Actress Nancy Marchand 1928 - 2000

Actress. Born June 19, 1928, in Buffalo, New York, Marchand was a reticent child, who was sent to acting school at age 10 to overcome her shyness. While studying drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she made her acting debut in a summer stock production of The Late George Apley (1946). Upon her graduation, in 1949, Marchand joined the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she met and married fellow actor Paul Sparer.

In 1950, Marchand moved to New York, where she starred in the TV movies Little Women (1950) and Marty (1953), before making her Broadway bow in Miss Isobel (1957). She won her first feature film role shortly thereafter in the Paddy Chayefsky drama The Bachelor Party (1957). Marchand continued to enjoy steady stage and television work throughout the 1960s, offering a stellar performance as an impassioned brothel owner in an off-Broadway production of The Balcony (1960), for which she earned an Obie Award.

Memorable parts in some of TV's most popular daytime dramas followed, including Another World and Love of Life, which featured Marchand in the recurring role of Vinnie Phillips from 1970-74. In the mid-1970s, Marchand starred in the short-lived drama Beacon Hill (1975), before she won the role of autocratic newspaper publisher, Margaret Pynchon, on the series Lou Grant (1977-1982). A spin-off of the beloved The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant enjoyed six successful seasons on the air, during which Marchand received four Emmy Awards as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

A distinguished character actress, Marchand's projects during the 1980s ranged from period dramas like The Bostonians (1984), starring Christopher Reeve, to slapstick comedies like The Naked Gun (1988), with Leslie Nielsen. In addition to a prosperous film and television career, Marchand continued to work on Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre. Throughout the 1980s, she offered compelling performances in the productions Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, Awake and Sing, Elektra, and The Cocktail Hour. For the latter production, Marchand earned a 1988 Obie Award.

Marchand went on to appear in the films Regarding Henry (1991) and Sabrina (1995), before landing the scene-stealing role of Livia Soprano on the acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos (1999-2000). Receiving two Emmy nominations and a 1999 Golden Globe Award for her compelling performance as the domineering matriarch of a New Jersey mob family, Marchand remained a cast member until her death from lung cancer on June 18, 2000 (one day before her 72nd birthday).

Dramatist Comedian Philip Barry 1896 - 1949

(born June 18, 1896, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.—died Dec. 3, 1949, New York City) American dramatist best known for his comedies of life and manners among the socially privileged.

Barry was educated at Yale and in 1919 entered George Pierce Baker's Workshop 47 at Harvard. His A Punch for Judy was produced by the workshop in 1920. You and I, also written while Barry was a student, played 170 performances on Broadway in 1923. Over the next 20 years a succession of plays included such comedies as Paris Bound (1927), Holiday (1928), The Animal Kingdom (1932), and The Philadelphia Story (1939). They are characterized by witty and graceful dialogue and humorous contrasts of character or situation. Many of them use a triangle theme or conflicts between the generations to point up, with almost tender satire, various truths about human nature.

Barry's thoughtful approach to life is apparent in White Wings (1926), a fantasy considered by some critics Barry's best play; John (1927), a drama about John the Baptist; Hotel Universe (1930), a penetrating psychological study; and Here Come the Clowns (1938), an allegory of good and evil. His final play, Second Threshold (1951), revised by Robert E. Sherwood after Barry's death, combined his flair for social comedy and his preoccupation with more serious drama.

Actor E.G. Marshall 1914 - 1998

Actor. In all likelihood, E.G. Marshall was born on June 18, 1914, in Owatonna, Minnesota. However, both the date of his birth and his true name are the source of some controversy. While many public records list Marshall's birthday as June 18, 1910, in a 1997 interview Marshall insisted that his true birthday was four years later. Since his death in 1998, certain pieces of social security information have emerged that appear to confirm the 1914 date. An even greater mystery than Marshall's date of birth is the origin of the initials "E.G." When asked to state his full name in interviews, Marshall insisted, "My full name is E.G. Marshall. I am known by no other." When pressed as to what the "E.G." stood for, Marshall typically responded in jest. Some of his more noteworthy responses were "Enigma Gregarious," "Everybody's Guess" and "Edda Gunnar," an obscure reference to a book of Norse legends. While many hypothesize that his real name is Everett Gunnar, the true meaning of his initials (as his son-in-law David Sayer suggested shortly before Marshall's death) "will go with him to his grave."

Marshall became interested in theater and acting at a very young age. "I used to watch movies—silent movies—and stock companies and theater whenever I could," he later recalled. He also began performing wherever he could—in school, at church, at the YMCA, and in community theater productions. But in Minnesota during the Great Depression, there were few opportunities for advanced training in acting. "There were no acting schools back then," Marshall said. Instead, he attended the University of Minnesota and Carleton College, where he indirectly honed his acting skills by majoring in speech and music.

After graduating, Marshall worked briefly for a radio station in Minneapolis before joining the American Art Theater, an itinerant Shakespearean theater company. As Marshall put it, he "joined a touring Shakespearean company in the Deep South and spent three or four years playing Guildenstern and all the really terrible parts." He recalled, "We were doing Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Faust, and we used the same set for them all ... It was pretty bare." Asked by an interviewer whether the actors were paid, Marshall responded, "We got fed. That was more important."

After spending several years touring the country with the American Art Theater, Marshall and two actor friends packed their bags for New York City, arriving with no jobs but big dreams of making a splash on Broadway. Marshall spent his first few months in the Big Apple living in a boarding house, eating cabbage and beans while working odd jobs just to make ends meet. Then, in 1938, he made his Broadway debut in a Federal Theatre Project production of Prologue to Glory. It was the beginning of a long and successful Broadway career. Marshall went on to appear in Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), Jacobowsky and the Colonel (1944) and The Ice Man Cometh (1946). In 1953, he originated the part of Reverend John Hale in Arthur Miller's The Crucible before taking on the leading role of John Proctor. His most famous Broadway performance came in the 1956 Broadway premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. In a 1958 interview, Marshall extolled Beckett's controversial play as "a real theater piece—not something that has to be molded and hacked to fit in a theater. The theater today is too flaccid, too passive, too dull. It is good to have it stirred up by a play like this."

While he was enjoying a successful career as a leading man on Broadway, Marshall was also developing his film career. He made his feature film debut in the 1945 picture The House on 92nd Street before appearing in such 1950s classics as The Caine Mutiny (1954), Twelve Angry Men (1957), and Compulsion (1959). His most notable later film roles included Woody Allen's Interiors (1978), Superman II (1980), Nixon (1995) and Absolute Power (1997).

Despite this prolific career as a stage and film actor, the venue where Marshall enjoyed his most success was television. Marshall's most acclaimed and famous role came on the 1960s CBS courtroom drama The Defenders. Marshall played Lawrence Preston, an implacable defense attorney who represented such diverse and controversial clients as civil rights demonstrators, neo-Nazis and conscientious objectors. In one especially controversial episode of the socially piercing show, Marshall's character represented an abortionist. The Defenders ran from 1961-65, and Marshall won the 1962 and 1963 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Series for his performance. After The Defenders went off the air, Marshall again achieved television success on the NBC medical drama The New Doctors, which ran from 1969-73.

E.G. Marshall married first wife Helen Wolf in 1939. They divorced in 1953, and he later remarried Judith Coy. Marshall had seven children from his two marriages. He died at home at the age of 84 in Bedford, New York, on August 24, 1998.

Over the course of his long and distinguished acting career, Marshall developed a reputation for his honest and stirring depictions of characters, as well as for his willingness to embrace socially critical, controversial material. And although many of the plays, films, and TV shows in which he appeared featured dark themes, Marshall believes that underpinning all his work was an optimistic, life-affirming message. "No matter what," he said. "Atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on: You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life."

Actor Joe Piscopo 1951

Actor. Born Joseph Charles John Piscopo on June 17, 1951 in Passaic, New Jersey. Piscopo began his career in entertainment as a stand-up comic and in 1980 was invited to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. His hire was part of an all-cast replacement, and he and Eddie Murphy dominated the show for the next few years. It was there that Piscopo made a name for himself, most notably for his impressions of celebrities like Frank Sinatra and for his hit single “The Honeymooners Rap.” Piscopo stayed with SNL until 1984.

Joe Piscopo failed to find the same level of success after leaving Saturday Night Live. In the 1980s, he became known for his outrageous Miller Lite commercials, which he produced and starred in. During the 1990s, he was involved in a scandal regarding his use of steroids, though he repeatedly denied the allegations. He appeared on Broadway in Grease and made television guest appearances on such shows as Law & Order. He also had bit parts in such feature films as Johnny Dangerously, Sidekicks and Bartleby.

Joe Piscopo married Nancy Jones in 1973; the couple has a son. He married his son’s nanny, Kimberly Driscoll, in 1997, and they have three children. She filed for divorce in 2006. Piscopo has been the subject of widespread allegations of child abuse, though he denies any wrongdoing.

Actor Writer Greg Kinnear 1963

Actor, writer. Born June 17, 1963 in Logansport, Indiana. The son of a career diplomat, Kinnear graduated from the University of Arizona in 1986. He got his big break in Hollywood as the first host of E! Television’s popular Talk Soup for which he won an Emmy Award in 1994.

In 1997, Kinnear was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in As Good as It Gets. His big-screen career has primarily consisted of supporting roles, including work in such films as Nurse Betty, Someone Like You and the animated movie Robots.

Kinnear married Helen Labdon in 1999. Their have a daughter, Lily.

Actor Rapper Tupac Shakur 1971 - 1996

Rapper, actor. Born on June 16, 1971, in New York, New York. Shakur has become a legend in hip-hop and rap circles for his talent, his violent behavior, and his brutal death. The son of a Black Panther activist, Shakur moved around a lot as a child. In his youth, he explored acting by becoming a member of the 127th Street Ensemble, a Harlem-based theater company.

As a teenager, Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he took acting and dance classes, including ballet. While living in Baltimore, he discovered rap and began performing as MC New York. In the late 1980s, Shakur and his family moved to the West Coast. He joined the Oakland, California-based hip-hop group Digital Underground, which earlier had scored a hit with the song "The Humpty Dance."

In 1991, Shakur emerged as a solo artist — using the name 2Pac — with his debut album 2Pacalypse Now. The track "Brenda's Got a Baby" reached as high as number three on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. His second album Strictly 4 My N. I. G. G. A. Z. crossed over to the pop charts, with singles "I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head Up." The album went platinum, selling more than a million copies. Around this time, Shakur also appeared in several films, including Poetic Justice (1993) opposite Janet Jackson.

2Pac became quite a sensation, earning praise for his musical and acting talent as well as condemnation for his explicit, violent lyrics. Many of his songs told of fights, gangs, and sex. He appeared to be living up to his aggressive gangster rap persona with several arrests for violent offenses in the 1990s. In 1994, he spent several days in jail for assaulting director Allen Hughes and was later convicted of sexual assault in another case. Shakur himself fell victim to violence, getting shot five times in the lobby of a recording studio during a mugging.

The next year, after recovering from his injuries, Shakur was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in the sexual assault case. His third solo album, Me Against the World (1995), started out in the number one spot on the album charts. Many critics praised the work, noting that tracks like "Dear Mama" showed a more genuine, reflective side to the rapper. The possibility of an early death runs through several songs on this recordings — something that many have seen as a chilling moment of foretelling.

After serving eight months in prison, Shakur returned to music with the album All Eyez on Me (1996). He was reportedly released after Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight paid a bond of more than $1 million as part of Shakur's parole. In his latest project, Shakur as the defiant street thug was back in full force on this recording. The song "California Love" featured a guest appearance by famed rapper-producer Dr. Dre and made a strong showing on the pop charts. "How Do You Want It" also was another smash success for Shakur. It appeared to be a golden time for Shakur. Besides his hit album, he tackled several film roles.

During his career, Shakur had become embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers. He was known to insult his enemies on his tracks. On a trip to Las Vegas to attend a boxing match, Shakur was shot while riding in a car driven by Knight on September 7, 1996. He died six days later on September 13 from his injuries. His killer has never been caught. Since his death, numerous albums of his work have been released, selling millions of copies.

Actor Neil Patrick Harris 1973

Actor. Born June 15, 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The son of attorneys, Harris grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where he got his start in acting as Toto in a grade school production of The Wizard of Oz. He appeared in several plays and musicals while attending La Cueva High School.

In 1988 at age 15, Neil Patrick Harris won a Golden Globe nomination for his performance opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the drama Clara's Heart. The following year, he landed the leading role as a teenage surgeon on ABC's Doogie Howser, M.D. The show was a hit, and for several years Harris was synonymous with his small-screen persona. He was nominated again for a Golden Globe for his work on the show, which ran for four seasons.

For the next several years, Neil Patrick Harris continued to stay busy, though his projects failed to reach the same success as Doogie Howser, M.D. He appeared in supporting roles on the big screen in such films as Starship Troopers, The Next Best Thing and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He also starred as a neurotic editor opposite Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad. Harris also appeared on Broadway in Proof, Assassins and Rent, as well as a critically acclaimed performance as the host in Cabaret.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Neil Patrick Harris earned acclaim for several made-for-TV movies, including My Antonia, Joan of Arc and The Christmas Blessing. He landed another sitcom success in 2005 with his role as the womanizing Barney Stinson in CBS's How I Met Your Mother.

In 2006, following media speculation about his sexual orientation, Neil Patrick Harris made a public statement in People magazine: "I am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest." He is currently in a long-term relationship with Broadway actor David Burtka. The couple announced in August 2010 that they would be the parents of twins via a surrogate mother. "We're super excited/nervous/thrilled [to be parents]," Harris declared on Twitter.

Actress Helen Hunt 1963

Actress. Born June 15, 1963, in Culver City, California. The daughter of Gordon Hunt, an acting coach and theater director, and Jane Hunt, a photographer, Hunt grew up in Los Angeles and New York. She decided on an acting career early: by age nine, she had begun studying drama, had an agent, and had landed a role in the 1973 television movie Pioneer Woman. After appearing as an adolescent in such TV series as Amy Prentiss (1974-75), Swiss Family Robinson (1975-76), The Fitzpatricks (1977-78), and It Takes Two (1982-83), Hunt found a recurring role on the medical melodrama St. Elsewhere in 1982. She also earned acclaim for her role in the 1983 TV movie Quarterback Princess, in which she played a high school girl bent on leading her school’s otherwise all-male football team to the state championships.

Hunt made her feature film debut in 1977 with the forgettable film Rollercoaster. Though she had supporting roles in such films as Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985, starring Sarah Jessica Parker), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986, starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage), The Waterdance (1992, starring Eric Stoltz), and Mr. Saturday Night (1992, starring Billy Crystal), Hunt first earned star status for her role as smart urban career woman and wife Jamie Buchman on the much-loved TV sitcom Mad About You. Over the course of the show’s seven seasons (1992-99), Hunt won four consecutive Emmy Awards from 1996-99 and became one of America’s best loved television couples with costar Paul Reiser.

Hunt’s hard work and small-screen stardom finally translated to big-screen success in the latter half of the 1990s. In 1996, she starred opposite Bill Paxton in the summer action blockbuster Twister, which became one of the top-grossing movies of that year. A year later, she won acclaim from both critics and audiences—along with an Academy Award for Best Actress—for her star turn as a long-suffering single mother and waitress alongside Best Actor winner Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets (1997), written and directed by James L. Brooks.

Although her Oscar win sent Hunt straight to Hollywood’s A-list, she made her next starring appearance on stage, playing the androgynously charming Viola in an acclaimed 1998 production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In 2000, she returned to the big screen with several long-awaited efforts, including Pay It Forward, costarring Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment; What Women Want, costarring Mel Gibson; Dr. T and the Women, starring Richard Gere; and Cast Away, costarring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis.

In 2001, Hunt costarred opposite writer-director Woody Allen in Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a 1940s-era detective comedy also featuring Dan Ackroyd and Charlize Theron.

Hunt, who previously dated her Project X costar Matthew Broderick, married her longtime boyfriend, actor Hank Azaria (The Birdcage, Mystery, Alaska), in July 1999. The couple separated in August 2000. In May 2004, Hunt and her beau, writer-producer Matthew Carnahan, welcomed a baby girl named McKenna.

Actress Courteney Cox 1964

Actress, born on June 15, 1964 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The youngest of four children born to Richard L. and mother Courteney. Her parents split in 1974 and she lived with her mother and step-father Hunter Copeland. As a child, she was athletic and was an avid swimmer and tennis player. She studied architecture for a year at Mount Vernon College, dropped out to pursue a modelling in New York City, then took a range of parts in films and television.

Cox's big break came when she was cast by Brian De Palma in the Bruce Springsteen video "Dancing in the Dark." In 1985, she moved to Los Angeles and landed the role of Lauren Miller — Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on the hit series Family Ties. Cox is perhaps best known for her role as Monica Geller in the acclaimed television series Friends (1994- ). The series made her an international superstar.

Roles in feature films began with Down Twisted (1986), and include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) co-starring with Jim Carrey, Wes Carven's Scream and its sequel (1996, 1998), and Commandments (1997). Cox earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a divorced forty-year in the television series Cougar Town.

Courteney Cox dated actor Michael Keaton from 1990-95. She married actor David Arquette on June 12, 1999, and the couple welcomed a baby girl in June 2004.

Comedian Jim Varney 1949 - 2000

Actor, comedian. Born June 15, 1949, in Lexington, Kentucky. Varney began acting in local theater at the age of eight; his first professional acting role was as Puck in a regional production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1965. In 1967, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a stand-up comedian and acted in dinner theater and Off-Broadway productions. Varney got a big break in 1976, when he was cast as a regular in the variety television series Johnny Cash and Friends. He went on to appear in a number of short-lived TV shows, including Operation Petticoat (1977), Fernwood 2-Night (1977), The New Operation Petticoat (1978), and Pink Lady (1980).

Varney first introduced his signature character of Ernest P. Worrell in a regional television commercial in 1972. In the 1980s, Varney parlayed Ernest's accident-prone, denim-clad rube shtick into hundreds of commercials -- for products ranging from ice cream, cars, fast food, soft drinks, and furniture. Varney's first big-screen appearance came in 1986, when the rubber-faced comic played Ernest and a number of other characters in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, which he cowrote. In 1987, Disney released Ernest Goes to Camp, cowritten and directed by John Cherry, an advertising executive who came up with the original idea for the Ernest character. The film, made for a paltry $3.5 million, took in $24 million at the box office. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), made for $6 million, earned $28 million. Building on the successful performance of the first two Ernest movies, Varney made three more with Disney; five others were released independently, largely for television markets. The series eventually included Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), Ernest Rides Again (1993), Ernest Goes to School (1994), and Ernest in the Army (1998).

The popularity of the Ernest character spawned a whole line of merchandise over the years, including tie-in products such as a line of greeting cards and a talking doll. In 1988, Varney hosted a Saturday morning children's show, Hey Vern, It's Ernest, for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Performer in a Children's Series. He also made guest appearances on such popular TV shows as Roseanne and the animated series The Simpsons.

Varney's first film in a lead role other than Ernest was the 1993 big-screen version of the comedy TV series Beverly Hillbillies, in which he played Jed Clampett. He also lent his distinctive voice to the character of Slinky Dog in the blockbuster animated features Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999).

In 1998, Varney was diagnosed with lung cancer. He subsequently underwent surgery to remove most of his right lung, followed by radiation treatments. Varney publicly disclosed his battle with cancer in 1999, but continued to work, filming his last project, Daddy and Them, starring and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. He died on February 10, 2000, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 50.

Singer and actor Burl Ives 1909 – 1995

(born June 14, 1909, Jasper county, Ill., U.S.—died April 14, 1995, Anacortes, Wash.) U.S. singer and actor. Ives began performing at age four and learned Scottish, English, and Irish ballads from his grandmother. He left college to hitchhike around the U.S., collecting songs from hoboes and drifters. Soon after his postwar concert debut in New York City, he was hailed by Carl Sandburg as “the mightiest ballad singer of this or any other century.” He recorded more than 100 albums and had hits with “I Know an Old Lady (Who Swallowed a Fly),” “The Blue Tail Fly,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “A Little Bitty Tear.” He appeared in many films—including East of Eden (1955), Desire Under the Elms (1958), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and The Big Country (1958, Academy Award)—and on Broadway.

Biography of Boy George 1961

Born George Alan O'Dowd on June 14, 1961, in Eltham, London, to parents Gerry and Dinah O'Dowd. George grew up in a lively household with his four brothers and one sister. Despite being part of the large working class Irish brood, George claims he had a lonely childhood, referring to himself as the "pink sheep" of the family.

To stand out in the male-dominated household, George created his own image on which he became dependent. "It didn't bother me to walk down the street and to be stared at. I loved it," he later reminisced.

George didn't exactly conform to the typical school student stereotype, either. With a leaning more toward arts rather than science and math, he found it hard to fit within traditional masculine stereotypes. With his schoolwork suffering, and an ongoing battle of wits between him and his teachers, it wasn't long before the school gave up and expelled George over his increasingly outlandish behavior and outrageous clothes and make-up.

Suddenly George found himself out of school, and without a job. He took any work he could find that paid him enough money to live on including a job picking fruit; a stint as a milliner; and even a gig as a make-up artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he picked up some handy techniques for his own personal use.

By the 1980s, the New Romantic Movement had emerged in the U.K. Followers of the New Romantic period, influenced heavily by artists such as David Bowie, often dressed in grand caricatures of the 19th century English Romantic period. This included exaggerated upscale hairstyles and fashion statements. Men typically wore androgynous clothing and makeup, such as eyeliner.

The style became a calling card for George, whose flamboyance fit their beliefs perfectly. The attention the New Romantics attracted inevitably created many new headlines for the press. It wasn't long before George was giving interviews based purely on his appearance.

George's outrageous style caught the attention of Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the infamous punk group Sex Pistols. McLaren was also managing a group called Bow Wow Wow, which was fronted by Burmese sixteen-year-old Annabella Lwin. McLaren felt he needed someone to give Lwin a bit more stage and vocal presence, so he arranged for George to perform with the group.

George made a few appearances to much audience acclaim, and inevitable friction between the two big personalities began to surface. However George, by now, felt inspired to form his own group. The answer came in the form of The Sex Gang Children. Bassist Mikey Craig and drummer Jon Moss were next to join the group, followed by Roy Hay. The group soon abandoned their original name, instead settling on Culture Club. The name was a joke in reference to the group members' various backgrounds: George was Irish, Craig was Jamaican and British, Moss was Jewish, and Hay was an Englishman.

Success came early. The band signed with Virgin Records in the U.K. and Epic Records in America, releasing their debut album, Kissing To Be Clever, in 1982. It was their third single from that album, "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" that scored a huge success for the group. The song reached the No. 1 spot in 16 different countries.

Culture Club already had the distinction of being the first group since the Beatles to have three songs from their debut album become top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The group's second album, Colour By Numbers (1983) was also a success, with the single "Karma Chameleon" rocketing to the No. 1 spot in numerous countries including the U.S., where it stayed for four weeks.

George soon became a household name, making him a natural choice for one of the lead vocals on the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984. However the pressure of fame began to take its toll, and by late 1985 George had developed an addiction to heroin. Culture Club began to lose their way musically. Work on their fourth album From Luxury To Heartache (1986) proved to be a headache as recording sessions dragged on for hours.

In July of that same year, George was arrested in the U.K. for possession of cannabis. A few days later, the band's keyboardist, Michael Rudetski, was found dead in George's home. The coroner's report revealed that he had suffered a heroin overdose.

During his time in Culture Club, George embarked on a relationship with drummer Jon Moss, and he has claimed that some of the songs he wrote during this period were aimed at Moss directly. The pair's romance did not last though, with speculation that Moss had broken off his engagement to a woman to be with George, but was never entirely comfortable in a homosexual relationship. Moss has since gone on to marry a woman and have several children.

Clearly the much-hyped furor over the band peaked too early and in late 1986, after their U.S. tour was canceled, Culture Club disbanded. Despite his ongoing battles with drug addiction, George began recording his first solo album. In 1987 Sold was released as a major success, but George never really managed to duplicate the same level of exposure in the U.S.

Over the years, George continued to release various solo albums and even formed his own record label in the early 90s. His most significant acclaim during the 90s was his 1992 hit single "The Crying Game," which featured in the film of the same name. The song reached the top 20 on the U.S. charts.

After a fall out with Virgin Records in the mid 90s, George's work was poorly promoted and subsequently failed to alight any kind of praise. Culture Club reunited briefly back in 1998 at the Big Rewind tour in America alongside Human League, and later the same year managed to secure a top five single in the U.K. with "I Just Wanna Be Loved."

In 2006, the band decided to again reunite; however, George declined to join them for this tour. As a result, he was replaced. After only one showcase and one live show, the project was shelved.

Although George failed to reach the same level of acclaim as a solo artist in comparison to the Culture Club days, he has fared better in his second career as a notable music DJ. He began DJing in the early 1990s and has since enjoyed critical acclaim both here in the UK and in the US.

In 2002, George was joined by a hoard of celebrities for the premiere of his new musical, Taboo. The star had penned the story of his own rise to fame, including colorful characters from his past. The musical featured a host of new songs written by George as well as Culture Club's No. 1 singles, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and "Karma Chameleon." Open auditions were held to find actors and singers that resemble the stars of the 80s. Scottish actor Euan Morton won the part of the dread-locked George. Matt Lucas, at the time most famed for his George Dawes character on BBC's Shooting Stars, took the role of flamboyant performance artist Leigh Bowery, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1994.

American comedienne Rosie O'Donnell saw the musical and was so enamored that she decided to finance the production for Broadway, too. The show opened in February 2003 but after just 100 performances it closed, hampered by a barrage of negative reviews and struggles to meet financial ends. The U.K. production, however, continued to be a success. A DVD release and book accompanied the play.

Boy George's demons have gained ongoing media attention after his drug problems came to light in the 80s. In 2005, nearly 10 years after his first public drug expose, George was arrested in Manhattan on suspicion of possessing cocaine after it was found in his apartment.

After failing to appear in court the following year for the same drugs charge, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. George's no-show for his initial court date resulted in a $1,000 fine and a spell of community service. In August 2006, George reported for trash duty on the streets of New York, making the media's day with snaps of the usually flamboyant star in combats and trainers with a broom and disposable gloves.

It seems picking up trash in the public eye wasn't enough to keep George on the right side of the law. In November 2007, he was sent to trial on charges for falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall. The alleged incident had taken place at his flat in Hackney earlier in the year. On January 16, 2009, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for the offence. Initially he was sent to HMP Pentonville in London and was later transferred to HMP Edmunds Hill in Newmarket, Suffolk, to serve out his time.

Actress Geraldine Page 1924 – 1987

Actress. Born Geraldine Sue Page on November 22, 1924 in Kirksville, Missouri. After attending Chicago's Goodman Theatre Dramatic School, Page moved to New York City to study acting with Uta Hagen. Primarily a stage actress, she received her first Tony nomination for her performance opposite Paul Newman in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. She also received an Academy Award® nod for the film adaptation. Other notable theater credits include The Three Sisters, Black Comedy/White Lies, Absurd Person Singular and Agnes of God. The Broadway production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit was her final performance before her death.

Page made her film debut in Out of the Night in 1947. Despite the fact that she appeared in relatively few films, she received eight Academy Award® nominations throughout her career. She won the coveted Oscar® in 1986 for her performance in The Trip to Bountiful. Other notable screen roles include 1961's Summer and Smoke, 1975's The Day of the Locust and 1978's Interiors.

Page was married to violinist Alexander Schneider from 1954 to 1957. She wed Texan actor Rip Torn in 1963; they had three children.

Actress Ashley Olsen 1986

Actress. Born June 13, 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California. The daughter of mortgage banker David Olsen and manager Jarnie Olsen, Ashley and her twin sister, Mary-Kate, have become among the most popular—and bankable—female personalities in America. They made their acting debut in 1987 at nine months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom Full House. The series ran for eight years, during which the Olsen twins’ career took off.

By the age of twelve, the girls had starred in home videos, feature films, multi-media entertainment and another TV series, Two of a Kind. Under the name Dualstar Entertainment, they produced several straight-to-video movies, a line of musical detective videos entitled The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, and the enormously successful You’re Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's party tapes. They have also introduced a series of companion books to accompany the videos. In 1993, Our First Video went to the top of the Billboard video music chart, and was followed shortly by I Am The Cute One and Brother for Sale. The twins made their big screen debut in 1995 in It Takes Two.

In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing. Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales alone per year.

Mary-Kate and Ashley announced plans to attend New York University in the fall of 2004. That same year, the released their second feature film, New York Minute,and became full owners of Dualstar after they bought the minority shares of the company.

The next year, the sisters began appearing together in the Badgley Mischka ad campaign. They also made their foray into the world of high-end fashion by launching a line of their own called The Row. In 2007, they announced another line of more contemporary clothing, Elizabeth and James, which is named after their brother and sister.

Two years later, in 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment. Their estimated net worth sits at nearly $100 million.

In October of 2008, the twins released the book Influence, a work introducing readers to the artists and designers who have influenced the Olsens over the last decade. Released through a division of the Penguin Young Readers Group, the work features figures such as Christian Louboutin, Lauren Hutton and Bob Colacello. It became an instant best seller, and the twins are currently wrapping up a promotional tour for the book.

After her split from long-time beau Matt Kaplan, Ashley Olsen has been romantically linked to several big names including actor/singer Jared Leto and cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Comedian Tim Allen 1953

Actor, comedian. Born Tim Allen Dick on June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado. Allen is the son of Gerald and Martha Dick, and one of six children. Allen discovered his penchant for comedy early on — as his last name became fodder for childhood jeers, he often used his wit to deflect insults. In his formative years, Allen had an especially strong connection with his father, who instilled a love of all things automotive in his son. "I loved my father more than anything," Allen remembers. "He was a tall, strong, funny, really engaging guy. I so enjoyed his company, his smell, sensibility, discipline, sense of humor — all the fun stuff we did together. I couldn't wait for him to come home."

In 1964, on his way home from a football game, Gerald was killed by drunk driver. Allen was 11 years old. In the wake of the tragedy, Allen's mother moved the family to Detroit, Michigan. Several years later, she married her high school sweetheart, a successful businessman with strong Episcopalian values. The pair raised Allen and his siblings.

Teenaged Allen was an indifferent student with a passion for shop class. After receiving his high school diploma, he attended Central Michigan University. He later transferred to Western Michigan University to earn a bachelor's degree in television and radio production. It was there that he met long-term girlfriend, Laura Deibel, and began making money on the side as a narcotics dealer.

Following his college graduation in 1976, Allen took a position at a sporting goods store, where he was quickly offered a job at the company's in-house advertising agency. Despite his accomplishments in the ad business, and his happy marriage to Deibel in 1978, Allen continued to deal drugs. His criminal activity caught up with him in October 2, 1978, when Allen and an accomplice were arrested at the Kalamazoo, Michigan, airport for possession of nearly a pound-and-a-half of cocaine. He was released on bail, and a trial was scheduled for November of that year.

In the time before his sentencing, Allen tried his hand at stand-up comedy. He made his successful debut at Detroit's Comedy Castle and a month later, on November 26, 1979, Allen made his court appearance. The comic received a reduced sentence after agreeing to testify against his partner, and was given eight years in federal prison. He ultimately served only 28 months at Sandstone Federal Correctional Institution. The time in prison seemed to whet his sense of humor, and Allen became known for his ability to wrench laughs from the toughest guards and prisoners alike.

After his parole in 1981, Allen returned to Detroit. Working at an ad agency by day, he became a regular at the Comedy Castle in the evenings. It was there that he started honing his hyper-masculine persona. He also discovered his trademark call: three ape-like, staccato grunts. As his stand-up career gained momentum, he successfully ventured into the world of commercial acting, including appearances in several ads for Mr. Goodwrench. In the midst of this burgeoning acting career, Allen became a father; his daughter, Katherine, was born in 1989.

By 1990, Allen's "Men Are Pigs" routine, which focused on the male love for hardware, was made into a Showtime television special. The segment caught the attention of Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who offered Allen leading roles in upcoming small-screen adaptations of Turner & Hooch (1989) and The Dead Poets Society (1989). Allen turned down the roles and tenaciously fought for his own material. He eventually persuaded the studio to use his routine as the basis for a new sitcom called Home Improvement.

Shortly before the show's 1991 debut, Allen made headlines when he revealed that he had served time in prison. His controversial admittance did not manage to affect the popularity of Home Improvement, which made the Nielsen top-ten list during its first season. By 1992, Allen had earned his first Peoples' Choice Award for Favorite Male Television Performer — a distinction he held for eight consecutive years. By the time the 1993 season made it to the air, Allen had an Emmy nomination under his belt and Home Improvement was a steadfast ratings darling.

The year 1994 was an important one for Allen. In the same week, Allen had the number one book (Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man), the number one television show (Home Improvement), and a number one box office hit (The Santa Clause), thus proving he could make a successful jump from the small screen to film. Over the next few years, his accomplishments seemed to snowball. Allen was highly praised for his voice performance as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's smash success Toy Story (1995), and the same year he was honored with a Golden Globe Award for his work on Home Improvement. In 1996, he earned even more commercial success with the book, I'm Not Really Here.

Allen faced another bump in the road in 1997, when was brought up on drunk driving charges. The arrest led to a stint in rehab the following year, and Allen s subsequent commitment to sobriety. But he continued to face success in 1998, when Home Improvement had another successful run, and Allen was earning an estimated $1.25 million per episode. By 1999, however, the show had run its course and the cast bid a tearful farewell. Although saddened by the loss of his regular sitcom gig, Allen was working non-stop. That year he reprised the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 2, and earned the distinctive title of "Disney Legend." Additionally, his role in 1999's big-screen sci-fi comedy, Galaxy Quest, became a cult hit. But while his career soared, his personal life suffered. Laura filed for divorce later that year.

Since then, Allen has been a frequent presence on the big screen, and has even reclaimed some romantic harmony. In 2006, shortly before the debut of his third addition to The Santa Clause franchise, he wed long-term girlfriend Jane Hajduk. The following year, Allen starred alongside John Travolta, Ray Liotta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy in Wild Hogs (2007). His recent film projects include the David Mamet-helmed Redbelt (2008), The Six Wives of Henry Lefay (2008), and a third addition to the Toy Story series. Additionally, the 2008 comedy Crazy on the Outside marks Allen's feature film directing debut. In the meantime, Allen continues to run his production house, Boxing Cat Films, and helm his design studio, Tim Allen Designs.

Actor Writer Steve-O 1974

Television personality, actor, and writer. Born Stephen Glover on June 13, 1974, in London, England. Steve-O became well known for his over-the-top stunts on such television shows as Jackass and Wildboyz. And he continues to push his limits on the big screen and on stage these days.

The son of a business executive, Steve-O moved around a lot as a kid. He lived in England, Brazil and the United States before he reached high school. Having to start over in new schools frequently led Steve-O to become a class joker of sorts to get attention and win acceptance. Before long, he started chronicling some of his activities.

Using his father's video camera, Steve-O filmed his skateboarding antics. "Soon it dawned on me I wasn't that great at skateboarding. So I put down the skateboard and just kept going with the camera." He continued to record his efforts throughout his school years. After graduating from high school, Steve-O spent a year at University of Miami. He wasn't interested in what the university had to offer, and he decided to drop out. Steve-O then enrolled at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

In 1997, Steve-O graduated from clown college and ended up working for a flea-market circus. He filmed some of his stunts during this time and sent out videos of his work. One video ended up in the hands of producer and director Jeff Tremaine. Tremaine added Steve-O to a stunt-based reality show he was developing with Johnny Knoxville. The show, known as Jackass, debuted on MTV in 2000 and featured a group of young men accomplishing outrageous, and often painful, feats. Steve-O was shown stapling parts of his body together in one show, and sticking his head in a fish tank to bob for jellyfish in another act.

Steve-O took his wild stunts on the road in 2002 for his Don't Try This at Home tour. That same year, he appeared in the first of several Jackass films. Steve-O had developed enough of a following at this point to star in his own Jackass spin-off. He and fellow Jackass cohort Chris Pontius teamed up for the animal-themed stunt show Wildboyz. The series lasted for four seasons.

By 2006, however, Steve-O seemed to be struggling both personally and professionally. He starred in the short-lived reality show Dr. Steve-O, but it proved to be a dud with critics and viewers. Off-screen, Steve-O seemed to be unraveling. He had a serious substance abuse problem and ended up getting arrested in 2008 for cocaine possession. After pleading guilty to the charge, Steve-O avoided a jail sentence by entering rehabilitation. He also had such extreme psychological issues that his friends conducted an intervention to get him into treatment. Steve-O spent time at a mental health facility.

By the following year, Steve-O had pulled himself together. He took on a new kind of challenge by appearing on the hit celebrity program Dancing with the Stars. Despite having no prior dancing experience, Steve-O managed to stay in the competition for six weeks. He also shared the dark days of his addiction and his struggle for sobriety in the MTV documentary Steve-O: Demise and Rise, which aired in 2009.

Steve-O joined Johnny Knoxville and other merry pranksters for Jackass 3D (2010), the latest installment in the popular film series. In addition to making film and television appearances, he has started performing stand-up comedy. Steve-O has taken his act around the world. In June 2011, Steve-O opened up about his life experiences in the book Professional Idiot: A Memoir.

Actress Mary-Kate Olsen 1986

Actress. Born June 13, 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California. The daughter of mortgage banker David Olsen and manager Jarnie Olsen, Mary-Kate and her twin sister, Ashley, have become among the most popular—and bankable—female personalities in America. They made their acting debut in 1987 at nine months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom Full House. The series ran for eight years, during which the Olsen twins' career took off.

By the age of twelve, the girls had starred in home videos, feature films, multi-media entertainment and another ABC TV series, Two of a Kind. Under the name Dualstar Entertainment, they produced several straight-to-video movies, a line of musical detective videos entitled The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, and the hugely successful You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's party tapes. They have also introduced a series of companion books to accompany the videos. In 1993, Our First Video went to the top of the Billboard video music chart, and was followed shortly by I Am The Cute One and Brother for Sale. The twins made their big screen debut in 1995 in It Takes Two.

In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing. Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales alone per year.

Mary-Kate and Ashley announced their plans to attend New York University in the fall of 2004. Shortly after the news, Mary-Kate checked herself into a rehabilitation facility for the eating disorder, anorexia. In the wake of rumors about Mary-Kate's health, the twins released their next feature film, New York Minute.

In 2005, Mary-Kate and her sister purchased the minority shares of Dualstar, taking full control of the company. During this time, Mary-Kate also ended her relationship with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III. The break-up, combined with the changes at Dualstar, led Mary-Kate quit school and return to California to focus on business ventures with her company.

The next year, the sisters began appearing together in the Badgley Mischka ad campaign. They also made their foray into the world of high-end fashion by launching a line of their own called The Row. In 2007, they announced another line of more contemporary clothing, Elizabeth and James, which is named after their brother and sister.

In January of 2008, Mary-Kate made headlines when her close friend, actor Heath Ledger, died of a prescription drug overdose. Olsen remains silent on the matter, but sources say Ledger's staff contacted Mary-Kate through a speed-dial function on Ledger's cell phone. Olsen then called her security staff in New York to investigate the matter. Ledger was pronounced dead later that day.

In October of that same year, the twins released the book Influence, a work introducing readers to the artists and designers who have influenced the Olsens over the last decade. Released through a division of the Penguin Young Readers Group, the work features figures such as Christian Louboutin, Lauren Hutton and Bob Colacello. It became an instant best seller, and the twins are currently wrapping up a promotional tour for the book.

Mary-Kate recently returned to acting, making regular appearances on the HBO television drama Weeds throughout 2007, a cameo on the show Samantha Who?, and a co-starring role in the film The Wackness (2008).

In addition, Mary-Kate has embarked on a solo fashion project with celebrity stylists Jane Magnitude and Fred Holston. The line is currently in development.

Biography of Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Christo (born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, Bulgarian: Христо Явашев, June 13, 1935) and Jeanne-Claude (born Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, June 13, 1935 – November 18, 2009) were a married couple who created environmental works of art. Their works include the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin and the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris, the 24-mile (39 km)-long artwork called Running Fence in Sonoma and Marin counties in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were born on the same date. They first met in Paris in October 1958. Their works were credited to just "Christo" until 1994 when the outdoor works and large indoor installations were retroactively credited to "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". They flew in separate planes: in case one crashed, the other could continue their work.

Jeanne-Claude died, aged 74, on November 18, 2009, from complications of a brain aneurysm.

Although their work is visually impressive and often controversial as a result of its scale, the artists have repeatedly denied that their projects contain any deeper meaning than their immediate aesthetic impact. The purpose of their art, they contend, is simply to create works of art or joy and beauty and to create new ways of seeing familiar landscapes. Art critic David Bourdon has described Christo's wrappings as a "revelation through concealment." To his critics Christo replies, "I am an artist, and I have to have courage ... Do you know that I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain."

Christo

Christo was born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. His father, Vladimir Yavachev, was a scientist, and his mother, Tsveta Dimitrova, born in Macedonia, was the secretary at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. Professors from the Academy who visited his family observed Christo's artistic talent while he was still of a very young age.

Christo studied art at the Sofia Academy from 1953 to 1956, and went to Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) until 1957, when he left for West by bribing a railway official and stowing away with several other individuals onboard a train transporting medicine and medical supplies to Austria.

Christo quickly settled in Vienna, and enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. After only one semester there, he traveled to Geneva and moved to Paris in 1958. As a result of his flight, he lost his Bulgarian citizenship and became a stateless person. His life in Paris was characterized by financial hardship and social isolation, which was worsened by his difficulty learning the French language. He earned money by painting portraits, which he likened to prostitution and signed with his family name "Javachef" while his early works were signed "Christo".

Jeanne-Claude

Jeanne-Claude was born in Casablanca, Morocco where her French military father was stationed. Her mother, Précilda, was 17 when she married Jeanne-Claude's father, Major Léon Denat. Précilda and Léon Denat divorced shortly after Jeanne-Claude was born, and Précilda remarried three times. Jeanne-Claude earned a baccalaureate in Latin and philosophy in 1952 from the University of Tunis.

During World War II, Jeanne-Claude lived with her father's family while her mother fought in the French Resistance. In 1946, Précilda married the influential General Jacques de Guillebon. The family lived in Berne from 1948 to 1951 then in Tunisia from 1952 to 1957, when they returned to Paris.

She was described as "extroverted" and with natural organizational abilities. Her hair was dyed red and she smoked cigarettes, and tried to quit many times until her weight would balloon. She did not enjoy cooking. She took responsibility for overseeing work crews and for raising funds. She said she became an artist out of love for Christo (if he'd been a dentist, she said she'd have become a dentist).

Jeanne-Claude died in New York City on November 18, 2009, from complications due to a brain aneurysm. Her body was to be donated to science, one of her wishes.

Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg described The Gates as “one of the most exciting public art projects ever put on anywhere in the world — and it would never have happened without Jeanne-Claude.” Jeanne-Claude said, "Our art has absolutely no purpose, except to be a work of art. We do not give messages." She also said, "Artists don't retire. They die. That's all. When they stop being able to create art, they die."

When she died, she and Christo were at work on Over the River, fabric panels over the Arkansas River in Colorado and begun in 1992, and The Mastaba, a stack of 410,000 oil barrels configured as a mastaba, a truncated rectangular pyramid, in the United Arab Emirates.

The couple

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958, when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Précilda de Guillebon. Initially, Christo was attracted to Jeanne-Claude's half-sister, Joyce. Jeanne-Claude was engaged to Philippe Planchon. Shortly before her wedding, Jeanne-Claude became pregnant by Christo. Although she married Planchon, Jeanne-Claude left him immediately after their honeymoon. Christo and Jeanne-Claude's son, Cyril, was born 11 May 1960. Jeanne-Claude's parents were displeased with the relationship, particularly because of Christo's refugee status, and temporarily estranged themselves from their daughter.

In 1961, Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered barrels at the port of Cologne, their first collaboration. In 1962, the couple tackled their first monumental project, Rideau de Fer (Iron Curtain). Without consent of authorities and as a statement against the Berlin Wall, they blocked off Rue Visconti, a small street near the River Seine, with oil barrels. Jeanne-Claude stalled approaching police, convincing them to allow the piece to stand for a few hours. Although he was simultaneously holding his first exhibition at a gallery, it was the Visconti project that made Christo and Jeanne-Claude known in Paris.

In February 1964, Christo and Jeanne-Claude arrived in New York City. After a brief return to Europe, they settled in the United States in September of that year. Although poor and lacking fluency in the English language, Christo displayed his work in several galleries, including the well-known Castelli Gallery in New York and Gallery Schmela in Düsseldorf, Germany. Christo began to create Store Fronts which he built to scale. Sale of the Store Fronts helped finance larger projects.

Major works

On all their projects since 1972 they worked exclusively with photographer Wolfgang Volz. At least five of their major projects were subjects of documentary films by Albert and David Maysles.

Documenta 4

In 1968, Christo and Jeanne-Claude had the chance to participate at the Documenta 4 in Kassel. In addition to the sculpture, Corridor Storefronts, the couple wanted to build an air package with a volume of 5,600 m³, which would be lifted by cranes and visible from a distance of 25 km. On 24 June 1968 their first attempt to fully inflate the air package failed, as the polyethylene skin tore as it was being raised. After two more attempts and repeated repairs, and using two of the largest cranes in Europe, the project became a reality on 3 August 1968. The package rose to its maximum height of 280 feet (85 m) tall for a total of 10 hours (from 4:00 am through 2:00 pm on 4 August), becoming the largest inflatable structure with no skeleton ever constructed. Of the $70,000 (USD) cost of this project, Christo and Jeanne-Claude had financed all but $3,000 (USD) from the sale of preparatory drawings, collages and a Store Front.

Wrapped Coast

At the end of 1969 Jeanne-Claude and Christo wrapped the coast of Little Bay in Sydney, Australia on invitation by Australian Collector John Kaldor, and as part of the Alcorso-Sekers Travelling Scholarship. With the support of John Kaldor, this became the first visit to Australia for international artists to make new work and the first in the series of Kaldor Public Art Projects.

100 workers and 11 volunteers devoted 17,000 work hours to the project. Christo wrapped Two-and-a-half kilometres of coast and Cliffs up to 26 metres high. The project required 9,5600 m² of synthetic fabric and 56 km of rope and was the largest single artwork ever made at this time. The artwork was larger than Mount Rushmore, and visitors took an hour to walk from one end of the work to the other. After initial resistance from the authorities and the public, reactions were largely positive, and had an enormous impact on art in Australia.

Valley Curtain

At the end of 1970 Christo and Jeanne-Claude began the preparations for the Valley Curtain project. A 400-meter long cloth was to be stretched across Rifle Gap, a valley in the Rocky Mountains near Rifle, Colorado. The project required 14,000 m² of cloth to be hung on four steel cables, fastened with iron bars fixed in concrete on each slope, and 200 tons of concrete. The budget increased to $400,000 causing Christo and Jeanne-Claude additional problems with the financing. Finally enough works of art were sold to raise the money and, on 10 October 1971, the orange-coloured curtain was ready for hanging, but was torn to shreds by wind and rock. While a second curtain was being manufactured, Christo received a message from a Berlin art historian to wrap the Reichstag in response to the 1961 "Project for Wrapping a Public Building". On 10 August 1972 the second attempt to hang the cloth succeeded, but only 28 hours later it had to be taken down because of an approaching storm.

The project was shown in the documentary film, Christo's Valley Curtain by David and Albert Maysles, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

Running Fence

Main article: Running Fence

In 1973, after 17 stateless years, Christo became a United States citizen. In 1972, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began preparations for Running Fence: a fabric fence, supported by steel posts and steel cables, running through the landscape and leading into the sea. The fence was to be 5.5 meters high and 40 kilometers long and constructed in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California. For the project, 59 families of ranchers needed to be convinced and the permission of the authorities had to be obtained, so Christo and Jeanne-Claude hired nine lawyers. At the end of 1973 Christo and Jeanne-Claude marked the path of the fence with wooden stakes. On 29 April 1976 the work finally began after a long struggle against bureaucracy. Approximately 200,000 m² of nylon fabric, 2050 steel posts and 145 km of steel cable were needed. On 10 September 1976 the work was completed. However, Christo and Jeanne-Claude had to pay a $60,000 fine, because they lacked permission for the coastal region.

Wrapped Walk Ways

In 1977, Christo and Jeanne-Claude were mostly paying bank loans and trying to save money. In addition, however, they continued to plan their future projects, like wrapping the Reichstag, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, as well as "Wrapped Walk Ways", a covering of footpaths in a Kansas City park. In November, Christo met his parents, seeing his mother for the first time in 20 years.

With "Wrapped Walk Ways" Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered 4.5 km of footpaths in Loose Park, a park in Kansas City, Missouri. Altogether it required 12,500 m² of orange-yellow coloured shiny nylon fabric. Pedestrians enjoyed the artwork for two weeks in October. The cost of this project amounted to $130,000.

Surrounded Islands

Christo and Jeanne-Claude planned a project based on Jeanne-Claude's idea to surround eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with 603,850 m² of pink polypropylene floating fabric. It was completed on 4 May 1983 with the aid of 430 workers and could be admired for two weeks.

On May 7, 1983 the installation of Surrounded Islands was completed. In Biscayne Bay, between the city of Miami, North Miami, the Village of Miami Shores and Miami Beach, 11 of the islands situated in the area of Bakers Haulover Cut, Broad Causeway, 79th Street Causeway, Julia Tuttle Causeway, and Venetian Causeway were surrounded with 603,850 square meters (6.5 million square feet) of pink woven polypropylene fabric covering the surface of the water, floating and extending out 61 meters (200 ft) from each island into the Bay. The fabric was sewn into 79 patterns to follow the contours of the 11 islands.

For 2 weeks Surrounded Islands spreading over 11.3 kilometers (7 miles) was seen, approached and enjoyed by the public, from the causeways, the land, the water and the air. The luminous pink color of the shiny fabric was in harmony with the tropical vegetation of the uninhabited verdant island, the light of the Miami sky and the colors of the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay.

Since April 1981, attorneys Joseph Z. Fleming, Joseph W. Landers, marine biologist Dr. Anitra Thorhaug, ornithologists Dr. Oscar Owre and Meri Cummings, mammal expert Dr. Daniel Odell, marine engineer John Michel, 4 consulting engineers, and builder-contractor, Ted Dougherty of A & H Builders, Inc., had been working on the preparation of the Surrounded Islands. The marine and land crews picked up debris from the eleven islands, putting refuse in bags and carting it away after they had removed some forty tons of varied garbage: refrigerator doors, tires,kitchen sinks, mattresses and an abandoned boat.

Permits were obtained from the following governmental agencies: The Governor of Florida and the Cabinet; the Dade County Commission; the Department of Environmental Regulation; the City of Miami Commission; the City of North Miami; the Village of Miami Shores; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management.

From November 1982 until April 1983, 6,500,000 square feet (604,000 m²) of woven polypropylene fabric were sewn at the rented Hialeah factory, into 79 different patterns to follow the contours of the 11 islands. A flotation strip was sewn in each seam. At the Opa Locka Blimp Hangar, the sewn sections were accordion folded to ease the unfurling on the water.

The outer edge of the floating fabric was attached to a 30.5 centimeter (12 inch) diameter octagonal boom, in sections, of the same color as the fabric. The boom was connected to the radial anchor lines which extended from the anchors at the island to the 610 specially made anchors, spaced at 15.3 meter (50 ft) intervals, 76 meters (250 ft) beyond the perimeter of each island, driven into the limestone at the bottom of the Bay. Earth anchors were driven into the land, near the foot of the trees, to secure the inland edge of the fabric, covering the surface of the beach and disappearing under the vegetation.

The floating rafts of fabric and booms, varying from 3.7 to 6.7 meters (12 to 22 feet) in width and from 122 to 183 meters (400 to 600 feet) in length were towed through the Bay to each island. There were 11 islands, but on two occasions, two islands were surrounded together as one configuration.

As with Christo and Jeanne-Claude's previous art projects, Surrounded Islands was entirely financed by the artists through the sale by C.V.J. Corporation (Jeanne-Claude Christo-Javacheff, President) of the preparatory pastel and charcoal drawings, collages, lithographs and early works.

On May 4, 1983, out of a total work force of 430, the unfurling crew began to blossom the pink fabric. Surrounded Islands was tended day and night by 120 monitors in inflatable boats.

Surrounded Islands was a work of art which underlined the various elements and ways in which the people of Miami live, between land and water.

Pont Neuf

On 14 March 1984, Jeanne-Claude became a U.S. citizen; she held dual U.S. and French citizenship. In August the couple received permission to wrap the Pont-Neuf after nine years of negotiations with the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, and preparations for the project began. For the wrapping of the oldest bridge in Paris, 40,000 m² of sand-colored polyamide fabric was needed. The wrapping began on 25 August 1985 and was completed on 22 September. In the next two weeks over three million people visited the project.

The Umbrellas - Japan-USA, 1984-91

Umbrellas 1991(Japan)

Christo and Jeanne-Claude prepared for their next project, "The Umbrellas". The plan was to have yellow umbrellas set up in California and blue umbrellas in Japan at the same time. In December 1990, after much preparation, the first steel bases for the umbrellas were installed. At the bases 80 cm long anchors were fastened to the ground to withstand tensions of 1,500 kgf (15 kN). In September 1991 the umbrellas were brought to their places by 2,000 workers. In California, some of the bases were transported to the site by helicopter. The final cost of the project totaled $26 US million. By 7 September, 1,340 blue umbrellas in Ibaraki and 1,760 yellow umbrellas at the Tejon Ranch in southern California had been set up; the exhibition opened on 9 October 1991. In total, 3 million people saw the umbrellas, each measuring 6 meters in height and 8.66 meters in diameter. The umbrellas became a huge tourist attraction, finding use as everything from picnic spots to wedding altars. On 26 October 1991, one of the umbrellas in California was toppled by high winds, killing one woman and injuring several others. The exhibit was ordered closed immediately.

Wrapped Reichstag

After the project "The Umbrellas" Christo and Jeanne-Claude concerned themselves again, with wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin. With the support of the President of the Parliament, Rita Süssmuth, Christo and Jeanne-Claude worked to convince the elected Members of Parliament, going from office to office, writing explanatory letters to each of the 662 delegates and innumerable telephone calls and negotiations. On 25 February 1995 after a 70 minute debate at the Parliament and a Roll Call vote, the Bundestag allowed the project to go ahead.

More than 100,000 m² of fireproof polypropylene fabric, covered by an aluminum layer, and 15 km of rope were needed. The wrapping began on 17 June 1995 and was finished on 24 June. The spectacle was seen by five million visitors before the unveiling began on 7 July.

Verhüllte Bäume (Wrapped Trees)

After 32 years, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped 178 trees in Berower Park / Beyeler Foundation north-east of Basel between 13 November and 14 December 1998. To wrap the trees, the couple used 55,000 m² of silver-grey shiny polyester fabric and 23 km of rope. A pattern had to be made for each individual tree and so the natural shape of the branches pushed the fabric outwards, creating individual shapes in the sky. The trees varied in height from 2 to 25 meters and in width from 1 to nearly 15 meters. As with their other projects, this was financed by the sale of original works. All materials used in this project were recycled when it was taken down.

Wrapped Snoopy House

In 1978, Charles M. Schulz drew an episode of his comic strip Peanuts in which Snoopy's doghouse is wrapped in fabric by Christo. In response, Christo constructed a wrapped doghouse and presented it to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in 2003.

The Gates

On 3 January 2005, work began on the installation of the couple's most protracted project, The Gates, in Central Park in New York City. The title is "The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005" in reference to the time that passed from their initial proposal until they were able to go ahead with it: only with the permission of the new mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, were they able to proceed. "The Gates" was open to the public from 12 February until 27 February 2005. A total of 7,503 gates made of saffron color fabric were placed on paths in Central Park. They were five meters high and had a combined length of 37 km. Bloomberg, a fan of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, presented them with the "Doris C. Freedman Award for Public Art" for the work of art. Christo and Jeanne-Claude often expressed satisfaction that their concept for their home town of over 30 years was finally realized.

The cost of the project was $21 million US dollars which was raised entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude selling studies, drawings, collages, works from the 1950s and 1960s. They do not accept any sponsorship, nor did the city of New York have to provide any money for the project. Christo and Jeanne-Claude donated all the money raised from the sale of souvenirs such as postcards, t-shirts and posters to "Nurture New York's Nature, Inc." While the engineering, manufacturing and set-up took over a year, about 750 paid employees erected the project in five days and then deployed the fabric of all the gates in half an hour. Around 600 more ("Gate-keepers") distributed 1 million free samples of the fabric to visitors. The uniformed Gate-keepers also provided information to visitors about the project, and were responsible for unrolling the gates that had rolled over their crossbars in the high wind. More workers uninstalled the project in one week, leaving almost no trace and shipping all the materials for recycling.

The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude were referenced in an AT&T commercial that aired in 2010, which freed the telephone company from liability of trademark infringement by stating that they were not affiliated with the artists in any way. The commercial showed massive orange sheets rolled out in various places across the country (which resembled The Gates). The commercial was supposed to delineate the extent of AT&T's cellphone coverage.

Future works

Over The River:

Christo and Jeanne-Claude announced plans for a future project, entitled Over The River, to be constructed on the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado on the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains. Plans for the project call for horizontally suspending 6.7 miles (10.8 km) of reflective, translucent fabric panels high above the water, on steel cables anchored into the river's banks. Project plans call for its installation for two weeks during the summer of 2014, at the earliest, and for the river to remain open to recreation during the installation.

Reaction among area residents has been intense with supporters hoping for a tourist boom and opponents fearing that the project would ruin the visual appeal of the landscape and inflict damage on the river ecosystem. One local rafting guide compared the project to "hanging pornography in a church." The Bureau of Land Management is expected to approve or reject the project in February 2011.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's inspiration for "Over the River" came in 1985 as they were wrapping the Pont-Neuf and a fabric panel was being elevated over the Seine. The artists began a three-year search for appropriate locations in 1992, considering some eighty-nine river locations. They chose the Arkansas River because its banks were high enough that recreational rafters could enjoy the river at the same time.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude have already spent more than $6 million on environmental studies, design engineering, and wind-tunnel testing of fabrics. As with past projects, Over The River would be financed entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, through the sale of Christo’s preparatory drawings, collages, scale models, and early works of the 1950s/1960s. On July 16, 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its four-volume Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which reported many potentially serious types of adverse impact but also many proposed "mitigation" options.

Actor Paul Lynde 1926 – 1982

Actor. Born June 13, 1926, in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Lynde attended Northwestern University, where he studied drama with classmates Charlotte Rae, Patricia O'Neal, and Charlton Heston. In 1948, upon his graduation, he moved to New York and honed his comedic skills by performing stand-up routines.

In the early 1950s, Lynde landed a role in a Broadway revue New Faces of 1952. Featuring the now-classic monologue "The Trip of the Month Club," Lynde was singled out for his manic portrayal of a hapless but determinedly upbeat survivor of a tourist trip to Africa. Despite an auspicious Broadway debut, Lynde did not return to stage work for quite some time. Over the next eight years, he made guest appearances on variety and radio shows.

In 1960, Lynde was cast as the father of a star-struck teenager in the Broadway production Bye, Bye Birdiea role that he reprised in the 1963 film adaptation, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margaret. For Lynde, the success of Bye, Bye Birdie led to the recording of a comedy album and regular spots on The Red Buttons Show and The Perry Como Show.

Over the next few years, Lynde appeared in supporting roles in lighthearted films like Under the Yum-Yum Tree (1963), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). Lynde forged a lucrative career as a character actor with parts on the popular TV series The Munsters, I Dream of Jeanie, and Bewitched. In 1967, he debuted on the fledgling game show Hollywood Squares, where, as the permanent center square, he found an outlet to showcase his comedic talents for the next 15 years.

In 1972, playing an uptight attorney and father at odds with his liberal-minded son, Lynde starred in the short-lived sitcom The Paul Lynde Show. The series' failure exacerbated Lynde's pre-existing drinking problem, which led to numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication.

On January 10, 1982, at the age of 55, Paul Lynde died of a massive heart attack brought on by years of substance abuse.

Biography of Joe Montana 1956 –

Football player. Born Joseph Clifford Montana on June 11, 1956 in New Eagle, Pennsylvania. Joe Montana attended high school in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, where he was eligible for both football and basketball scholarships. He decided to play football for Notre Dame, where, as 7th string quarterback, he earned a reputation for making miraculous eleventh hour comebacks.

Joe Montana was selected late in the third round of the draft by San Francisco 49er coach Bill Walsh. He went on to lead the 49ers to victories in four Super Bowls during the 1980s, including consecutive wins in 1989 and 1990. An inspirational leader and talented passer, he was named the National Football League's most valuable player three times. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs 1993–5, before retiring with NFL playoff records for completions, yards, and touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Joe and his wife, Jennifer, have four children: Alexandra, Elizabeth, Nathaniel and Nicholas. They live in the Northern California wine country.