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1-50 of 118
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Probably best-remembered for his turbulent personal life with Elizabeth Taylor (whom he married twice), Richard Burton was nonetheless also regarded as an often brilliant British actor of the post-WWII period.
Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in 1925 into a Welsh (Cymraeg)-speaking family in Pontrhydyfen to Edith Maude (Thomas) and Richard Walter Jenkins, a coal miner. The twelfth of thirteen children, his mother died while he was a toddler and his father later abandoned the family, leaving him to be raised by an elder sister, Cecilia. An avid fan of Shakespeare, poetry and reading, he once said "home is where the books are". He received a scholarship to Oxford University to study acting and made his first stage appearance in 1944.
His first film appearances were in routine British movies such as Woman of Dolwyn (1949), Waterfront Women (1950) and Green Grow the Rushes (1951). Then he started to appear in Hollywood movies such as My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Robe (1953) and Alexander the Great (1956), added to this he was also spending considerable time in stage productions, both in the UK and USA, often to splendid reviews. The late 1950s was an exciting and inventive time in UK cinema, often referred to as the "British New Wave", and Burton was right in the thick of things, and showcased a sensational performance in Look Back in Anger (1959). He also appeared with a cavalcade of international stars in the World War II magnum opus The Longest Day (1962), and then onto arguably his most "notorious" role as that of Marc Antony opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the hugely expensive Cleopatra (1963). This was, of course, the film that kick-started their fiery and passionate romance (plus two marriages), and the two of them appeared in several productions over the next few years including The V.I.P.s (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), the dynamic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and The Taming of The Shrew (1967), as well as box office flops like The Comedians (1967). Burton did better when he was off on his own giving higher caliber performances, such as those in Becket (1964), the film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play The Night of the Iguana (1964), the brilliant espionage thriller The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and alongside Clint Eastwood in the World War II action adventure film Where Eagles Dare (1968).
His audience appeal began to decline somewhat by the end of the 1960s as fans turned to younger, more virile male stars, however Burton was superb in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) as King Henry VIII, he put on a reasonable show in the boring Raid on Rommel (1971), was over the top in the awful Villain (1971), gave sleepwalking performances in Hammersmith Is Out (1972) and Bluebeard (1972), and was wildly miscast in the ludicrous The Assassination of Trotsky (1972).
By the early 1970s, quality male lead roles were definitely going to other stars, and Burton found himself appearing in some movies of dubious quality, just to pay the bills and support family, including Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973) (his last on-screen appearance with Taylor), The Klansman (1974), Brief Encounter (1974), Jackpot (1974) (which was never completed) and Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). However, he won another Oscar nomination for his excellent performance as a concerned psychiatrist in Equus (1977). He appeared with fellow acting icons Richard Harris and Roger Moore in The Wild Geese (1978) about mercenaries in South Africa. While the film had a modest initial run, over the past thirty-five years it has picked up quite a cult following. His final performances were as the wily inquisitor "O'Brien" in the most recent film version of George Orwell's dystopian 1984 (1984), in which he won good reviews, and in the TV mini series Ellis Island (1984). He passed away on August 5, 1984 in Celigny, Switzerland from a cerebral hemorrhage.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Production Manager
Carlo Ponti was born on 11 December 1912 in Magenta, Lombardy, Italy. He was a producer and production manager, known for Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Road (1954) and Marriage Italian Style (1964). He was married to Sophia Loren and Giuliana Fiastri. He died on 10 January 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland.- Genteel, ladylike British actress who was a much respected theatrical star in the 1920s and '30s, both in her own country and in the United States. Born in March 1900 in Hove, Sussex, she took to the stage at the age of seventeen as Ela Delahay in 'Charley's Aunt'. She played Peter Pan three years later and married the first of her actor husbands, Seymour Beard. By the mid '20s, Edna had become the toast of London for her performances in 'Fallen Angel' (with Tallulah Bankhead), and (in a role she made her own) as Teresa (Tessa) Sanger in 'The Constant Nymph' (opposite Noël Coward, and, subsequently, John Gielgud). With the part of Tessa she also enjoyed a successful run on Broadway in 1926, which was followed by another Margaret Kennedy play, 'Come With Me'. She married her co-star, Herbert Marshall, after divorcing Beard in 1928.
Edna started in films as early as 1921 but made little headway until Michael and Mary (1931), for which she recreated her role from the London stage. She then co-starred again with husband Herbert Marshall in Faithful Hearts (1932), but neither of these films received much international exposure. Her only Hollywood film at this time was The Key (1934), which -- though directed by Michael Curtiz -- was decidedly too 'low-key' as far as critical plaudits or the box office was concerned. She had smallish parts in other British films, notably South Riding (1938) and the original version of Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) as the mother of kidnap victim Nova Pilbeam. Not until 1939 did a worthy motion picture role come her way in the shape of the forlorn wife whom violinist Leslie Howard deserts for Ingrid Bergman in Intermezzo (1939). Other worthy screen roles included her Catherine Apley in The Late George Apley (1947) and the housekeeper Martha in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), which the New York Times review of June 27 considered 'by far the best performance' in the picture. All in all, Edna's film appearances were few and far between, and only a handful adequately showcased her talents as an actress otherwise so abundantly evident from the body of her work in the theatre.
From 1939 a U.S. resident and a nationalised citizen by the early 1950s, Edna continued her frequent triumphant returns to the stage. Her most celebrated performances on Broadway were in Terence Rattigan's 'The Browning Version' as downtrodden housewife Millie Crocker-Harris and in 'Harlequinade' (1949) (both co-starred 'Maurice Evans (I)' (q)) and as the titular character 'Jane' (1952) in a play adapted by S.N. Behrman from a W. Somerset Maugham short story. Brooks Atkinson described her performance as the timorous spinster as both 'comic' and 'forceful'. In her last significant role on stage she co-starred with Brian Aherne and Lynn Fontanne in the romantic comedy 'Quadrille' (1954-55), directed by Alfred Lunt and outfitted by Cecil Beaton, who also designed the costumes. Edna retired from acting in the early 1960s and died in a clinic in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1974. - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Alain Tanner was born on 6 December 1929 in Geneva, Switzerland. He was a director and writer, known for Charles, Dead or Alive (1969), In the White City (1983) and Return from Africa (1973). He was married to Janine Giudici. He died on 11 September 2022 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Borges was born into an upper class family, and received his education in Buenos Aires, Cambridge, and Geneva. He began writing as a student, and when in 1918 he settled in Spain, it was as a member of an experimental literary group. He returned to Argentina in 1921, and had his first poems published in 1923. He loved Buenos Aires. He lost his eyesight during the 1950's, but continued to write prolifically. His works have been translated into many languages. Brilliant, courtly, and thoughtful, Borges was director of the National Library of Argentina for many years. A month before his death he married Maria Kodama, with whom he had collaborated on his last book.- Alessandra Panaro was born on 14 December 1939 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for Conquest of Mycene (1963), Poor But Beautiful (1957) and Treasure of the Aztecs (1965). She was married to Giancarlo Sbragia and Jean-Pierre Sabet. She died on 1 May 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Writer
- Director
- Script and Continuity Department
Colin Eggleston was born on 23 September 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a writer and director, known for Long Weekend (1978), Cassandra (1987) and Division 4 (1969). He was married to Dimity Reed and Briony Behets. He died on 10 August 2002 in Geneva, Canton Geneva, Switzerland.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Frank Villard was born on 24 March 1917 in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Charente-Maritime, France. He was an actor, known for Apocalypse Now (1979), Gigi (1949) and L'ennemi sans visage (1946). He died on 19 September 1980 in Geneva, Switzerland.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Fons Rademakers was born on 5 September 1920 in Roosendaal, Netherlands. he began his career as an actor and theater director. His film directorial debut, Village by the River (1958), was also the first Dutch movie ever nominated for an Academy award (Oscar). In 1986 Rademakers won the Foreign Language Oscar for The Assault (1986), after a novel by Harry Mulisch. Rademakers' film version of Stijn Streuvels novel "De Teloorgang van de Waterhoek", Mira (1971), caused a shock in conservative circles in Flanders, especially Dutch actress Willeke van Ammelrooy's performance as "Mira". In 1976 Rademakers directed the ultimate Multatuli-classic Max Havelaar (1976). Rademakers' forte were Dutch-language literary masterpieces, such as The Dark Room of Damocles (1963), after Hermans' "De donkere kamer van Damocles" and the less acclaimed Mijn vriend (1979) (linked to the then notorious Jespers trial). The English-language drama The Rose Garden (1989) was his last movie.
He also produced his films, as well as those of his spouse Lili Rademakers'. On February 22, 2007, he died, aged 86, in a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, near his French domicile Thoiry, from pulmonary emphysema.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Artur Rubinstein was born on 28 January 1887 in Lódz, Poland, Russian Empire [now Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for The Truman Show (1998), Night Song (1947) and Carnegie Hall (1947). He was married to Aniela Mlynarska. He died on 20 December 1982 in Geneva, Switzerland.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Claude Goretta was born on 23 June 1929 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. He was a director and writer, known for The Invitation (1973), The Lacemaker (1977) and La provinciale (1980). He died on 20 February 2019 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.- Mony Rey was an actress, known for Not Without My Daughter (1991), Shock Troops (1967) and Härte 10 (1974). She died on 9 April 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Writer
- Director
- Actress
Nelly Kaplan was born on 11 April 1931 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was a writer and director, known for Charles and Lucie (1979), Papa, the Lil' Boats (1971) and A Very Curious Girl (1969). She died on 12 November 2020 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
E. Gary Gygax was born on 27 July 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Dungeons & Dragons (1983), Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Mystery (1981). He was married to Gail Carpenter. He died on 4 March 2008 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA.- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
Roland Petit was born on 13 January 1924 in Villemomble, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He was a writer and actor, known for Black Tights (1960), Le Jeune Homme et la Mort (1967) and Hans Christian Andersen (1952). He was married to Zizi Jeanmaire. He died on 10 July 2011 in Geneva, Canton Geneva, Switzerland.- Alan Adair was born on 9 June 1923 in Hove, Sussex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for I Love You, I Love You (1968), Les fiancées de l'empire (1981) and Mistral's Daughter (1984). He died on 23 June 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Germaine Aussey was born on 18 December 1909 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Idillio a Budapest (1941), The Pearls of the Crown (1937) and Princesse Tam-Tam (1935). She was married to John Ringling North. She died on 15 March 1979 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Michel Soutter was born on 2 June 1932 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. He was a director and writer, known for Les arpenteurs (1972), L'amour des femmes (1981) and La lune avec les dents (1967). He died on 10 September 1991 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.- François Simon was born on 16 August 1917 in Geneva, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for Alzire oder der neue Kontinent (1978), The Roads of Exile (1978) and Histoire du soldat (1972). He was married to Ana Simon and Jutta Weiss. He died on 5 October 1982 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Stunts
John Baird was born on 18 October 1961 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He was an actor, known for The Pirate Movie (1982), The Man from Snowy River (1982) and The Mango Tree (1977). He was married to Ronda . He died on 29 August 2022 in Geneva, Illinois, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Jean-Louis Roy was born in 1938 in Lugano, Switzerland. He was a writer and director, known for The Unknown Man of Shandigor (1967), Black Out (1970) and Talou (1980). He died on 29 March 2020 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Alberto Ginastera was born on 11 April 1916 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a composer and writer, known for The Artist (2011), Livets vår (1957) and The Competition (1980). He died on 25 June 1983 in Geneva, Switzerland.- Liliane Sottane was born in 1934. She was an actress, known for The Camp on Blood Island (1958), The Headless Ghost (1959) and Up the Creek (1958). She was married to Jean Geneux. She died on 12 June 2015 in St George, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Robert Musil was born on 6 November 1880 in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a writer, known for Young Törless (1966), Emergency Squad (1940) and Die Schwärmer (2013). He was married to Martha Marcovaldi. He died on 15 April 1942 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Joël Robuchon was born on 7 April 1945 in Poitiers, Vienne, France. He was a writer, known for Bon appétit bien sûr (2000), Top Chef (2006) and Le grand échiquier (1972). He died on 6 August 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland.