Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is an American actress and film director with Israel citizenship.

Early life

Natalie Portman was born June 9, 1981 in Jerusalem. When Natalie was three years old, her family moved to the United States. From early childhood Natalie did figure skating and choreography, and when Natalie was 8 she became a vegetarian.

Career

Natalie’s Portman first movie, which brought a popularity to the actress, was “Leon: The Professional” by a great filmmaker Luc Besson.

In May 1999 filmmaker George Lucas released the film “Star Wars. Episode I. The Phantom Menace “, where Natalie Portman had a major role.

While she was shooting in the trilogy Natalie also was studying at Harvard and graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology. Apart from her native Hebrew language, Natalie speaks  English, studies French, German, Japanese and Arabic.

In 2010, Portman played a ballerina in Darren Aronofsky’s film “Black Swan“. To prepare for this special role she trained 5-8 hours each day during six months! 

She received the Oscar as “The Best Actress”:

Personal life

At this moment Natalie has a son from Benjamin Millepied, the couple met in the filming of “Black Swan”. They got married recently.

Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt is well-known Austrian artist, one of the most outstanding modernists. The main subject of his paintings is a female body, and most of his work are marked by a frank eroticism.

Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna in Austria-Hungary.

Works

His early work consisted mainly of large murals for theaters and were written in a naturalistic style.

In 1897, Klimt became one of the founders and president of the Vienna Secession.

In 1894, Klimt was asked to paint the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna. His work was very criticized and even called “pornographic”.

“Golden Age” of Klimt’s painting, which had a positive reaction was the most successful one. This age called “golden”, because of the painter’s special works of those years.

His works have own unrepeatable style and gracefulness, they attract the viewer and it is unbelievable!

Gustav Klimt’s all-know brilliant work is “The Kiss” with its flat, unshaded surfaces, bright mosaic colors and shape. 

Enjoy it!

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor went down in the history as the most scandalous actress in Hollywood! A large number of love affairs, eight marriages, scandals on the set, alcohol and drug use – this is what made the actress so much popular among society pages. But despite all she was one of the most outstanding actresses of all time.

Elizabeth Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in a family of American actors.

Early life

She began filming in 1942. Her first role was in the classic movie “National Velvet“.

Taylor had a chance to play the role of Cleopatra in the historical film for unprecedented at that time fee of one million dollars.

She received two Oscars for the roles in movie “BUtterfield 8” and in the psychological drama “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.

In 1999, the American Film Institute placed Elizabeth Taylor in seventh position in the list of the greatest movie stars.

Health problems

Elizabeth Taylor had many serious health problems.Taylor was hospitalized more than 70 times. In 1997 she had a brain tumor removed. Taylor admitted to the hospital with lung disease, cardiac dysrhythmia and this is not a full list of problems the actress had.

Death

From February 13th, 2011, Elizabeth was under permanent clinical supervision of doctors. Despite the doctors’ efforts to save her life, “Queen of Hollywood” died of congestive heart failure. The actress was 79 years old.

Adriano Celentano

I am going to dedicate my today’s post to Italian singer, composer, comedian, actor, film director and TV host Adriano Celentano.

Celentano is one of the most successful and influential artists in the history of Italian music!

Adriano Celentano was born  on January 6th, 1938 in Milan, Italy.

Career

Adriano was 12 year old when he started working as an apprentice. And who knows, he would probably continueв  this profession unless he would perform with a parody in a community theatre.

1966 was a turning point in Celentano’s work. His song “The boy from Gluck street” became so popular that even has been translated into 22 languages, more than 4 months was in the top of Italian charts.

Adriano has released forty albums, three live albums, and eight compilations.

In addition to musical career, Celentano shoots in the cinema. In the 70s, he often appeared in films and made his own ones. He starred in forty movies. One of which is a popular movie by Federico Fellini “La Dolce Vita“.

At this moment Adriano Celentano lives 100 km away from Milan, in the villa with his wife Claudia and repairs the watches as he dreamed about it in the childhood.

William Shakespeare

“To be or not to be…” (Hamlet) William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare- English poet and playwright, the greatest English-language writer and one of the best playwrights of the world.

Shakespeare was born in 1564 and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon.

When William was 18, he married pregnant Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older By marriage, the young couple were saved from disgrace and punishment.

The most well-known writer’s work is “Romeo and Juliet“- beautiful tragic story of two young people’s deep love.

In 1599 there was another significant event in Shakespeare’s life- the opening of the theater “Globe”, where he was an actor, playwright and one of the main owners. After awhile people saw the release of the famous “Hamlet“, “Othello,” “King Lear” and “Macbeth“.

Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson – American singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer and actor. The most successful artist in the history of pop music.

25 times inscribed on the Guinness Book of Records, the number of Jackson’s sold records sold more than 750 million copies!

Early life

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in city Gary, Indiana.

There were 10 children in his family. His father founded a group «The Jackson 5″, which included five of them.

Career

Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” went down in history as the biggest selling album in the world.

Jackson’s peak of popularity came in the mid-1980s. At a concert in 1983, Michael Jackson made his famous “moonwalk” at the first time.

During his life Michel Jackson made a large number of plastic surgery starting from nose and finishing with changing of skin color.

Death

On June 25, 2009, Jackson died while in his bed at his rented mansion.Jackson’s death was a global grief spread all over the world.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston – American pop, soul- and rhythm, blues singer, actress, producer and model. One of the most commercially successful singers in the history of world music!

She was born on August 9, 1963 in East Orange (NJ, USA).

She became a superstar after the 1992 world wide screen movie “The Bodyguard“, where she played a major role. And we all know one of the popular, deep and touching song, which was introduced in this movie.

“I will always love you”.

The first Whitney’s album, which was released in 1985 and called “Whitney Houston“, immediately brought her huge popularity – it had sold 13 million copies. She had a large number of albums afterwards: “Whitney“, “My Love Is Your Love” “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and many others.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Houston is the most awarded female artist of all time.

In spite of the fact that in the 1980s and early 1990s, Houston was a good example for everybody, by the end of the 1990s, it has significantly changed. She had a deal with drug use, was always late and canceled her concerts.

On February 12th 2012 Huston was found dead in a hotel room.

Ernest Hemingway

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another”  (Ernest Hemingway)

Ernest Hemingway – the famous American writer, journalist, Nobel Prize laureate.

The writer was born in 1899, in a suburb of Chicago – Oak Park, United States.

Career

The first real success came to Hemingway in 1926, after the publication of “The Sun Also Rises“- the brilliant novel illustrating “lost generation” of French and Spanish immigrants of the 1920s.

Hу was portrayed in Woody Allen‘s movie “Midnight in Paris“:

The writer took an active part in the struggle against fascism. In the midst of the war, he visited Spain four times. He organized the delivery ambulances to the republican army, and supported the republican government in the press.

Being always in the center of news, as a correspondent, a direct participant and as a writer, Hemingway wrote about all events in his works. The popularity of his works is based on such topics like war, love and lose. The famous writer’s works are “Winner takes nothing“, “To have and have not“, “For Whom the Bell Tolls“, “The old man and the sea” and many other.

His distinctive, precise, laconic style and great works he did made him one of the most famous writer of 20th century.

Last years

Hemingway suffered from a number of serious diseases, including hypertension and diabetes. He also had the deep depressions, which he tried unsuccessfully treated in specialized clinics.

July 2, 1961 at his home in Ketchum, a few days after leaving a psychiatric clinic, Hemingway shot himself with a favorite shotgun.

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin- American and British film actor, screenwriter, composer and director, master of cinema.

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London, in the UK, in a family of actors  and from early childhood has been performing on a stage.

Career

 

Chaplin was one of the most creative and influential people in the silent film epoch.  Charlie Chaplin was largely influenced by French comedian Max Linder, to whom he dedicated one of his films.

One of his most important roles, where he successfully found his style was his first sound film “City Lights“.

The most famous Charlie Chaplin roles are shown in films “Limelight“, “The Great Dictator“, “Modern Times” and others.

His last film, “A Countess from Hong Kong” Chaplin putted in his own script in 1967. 

In 1999, the American Film Institute putted Charlie Chaplin on the 10th place in the list of the 100 greatest movie stars for 100 years among men.

Charley Chaplin had an essential influence on the world cinema development. He had a unique talent to mix lyrical with comic and tragic moments. Chaplin received numerous awards, including the “Oscar” – for his great contribution to cinema.

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood is an English fashion designer bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.

Vivienne has always been a rebel and brawler. Her last surprise that shocked all London was the posing nude for a fashion magazine considering the fact that Vivienne is 60 year old!

Career

Vivienne Westwood’s career started when she was 30 year old.
In 1970, she began to seriously engage in design and opened her first store.
In the middle of 70s there was a spread of new punk fashion in London. Vivienne sensitively responded to changes in youth’s fashion. From that moment her ascent has begun.

Westwood has influenced careers of other designers into the British fashion industry.

 

Westwood’s designs were shown in the 2008 film adaptation of the television series “Sex and the City“. In the film, Carrie Bradshaw wore a wedding dress, which were made by Vivienne Westwood.

Personal life

However, the greater was the crazy designer’s success, from bad to worse became the relationship with her husband. After 13 years of marriage and oeuvre Westwood and McLaren got divorced.

Her student, whom she taught in University of Applied Art, Andreas Kronthaler, almost 25 years younger than her, became her third husband. For the past 7 years they have been working together.