Birthdays
1599 - Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. Van Dyck worked in London for some months in 1621, then returned to Flanders briefly, before travelling to Italy, where he stayed until 1627. In the late 1620s he completed his greatly admired Iconography series of portrait etchings. In 1632 he returned to London to be the main court painter, at the request of Charles I of England. With the exception of Holbein, van Dyck and Diego Velázquez were the first painters to work mainly as court portraitists, revolutionising the genre. He is best known for his portraits of the aristocracy, most notably Charles I, his family and associates. Van Dyck became the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. He also painted mythological and biblical subjects, including altarpieces,and was an important innovator in watercolour and etching. The Van Dyke beard is named after him. Charles I granted him a knighthood, and he was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
1887 - Chico Marx (born Leonard Joseph Marx), American Comedian, Musician, Actor and Film star. He was a member of the Marx Brothers (with Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx). His persona in the act was that of a charming, uneducated but crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat. On screen, Chico is often in alliance with Harpo, usually as partners in crime, and is also frequently seen trying to con or outfox Groucho. He was the oldest of the Marx Brothers to live past early childhood (first-born Manfred Marx died in infancy). Chico Marx playing piano. 10 films. Complete. Uploaded by FairDealDan. Accessed March 22, 2018.
1923 - Marcel Marceau, French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona as "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence" and he performed professionally worldwide for over 60 years. As a youth, he lived in hiding and worked with the French Resistance during most of World War II, giving his first major performance to 3,000 troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. Following the war, he studied dramatic art and mime in Paris. Marceau established his own pantomime school in Paris, and set up the Marceau Foundation to promote the art in the U.S. Among his various awards and honours he was made "Grand Officier de la Légion d'Honneur" and was awarded the National Order of Merit in France. He won the Emmy Award for his work on television, was elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and was declared a "National treasure" in Japan.
1930 - Stephen Sondheim, American songwriter/lyricist and composer, known for his work in musical theater. He's considered one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater. His best-known works as composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. He is also known for writing the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. Sondheim has received an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer, including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and more.
1931 - William Shatner, Canadian actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer. He became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk, being a part of Star Trek, and life after Star Trek. Shatner has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe, and a series of science fiction novels called TekWar, that were adapted for television. Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986) and hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), which won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Dramatic Series. Among others, he starred as attorney Denny Crane both in the final season of the legal drama The Practice and in its spinoff series Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards. Shatner has also pursued a career in music and spoken word recordings since the late 1960s, having released eight albums.
1943 - George Washington Benson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing jazz guitar, and soul jazz with Jack McDuff and others. He then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop, R&B singing, and scat singing. His album Breezin' was certified triple-platinum, hitting no. 1 on the Billboard album chart in 1976. Benson has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1948 - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber, English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. Multi-awarded, including a knighthood, several of Andrew Lloyd Webber's songs have been widely recorded and were hits, "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and "Memory" from Cats.
1976 - Laura Jeanne Reece Witherspoon, American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world as of 2019. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019. Her breakthrough came in 1999 with a supporting role in Cruel Intentions, and for her portrayal of Tracy Flick in the black comedy Election. Other wider recognition followed with critical acclaim including her starring role in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama. Her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the biographical musical film Walk the Line, won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Witherspoon has since begun work in television, by producing and starring in the HBO drama series.
Lefties:
None known
Featuring the music of two great composers of musicals: Stephen Sondheim (1930) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948):
Judi Dench - The Definitive "Send in the Clowns - South Bank Show 1995. The video features Dame Judi Dench on the South Bank Show in 1995, which centers around her appearance in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Its a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. The profile ends with this performance of the ever popular "Send In The Clowns."
Phantom of the Opera Live - 1988 Tony Awards. The Phantom of the Opera musical is composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart, with additions from Richard Stilgoe. It is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Its central plot revolves around Christine, a beautiful soprano, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Palais Garnier.
1457 - The Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book, is published. It is named after the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg.
1834 - Horace Greeley and Jonas Winchester establish a weekly literary and new journal, the New Yorker.
1895 - Louis Lumiere, a French industrial chemist, and his brother Auguste show their first motion picture to an invited audience.
1956 - Martin Luther King, American civil rights leader, is convicted of organizing a boycott of buses in Alabama after a black woman was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white woman.
1965 - The U.S. Government confirms its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong in the Vietnam War.
1977 - Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, resigns after her defeat in the elections two days earlier. She is succeeded by Moraji Desai, leader of the Janata Party.
1979 - Sir Richard Sykes, British Ambassador to the Netherlands, is assassinated. Police later find the IRA responsible.
1979 - The Israeli Parliament approves a peace treaty with Egypt.
1993 - Intel introduces the Pentium processor #80586.
Resources:
1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timestables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
© June 2007. Updated March 22, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
Judi Dench - The Definitive "Send in the Clowns - South Bank Show 1995. The video features Dame Judi Dench on the South Bank Show in 1995, which centers around her appearance in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Its a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. The profile ends with this performance of the ever popular "Send In The Clowns."
Phantom of the Opera Live - 1988 Tony Awards. The Phantom of the Opera musical is composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart, with additions from Richard Stilgoe. It is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Its central plot revolves around Christine, a beautiful soprano, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Palais Garnier.
Historical Events
1457 - The Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book, is published. It is named after the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg.
1834 - Horace Greeley and Jonas Winchester establish a weekly literary and new journal, the New Yorker.
1895 - Louis Lumiere, a French industrial chemist, and his brother Auguste show their first motion picture to an invited audience.
1956 - Martin Luther King, American civil rights leader, is convicted of organizing a boycott of buses in Alabama after a black woman was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white woman.
1965 - The U.S. Government confirms its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong in the Vietnam War.
1977 - Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, resigns after her defeat in the elections two days earlier. She is succeeded by Moraji Desai, leader of the Janata Party.
1979 - Sir Richard Sykes, British Ambassador to the Netherlands, is assassinated. Police later find the IRA responsible.
1979 - The Israeli Parliament approves a peace treaty with Egypt.
1993 - Intel introduces the Pentium processor #80586.
Resources:
1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timestables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
© June 2007. Updated March 22, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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