New Chalcedon
10-04-2009, 01:00
I got bored, and decided to put up this poll.
Your options include Sarah Bernhardt, Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Siddons, Marlene Dietrich, Nicole Kidman, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor. Short excerpts of their lives follow.
Sarah Bernhardt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt) (1844-1923) was a French stage actress, as well as a silent film pioneer. Among her many achievements, Bernhardt was known for her ability to perform flawlessly even after losing her right leg (making critically-acclaimed silent films and sound recordings through to her final illness), enjoying several of her most notable triumphs in later life (she performed as Cleopatra when she was fifty-five) due to the flawless qualities of her voice, and was known by admirers and detractors alike as "The Divine Sarah".
Marilyn Monroe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe) (1926-62) was an American actress, singer and model. After a long attempt to break-in to serious roles (a lifelong ambition), she finally succeeded in Bus Stop, in which she was acclaimed as one of the "great talents of all time" by her director, who praised her abilities until the day he died. Her next role, The Prince and the Showgirl, was similarly successful, and her fame was then established. Her refusal to abandon her lover, Arthur Miller, following his appearance before the HUAC in 1956, earned her the admiration of many for her courage. In 1958, she starred in The Seven-Year Itch (another star-making performance), and then in Some Like It Hot and finally The Misfits. She died in mysterious circumstances in 1962, which have continued to spawn conspiracy theories.
Sarah Siddons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Siddons) (1755-1831) was a British stage actress and the best-known tradegienne of her time. Best known for making the character of Lady MacBeth her own, she escaped poverty and insignificance, persisting until she found the role that was hers, and ruled Drury Lane for twenty years as the pre-eminent actress of her time. Eventually, at the age of fifty-seven, she made her farewell appearance on the stage, drawing such emotion from the crowd that they would not let the play continue from Lady MacBeth's sleepwalking scene until she had delivered a personal speech. She was also known for her portrayals of Queen Catherine and Desdemona, as well as Ophelia and Rosalind.
Marlene Dietrich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich) (1901-92) was a German-American actress who worked both on stage and in film. Her first major role was as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, frequently considered the defining film of the Weimar era of Germany. She then moved to the United States, starring in a string of films in the early 1930s, including Morocco, Shanghai Express, The Scarlet Empress and A Foreign Affair. Despite having been approached by Nazi agents to return to Germany, she refused and became a US citizen in 1939. She was also known as a recording singer and a cabaret singer, with a world-famous voice.
Nicole Kidman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman) (1967- ) is an American-Australian actress, whose breakthrough was her role as Rae Ingram in the 1989 film Dead Calm. She first appeared on the international scene in 1995, with her role as Suzanne Stone in To Die For, following up by starring as Satine in Moulon Rouge! and Virginia Woolf in Hours, in which she was considered to be the high-point of an otherwise gloomy and self-important film. She is the most highly-paid actress in modern history, and is also known for her charity work for children around the world.
Katharine Hepburn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn) (1907-2003) was an American actress (unrelated to Audrey Hepburn), most famous for her roles as Rose Sayer in The African Queen and pioneering social awareness of inter-racial marriage as Christina Drayton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. One of her better-received roles was as Eula Goodnight in Rooster Cogburn, although it was a middling reception compared to the acclaim she won as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter. She holds, to this day, the record of Oscar wins for Best Actress in films.
Bette Davis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis) (1908-89) was an American actress, who played in film, television and theater roles. She acted in over 100 films and shows, including her notable performances as Mary Dwight Strauber in Marked Woman, as Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage and as Julie Marsden in Jezebel, among many, many others, becoming known as "the fifth Warner Brother". During World War Two, her performances sold $2 million in war bonds in two days, and she appeared as the only white actress in a troupe arranged by Hattie Daniels who was willing to perform for black servicemen. During the war, she also ran the Hollywood Canteen, which was a servicemen-oriented bar at which there were always a few stars to perform for the crowds. In 1950, she revived her flagging career by playing Margo Channing in All About Eve, to outstanding reviews, winning for her work an Academy Award nomination, a Cannes Award for Best Actress and a New York Film Critics Circle Award, all at once. Her final Academy Award nomination was received for her role as Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? She continued to act into the late 1980s, eventually retiring in 1987 after completing The Whales of August. She died in 1989.
Elizabeth Taylor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor) (1932- ) is an American actress often regarded as a larger-than-life character. She was one of the first child stars of Hollywood, and her first role was as Priscilla in Lassie Come Home, the groundbreaking first movie of the Lassie series. She went on to star in a successful series of films as a child star (including another Lassie film), before making the transition to adult acting in 1949 with Conspirator which earned her critical acclaim, despite its box-office flop. Her pivotal role as Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun in 1951 cemented her successful transition to adult roles: Taylor was universally acclaimed for her acting in the film, which was a great success. In 1963, Taylor became the highest-paid actress in US history to that point after accepting $1 million for the title role in the hugely-acclaimed Cleopatra, and dominated the silver screen throughout the 1960s. Since her retirement from film, Taylor has remained active, acting on stage and in made-for-TV films, including Divorce His, Divorce Hers and Malice in Wonderland. In 2007, during the height of the Writers' Guild Strike, Taylor appeared in a once-off charity performance of Love Letters, which raised over $1 million for AIDS beneficiaries. Rather than risking picketing, Taylore requested - and received - a one-night dispensation from the Writers' Guild for the performance.
Your options include Sarah Bernhardt, Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Siddons, Marlene Dietrich, Nicole Kidman, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor. Short excerpts of their lives follow.
Sarah Bernhardt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt) (1844-1923) was a French stage actress, as well as a silent film pioneer. Among her many achievements, Bernhardt was known for her ability to perform flawlessly even after losing her right leg (making critically-acclaimed silent films and sound recordings through to her final illness), enjoying several of her most notable triumphs in later life (she performed as Cleopatra when she was fifty-five) due to the flawless qualities of her voice, and was known by admirers and detractors alike as "The Divine Sarah".
Marilyn Monroe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe) (1926-62) was an American actress, singer and model. After a long attempt to break-in to serious roles (a lifelong ambition), she finally succeeded in Bus Stop, in which she was acclaimed as one of the "great talents of all time" by her director, who praised her abilities until the day he died. Her next role, The Prince and the Showgirl, was similarly successful, and her fame was then established. Her refusal to abandon her lover, Arthur Miller, following his appearance before the HUAC in 1956, earned her the admiration of many for her courage. In 1958, she starred in The Seven-Year Itch (another star-making performance), and then in Some Like It Hot and finally The Misfits. She died in mysterious circumstances in 1962, which have continued to spawn conspiracy theories.
Sarah Siddons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Siddons) (1755-1831) was a British stage actress and the best-known tradegienne of her time. Best known for making the character of Lady MacBeth her own, she escaped poverty and insignificance, persisting until she found the role that was hers, and ruled Drury Lane for twenty years as the pre-eminent actress of her time. Eventually, at the age of fifty-seven, she made her farewell appearance on the stage, drawing such emotion from the crowd that they would not let the play continue from Lady MacBeth's sleepwalking scene until she had delivered a personal speech. She was also known for her portrayals of Queen Catherine and Desdemona, as well as Ophelia and Rosalind.
Marlene Dietrich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich) (1901-92) was a German-American actress who worked both on stage and in film. Her first major role was as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, frequently considered the defining film of the Weimar era of Germany. She then moved to the United States, starring in a string of films in the early 1930s, including Morocco, Shanghai Express, The Scarlet Empress and A Foreign Affair. Despite having been approached by Nazi agents to return to Germany, she refused and became a US citizen in 1939. She was also known as a recording singer and a cabaret singer, with a world-famous voice.
Nicole Kidman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman) (1967- ) is an American-Australian actress, whose breakthrough was her role as Rae Ingram in the 1989 film Dead Calm. She first appeared on the international scene in 1995, with her role as Suzanne Stone in To Die For, following up by starring as Satine in Moulon Rouge! and Virginia Woolf in Hours, in which she was considered to be the high-point of an otherwise gloomy and self-important film. She is the most highly-paid actress in modern history, and is also known for her charity work for children around the world.
Katharine Hepburn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn) (1907-2003) was an American actress (unrelated to Audrey Hepburn), most famous for her roles as Rose Sayer in The African Queen and pioneering social awareness of inter-racial marriage as Christina Drayton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. One of her better-received roles was as Eula Goodnight in Rooster Cogburn, although it was a middling reception compared to the acclaim she won as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter. She holds, to this day, the record of Oscar wins for Best Actress in films.
Bette Davis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis) (1908-89) was an American actress, who played in film, television and theater roles. She acted in over 100 films and shows, including her notable performances as Mary Dwight Strauber in Marked Woman, as Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage and as Julie Marsden in Jezebel, among many, many others, becoming known as "the fifth Warner Brother". During World War Two, her performances sold $2 million in war bonds in two days, and she appeared as the only white actress in a troupe arranged by Hattie Daniels who was willing to perform for black servicemen. During the war, she also ran the Hollywood Canteen, which was a servicemen-oriented bar at which there were always a few stars to perform for the crowds. In 1950, she revived her flagging career by playing Margo Channing in All About Eve, to outstanding reviews, winning for her work an Academy Award nomination, a Cannes Award for Best Actress and a New York Film Critics Circle Award, all at once. Her final Academy Award nomination was received for her role as Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? She continued to act into the late 1980s, eventually retiring in 1987 after completing The Whales of August. She died in 1989.
Elizabeth Taylor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor) (1932- ) is an American actress often regarded as a larger-than-life character. She was one of the first child stars of Hollywood, and her first role was as Priscilla in Lassie Come Home, the groundbreaking first movie of the Lassie series. She went on to star in a successful series of films as a child star (including another Lassie film), before making the transition to adult acting in 1949 with Conspirator which earned her critical acclaim, despite its box-office flop. Her pivotal role as Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun in 1951 cemented her successful transition to adult roles: Taylor was universally acclaimed for her acting in the film, which was a great success. In 1963, Taylor became the highest-paid actress in US history to that point after accepting $1 million for the title role in the hugely-acclaimed Cleopatra, and dominated the silver screen throughout the 1960s. Since her retirement from film, Taylor has remained active, acting on stage and in made-for-TV films, including Divorce His, Divorce Hers and Malice in Wonderland. In 2007, during the height of the Writers' Guild Strike, Taylor appeared in a once-off charity performance of Love Letters, which raised over $1 million for AIDS beneficiaries. Rather than risking picketing, Taylore requested - and received - a one-night dispensation from the Writers' Guild for the performance.