golden Globe nomination. The actor's hot streak continued unabated with another of his best roles, the cold-hearted assassin Vincent who high-jacks a good-hearted L.A. cabbie (Jamie Foxx) to drive him on his deadly rounds in director Michael Mann's "Collateral" (2004). Wearing a gray wig and beard stubble, Cruise used his trademark intensity to his advantage in a rare villainous role, while his inherent charm also gave the character a compelling quality.

Cruise's personal life overshadowed his professional career in 2005 when, after just a few weeks of dating, he and actress Katie Holmes—who was at 26 was 16 years younger than Cruise—announced their romance to the world just weeks before both of them had major summer movies heading to theaters (Cruise, the Steven Spielberg-directed "War of the Worlds"; Holmes, the franchise re-starting "Batman Begins"). The media instantly speculated that the romance was a massive publicity stunt, and the couple's often unconvincing interaction and their relentless media onslaught added fuel to the fire: within just a few weeks of the announcement, Cruise made a bizarre fist-pumping appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show to proclaim his love for Holmes, jumping on the host's set furniture and dragging a seemingly reluctant Holmes before the cameras; Holmes presented Cruise with a career achievement award on the MTV Movie Awards; Holmes, who had been quoted years earlier that as a girl she dreamed of marrying Cruise, denied even thinking about their age (or height) difference; and both appeared separately before David Letterman to further spin their love story.

Cruise had long been a proponent of the often mysterious, Hollywood-centered Church of Scientology founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard (he credited his studies there with "curing" him of the dyslexia that plagued him since his youth, among other benefits; rumors abounded that his faith contributed to his split with Nicole Kidman) and the actor took an active role in promoting the religion around the globe. At the onset of the Holmes romance, he also was reportedly instrumental in opening up the very secretive church and inviting journalists to sample its practices (Holmes also began taking Scientology courses, and dumped her Hollywood handlers in favor of his). The couple's apparent happy ending came just days later, when they announced their engagement in Paris (Cruise proposed atop the Eiffel Tower). However, he also launched into a uncharacteristic war of words with his former "Endless Love" co-star Brooke Shields after she described taking antidepressants to relieve her post-partum depression in her book Down Came the Rain, with Cruise criticizing Shields for being "irresponsible," claiming her career was over and suggesting that vitamins would have been a better alternative treatment. Also, rumors ran rampant that Paramount was waffling over proceeding with "Mission Impossible 3" due to concerns about Cruise, but the studio ultimately moved forward on the film. And there were more curious on-camera incidents, including a sharply worded exchange with "Today Show" co-host Matt Lauer in which Cruise aggressively derided psychiatry as a "pseudo-science," provoking a formal rebuke from the American Psychiatric Association. Nearly lost in all of Cruise's public appearances was his film "War of the Worlds" itself, which was another mostly masterful exercise in cinematic suspense and terror, buoyed by a strong performance by Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a working class deadbeat dad who must suddenly protect his two children during a horrific alien invasion.

Meanwhile, the tabloid fun continued when Cruise announced in October 2005 that Holmes was pregnant with his child. Then in November 2005, Cruise fired publicist Lee Anne DeVette—also his sister—who some considered responsible for his bizarre behavior on Oprah and insane ramblings against psychology and pharmaceuticals. He then hired Paul Bloch, a veteran publicist known for protecting the public images of Eddie Murphy and John Travolta, and for a spell Cruise’s outlandishness seemed quelled. He spent the winter months relatively subdued until an episode of the subversive animated series, “South Park” (Comedy Central, 1997- ), depicted Scientology in a negative light and made not-so-veiled jokes that questioned his sexuality—a persistent rumor that dogged him ever since he successfully sued a tabloid that published a story about a gay porn star claiming to have had an affair with the actor. Cruise retaliated against “South Park” in public by reaffirming his faith in scientology. Comedy Central subsequently yanked the episode after its only airing, leading some to speculate that Cruise exerted his star power behind the scenes—an assertion that was publicly denied.

After months of fawning and speculation—and a spattering of ridicule—Cruise and Homes—dubbed “TomKat” by a smug media—had a 7 pound, 7 ounce baby girl named Suri in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles. It was announced prior to having the baby that Holmes would follow Scientology’s tenets of silent birth, a procedure that dictates everyone in the delivery room be silent as to not cause stress for the mother and child. Meanwhile, Cruise began making the media rounds in anticipation of his next film, “Mission: Impossible 3” (2006), including a highly-publicized chat with celebrity interviewer, Diane Sawyer, who riddled him with tough questions and the latest rumors. She asked, for example, if he was joking about eating the placenta after birth—referring to a comment he made in a magazine article; if Holmes’ family—particularly her father—were rebelling against their daughter’s conversion to Scientology; if he and Holmes were actually splitting up after rumors she had moved to another room in their home. Cruise denied every accusation, claiming that all was well. After the birth of his first biological child (even that wasn’t immune to tabloid speculation), Cruise continued his publicity for “Mission: Impossible,” the third installment to the franchise that depicted a retired Ethan Hunt (Cruise) living a slower-paced life while training new IMF agents. But he’s called back to action to due battle with Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons dealer who may turn out to be Hunt’s toughest adversary yet.

Also Credited As: Thomas Cruise Mapother, Thomas Cruise Mapother IVBorn: Thomas Cruise Mapother on 07/03/1962 in Syracuse, New YorkJob Titles: Actor, Producer, Director

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