People I've spotted in real life...
A random list of random famous folk I've randomly seen out and about...
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Nick Ferrari was born on 31 January 1959 in Sidcup, Kent, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Extras (2005), Bronson: Fit to Be Free? (2023) and The Jihadis Next Door (2016).c. 2012, he was having a rummage through the reduced section in Lewisham Tesco.- Writer
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Jo Brand was born on 23 July 1957 in London, England, UK. She is a writer and actress, known for Getting On (2009), The More You Ignore Me (2018) and Human Traffic (1999). She has been married to Bernie Bourke since 19 December 1997. They have two children.Passed her on the street round Rathbone Place way- Actor
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Nicholas Parsons was without doubt one of the UK's most popular and beloved television and radio personalities, and very few can claim to have had such a long entertainment career. The son of a doctor, he was raised in Lincolnshire until the age of eight, when the family moved to London. He was educated at St. Paul's School, London. He trained as an engineer but really wanted to become an actor and decided to pursue his dream. He performed in weekly repertory in Bromley for two years, playing a wide range of parts. His particular talent for comedy and impersonations made him a natural in cabaret and he became the resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre. Much work in radio followed.
Parsons acted in several British films during the 1950s and 1960s, including dramas such as The Third Key (1956) and Eyewitness (1956) and comedies such as Doctor in Love (1960) and Carry on Regardless (1961). On television he worked with Eric Barker and most notably on The Arthur Haynes Show (1956) as Haynes' straight man. In 1967 he became presenter of "Just a Minute", a comedy panel show on BBC Radio 4 which also featured regular appearances by Kenneth Williams over the next 20 years. Through the 1970s and into the 1980s, Parsons hosted the hugely popular ITV game show Sale of the Century (1971).
In 1989, having become so closely associated with comedy and light entertainment, Parsons surprised many when he returned to a dramatic role. He brought great depth and sensitivity to his portrayal of Reverend Wainwright, a tormented clergyman whose faith is tested to the limit by the horrors of the Second World War and the resurrection of a Viking curse in The Curse of Fenric: Part One (1989). It was one of the most unusual and complex characterizations ever created for the Doctor Who (1963) series, and Parsons later described this guest appearance as "one of the most treasured memories".
Parsons celebrated his 90th birthday in 2013 and he was joined at the party by stars including Esther Rantzen, Paul Merton and Gyles Brandreth. A performer of remarkable longevity, he was still taking his one-man show to the Edinburgh Fringe.Passed him on the street in Edinburgh, 2007.- Actor
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Les Dennis was born on 12 October 1954 in Liverpool, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Family Fortunes (1980) and Extras (2005). He has been married to Claire Nicholson since 23 November 2009. They have one child. He was previously married to Amanda Holden and Lynne Heseltine.In a shop in Edinburgh, 2007.- Actor
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One of England's most versatile character actors, Jim Broadbent was born on May 24, 1949, in Lincolnshire, the youngest son of furniture maker Roy Laverick Broadbent and sculptress Doreen "Dee" (Findlay) Broadbent. Jim attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading before successfully applying for a place at an art school. His heart was in acting, though, and he would later transfer to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Following his 1972 graduation, he began his professional career on the stage, performing with the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as part of the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man troupe which he co-founded. In addition to his theatrical work, Broadbent did steady work on television, working for such directors as Mike Newell and Stephen Frears. Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a small part in Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978). He went on to work with Frears again in The Hit (1984) and with Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985), but it was through his collaboration with Mike Leigh that Broadbent first became known to an international film audience. In 1990 he starred in Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1990), a domestic comedy that cast him as a good-natured cook who dreams of running his own business. Broadbent gained further visibility the following year with substantial roles in Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992) and Mike Newell's Enchanted April (1991), and he could subsequently be seen in such diverse fare as Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Widows' Peak (1994), Richard Loncraine's highly acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III (1995) and Little Voice (1998), the last of which cast him as a seedy nightclub owner. Appearing primarily as a character actor in these films, Broadbent took center stage for Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), imbuing the mercurial W.S. Gilbert with emotional complexity and comic poignancy. Jim's breakthrough year was 2001, as he starred in three critically and commercially successful films. Many would consider him the definitive supporting actor of that year. First he starred as Bridget's dad (Colin Jones) in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which propelled Renée Zellweger to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Next came the multiple Oscar-nominated film (including Best Picture) Moulin Rouge! (2001), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA award for his scene-stealing performance as Harold Zidler. Lastly, came the small biopic Iris (2001), for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as devoted husband John Bayley to Judi Dench's Iris Murdoch, the British novelist who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The film hit home with Jim, since his own mother had passed away from Alzheimer's in 1995.Passed him on the street in Edinburgh, 2009.- Actor
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Simon Callow was born on 13 June 1949 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Shakespeare in Love (1998) and A Room with a View (1985). He has been married to Sebastian Fox since June 2016.Twice: Outside a pub in central London and in the Angel Waitrose- Ian McDiarmid was born on August 11, 1944 in Carnoustie, Tayside, Scotland. He studied for a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of St. Andrews, but eventually found that his calling was in theatre. He went to the Royal Academy in Glasgow, where he received the prestigious gold medal for his work. He now has a highly successful career as a theatre director, and from 1990 until his retirement in 2001, was Joint Artistic Director of London's Almeida Theatre in Islington. He and his co-director Jonathan Kent revived the Almeida and persuaded many Hollywood stars including Kevin Spacey, Ralph Fiennes and Anna Friel to tread the boards in their humble theatre. They won the coveted London Evening Standard Award in 1998 for their efforts. McDiarmid is also well known for his film and television appearances, and is perhaps most famous for his chilling performance as Emperor Palpatine in George Lucas's Star Wars films.Passed me on the street in Angel, 2014.
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Shaw was already an accomplished theater actress when director Jim Sheridan awarded her a role in his film, My Left Foot (1989). The film is a telling of Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), an Irishman disgruntled with his confinement to a body horribly crippled by cerebral palsy but who found incredible success as an artist and writer. Shaw portrayed Eileen Cole, the doctor largely responsible for Christy's education and physical rehabilitation. Since, Shaw has received several accolades for her film and television performances.Waitrose, 2014.- Writer
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Chris Evans was born on 1 April 1966 in Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1994), The Big Breakfast (1992) and Glöm inte tandborsten (1994). He has been married to Natasha Shishmanian since 11 August 2007. They have two children. He was previously married to Billie Piper and Carol McGiffin.Twice: In Tower Records in Piccadilly in 2001 and on Oxford Street in about 2013/4- Alexander McCall Smith was born in Zimbabwe (called Southern Rhodesia at the time) and was educated there and in Scotland. He became a law professor in Scotland, and it was in this role that he first returned to Africa to work in Botswana, where he helped to set up a new law school at the University of Botswana. He is currently Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, but has been a visiting professor at a number of other universities elsewhere, including ones in Italy and the United States (where he has twice been visiting professor at SMU Law School in Dallas, Texas).
In addition to his university work, he is the vice-chairman of the Human Genetics Commission of the UK, the chairman of the British Medical Journal Ethics Committee, and a member of the International Bioethics Commission of UNESCO.
Over the past twenty years, Smith has written more than fifty books, including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children's books. In 1998, McCall Smith's detective novel, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, was published and received two Booker Judge's Special Recommendations. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series now numbers a total of four books (he is working on the fifth) and has been optioned for feature film. The series has been enthusiastically received throughout the world, and foreign language editions will be appearing in numerous countries.
Three of the books in the series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency; Tears of the Giraffe; and Morality for Beautiful Girls, have recently been published by Anchor Books. The fourth, The Kalahari Typing school for Men will be published by Pantheon in April 2003. McCall Smith has recently finished the first book in a new series featuring a lady detective, Isabel Dalhousie (Scottish father, American mother) the first title of which, Crushed Strawberry, will be published in London next year.
Today Alexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh with his wife Elizabeth (an Edinburgh doctor), their two daughters Lucy and Emily, and their cat Gordon. His hobbies include playing wind instruments, and he is the co-founder of an amateur orchestra called "The Really Terrible Orchestra" in which he plays the bassoon and his wife plays the flute.Passed him on the street in Edinburgh. - Actor
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David Hyde Pierce was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. He is the youngest child of George and Laura Pierce (both deceased) and has two older sisters (Barbara and Nancy) and an older brother (Thomas). As a child, he was very interested in music (particularly piano) and regularly played the organ at his local church (Bethesda Episcopal Church). David discovered a love of drama in high school and, upon his graduation in 1977, he received the Yaddo Medal which is to honor academic achievement and personal character. However, his love of music was still strong so he decided to study classical piano at Yale University.
Unfortunately, he soon grew bored with music history lessons and found that he wasn't dedicated enough to practice the required amount of hours to become a successful concert pianist. Instead, he returned to his love of drama and graduated in 1981 with a double major in English and Theatre Arts. He then moved to New York where he worked several menial jobs (including selling ties at Bloomingdales and working as a security guard) while acting in the theater during the late 80s and early 90s. He appeared in small roles in films such as Bright Lights, Big City (1988) before his life and career changed forever when he landed the role of "Dr. Niles Crane" in the television series Frasier (1993). Throughout the show's eleven year run (1993-2004), David was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series each year (he won four times: 1995, 1998-1999 and 2004). David resides in Los Angeles with his romantic partner, Brian Hargrove, and their two Wheaton Terriers, Maude and Mabel. He remains very close to his three siblings.Passed him near Waterloo Station when he was in London doing La Bete in 2010 - got eye contact as he saw me recognise him.- Actress
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Samantha's early theatre work includes repertory seasons at Coventry, Edinburgh, Derby, and Bristol and 'Never in My Life 'at the Soho Poly in London. After appearing in Kenneth Branagh's production of 'Romeo and Juliet' she went on to West End productions of 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses', 'Man of the Moment', 'Three Tall Women' and 'Much Ado About Nothing' which was directed by Judi Dench. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company she acted in 'A Winters Tale' and 'As You Like It' She made her film debut in 'Eric the Viking' Television work includes 'Inspector Morse', 'Rumpole of the Bailey', 'Under the Moon', 'Tears Before Bedtime' and 'The Ruby Ring'Saw her on Covent Garden literally just after having seen her in a matinee of What the Butler Saw in 2012. She saw me recognise her, probably realised I'd seen the play, and then fiddled with her already on the face sunnies, as if to say "don't bother me".- Actress
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Jennifer Saunders was born July 6, 1958 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, to Jane, a biology teacher, and Robert Thomas Saunders, an RAF pilot. She attended Central School of Speech and Drama where she met her comedy partner Dawn French. Like many of the early 80s groundbreaking "alternative" comedians she began her career as comedienne/actress/writer with Dawn French at "The Comedy Store" in London, where she met fellow comedians Adrian Edmondson (later her husband), Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Alexei Sayle and Peter Richardson, who later opened his own club, "The Comic Strip", where these comedians quickly formed a regular format.
The Comic Strip team were transferred to television screens with great success as they all starred alongside each other in The Comic Strip Presents (1982). After The Comic Strip she starred in a few episodes of The Young Ones (1982), Girls on Top (1985) and Happy Families (1985). Afterwards she and Dawn French wrote a TV show of their own, French and Saunders (1987), which was an immense success due to the double act's genius writing, brilliant acting performances and hilarious spoofs of world famous blockbusters and bands.
It was in one of the episodes of "French and Saunders" that the audience had the pleasure of watching a sketch about an uptight daughter and a crazy, neurotic mother that became a comedy classic sitcom. When the BBC next asked Saunders to write something, she just couldn't come up with any ideas, so she decided to expand on that sketch, making it more outrageous and therefore funnier - Absolutely Fabulous (1992) was born.
Perhaps by coincidence Saunders had created one of the most loved, funny, and creative TV Shows in BBC history. Three series were made, in 1995 the show was put on hold until Saunders began writing again and came back with a fourth series in 2001. She is always ready for charity as well, she has been doing "Comic Relief" with a lot of her comedy companions ever since 1986. Jennifer Saunders, one of the most loved TV faces in Britain, will hit the screens with her fifth series of Absolutely Fabulous in 2003.At Heathrow airport, 2000.- Actor
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Adrian Edmondson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He went to Manchester University to study drama. Whilst he was there he met Rik Mayall, and the pair began performing as 20th Century Coyote. The act continued after university when Adrian & Rik moved to London, and they became two of the leading lights in the new 'alternative comedy' scene, performing at the newly established Comedy Store, and setting up their own club, The Comic Strip, with Peter Richardson, Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Alexei Sayle. This spawned two 1980s TV series: The Young Ones (1982), and The Comic Strip Presents (1982) In the 1990's Ade & Rik continued their partnership with a new series called Bottom (1991), which ran for three seasons and became a major success on the live circuit. It was basically a live sitcom, liberally sprinkled with slapstick humour, and the pair did 5 long tours between 1993 and 2003. Simultaneously, Adrian established himself as an actor, doing to improvised TV films under the Screen One and Screen Two umbrella, with director Les Blair: Honest, Decent and True (1986), and News Hounds (1990) (winner of the BAFTA for best single drama). He was a regular in the hospital drama Holby City (1999) from 2005 - 2008. He took the lead in a drama documentary about the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in the series Surviving Disaster (2006), and appeared as Henry Austen in the TV movie Miss Austen Regrets (2007), the film Blood (2012), and the drama series Prey (2014). But his most notable dramatic role to date is that of Count Rostov in the BBC series War & Peace (2016). He has been married to Jennifer Saunders since 1985, and they have three children together.At Heathrow, 2000.- Actress
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Imelda Staunton is an English actress and singer from Archway, London. Her ancestry is primarily Irish. She has worked extensively in theater, and has won 4 Laurence Olivier Awards; 3 for leading roles and one for a supporting role. Her best known role in films has been the recurring villain Dolores Umbridge in the fantasy films "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007) and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" (2010). Her character was depicted as an authoritarian bureaucrat from the Ministry of Magic who was appointed as the new professor of "Defence Against the Dark Arts". The character was driven by both her political agendas and her own prejudice. In television, Staunton's best-known role was portraying Queen Elizabeth II in the 5th season of the historical drama series "The Crown" (2016-). The season fictionalized the events of Elizabeth's reign from 1991 to 1997.
In 1956, Staunton was born in Archway, an area in the London Borough of Islington. Archway has had a large Irish community since the 1830s, when Irish workers from this area were employed in the construction of railways and roads. Staunton's parents were the laborer Joseph Staunton and his wife, the hairdresser and musician Bridie McNicholas. Both parents were first-generation immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. Bridie played both the accordion and the fiddle in Irish show-bands.
Staunton received her secondary education at the La Sainte Union Catholic School, a girls' school operated by the Holy Union Sisters. She was trained in drama and elocution, and practiced her new skills by starring in school plays. Encouraged by one of her teachers, Staunton applied to several drama schools. In 1974, Staunton was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She was reportedly rejected by both the "Central School of Speech and Drama" and the "Guildhall School of Music and Drama", so her options were rather limited.
Staunton graduated from RADA in 1976. For the next 6 years, Staunton primarily acted in English repertory theater. She portrayed the French military leader Joan of Arc (c. 1412-1431) in a 1979 revival of the play "Saint Joan" (1923) by George Bernard Shaw. In 1982, she started acting for the Royal National Theatre in London. In her first year there, Staunton was nominated for both the "Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical" and the "Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play". Staunton lost the Best Actress Award to Julia McKenzie, and the Newcomer Award to Kenneth Branagh.
Staunton made her film debut in the historical drama "Comrades" (1986). The film dramatized the lives of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of British labor activists who were convicted in 1834 under an obscure act and sentenced to penal transportation to Australia. The group members were pardoned in 1836 after mass protests in their favor, and they became heroes for the early union and workers' rights movements.
Among Staunton's most notable theatrical roles in the 1980s was portraying Dorothy Gale in a British version of the musical "The Wizard of Oz" (1987) by John Kane. It was a theatrical adaptation of the novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900) by L. Frank Baum. The theatrical production was by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Staunton was nominated for the 1988 "Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical" for this role, but lost to Patricia Routledge.
Staunton had a co-staring role in the comedy film "Peter's Friends" (1992), her first film role since 1986. In the film, Peter (played by Stephen Fry) is the new owner of his family's country house, and invites the former members of his student comedy troupe to a reunion there. Each of the members has had a dysfunctional life, but Peter eventually informs them that he has a worse fate than his friends. He reveals that he is HIV-positive, and that the real reasons for the reunion were the fears for his mortality. The film was nominated for the 1993 "Goya Award for Best European Film", but lost to "Three Colors: Blue".
Staunton portrayed the waiting gentlewoman Margaret in thee romantic comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993), a film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. In the film, Margaret is mistaken for her charge, Hero (played by Kate Beckinsale). Staunton had her first notable animated roles in the fantasy film "The Snow Queen" (1995), an adaptation of the 1844 fairy tale Hans Christian Andersen. She portrayed both the sentient bird Ivy and Angorra, the self-centered daughter of the Robber King.
Staunton portrayed the witty servant Maria in the romantic comedy "Twelfth Night" (1996), an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. Maria was one of several characters who humiliated the pompous steward Malvolio (played by Nigel Hawthorne), and orchestrated his downfall. Staunton had two new roles in the sequel animated film "The Snow Queen's Revenge" (1996). She voiced both the optimistic servant Elsbeth and the ambitious bounty hunter Rowena.
Staunton voiced the group cynic Bunty in the stop-motion animated comedy film "Chicken Run" (2000). It was the first feature-length film by the animation studio Aardman Animations, and grossed about 224.8 million dollars at the worldwide box office. The film broke a record as the highest-grossing stop-motion film in film history. It has retained this record into the 2020s. This was one of Staunton's most commercially successful films.
Staunton portrayed the malevolent wife Conchita Flynn in the comedy film "Rat" (2000), loosely based on the novella "The Metamorphosis" (1915) by Franz Kafka. In the film, a normal working-class man inexplicably shape-shifts into a rat. His family both turns against him, and tries to profit from his condition. Staunton portrayed the supporting character of police superintendent Janine in the romantic comedy film "Crush" (2001). In the film, middle-aged schoolmistress Kate Scales (played by Andie MacDowell) starts dating a man in his twenties, who was once her student. Janine and another of Kate's friends try to figure out whether the man genuinely loves Kate, or is simply manipulating her. When the man is killed in a traffic accident, the two friends try to help a pregnant Kate with some serious life decisions.
Staunton portrayed the main character Vera Drake in the period drama "Vera Drake" (2004). In the film, Vera is a middle-aged house cleaner who provides illegal abortions for young women during the early 1950s. She provides her services free of charge, and is unaware that her partner is getting payments for arranging meetings with Vera. When Vera is arrested following the near-death of one of her patients, people who previously depended on her kindness are left distraught. Staunton won the "BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role" for this role, and was nominated for the "Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama". The film was met with general critical praise, despite some criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of real-life abortion methods.
Staunton portrayed Ambassador Cochran in the thriller film "Shadow Man" (2006), one of the few genuine allies of the protagonist Jack Foster (played by Steven Seagal). In the film, Jack is a retired CIA agent. Following the disappearance and suspected death of his father-in-law, Jack is mistakenly thought to have the formula for a biological weapon which his father-in-law had stolen. Jack finds himself targeted by multiple intelligent agents and organizations, including several of his former friends and allies. The film was set entirely in Bucharest, Romania, though it was based on a script intended for a period film about post-World War II Japan.
Staunton next portrayed Dolores Umbridge in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007). Staunton's performance was praised by critics, and she was nominated in the "British Actress in a Supporting Role" category at the London Film Critics Circle Awards. Dolores as a character has been praised as one of the better villains from the "Harry Potter" series, because her brand of "authoritarian evil" was reportedly more relatable than Lord Voldemort and his abstract plans. Staunton herself claimed that her performance as Dolores was inspired primarily by her views on the behavior of the controversial Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013, term 1979-1990).
Staunton portrayed motel owner Sonia Teichberg in the comedy-drama film "Taking Woodstock" (2009). In the film, the motel of the Teichberg family is about to be foreclosed by their bank, and their young son is desperate to raise enough money to save the family business. Following a series of the son's money-making schemes, he learns that Sonia had hid nearly 100,000 dollars in her closet and could single-handedly save the motel if she was willing to spend it. Motivating him to strike out on his own. The film was an adaptation of the memoir "Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life" (2007) by Elliot Tiber, one of the people involved in organizing the Woodstock music festival (1969).
Staunton portrayed the housekeeper Maud Hill in the supernatural drama "The Awakening". In the film, a skeptic writer investigates ghost sightings at a boarding school in Cumbria during the early 1920s. She realized belatedly that the boarding house's building used to be her family's residence during her childhood, that the ghost in question was her murdered half-brother, and that Maud used to be her father's mistress. Maud had invited her there in order to kill her and to turn her into the building's newest ghost. The film was praised by critics as an atmospheric, ghost story, though its resolution was thought to be predictable.
Staunton voiced Margaret Claus in the Christmas animated film "Arthur Christmas" (2011). In the film, a family has used the hereditary title of "Santa Claus" for many generations, and the current Santa (Malcolm) is the 20th one. When a child's present is accidentally lost, Malcolm is indifferent to the situation, and Steven (his cynical eldest son and business-manager) considers this to be an acceptable error. But his idealistic younger son Arthur sets out to personally deliver the present, using an outdated wooden sleigh that had been out of use for nearly a century. As the inexperienced gift-bringer tries to complete his mission, Malcolm tries to hide the situation from his wife Margaret while starting to realize that he was never suited for a leadership position. The film earned 147,4 million at the worldwide box office. It was nominated for an Annie Award for the Best Animated Feature.
Staunton voiced Queen Victoria in the animated swashbuckler film "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!" (2012). In the film, the new queen regnant is in conflict with a group of unorthodox pirates, while trying to secure ownership of the last-living dodo bird. Assisting Victoria in her efforts is the young scientist Charles Darwin (voiced by David Tennant). The film earned about 123,1 million dollars at the worldwide box office. It was nominated for an "Academy Award for Best Animated Feature", but lost to the fantasy film "Brave".
Staunton portrayed the Welsh activist Hefina Headon (1930-2013) in the period film "Pride" (2014). The film dramatized the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) and the formation of the activist organization "Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners". The activists organized fund-raising efforts to help the impoverished miners and their families. Staunton was nominated for the "BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role" for this role, but lost to Patricia Arquette.
Staunton portrayed the protective pixie Knotgrass in the fantasy film "Maleficent" (2014). Her character was based on the fairy Flora from the animated film "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), but Knotgrass was intentionally depicted as an inept counterpart to the original character. Knotgrass is one of the legal guardians of the human girl Aurora (played by Elle Fanning), but turns out to be a neglectful parent figure. The film grossed over 758 million dollars at the worldwide box-office, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014. It was also one of the highest-grossing film's in Staunton's career.
Staunton voiced Aunt Lucy in the comedy film "Paddington" (2014). Her character was portrayed as the aunt and surrogate mother of Paddington Bear. After being widowed in an earthquake, Lucy encourages Paddington to migrate to London, where her only human friend once lived. The film earned 282.8 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and was nominated for a "Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film".
Staunton portrayed the leading role of the aristocrat Sandra Abbott, Lady Abbott in the romantic comedy film "Finding Your Feet" (2017). In the film, Sandra finds out that her husband is cheating on her, and then decides to move in with her estranged, free-spirited older sister Bif (played by Celia Imrie). They bond for a while, just before Bif dies from lung cancer. When Sandra's husband tries to reconcile with her, Sandra is no longer interested in leading a conventional life by his side. The film won the won the "Audience Award for Best Film" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Staunton portrayed the aristocrat Lady Maud Bagshaw in the historical drama "Downton Abbey" (2019). Her character was depicted as a lady-in-waiting to Mary of Teck, Queen consort of the United Kingdom (1867-1953, term 1910-1936). Maud was portrayed as an estranged cousin to Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham (played by Hugh Bonneville). Maud schemed to allow her property to be inherited by her own illegitimate daughter, rather than by her cousin and his heirs. The Crawley family starts scheming an advantageous marriage of their widowed son-in-law Tom Branson to Maud's heiress. The film was a continuation of the historical drama series "Downton Abbey" (2010-2015), which followed the lives of an aristocratic family of Yorkshire and their efforts to maintain or to increase their wealth. The film earned 194.7 million at the worldwide box office.
Staunton returned to the role of Lady Maud Bagshaw in the sequel film "Downton Abbey: A New Era" (2022). The film opens with Maud marrying her illegitimate daughter Lucy Smith to Tom Branson. The film subsequently deals with the last days in the life of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Maggie Smith), and with her son's increasing doubts about his own paternity. The film earned 92.3 million dollars at the worldwide box office. The film was nominated for the "Golden Rooster Award for Best Foreign Language Film" in China.
By 2022, Staunton was 66-years-old. She is no longer the up-and-coming stage star of the 1980s. She is considered a respected veteran of the theater and the film industry. She maintains a cult following among fans of fantasy films, animated films, and period films set primarily in the 19th century or the 20th century. She has had an ever-increasing number of well-received roles in films of these types, and she seems likely to continue her film career.Trafalgar Square with her shopping.- Actress
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Born Margaret Baker in Plymouth, Devon, in 1946, Maggie Steed studied drama with the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, graduating in the late 1960s. However, her first professional engagements were as an assistant stage manager, working behind the scenes in a somewhat lowly capacity, because, she says, she was not considered conventionally pretty enough to be an actress. She does, however, recall that the eccentric English puppeteer Harry Corbett praised her for assisting him with his creation Sooty the Bear. Maggie left theatrical life after only a few months and for several years worked as a secretary. An interest in Theatre in Education lured her back to the stage, this time as an actress, with Sue Johnston and Clive Russell at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. Since then she has worked on stage with both the Royal Shakespeare and National Theatre Companies, and in 2002 was a commanding Lady Bracknell in a revival of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. A lady of political awareness, she was a founder member of the Campaign Against Racism in the Media, and in the early 1980s visited Nicaragua with actor Andy de la Tour to view the plight of its citizens, and in 1983, helped stage the televised Concert for Nigaragua. She is, however, best remembered for her television roles, chiefly comical ones, beginning in the early 1980s with 'Shine On Harvey Moon', through 'A Bit of a Do' and 'Pie In the Sky' as the wife of cop-turned-chef Richard Griffiths to, in the mid-2000s. 'Jam and Jerusalem' as the dim but well-meaning Women's Institute leader, a sitcom filmed in her native Devon and reuniting her with her early stage co-star Sue Johnston.Waitrose, 2012.- Gaby Roslin was born on 12 July 1964 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Lily Savage Show (1997), Zig and Zag's Dirty Deeds (1996) and Missing (2009). She was previously married to Colin Peel.Westfield London, 2011.
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Rhona Cameron was born on 27 September 1965 in Dundee, Tayside, Scotland, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Rhona (2000), Six Four (2023) and Funny Man (1994).On a train to Salisbury.- Actress
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Michelle Collins was born on 28 May 1962 in Hackney, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Two Thousand Acres of Sky (2001), Doctor Who (2005) and Coronation Street (1960). She has been married to Mike Davidson since 10 August 2022.On a train from Manchester to London.- Actor
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Alun Armstrong is a British actor who is known for playing Cardinal Jinette from the Van Helsing franchise, Baltus Hafez from The Mummy Returns, Uncle Garrow from Eragon, the High Constable from Sleepy Hollow and Maxwell Randall from Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire. He is married to Sue Bairstow and has three sons.In a theatre foyer in Edinburgh where he was a fellow punter.- Actress
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Kate Robbins (born in Margate, Kent) is an English actress, comedian, singer and songwriter. She came to prominence in the early 1980s when she scored a No.2 hit on the UK Charts with the song "More Than in Love", She went on to become a prolific voice actress, most notably for nine years with the satirical show Spitting Image.
Robbins is a first cousin once removed of Paul McCartney and older sister of fellow actress Amy Robbins (her mother and McCartney were first cousins). She attended Wirral Grammar School for Girls in Bebington, Cheshire.
Robbins wrote the first theme tune to Surprise, Surprise and provided almost all of the female voices on the television show Spitting Image in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The 1986 Granada Television sketch show Kate & Ted's Show featured Kate, her brother Ted Robbins, and her sisters Amy Robbins, Jane Robbins, and Emma Robbins. Granada TV then commissioned The Kate Robbins Show in 1987
She participated in the 1989 Children's Royal Variety Performance on BBC TV, singing her own comic songs at the piano, and featured in the original series of Dead Ringers on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
Robbins also provided the English-language dubbing for Europeans, featured on the Channel 4 series Eurotrash and, in 2006, In 2007, Robbins was awarded an Honorary Bachelor of Arts degree from Bedfordshire University, for her lifetime contribution to the Performing Arts.
Robbins was amicably divorced from musician Keith Atack in 2008 after 19 years of marriage. Her three children are the actor and comedian Emily Atack, Martha Atack, and George Atack (born in '89,'91 and '92)
Robbins was one of the 'Grumpy Old Women' for three UK tours in 2014, 2015 & 2016 with comedian Jenny Eclair and actress Susie Blake. She toured the UK in the 80s musical 2018 as Consuela in 'Club Tropicana'
Robbins appeared in two episodes of the BBC Television comedy series 'dinnerladies' dinnerladies (1998), playing 'Babs,' a friend of 'Petula Gordino' played by Julie Walters. Robbins later appeared with the sitcom's writer Victoria Wood in the BBC TV special Victoria Wood: With All the Trimmings (2000). She recently appeared in season 3 ( three episodes) of Afterlife on Netflix as the fortune- telling author Penny Spencer-WrightOutside a pub in Soho- Actress
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Cleo Rocos was born on 24 July 1962 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is an actress and producer, known for Number One Gun (1990), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) and Highlander (1992).In Waitrose at John Lewis Oxford Street, pushing her tequila brand, c. 2013.- The name may not be familiar but the face surely would be. Ronan Vibert will be remembered as an incisive character actor who was noted for his television appearances on both sides of the Atlantic. The son of artists David Vibert and his wife Dilys (née Jackson), he was born in Cambridgeshire, but lived in Penarth, South Wales, until the age of 18. He was at one time the lead singer in a band. Graduating from RADA in 1985, Vibert moved to London where he made his theatrical debut that year. His appearances on the stage included The Snow Queen, Peer Gynt, Uncle Vanya and War and Peace, with various stints at the Manchester Royal Exchange, the Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre.
Strong facial features and an excellent speaking voice enabled this thespian to specialise in intense, dramatic roles, somewhat reminiscent of the late great Alan Rickman. Vibert was chillingly convincing at portraying snarling, malevolent upper crust villains: the demon Mephistopheles in Hex (2004), the boorish misogynist Giovanni Sforza in The Borgias (2011), the vicious landlord Sir Geoffrey Hawkes in Penny Dreadful (2014). His perpetual mean streak often resulted in his character receiving an appropriate comeuppance by the end. Vibert said in an interview "I always like to do projects that are different from the one before. Going from Renaissance Italy to 19th century West Virginia, within a few days, was a wild one". The latter referred to his role as Perry Cline, a secondary antagonist with a penchant for underage girls, in Hatfields & McCoys (2012).
Thus very much at home in period settings, Vibert essayed a rich gallery of colourful characters, from the timid mother's boy Wilmot (Jeeves and Wooster (1990)) to the 'Iron Duke' Lord Wellington (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)), from Simion the Wise (Dracula Untold (2014)) to the ill-fated politician Ritter Longbane (Carnival Row (2019)). After residing in London for most of his life, Vibert latterly relocated to Florida where he passed away 'after a brief illness' at the age of 58 on December 22 2022.At a pub concert in London, 2012. - Derek Malcolm was born on 12 May 1932 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He was married to Sarah Gristwood and Barbara M. Ibbott. He died on 15 July 2023 in Deal,England,UK.It was one evening in December 2009, I saw him waiting to cross the road at Highgate, while the traffic lights were being fixed. He was in his right of way to cross, but as he did so, the front car waiting suddenly lurched forward a tiny bit and back again. This understandably made the mild mannered film-critic somewhat perturbed, and he then vigorously stuck his fingers up at the driver and carried on.
- Judi Spiers was born on 15 March 1953 in Plymouth, Devon, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Governor (1995), Always and Everyone (1999) and Virtual Murder (1992). She is married to Richard Donald Hacker.Outside the Phoenix in Exeter
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Marcus began his comedy career at Bristol University where he performed stand up and character shows and soon won the BBC New Comedian of 1996. He has since emerged as a major comedy, writing and acting talent, performing in the UK and beyond and has become a regular voice on BBC Radio with an impressive list of TV and film credits.
The Edinburgh festival has been a regular haunt for Marcus, and has seen him receive a great deal of critical acclaim.
Radio 4 has become a second home for Marcus as he is rarely off the 18.30 slot in one form or another. He is the regular angry young man on The Now Show with Punt and Dennis. He has written and recorded three series of Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off (Series one - now available on BBC CD) and The Museum Of Everything with Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell. He plays the head of Unthinkable Solutions in Think The Unthinkable. Other recordings include Just a Minute, Newsquiz, The Today Program, and the wonderfully silly 99p Challenge. He played a starring role in the first series of 2000 Years Of Radio and also made Risking Everything, a serious investigation in to the world of insurance.
On the big screen he has appeared in Richard Curtis' movie Love Actually as a Radio DJ interviewing the wonderfully jaded Billy Mack (Bill Nighy). He went to Berlin with Kevin Spacey to film Beyond The Sea - the life story of Bobby Darin. In the forthcoming Piccadilly Jim Marcus appears with Sam Rockwell and Tom Wilkinson as 'man having sex under stairs', a small but vital role. He also played a desperately ambitious and tragically unable arts presenter in A Short Film About John Bolton, directed by Neil Gaiman - available now on DVD - for Ska Films.
Marcus now lives in South London, happily married to his university sweetheart, and may well be the proudest dad in the world. He is committed to non-violence and is an active campaigner for CND and 'Campaign Against Arms Trade'. He once had a #11 chart smash with DJ Dee-Kline's, Don't Smoke Da Reefa. Without wishing to scrape the barrel further it is worth saying that Marcus very briefly worked as a podium dancer, and also on an oil-rig in the North Sea (although not as a dancer). He is fanatical about snowboarding - so much so he has set up a stand up tour in the Alps - and adores music and movies. Marcus can be seen and heard in venues across the country delivering his award-winning stand up, on screens large and small and on Radio 4 more frequently than the shipping forecast.Walking down Queen Street in Exeter- Actor
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Leee John was born on 23 June 1957 in Hackney, London, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019), Flashback: The History of UK Black Music (2016) and Indigo Prophecy (2005).Sat next to him on the tube in about 2009.- Writer
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Mark Ravenhill was born on 7 June 1966 in Sussex, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Vicious (2013), Playhouse: Live (2010) and National Theatre Live: Nation (2010).Back in about 2013/4 I got eye contact with him when I was on the tube and he was on the platform waiting. He saw me recognise him and then purposefully got on the next carriage, saving me the embarrassment of quoting a memorable line from "Shopping & F***ing" at him.- Podcaster
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Mark Kermode's trademark intense, often frightening rants about various films which he likes or dislikes has earned him something of a 'cult' following in the UK. He began his career in film journalism and broadcasting in the 1980s after studying English at Manchester University, where he wrote his Ph.D thesis on horror fiction. After starting work as a van driver (he claims he was appointed as a film critic after he crashed the van), he began working for magazines such as City Life, Time Out and the NME and since then has also worked for The Independent, The Guardian, Vox, Empire, Flicks, Fangoria, and Neon among others.
In the early 1990s he moved into radio broadcasting, contributing to and presenting various programmes and shows on BBC radio networks. He also worked as film critic and presenter for Channel 4's 'Extreme Cinema' strand, introducing notorious films such as Crash (1996) and Man Bites Dog (1992), and he wrote and presented many documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC such as On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000), and Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film (2000), The Fear of God: 25 Years of 'The Exorcist' (1998) and The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection' (2000) etc.In Soho, 2008- Additional Crew
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Jimmy Carr is an award-winning comedian, writer and television host.
Among the most-respected and best-loved comedians working in Britain today, Jimmy is one of the biggest selling live acts in UK comedy, consistently performing to sell-out crowds across the country and around the world.
His television credits include hosting some of the UK's longest running panel shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and Big Fat Quiz Of Everything. Jimmy also hosts Roast Battle on Comedy Central in the UK and The Fix which airs on Netflix.
Jimmy has also regularly appeared on shows such as QI and A League Of Their Own, was one of the stars of Channel 4's 10 O'Clock Live and has been a guest on chat shows such as The Jonathan Ross Show, Graham Norton and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.
Jimmy has eight live DVD releases to his name: Live, Stand Up, Comedian, In Concert, Telling Jokes, Making People Laugh, Being Funny, Laughing & Joking and Funny Business. He has sold over 1.2 million copies to date. In 2015 Jimmy signed a stand-up special deal with US streaming behemoth Netflix, the first UK comedian to do so. Jimmy's Netflix special Funny Business was released in March 2016.
Jimmy's new Netflix special, The Best Of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits, will drop on March 12th 2019 and will be available to watch worldwide.Passed him on the street though can't actually remember whether it was London or Edinburgh...- Writer
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Amstell was born on 29 November 1979 and was raised in Gants Hill, London. The lively and determined chap made his first television appearance in 1993 when he appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 game show GamesMaster (1992-1998), which he unfortunately lost, but this did not falter him on his climb to fame, he went on appear on 'Good Morning with Anne and Nick (1992-1996)' doing an impression of Dame Edna Everage, and a 1994 episode of Family Catchphrase. In the latter, he described himself as a budding magician and showed one of his tricks to the presenter, Andrew O'Connor. Amstell and his family won a television and a video recorder.
Amstell started performing on the comedy circuit when he was just 13 and later caught the eye of television executives by becoming the youngest finalist of the BBC New Comedy Awards in 1998. His first professional television appearance was the same year, as a presenter on the UK children's channel Nickelodeon. He would later go on to co-host Popworld, with his quirky style of interviewing, he stirred controversy when discussing personal items with guests on the show.
Simon would later go on to become the second host of the comedic panel show 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996-2015)' replacing Mark Lamarr.Twice: 2009, In Edinburgh (looking really smug) and a few years later on City Road in London.- She broke into modeling at 17. invested her money wisely and co wrote a best selling book 'Money and How to Make it' While at school she had a Saturday job at a branch of Woolworths, Later she spent 10 years as a model then in 1979 did a Campari commercial which brought her to notice and appearances in such television shows as Blankety Blank, Celebrity Squares. Worzel Gummidge and such sit coms as Lame Ducks, and The Other Half and cameos in Casualty. The Bill an Lock, Stock as Barbie. She lived with advertising director john Knight for10 yearsPassed her on the street in Edinburgh
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Janine Drzewicki was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe to an English mother and a Polish father. She attended school in Nottingham and later moved to London to train as an actress at the E 15 theatre school. Shortly after leaving she was given a couple of small roles in television dramas but had no agent, and placed an advert in the 'Spotlight' agency catalogue with a photograph. As a result she was approached by the BBC to test for a play about incest, entitled Diane (1975). Although she was in her early 20s the part was that of a 13-year-old girl but her audition was sufficiently convincing to win her the role. The door thus opened to her for more TV and stage roles and, whilst she was appearing in 'Don Juan' at Hampstead Theatre, London, she was spotted by Mike Leigh who offered her the part of Angie in the stage production of Abigail's Party (1977), which she repeated in the television version. A familiar face in television comedy series, she has nonetheless been given very little of note in the cinema, playing typically small roles as mad women in Dracula (1979) and The Madness of King George (1994). Married to the actor Paul Bentall, she has two sons and two daughters, one being the actress Ruby Bentall, and lives in London.At the Tate Modern in London, and for some reason I remember the exact date: 22 May 2000.- Terry Waite was born on 31 May 1939 in Bollington, Cheshire, England, UK.Charing Cross Station, c. 2011
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Dr Iain Stewart is a Scottish geologist who graduated from Stathclyde University in Scotland, in 1986 with a degree in geology and geography. He followed this with a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy which is a higher research degree) on Mediterranean earthquakes at the University of Bristol in England, submitted in 1990.
After some time as a teacher at Brunel University, he moved to the Centre for Geosciences at Glasgow University in 2002 and began pitching an idea about a television series on Geology. The following year, he began working with the BBC on the Rough Science programme, and on two Horizon specials - Helike: The Real Atlantis and Earthquake Storms.
Since 2004, he has been a Lecturer at the University of Plymouth and continues to broadcast on geology.At Exeter St Davids Station, c. 2017.- Actor
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Nigel Planer was born in London and educated at the prestigious Westminster School. He then went to Sussex University to study African and Asian Studies. However, he left after a year and decided to pursue his love of theatre. He trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Planer performed at The Comedy Store in a double-act with Peter Richardson, which led to him becoming known to television audiences as Neil in The Young Ones (1982), the dim, unclean but lovable hippie with a fondness for Hawkwind, Marillion and Steve Hillage. The role's popularity even led to Planer releasing a cover of Traffic's 1967 single "Hole In My Shoe" in character as Neil. His cover, released in July 1984, reached number two on the UK singles chart and led to Planer making appearances on Top of the Pops (1964) and Australia's Countdown (1974). Planer also recorded an album called "Neil's Heavy Concept Album", although this failed to chart. In November 1984, Planer even made an appearance as Neil at the recording of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", where he was able to perform an impromptu acoustic version of "Rocking All Over The World" with Rick Parfitt and address Phil Collins as "Joan", which was captured by cameras recording behind-the-scenes footage for a documentary.
Since the 1980s, Planer has established himself as one of Britain's most sought-after comedy and character actors. In 1985, he appeared in Terry Gilliam's acclaimed and influential science-fiction film Brazil (1985). His other appearances have included Shine on Harvey Moon (1982), various roles in The Comic Strip Presents (1982), Filthy Rich & Catflap (1987), Blackadder the Third (1987) and starring as the title role of Nicholas Craig, the Naked Actor (1990). Planer has also been a successful theatre actor. He has been nominated for Olivier, Theatrical Management Association, What's On Stage and BAFTA awards.London Bridge area, c. 2013- Actress
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Samira Ahmed was born on 15 June 1968 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Nebula-75 (2020), Unforgotten (2015) and Heart's Ease (2018).Twice in London: On the train to New Malden and passed her on the street Bloomsbury way, probably within the space of a year, c. 2013.