» Alice Cooper

Born Vincent Furnier, Alice Cooper is an American shock rocker and songwriter, known for his theatrical make-up and on-stage horror scenes including electric chairs, boa constrictors, fake blood and guillotines.

Vincent Furnier formed his first rock band, The Earwigs, as a teenager along with Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and John Spear. He changed the name to The Spiders in 1965, then to The Nazz. In 1968 the group became Alice Cooper and Furnier adopted the band’s name as his own.

The band’s breakthrough record, School’s Out was released in 1972 and sold over a million copies. Billion Dollar Babies was released in 1973 and was a number one hit in both America and Britain.

Cooper went solo in 1975, recording hits such as Only Women Bleed and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. He made a comeback in the late eighties releasing songs such as Poison (1989), Hey Stoopid (1991), Feed my Frankenstein (1992) and Brutal Planet (2000).

Cooper has appeared in movies and television including Monster Dog, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Wayne’s World and Suck.

In 2004 Cooper began hosting the radio show Nights with Alice Cooper. He has credited golf and Christianity as having helped him overcome his alcohol addiction. » Return to celebrity index

» Connie Booth

Connie Booth is an American-born actress most famous for her role as Polly Sherman, the sensible maid and problem-solver in TV show Fawlty Towers, which she co-wrote with her then husband, John Cleese.

Critically acclaimed for her role as the schizophrenic daughter of an abusive father in the Story of Ruth (1981), this was followed by a part in the British film Leon the Pig Farmer (1992).

She appeared in And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. She also played Mrs Hudson in Cleese’s Sherlock Holmes spoof, The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It.

Booth has not acted since 1995. She has a daughter, Cynthia, to John Cleese and currently works as a psychotherapist in London. » Return to celebrity index

» Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne was born in Balmain, Sydney in July 1979, and is of Irish and Scottish descent. She began acting lessons aged eight and was cast in her first film role (in the Australian movie Dallas Doll) when she was 12 years old. She studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre Company and appeared in a variety of Australian television shows such as Heartbreak High, Echo Point and the film Two Hands.

She won a Best Actress award at the 2000 Venice Film Festival for her role as a blind girl in The Goddess of 1967 and has also acted on stage and in music videos.

In 2001 she appeared in I Capture the Castle, a performance that launched her Hollywood career.

She was the face of Max Factor from 2004 – 2006 and featured in the ‘Most Beautiful People of 2007’ list in Who magazine.

She has since starred in many films and plays and has been dating Australian actor Brendan Cowell for 5 years. She currently lives in New York where she appears in the TV series Damages with Glenn Close. » Return to celebrity index

» Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg is a British actor, writer and comedian who began his career in stand-up comedy before moving into television.

Pegg first appeared in the 1995 comedy series Six Pairs of Pants, followed by the sitcom Spaced for which he was nominated for the 1999 British Comedy Award as Best Male Comedy Newcomer. In 2001 he was cast in a small role in the mini-series Band of Brothers, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Pegg co-wrote and starred in Shaun of the Dead, a zom-rom-com about an apocalyptic uprising of zombies. This movie won the award for Best Screenplay at the 2004 British Independent Film Awards.

Pegg narrated the first series of Doctor Confidential and appeared as the character of the Editor in the Dr Who episode, The Long Game in 2005.

In 2007 Pegg played Nicholas Angel, a London policeman who has been transferred to Gloucestershire in the award-winning film Hot Fuzz.

Pegg was quoted as saying: “I once showed a holiday video to my entire family and forgot there was a point where I flashed. I only realised about one second before it happened and couldn’t get to the remote in time to stop them all from seeing me pull down my trousers and reveal myself. My sister screamed and my mum said, “Ooh, that’s changed.” » Return to celebrity index

» Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts was born in April 1956 in Biloxi, Mississippi and is the older brother of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan.

He received Golden Globe nominations for his starring roles in King of the Gypsies and Star 80. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his role as the escaped convict Buck in the film Runaway Train. In 1988, he won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This. The only film he appeared in with his sister, Julia was the 1989 action western Blood Red.

Roberts went on to play a number of villainous roles in movies including Final Analysis and The Dark Night before being cast as a man dying of AIDS in It’s My Party, in 1996. Most recently he has appeared in the television series’ In Cold Blood, Law & Order, Less Than Perfect and Heroes. He was the sixth actor to play the Master, Doctor Who’s greatest enemy.

Roberts is quoted as saying “I’ve had people say to me, ‘It’s such a shame what happened to your career.’ I just smile and say I’ve had a blast. I really have”. » Return to celebrity index

» Rupert Friend

Rupert Friend is a British actor born October 1, 1981. He is best known for his role as Mr Wickham in the 2005 critically acclaimed Pride and Prejudice in which he co-starred with Keira Knightley.

Friend made his 2004 film debut in The Libertine as the lover of John Wilmot, played by Johnny Depp. He was nominated for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ for this movie.

In 2005 he was named ‘Outstanding New Talent’ at the Satellite Awards.

Other notable film appearances include The Moon and the Stars and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Most recently he was cast in the title role opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in Chéri, directed by Stephen Frears. » Return to celebrity index

» Abigail Breslin

Abigail Breslin, born April 14, 1996, began her acting career at the age of three, making commercials. In 2002 she landed the role of Mel Gibson’s daughter, Bo Hess in the science fiction thriller, Signs.

In 2004 she and her brother Spencer played siblings in Raising Helen. Breslin went on to win an Oscar nomination for her performance in comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine in 2006.

In 2008 Breslin played the leading role in the adventure-fantasy film Nim’s Island, as well as the title character in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.

In 2009 Breslin played Anna in My Sister’s Keeper and Little Rock in Zombieland.
» Return to celebrity index

» Gerard Butler

Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor best known for his role as The Phantom in the 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.

After small roles in films including Mrs Brown, Tomorrow Never Dies and Tale of the Mummy he landed his first lead role as Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila. He went on to play Dracula in Dracula 2000. In 2002 Butler played the character Creedy in Reign of Fire followed by mercenary Terry Sheridan alongside Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

In 2003 he played an archaeologist who is sent back in time in the film Timeline.

In 2007 Butler portrayed King Leonidas in 300 and starred in P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank and Nim’s Island with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin.

Most recently Butler co-starred with Katherine Heigl in the romantic comedy The Ugly Truth.

He prefers to be called Gerry, mostly because many people struggle with the pronunciation of Gerard.
» Return to celebrity index

» Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill (born Jonah Hill Feldstein in Dec 1983) is an American actor, screenwriter and producer.

Hill wrote and performed in his own plays while in college before making his film debut in I Heart Huckabees.

He played a small part in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and landed a supporting role in Knocked Up and Click before playing the lead role in Superbad alongside Michael Cera.

Hill has recently appeared in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Funny People and The Invention of Lying.
» Return to celebrity index

» Sofia Vassilieva

Sofia Vassilieva was born on October 22 1992 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Russian immigrant parents Larissa, a biologist, and Vladimir Vassilieva, a physicist.

After being discovered in 2000, age 7, at the International Modelling and Talent Association in New York, Vassilieva was offered the part of Elena, the granddaughter of a retired Russian General in an episode of the CBS television series The Agency. Other television roles include Cindy Brady in The Brady Bunch in the White House and the children’s book heroine Eloise, in television movies Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime alongside Julie Andrews.

Sofia is best known for her role as Ariel Dubois in the hit series Medium, for which she won a Young Artist Award in 2006 for best supporting actress in a TV Drama.

Most recently, Sofia had a leading role in the 2009 screen adaptation of the novel My Sister’s Keeper, written by Jodi Picoult. Sofia played leukaemia-stricken Kate Fitzgerald alongside Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric who played her parents.
» Return to celebrity index

» Virginia Madsen

Virginia Madsen is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films, most notably the 1992 slasher film Candyman and the 2004 comedy-drama Sideways for which she received a nomination for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

Madsen first appeared in the 1984 science fiction film Dune where she played Princess Irulan, shortly followed by a part in the comedy drama Electric Dreams. In 1986 she portrayed Catholic school girl Lisa in Fire with Fire. This movie was a hit throwing Madsen into the spotlight.

Virginia’s most recent films include Being Michael Madsen, Diminished Capacity, Wonder Woman (voice), and The Haunting in Connecticut.
» Return to celebrity index

» Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie, also known as ‘Britain’s best-known birdwatcher’ is an English actor, author, comedian, artist, musician and most recently conservationist and television presenter. 

Bill performed in several Cambridge Footlights productions before writing scripts for TV’s That Was The Week That Was and starring in the cult BBC radio series I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again.

He co-wrote and performed in the comedy series Twice a Fortnight and later for Broaden Your Mind with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden.

Tim, Graeme and Bill went on to write and star in The Goodies, one of the biggest comedy hits of the 70s.  Bill has written many songs and parodies and has released a number of singles and an album. He appeared in Top of the Pops with Graeme Garden singing his hit song Funky Gibbon.

Between 1983 and 2008 Bill has hosted numerous nature programmes for the BBC including Birding with Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch and Autumnwatch.

Bill was awarded the OBE in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to wildlife conservation.» Return to celebrity index

» James Fleet

James Fleet is a British actor born in 1954. He joined the dramatic society at university while studying engineering and went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He performed in productions including Habeas Corpus, In the Club, Festen and Mary Stuart. 

Between 2000 and 2006, James played Captain Brimshaw in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Revolting People.

James has featured in numerous films, however he is most famous for his role as Hugo in the BBC comedy series The Vicar of Dibley starring Dawn French.  He also played the well-meaning Tom in the hit comedy released in 1994, Four Weddings and a Funeral. » Return to celebrity index

» Michael Cera

Michael Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Paulie Bleeker in the comedy drama, Juno.

Michael’s first role was in the 1999 television series I Was A Sixth Grade Alien as the character Larrabe Hicks. In 2002 he played the young Chuck Barris in Confessions Of a Dangerous Mind before providing the voice for Brother Bear in The Berenstain Bears series. He went on to appear in 53 episodes of the television series Arrested Development as the character George-Michael Bluth (2003 – 2006) followed by a starring role in the 2007 comedy Superbad alongside Jonah Hill.

His last name means ‘wax’ in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.» Return to celebrity index

» Michelle Williams

Born in 1980, Michelle Williams is an American actress who first appeared in Dawson’s Creek playing bad girl Jen Lindley in 1998.

She appeared with Kirsten Dunst in the comedy Dick, a parody of The Watergate Scandal in 1999, followed by Prozac Nation in 2001 with Christina Ricci.

Michelle has appeared in the independent films The Station Agent (2003), Imaginary Heroes (2004), and The Baxter (2005).

She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Ang Lee’s 2005 Brokeback Mountain where she played Alma Beers Del Mar, a woman whose husband is in love with another man. It was whilst filming this move that she met Heath Ledger with whom she later had a daughter, Matilda.

Recent films Michelle has appeared in include Incendiary and Wendy and Lucy in 2008 and Mammoth in 2009. » Return to celebrity index

» Seth Rogen

Canadian actor, writer, producer and comedian Seth Rogen started as a stand-up comic at the age of 13 before landing a supporting role in Freaks and Geeks.

He went on to write for the final season of Da Ali G Show for which he received an Emmy nomination. Seth was cast in and co-produced The 40 Year Old Virgin, and starred in Knocked Up. He has also appeared in You, Me and Dupree, Anchorman and Pineapple Express.

Seth has provided the voice for many animated comedy characters including B.O.B. in Monsters vs Aliens, Mantis in Kung Fu Panda, Morton in Horton Hears a Who! And Hogsqueal in The Spiderwick Chronicles.

On appearing in Knocked Up (2007) and Pineapple Express (2008)] he is quoted as saying “You know, I never had a girlfriend before and I thought it would masculinise me. But it’s actually done the opposite. Now I know about accent walls and the whole world of throw pillows.” » Return to celebrity index

» Maria Bello

Maria Bello is an American actress who discovered a talent for acting while majoring in Political Science at Villanova University. Putting aside her plans to become a lawyer, she started out in small off-Broadway plays, including The Killer Inside Me and Urban Planning.

In 1997, Maria joined the cast of popular TV show ER as Dr Anna Del Amico. She then made the jump to the big screen, appearing in Coyote Ugly as Lil. In 2003, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Cooler, and in 2005 for Best Actress in A History of Violence.

Maria is also well known for her starring roles in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and The Jane Austen Book Club.

Maria is a Muay Thai practitioner (a form of kickboxing) and works with ‘Save the Children’, an international organisation helping to improve the lives of children.» Return to celebrity index

» Jennifer Ehle

Jennifer Ehle was born on 29 December 1969 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and spent her childhood between the UK and America. She is best known for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 miniseries Pride and Prejudice.

In 2005, Jennifer starred opposite Kevin Spacey in The Philadelphia Story at London’s Old Vic Theatre. In 2006, she played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth as part of Shakespeare in the Park.

Jennifer has won two Tony Awards, both for Tom Stoppard plays. The first was Best Actress in a Play in 2000 for The Real Thing followed by Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2007 for The Coast of Utopia.

Most recently Jennifer played Abby Tierney in Pride and Glory alongside Colin Farrell and Edward Norton.

At the 1996 BAFTA Awards she is quoted as saying, ‘Half of this award should go to my wigs’, in reference to the miniseries Pride and Prejudice.» Return to celebrity index

» Paul Giamatti

Paul Giamatti is an actor and comedian, born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut.

After a number of supporting roles in movies including The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Planet of the Apes and Big Fat Liar, Paul went on to play the lead in American Splendor, Sideways, Duplicity and the supernatural thriller, Lady in the Water.

In 2008, he won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role in John Adams. During his acceptance speech he said, ‘I’m living proof, kids at home watching, that anybody can play the President’.» Return to celebrity index

» Emile Hirsch

Emile Davenport Hirsch was born in Palms, California on 13 March 1985 and grew up in Los Angeles, California, and Santa Fe in New Mexico. His most notable roles are in the films Lords of Dogtown, The Girl Next Door, Into the Wild, Speed Racer and Milk.

Emile began appearing in minor television roles at the age of eight. In 2004 he was cast opposite Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door followed by Lords of Dogtown in 2005. He appeared in the dark drama Alpha Dog in 2007 and Sean Penn’s Into the Wild later that year. In his most recent film, Milk, he plays gay rights activist Cleve Jones alongside Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.

Emile is quoted as saying, ‘James Dean taught me not to speed, River Phoenix taught me not to DO speed, and Marlon Brando taught me to slow down on the cheeseburgers’.» Return to celebrity index

» Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical movies. Her 2006 debut album V sold 34,000 copies in its first week, while her second album Identified spent eight weeks in the Billboard 200.

In 2008, Vanessa was included in the list of Forbes ‘High Earners Under 30′. The following year, she was nominated for a number of awards, and won the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards ‘Favorite Movie Actress’.» Return to celebrity index

» Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac, an actor, comedian and sketch writer, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1957. He died in 2008, aged 50, due to complications from pneumonia.

Bernie began his career in 1977 with a stand-up comedy gig at The Cotton Club. He made his film debut in 1992 with a small part in Mo’ Money, followed by appearances in several movies including House Party 3, The Walking Dead and Get on the Bus. Bernie had a recurring role in the TV series Moesha, which led to more substantial parts in How to Be A Player, The Players Club, and Life starring Eddie Murphy.

In 2000, Bernie featured in The Original Kings of Comedy and in 2001 played Frank Catton in the remake of Ocean’s Eleven.

Starring roles included Friday, Bad Santa, Head of State, Pride, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and Soul Men.» Return to celebrity index

» Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton was born in Nottingham, England. She worked her way up from series television to TV movies and prestigious miniseries, such as Emma and Jayne Eyre.

Her first major film role was Under the Skin in 1997. She was cast by Woody Allen as Hattie in Sweet and Lowdown in 1999 and in 2002 Steven Spielberg cast her opposite Tom Cruise in Minority Report. She won numerous critics’ awards and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance in In America as a young Irish mother coping with life in New York City. Her most recent films include Lassie, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and The Messenger.

Samantha is quoted as saying: “Acting and music are self indulgent professions and they are a luxury unless you love what you do. I have a love/hate relationship with what I do. I think, ‘Where’s the relevance of this? I’m not a doctor, I’m not an aid worker’. But then I think you only have one life and I am a vessel for stories to be told’.» Return to celebrity index

» Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy is a film and theatre actor who was born and raised in Cork, Ireland. He began his professional acting debut on the stage in Disco Pigs in 1996. He went on to perform in plays such as Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and Chekhov’s The Seagull.

Cillian was cast as the lead in 28 Days Later, before going on to star in Intermission, Red Eye and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He played villain Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Batman Begins.

He returned to the stage in 2006 to play the lead role opposite Neve Campbell in John Kolvenbach’s play Love Song in London’s West End.

In 2008 he starred in The Edge of Love alongside Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller.

On his role as a terrorist in Red Eye (2005) he is quoted as saying, “I don’t know if anyone will ever sit beside me on a plane again”.» Return to celebrity index

» Richie Sambora

Musician Richie Sambora, also known as the King of Swing, is a songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer. As the lead guitarist of rock band Bon Jovi, he has collected over 68 gold and platinum albums.

Richie is known for his bluesy riffs and vocals, and for often wearing a black Stetson hat onstage. He has been a committed fundraiser for many charities, including Stand Up For a Cure and Michael J Fox’s Parkinson’s charity.

As well as a successful career touring the world with Bon Jovi, Richie released two solo albums. He also made a cameo appearance in cult computer game, The Sims Superstar.

He has one daughter, Ava Elizabeth, with his former wife, actress Heather Locklear.» Return to celebrity index