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Orlando Bloom

Orlando BloomJanuary 13, 1977 - Canterbury, Kent, England. Bloom was raised in Canterbury, Kent, with his sister, Samantha. Their mother taught them to enjoy the arts and encouraged them to participate in the local Kent Festival. Bloom began by reciting poetry and prose, displaying an advanced sensitivity to tone and modulation. Yet, it wasn't this precociousness or his frequent trips to the theater that influenced Bloom to become a professional actor. He was in awe of larger-than-life characters -- from Superman to the members of the A-Team -- and knew the only way to become one was to play one on the screen.

At 16, Bloom relocated to London and performed with the National Youth Theatre for two seasons before winning a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy. At the conclusion of his term with the group, he played the lead in A Walk in the Vienna Woods, and secured an agent. This led to small roles on British television and an appearance in Brian Gilbert's Wilde (1997). Wishing to further his education, Bloom then enrolled at London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama (the alma mater of Ewan McGregor, Joseph Fiennes, and Ben Chaplin, among others). There, he acted in several plays, including Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Chekov's Three Sisters, and Sophocles' Antigone.

While still in school, Bloom was trying to make it onto a friend's rooftop terrace when he fell three stories and broke his back. The accident almost paralyzed the actor, but surgery let him walk out of the hospital on crutches. Soon afterward, all his peers auditioned for coveted roles in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The extensive and selective casting process took place in every English-speaking country. Bloom good-naturedly tried out for the role of Faramir, a character introduced in the second film, The Two Towers (2002). After meeting with the project's director, Peter Jackson, Bloom was not cast as Faramir. Instead, Jackson asked that he read for the part of Legolas Greenleaf, a much more prominent figure who is featured in all three films. The director offered Bloom the role a few weeks later, only two days before the burgeoning star graduated from drama school.

Legolas, Tolkien's warrior elf, has super-human strength, swift reflexes, and heightened sensory awareness. To play him, Bloom trained in archery, swordplay, and horseback riding for two months prior to shooting. He developed a graceful style of combat based on the characters in Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai and worked to manage his posture, poise, and composure. As Legolas, Bloom is immortal, and at 2,931 years old, is a tall, athletic, and skilled fighter of evil -- he truly is larger than life.

After finishing The Lord of the Rings -- all three films, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, were shot simultaneously over 18 months in New Zealand -- Bloom headed to Morocco for a role in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down. The film chronicles the horrific Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, in which a "simple" mission left 18 U.S. soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Debuting his American accent, Bloom plays a neophyte ranger who breaks his back after falling 70 feet from a helicopter. This combat film opened only a few weeks after The Fellowship of the Ring and received equal acclaim.

Following these blockbusters, Bloom performed in several quirky films with limited releases such as Lullaby of Clubland (2001). But it wouldn't be long before Bloom was blowing up the box-office once again with the 2003 crowd-pleaser The Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Bloom showed up opposite Brad Pitt and Black Hawk Dawn costar Eric Bana in the 2004 historical epic Troy, his intense star-power was unquestionable.

Bloom faced a down year in 2005, failing to match the box office success of Troy with Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. That same year he stepped into the role once occupied by Ashton Kutcher in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown (a romantic comedy opposite screen heartthrob Kirsten Dunst), but the film never recovered from the bad press it received after its initial film festival screening, failed to find an audience in theaters, and was unpopular with critics. Bloom rebounded one year later by returning with the other principles in back-to-back filmed sequels for Pirates of the Caribbean, the first of which, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, shattered box office records for opening day and opening weekend, and became the first film to take in one hundred million dollars in just two days. It will hardly strike one as prescient, then, that industry insiders and the trades were advance prepping Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End as one of the most lucrative releases of 2007, possibly of any year. That installment finds Bloom's Will Turner, Knightley's Elizabeth Swann, and Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbosa setting out to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from the mental tortures of Davy Jones's Locker, and ultimately battling Pirate Sao-Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) beyond the literal end of the world, where the seas fall off into an empty void.

In the mean time, however, Bloom shifted gears, turning away from epic action and giving romantic comedy a sophomore try after the lackluster Elizabethtown. Bloom essayed a small supporting role in the Alex Keshishian-directed Love and Other Disasters (2006), about a fashion editor for Vogue Paris (Brittany Murphy) who attempts to play matchmaker between two gay men (Matthew Rhys, Santiago Cabrera). The studios slated that picture (which debuted at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival) for U.S. release in 2007.

Lindsay Dee Lohan

Lindsay Dee LohanIn New York, NY, on 02 July 1986, Lindsay Dee Lohan (she later changed her middle name to Morgan) became the first child of a proud couple: Dina (a one-time Radio City "Rockette" who now manages her daughter's career) and Michael Lohan (a long-time Wall Street trader who developed, then sold, his family's multi-million-dollar pasta business to fund and develop major studios and independent Hollywood productions). Three siblings (Michael, Aliana and Dakota) would follow in the years to come.

Green-eyed, auburn-haired Lindsay started modeling (she was the first redheaded child ever signed by the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency) and acting at the tender age of 3. People in the business quickly recognized her talent, and she was hired to shoot more than 60 commercials; including spots for Pizza Hut, Wendy's and Jell-O (with Bill Cosby).

In 1993, Lindsay was one of several New York-area children to appear in a Halloween skit with David Letterman, dressed as garbage ("Things You Find on the Floor of the D-Train"). Within weeks, Letterman left NBC for CBS.

A plum role soon followed on the NBC-TV series Another World. Lindsay was the third actress — in late 1996 and early 1997 — to play "Alexandra 'Alli' Fowler". (AW ran until 1999.)

It was not until 05 January 1997 that she knew she would be cast in a major motion picture. The director of The Parent Trap, Nancy Meyers, called Lindsay that day and told her that she had the part — or is that parts — of the twins. Lindsay proved that she is an actress of considerable skill, deftly handling two different personalities in one single movie. She was officially recognized for her talent as well; earning a Young Artist Award for Leading Actress (which she shared with Stepmom's Jena Malone), and nominations for a YoungStar Award and a Blockbuster Entertainment Award.

Early in 1999, Lindsay filmed another movie. Life-Size — originally a Wonderful World of Disney production later released on home video — allowed Lindsay to act with Tyra Banks.

In 2000, Lindsay won the role of "Rose" in Bette Midler's television sitcom, Bette. After shooting the pilot episode, the show's producers decided it would be easier on the crew — most of whom lived near Los Angeles — if filming moved to California. Lindsay gave up the role to stay in New York, and Los Angeles-area actress Marina Malota was pegged to take over the role of Midler's teen-aged daughter. The series was canceled only a few months later, due to sagging ratings and the strain on its stars (ironically, Midler had to fly cross-country from her New York home to tape her own show).

In June, 2001, Lindsay completed filming the role of "Lexy Gold" in Get a Clue, the Disney Channel Original Movie of the Month for January, 2002 — later rescheduled for telecast in June, 2002.

Walt Disney Pictures announced on 31 July 2002 that Lindsay had signed on to play Anna Coleman in the theatrical remake of Freaky Friday. To update another film from its own vaults, Disney signed Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis (A Fish Called Wanda) as the mother-and-daughter team who wake up one day in each other's bodies. Lohan — who already proved she could fill Hayley Mills' shoes and then some — took on a role that helped propel a young Jodie Foster to stardom. Lindsay also sang the film's closing theme, Ultimate, written for the film by songwriters Jeff Coplan and Robert Ellis Orrall.

In September, 2002, Lindsay took her first step toward fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a recording artist when one of the biggest names in music, Emilio Estefan, Jr., took Lindsay under his professional wing. Estefan Enterprises announced a five-album production deal and the promise of an aggressive effort to "sell" her pop style "with a rock edge" to a major record label.

In 2003, Lindsay accepted the lead role in Disney's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (originally a New Line project written for Hilary Duff, who had to pass due to her full schedule). Filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and in New York City, Queen was released in theatres on 20 February 2004.

Later in 2003, leaving The Mouse behind (for the moment), Lindsay jumped over to Paramount Studios to re-team with Freaky director Mark S. Waters for Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey and starring several members of the cast of Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels asked Lindsay to host SNL as Mean Girls premiered in May, 2004, and she would host the show again a year later.

In 2004, Lindsay signed with Casablanca Records and released her first studio album, Speak. Her first single, Rumors—about a teen celebrity trying to keep her private life out of the spotlight—was a Gold Record, and the video was nominated for Best Pop Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. Her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw), included the single, Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father). In that video, Lindsay's sister, Aliana, made her acting debut.

Back to Disney, Lindsay filmed Herbie: Fully Loaded with Michael Keaton and Breckin Meyer in 2005. In 2006, she'll headline Just My Luck for Fox. She will also play Meryl Streep's Daughter in A Prairie Home Companion. Lindsay also signed for leading roles in Bobby and Chapter 27.

Lindsay Lohan shares her birthday with the late US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the late civil rights activist Medgar Evers, the late King Olav V of Norway, former Philippine First Lady Imelda ("I have more shoes than you") Marcos, New Hampshire Congressman John Sununu, WWF wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart, retired NASCAR driver Richard "The King of Stock Car Racing" Petty, and the late Wendy's Restaurant founder Dave Thomas (really!). Fellow actors born on 02 July include Yancy Butler (Witchblade), James McNichol (General Hospital, brother of actress Kristy McNichol), Jerry Hall (Batman, ex-wife of Mick Jagger), Ron Silver (Billionaire Boys' Club), Brock Peters (Star Trek), Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke), and Polly Holliday (Flo on television, "Marva Kulp, Sr." in The Parent Trap).

Tom Cruise

  Freezing Point Born on July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV thought that the only thing he wanted to become in li...