Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hollywood Celebrities: Basic Things You've Always Wanted to Know, Volume I

Hollywood Celebrities book cover imageI’ve always been curious about the biographical details of some Hollywood celebrities, and it occurred to me that others might be, too. People in general are curious to know the personal details of celebrities, but this is especially true when it comes to Hollywood celebrities. Many people want to know about the education and family details of Hollywood celebrities, what they were doing before they became fi lm stars, and so on.

During my research on Hollywood celebrities, I found not even one book that provides basic information about the current crop of top Hollywood celebrities, so I thought it would be fun to write such a book. As there are many actors currently active in the film industry, I concluded that it would be a good idea to feature them in two or three volumes. This book, then, is the first in a series.

Drawing caricatures and cartoons has been my passion since childhood. When I was a student, I used to doodle caricatures of many of my teachers while they were busy giving lectures, especially if those lectures were not terribly interesting! Later, I drew caricatures of political figures and syndicated them
to many newspapers in the US. Now I am using this self-taught skill to illustrate the faces of the sixty Hollywood celebrities featured in this book.

I will be gratified if the people who read this book are interested in the details it provides and are pleased with the caricatures of their favorite celebrities.

Throughout the book, I refer to both men and women as “actors.” This is the term preferred by those in the profession.

[caption id="attachment_48" align="alignright" width="185" caption="Adam Sandler"]Caricature image of Adam Sandler[/caption]Adam Sandler
Name at birth: Adam Richard Sandler
Nickname: Sandman
Born: September 9, 1966
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Height: 5’10” (1.78 m.)
Education
Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts (BFA) from New York University, New York, in 1991.

Family
Father Stanley Sandler was an electrical engineer, and mother Judy Sandler was a nursery school teacher. Brother Scott is a lawyer, sister Elizabeth is a dentist, and sister Valerie is a restaurateur.

Married actor Jacqueline Samantha Titone on June 22, 2003; they have two daughters, Sadie Madison Sandler (born 2006) and Sunny Madeline Sandler
(born 2008).

Awards
Nominated for a Golden Globe in 2002 for Best Actor for Punch-Drunk Love. Earned first Grammy nomination for his 1999 comedy album Stan and Judy’s Kid.

Factoids
Grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire. Loves wrestling and basketball. Played basketball on Manchester Central High School’s junior varsity team.

[caption id="attachment_50" align="alignleft" width="182" caption="Angelina Jolie"]caricature of Angelina Jolie[/caption]Angelina Jolie
Name at birth: Angelina Jolie Voight
Nicknames: Angie, Catwoman, Ange, AJ
Born: June 4, 1975
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 5’8” (1.73 m.)
Education
Attended New York University and majored in filmmaking

Family
Father Jon Voight is an Academy Award®-winning actor, and mother Marcheline Bertrand, who died from ovarian cancer in January 2007, was an actor. Father is of Czechoslovak and German descent, and mother was French Canadian. Has one brother, James Haven.

Married British actor Jonny Lee Miller on March 28, 1996, and divorced in February 1999. Married American actor Billy Bob Thornton on May 5, 2000, and divorced in May 2003.

Actor Brad Pitt has been Jolie’s domestic partner since 2005. They have three biological children: daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (born 2006) and twins Knox Leon, a son, and Vivienne Marcheline, a daughter (born 2008). They have also three adopted children: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt (born 2001 in Cambodia), Pax Th ien Jolie-Pitt (born 2003 in Vietnam), and Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt
(born 2005 in Ethiopia).

Awards
Won Academy Award in 2000 for Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted Won three consecutive Golden Globe Awards in three diff erent categories: in 1998 for Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series for George Wallace, in 1999 for Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for Gia, and in 2000 for Best
Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Girl, Interrupted.

Factoids
Grew up in Los Angeles. When a child, she wanted to become a funeral director. Is a licensed pilot and owns a Cirrus SR22 airplane.

[caption id="attachment_51" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Ashton Kutcher"]Caricature of Ashton Kutcher[/caption]Ashton Kutcher
Name at birth: Christopher Ashton Kutcher
Nicknames: Ash; Kutch
Born: February 7, 1978
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States.
Height: 6’2½” (1.89 m.)
Education
Attended the University of Iowa, majoring in biochemical engineering but dropped out before graduation to pursue modeling.

Family
Father Larry Kutcher worked at a General Mills factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and mother Diane Portwood was an employee of Procter & Gamble. Has a fraternal twin, Michael, and an older sister, Tausha. Married actor Demi Moore, who fi fteen years older than he, on September 24, 2005.

Awards
Garnered nomination in 2000 for Las Vegas Film Critics Society Sierra Award for Best Male Newcomer for Dude, Where’s My Car? Nominated in 2001 for MTV Movie Awards for Breakthrough Male Performance for Dude, Where’s
My Car?

Factoids
Worked various odd jobs, including carpentry, and other jobs relating to farm life.
Was a wrestler in high school.

[caption id="attachment_52" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Ben Affleck"]Caricature of Ben Affleck[/caption]Ben Affleck
Name at birth: Benjamin Géza Affl eck-Boldt
Born: August 15, 1972
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States
Height: 6’2½” (1.89 m.)
Education
Attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and the University of Vermont.

Family
Father Timothy Affleck was a counselor, social worker, and actor. Mother Chris Affleck attended Harvard University and was a teacher in Cambridge Public Schools. His younger brother, Casey Affleck, is an actor. Married Jennifer Garner in June 2005, and they have two daughters, Violet (born December 2005)
and Seraphina (born 2009).

Awards
Along with Matt Damon, won an Academy Award in 1997 Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. Also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay for the same movie. Awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor (for his role in Hollywoodland) at the Venice Film Festival in 2006.

Factoids
Grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Keen poker player; won the California State Poker Championship in June 2004. Speaks Spanish and French.

[caption id="attachment_53" align="alignright" width="176" caption="Brad Pitt"]Caricature of Brad Pitt[/caption]Brad Pitt
Name at birth: William Bradley Pitt
Born: December 18, 1963
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
Height: 5’11” (1.80 m.)
Education
Attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, majoring in journalism. Dropped out just before graduation to move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

Family
Father William Alvin Pitt was a truck company owner, and mother Jane Etta was a high school counselor. Has two younger siblings: brother Doug and sister Julie Neal.

Married actor Jennifer Aniston on July 29, 2000, and divorced in October 2005.
Angelina Jolie has been his domestic partner since 2005. They have three biological children:
daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (born 2006)
and twins: son Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne
Marcheline (born 2008). Th ey also have three
adopted children: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt (born
2001 in Cambodia), Pax Th ien Jolie-Pitt (born
2003 in Vietnam), and Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt
(born 2005 in Ethiopia).

Awards
Received Academy Award nominations in 1996 for Best Supporting Actor for 12 Monkeys and in 2009 for Best Actor for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Won a Golden Globe Award in 1996 for Best Supporting Actor in 12 Monkeys. Also received Golden Globe Award nominations in 1995 for Best Actor for Legends of the Fall and in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor for Babel.

Factoids
Grew up in Springfi eld, Missouri.
First job was dancing in a chicken suit to draw in
customers at an El Pollo Loco restaurant on Sunset
Blvd. in Hollywood. Also worked as a chauffeur in Los Angeles. Is a licensed pilot; flies a Cessna 208B Caravan.

[caption id="attachment_55" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Bruce Willis"]Caricature of Bruce Willis[/caption] Bruce Willis
Name at birth: Walter Bruce Willis
Nickname: Bruno
Born: March 19, 1955
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
Height: 5’11¾” (1.82 m.)
Education
Attended Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, majoring in drama. Dropped out in his junior year to pursue a career in acting.

Family
Father David Willis was an American soldier. Mother Marlene was a German national who worked in a bank.

Has three younger siblings:
Florence, David, and Robert. David Willis is vice president of Willis’ production company. Robert Willis died of pancreatic cancer at age 42 in June 2001.

Married actor Demi Moore on November 21, 1987, and divorced in October 2000. The couple had three daughters: Rumer Willis (born 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (born 1991), and Tallulah Belle Willis (born 1994). Married fashion model and actor Emma Heming on March 21, 2009.

Awards
Nominated for Golden Globe Award in 1990 for Best Supporting Actor for In Country. Won Emmy Award in 2000 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends. Also received an American Comedy Award nomination in 2001 for his role in Friends. Received People’s Choice Awards in 1986 and 2000.

Factoids
Worked as a security guard at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, New Jersey; as a bartender in New York City restaurants Chelsea Central and Cafe Central and the nightclub Kamikaze; and as a private
investigator. Stuttered as a child, but overcame it after he started performing on stage. Played harmonica for an R&B band called Loose Goose.

[caption id="attachment_101" align="alignleft" width="181" caption="Tom Cruise"]caricature of Tom Cruise[/caption]Name: Tom Cruise
Born: July 3, 1962 (Syracuse, New York, U.S.A);
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Education:
Graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey in June 1980; Studied drama at Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, New York

Family:
Married: Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987; Nicole Kidman on December 24, 1990; and Katie Holmes on November 18, 2006.

Awards:
Received three Academy Award nominations: for Best Actor in 1991 in Born on Fourth of July; and in 1997 in Jerry Maguire; and for Best Supporting Actor in 2000 in Magnolia

Factoids:
* Grew up in Ottawa (Canada); Louisville (Kentucky); Winnetka (Illinois); and Wayne (New Jersey). Attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada before he turned 14
* Attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati (on a church scholarship) for one year and aspired to become a Catholic priest

SATI'S LINKS:
www.satiachath.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq-vd3J5iis

Sati's Performance at America's Got Talent 2008-Hand Shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbvwr1Oxhus

Purchase Hollywood Celebrities: Basic Things You've Always Wanted to Know, Volume I:
https://www.createspace.com/3753391

1 comment:

  1. You do realize we can get this same information from Wikipedia, right?

    ReplyDelete