OLC4O1: Celebrity Information Paragraph Task

Select a celebrity from the list and research some basic facts about that individual.

Will Ferrell Bradley Cooper Jennifer Lawrence

Shailene Woodley Seth Rogen Megan Fox

Fill in the chart below about your actor or actress:

Full name:

Birth date and birthplace:

His or her most famous roles:

Awards/Special Events:

Information Paragraph:Using the facts from your notes, create a information paragraph about the celebrity.

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. Her first major role was as a lead cast member on the TBS sitcomThe Bill Engvall Show (2007–09). She appeared in the independent dramas The Burning Plain (2008) and Winter's Bone (2010), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. Her first commercial success came with the superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011).

Lawrence gained international fame for playing heroine Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series (2012–15), which established her as the highest-grossing action heroine as of 2015.[1] She starred in David O. Russell's romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award, becoming the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner. For her supporting role in Russell's comedy-drama American Hustle (2013), she received a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a third Academy Award nomination.

Early life

Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Karen (née Koch b.1956) a children's camp manager, and Gary Lawrence, a construction worker. She has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine.[2] By the age of 14, she had decided to pursue an acting career, persuading her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Prior to finding success inHollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She graduated from high school two years early with a 3.9/4.0 average, aiming at a career in acting.[3][4] While growing up and in between acting, Lawrence served as what she described as an assistant nurse at the children's summer day camp that her parents ran.[5][6][7]

Career

2006–11: Career beginnings and breakthrough

Lawrence began her acting career in the TBS comedy series The Bill Engvall Show, playing Lauren Pearson, the oldest daughter.[8] The series premiered in September 2007 and ran for three seasons.[9] Actors on the show, including Lawrence, won a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series, and Lawrence was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama).[10][11]

In 2008, Lawrence made her film debut with a minor role in Garden Party,[12] followed by a starring role in Lori Petty's family drama The Poker House, portraying a young victim of abuse.[13] She was awarded the Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance for her role in the latter film.[14] She next appeared in Guillermo Arriaga's directorial feature debut The Burning Plain (2008), opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Her performance earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actress at the Venice Film Festival.[15] She also appeared in the music video for the song "The Mess I Made" by Parachute.[8]

Lawrence's lead role in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone (2010), which won Best Picture at the Sundance Film Festival, is often cited as her breakout performance.[16]She portrays a 17-year-old in the Ozark Mountains who cares for her mentally ill mother and younger siblings while searching for her missing father.[17] Her performance was highly acclaimed by film critics. David Denby of The New Yorker said the film "would be unimaginable with anyone less charismatic playing Ree."[18] Peter Travers from Rolling Stone opined that "her performance is more than acting, it's a gathering storm. Lawrence's eyes are a roadmap to what's tearing Ree apart."[19] Lawrence was awarded the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[20][21]

In 2011, Lawrence co-starred in the independent film Like Crazy, which premiered at the 27th Sundance Film Festival,[22] and she appeared in The Beaver, a dark comedy starring Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson. The latter film was completed in 2009 but was stalled due to controversy concerning Gibson.[23] She also starred alongside James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in X-Men: First Class (2011), a prequel to the previously released X-Men film series.[24] She portrayed the shape-shifting villain Mystique, played by Rebecca Romijn in earlier X-Men films.[25] First Class was a commercial success, earning $353.6 million at the international box office.[26] Lawrence joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that year.[27]

2012–present: International success

In 2012, Lawrence starred as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Despite being a fan of the books, Lawrence took three days to accept the role because she was initially intimidated by the size of the film and how it might affect her career.[28][29] She underwent extensive training for the role, including archery, rock and tree climbing, and combat.[30][31] With international revenues of $691.2 million,[26] The Hunger Games became the first major box office hit ($350 million and up) built around a female action star,[32] marking Lawrence as the highest-grossing action heroine.[1] Though the film generally received positive reviews, Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss was particularly praised. Todd McCarthyfrom The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Lawrence embodies Katniss "just as one might imagine her from the novel," and "anchors" the film "with impressive gravity and presence," ultimately calling her "the ideal screen actress."[33] Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert agreed that "Lawrence is strong and convincing in the central role."[34]

Lawrence played a young widow in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook (2012), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick, oppositeBradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.[35] She received critical praise for her performance, with Richard Corliss of Time writing, "Just 21 when the movie was shot, Lawrence is that rare young actress who plays, who is, grown-up. Sullen and sultry, she lends a mature intelligence to any role."[36] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers wrote that Lawrence "is some kind of miracle. She's rude, dirty, funny, foulmouthed, sloppy, sexy, vibrant, and vulnerable, sometimes all in the same scene, even in the same breath."[37] She won the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film,[38][39] becoming the second-youngest Best Actress

Oscar winner at age 22.[40] Lawrence also starred alongside Max Thieriot and Elisabeth Shue in Mark Tonderai's thriller House at the End of the Street(2012).[41] She became the face of fashion house Dior in October 2012.[42]

In 2013, Lawrence reprised her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in the Hunger Games series.[43] It was a major commercial success, with box office earnings of $864.9 million.[26] Lawrence's performance earned praise; Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice wrote that Lawrence was "both on fire and in the process of becoming, and it's magnificent to watch."[44] She next took a supporting role in David O. Russell's crime dramaAmerican Hustle (2013) as the wife of a con man portrayed by Christian Bale. Based on the FBI's ABSCAM operation, the film is set against the backdrop of political corruption in 1970s New Jersey and also stars Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner.[45] Lawrence received critical acclaim for her performance,[46] which earned her a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, and a third Academy Award nomination, her first for a supporting role,[47][48]

[49] becoming the youngest actress to have three nominations.[50]

Lawrence replaced Angelina Jolie in Susanne Bier's depression-era drama Serena, based on the novel of the same name by Ron Rash.[51][52] She played the titular character, an unstable woman who learns that she can never have children with her husband, played by Bradley Cooper. Serena was completed in 2012, and was finally released in 2014 to poor reviews.[53][54] In 2014, Lawrence again played Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which grossed $748.1 million worldwide, and reprised her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the first half of a two-part adaptation of the final Hunger Games novel.[55]For the musical score of the latter film, she was featured on the song "The Hanging Tree",[56] which reached the top 40 on multiple international singles charts.[57]

Lawrence's third collaboration with David O. Russell, Joy, is scheduled for a 2015 release. She portrays the titular character, Joy Mangano, the inventor of the Miracle Mop.[58] She is also set to appear in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and X-Men: Apocalypse.

In the media

Lawrence's performances by 2012 prompted Rolling Stone to call her "the most talented young actress in America."[59] Donald Sutherland compared her to Laurence Olivier and described her as an "exquisite and brilliant actor."[60] Director David O. Russell has praised her effortless acting that make her performances look easy.[61] Lawrence was never involved with theater and did not take acting classes,[3] stating, "I've always studied people and been fascinated by their reactions and feelings. And I think that's the best acting class you can take – watching real people, listening to them and studying them."[62]

Lawrence is perceived as being in a position of influence and power within the film industry. In 2013, she was among the Time 100, an annual list of the most influential people in the world published by Time,[63] was named the most powerful woman in the entertainment business by Elle,[64] and was ranked as the second-most powerful actress by Forbes, having earned an estimated $26 million over the previous year.[65] In 2014, Forbes named her the second-highest-

paid actress in Hollywood behind Sandra Bullock,[66] and cited her as the most powerful actress, ranking at No. 12 overall in the magazine's Celebrity 100 list.[67] She has also garnered publicity for her physical appearance: AskMen named her the "most desirable woman" of 2013,[68] and FHM listed her as its annual "sexiest woman in the world" in 2014.[69]

Achievements

Lawrence won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook (2012). She won two Golden Globe Awards, Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Silver Linings Playbook and Best Supporting Actress for American Hustle (2013). She has won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for American Hustle.[49][79][80][81]

She has also received numerous awards from other organizations, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Silver Linings Playbook, the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for American Hustle. She received four Critics' Choice Movie Awards for her work in Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games, and American Hustle.[82][83][84][85]

Lawrence was recognized as the highest-grossing action heroine in the 2015 edition of the Guinness World Records for the role of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games franchise.[86]

Jennifer Lawrence. (2015, March 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:25, March 2, 2015, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jennifer_Lawrence&oldid=649405273

John William "Will" Ferrell (/ ̍ f ɛr əl / ;[1] born July 16, 1967)[2] is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and The Lego Movie. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack", a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell,Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.

Early life

Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Betty Kay (née Overman), a teacher who taught at Old Mill School elementary school and Santa Ana College,[3] and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician with The Righteous Brothers.[4] His parents were both natives of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved to California in 1964.[5][6] Ferrell's ancestry includes English, German, and Irish.[7][8][9] He has a younger brother named Patrick.[10] When he was 8, his parents divorced. Ferrell said of the divorce: "I was the type of kid who would say, 'Hey, look at the bright side! We'll have two Christmases'." The divorce was amicable and both parents were committed to their children. The biggest problem was Lee's line of work. As a person in show business, his paychecks were never steady and he was gone from home months at a time. Growing up in the environment made Ferrell not want to go into show business, but get a steady job.[10]

Will first attended school at Turtle Rock Elementary and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine. He attended University High School in Irvine, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team.[11] He was also on the soccer team and captain of the basketball team, as well as serving on the student council. Ferrell called third grade "a pivotal year". He realized he could make his classmates laugh if he pretended to smash his head against the wall, or if he tripped and fell on purpose, and said it was a great way to make friends.[12] He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor:

Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of.[13]

Career

The Groundlings

Before joining The Groundlings, Ferrell's attempts at standup comedy had little success. He started in the advanced classes and grew to love improvisation. He realized he also liked to impersonate people, and one of his favorites was Harry Caray, the Hall of Fame baseball announcer. Soon he began to create original characters. With fellow Groundlings member Chris Kattan, they created the Butabi Brothers, who go out to dance clubs to try to pick up women but are constantly rejected. While taking classes, Ferrell got a job at an auction house via his friend Viveca Paulin. The job was ideal as it was flexible enough for him to audition and go to rehearsals while also being employed. He received small roles, including TV series Grace Under Fire and Living Single, low-budget films such as A Bucket of Blood, as well as commercials. One winter, he even served as a mall Santa Claus. Then, in 1994, he won a spot with the top professional group of The Groundlings.[16]

Saturday Night Live

After SNL's decline in popularity in 1994–1995 and in need of new cast members for the next season, a producer saw The Groundlings and asked Ferrell, Kattan, and Cheri Oteri to audition for SNL's main producer, Lorne Michaels.[17] Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful seven-year tenure. He returned to host twice (both in season finales), and once in the cold open of the final episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday.

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included US President George W. Bush, Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray, singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.), singer Neil Diamond, Inside the Actors Studio hostJames Lipton (who favored Ferrell's impersonation), Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, United States Attorney General Janet Reno, convicted unabomber Ted Kaczynski, game show host Alex Trebek, fictitious black private detective Shaft, professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein, and Cuban President Fidel Castro.

His original characters included Morning Latte co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle (physically modeled after the band's vocalist Eric Bloom), music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from Dissing Your Dog, Hank of theBill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from Dog Show, and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that was turned into a feature film in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury. Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.[18]

Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on May 14, 2005, and May 16, 2009. Both times, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches. On the May

14 appearance, Ferrell reprised his role as Robert Goulet in a fake commercial advertising a series of ringtones and, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.

Film career

During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role after his departure from SNL was as Frank "The Tank" Richard in Old School (2003). The film "belongs to Mr. Ferrell", declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part."[19] Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awardsnomination for Best Comedic Performance.

The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack.[20] In 2005, Ferrell earned$40 million.[21] In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On December 27, 2006, 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.[22] The films Anchorman and Talladega Nights were the first two installments in the Mediocre American Man Trilogy. The third film in the trilogy, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, was released in 2013.[23]

Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong. He and John C. Reilly also did a spot during the 2008 ESPY Awards where they made demands in order for them to appear at the ESPYs like asking Portland Trail Blazers' center Greg Oden to tuck them in at night and tell them stories of the old times or to bring back the Cold War so the Olympics can be interesting again.

Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, wherein they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.

In May 2009, it was announced that Ferrell was in talks to star in Neighborhood Watch (later The Watch), a comedy about an urbanite who moves to the suburbs and uncovers a conspiracy. In negotiations to direct was David Dobkin, who gave Ferrell a cameo in Wedding Crashers.[24] In August 2009, Ferrell decided not to do the film.

In June 2009, Land of the Lost was released. It was a commercial and critical flop after earning $19 million on opening weekend, about two-thirds of what the studio expected.[25][26]

In 2010, he was the executive producer and star of The Other Guys, a buddy cop film, which also has an ensemble cast which consists of Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Unlike Land of the Lost, the film was a commercial success, earning over $140 million,[27] and was positively reviewed by critics.

Ferrell appeared in the 2011 video for "Make Some Noise" by the Beastie Boys, in the front of a limo, playing a cowbell. He stars in Casa de Mi Padre, a telenovela spoof comedy set in a ranch with Mexican stars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. The movie is told in melodramatic telenovela form and features English-language subtitles.[28]

Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who have had a long running joke feud over how both look like each other, appeared on the May 22, 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a charity drum-off battle. Despite Smith clearly giving the better performance, Ferrell was named the winner and awarded a giant gold cowbell. Both were joined by Smith's Chili Peppers bandmates for a performance of "Don't Fear the Reaper" with Ferrell playing cowbell.[29] On June 10, 2014, Ferrell and Smith challenged Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to a drum-off with Ferrell saying Ulrich looks "eerily similar" to the two of them.[30] Ulrich accepted the challenge two days later.[31]

Emmy Awards

Nominated:

2001: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)

ESPY Awards

Won:

2007 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) 2008 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Semi-Pro)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (for The Producers)

2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (for Stranger than Fiction)

James Joyce Award2008: James Joyce Award from University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society in recognition for "excelling in his field".[55][56]

Kids Choice Awards2011: Favorite Buttkicker (for Megamind)[57]

MTV Movie Awards

Won:2007: Best Kiss for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (with Sacha Baron Cohen)

Nominated:

2003: Best Comedic Performance (for Old School) 2003: Best On-Screen Team (with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Old School) 2004: Best Comedic Performance (for Elf) 2005: Best Comedic Performance (for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) 2005: Best On-Screen Team (with Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David

Koechner for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) 2005: Best Musical Performance (with Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve

Carell for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) 2007: Best Comedic Performance (for Blades of Glory) 2007: Best Fight (for Blades of Glory)

Nominated:

2005: Worst Actor for Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming 2009: Worst Actor for Land of the Lost 2009: Worst Screen Combo (with any co-star, creature or "comic riff") for Land of the Lost

Satellite Awards

Nominated:2006: Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (for Stranger Than Fiction)

Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards

Won:2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Funniest Mo-fo 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Most Viral Video

Teen Choice Awards

Won:

2007: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Blades of Glory

Nominated:

2004: Choice Comedian 2004: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Elf 2005: Choice Comedian 2005: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron

Burgundy and Kicking & Screaming 2005: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Kicking & Screaming 2005: Choice Movie Rumble for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 2005: Choice Movie Sleazebag for Kicking & Screaming 2007: Choice Comedian 2007: Choice Movie Chemistry (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory 2007: Choice Movie Dance (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory 2007: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Blades of Glory 2008: Choice Comedian 2008: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Semi-Pro 2009: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Land of the Lost

Tony Awards

Nominated:

2009: Best Special Theatrical Event (for You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush)

Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Ferrell was selected as the 2011 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Will Ferrell. (2015, February 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:31, March 2, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Will_Ferrell&oldid=645179802

Bradley Charles Cooper[1] (born January 5, 1975)[2] is an American actor and producer. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, three for acting and one for producing. He was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine in 2011.[3]

Cooper has a B.A. in English from Georgetown University (1997) and an MFA in acting from Actors Studio Drama School at The New School(2000). He first gained recognition in the spy-action television show Alias and the television drama Jack & Bobby. He later appeared in supporting roles in the romantic comedies Wedding Crashers (2005), Yes Man (2008), and He's Just Not That Into You (2009). His breakthrough role came with the comedy franchise The Hangover trilogy (2009–13). Other notable films include the action-comedy The A-Team (2010), the thrillerLimitless (2011), the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines (2013), and the superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), in which he voicedRocket Racoon.

Cooper garnered three consecutive Oscar nominations for his roles in the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), the comedy-dramaAmerican Hustle (2013), and the biographical war drama American Sniper (2014). For producing American Sniper, Cooper also received anAcademy Award for Best Picture nomination.

Early life

Cooper was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [2] and grew up nearby in Jenkintown [4] [5] and Rydal.[6] His mother, Gloria (née Campano),[7][8] worked for the local NBC affiliate.[4] His father, Charles Cooper, who died January 15, 2011, worked as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch.[9]

[10] He has an older sister, Holly.[11][12][13] He was raised Catholic.[14] His father was of Irish descent and his mother is of Italian ancestry (from Abruzzo).[9][15][16] Cooper had cholesteatoma in his ear soon after his birth and punctured it when he started diving at a young age.[17] His childhood friend was actor Brian Klugman.[6] While attending Germantown Academy, Cooper worked at the Philadelphia Daily News.[5]

After graduating from Germantown Academy in 1993,[18] Cooper attended Villanova University for one year, then later transferred to Georgetown University, from which he graduated with honors with a BA in English in 1997.[19][20] He was a member of the Georgetown Hoyas rowing team[21][22][23] and acted with Nomadic Theatre.[24]

Cooper became fluent in French at Georgetown and spent six months as an exchange student in Aix-en-Provence, France.[25][26][27] Later in 2000, he received an MFA in acting from Actors Studio Drama School at The New School (now the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University) in New York City.[19][28] While studying at The New School, Cooper worked as a doorman at theMorgans Hotel.[4]

1999-2004

Cooper began his professional acting career with a small guest role in one episode of the television show Sex and the City in 1999[13] and served as a presenter in the travel-adventure series Globe Trekker. After his film debut in the satirical comedy Wet Hot American Summer,

which later garnered a cult following, Cooper played Will Tippin in J.J. Abrams' successful television spy-action drama Alias [13] and acted in the 2002 psychological thriller Changing Lanes. The scenes in which he appeared were edited out of the final cut of the film, but are featured on the film's DVD and Blu-ray releases.[29][30] After leaving Alias in 2003, Cooper guest-starred on the short-lived TV series Miss Match and later returned twice to Alias to reprise his role in guest appearances.

Cooper played the part of cowboy and race horse trainer Morgan Murphy in the TV movie The Last Cowboy, which aired on the Hallmark Channel in January, 2003. He also co-starred in the ABC Family film I Want to Marry Ryan Banks with Jason Priestley, and appeared as a regular guest star in the WB series Jack & Bobby. He played the popular villain Sack Lodge in the hit comedyWedding Crashers and appeared in the film Failure to Launch as Demo, a friend of Tripp (Matthew McConaughey).

2005-2010

In September 2005, Fox debuted the sitcom Kitchen Confidential, based on a memoir by chef Anthony Bourdain, with Cooper in the leading role. Despite positive reviews for the series, the show was canceled after four episodes.[31][32] In March 2006, he starred in Three Days of Rain on Broadway with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater.[33][34] He also appeared on stage as Jake in the 2008 production of Theresa Rebeck's play The Understudy at theWilliamstown Theatre Festival alongside Kristen Johnston.[35] Cooper appeared in Season 5 of Nip/Tuck (2007) as Aidan Stone, a television star on the fictional show Hearts 'N Scalpels. In 2008, Cooper had roles in Yes Man with Jim Carrey and in The Rocker with Rainn Wilson. On February 7, 2009, Cooper hostedSaturday Night Live with musical guest TV on the Radio. In one skit, Cooper portrayed actor Christian Bale as spokesperson for a DVD called, "No, Bruce! Let Me Finish! The Best of Celebrity Tirades."

In 2009, Cooper starred in the films He's Just Not That Into You, Case 39,[36] All About Steve and The Hangover, which was wildly successful. Cooper's role as Phil Wenneck in The Hangover is perhaps the role for which he is best known. The film first opened in the United States and went on to gross over $467 million worldwide. Its production budget was $35 million.[37] Following The Hangover, the premiere of All About Steve was met with mostly negative reviews.[38] Cooper's performance, along with co-star Sandra Bullock, was poorly received by critics and, despite his recent success with The Hangover, the film only saw mild success at the box office.[39] Although the success of The Hangover brought Cooper new opportunities, Cooper stated in a 2011 interview with Shave Magazine, "It’s the same. I mean, look, more doors have been opened for sure, but it’s not like I sit back with a cigar on Monday morning and go through the scripts that have been offered."[40]

In October 2009, Cooper received the Hollywood Comedy Award at the 13th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards,[41] and later that year, he and Sandra Bullock were nominated for a Razzie Award for their roles in All About Steve, which they went on to win.[42] In 2010, Cooper appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day, directed by Garry

Marshall, which also starred Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts and former Alias co-star Jennifer Garner.[43] The film was a commercial success, grossing over $215 million worldwide.[44] He then played the role of Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the feature film version of The A-Team. Cooper and his The A-Team co-stars Sharlto Copley and Quinton Jackson appeared together as guest co-hosts of WWE Raw on June 7, 2010.[45]

2011-present

In 2011, Cooper starred in the techno-thriller Limitless, based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn, and the comedy sequel to The Hangover, The Hangover Part II, which earned over $580 million at the box office worldwide.[46] In September 2011, GQ UK presented Cooper with the "International Man of the Year" award[47] and in the November 16, 2011 issue of People magazine, Cooper was named Sexiest Man Alive.[48] In 2012, he starred with Robert De Niro andJennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, an adaptation of Matthew Quick's serio-comic novel of the same name.[49][50] Cooper's performance in the film earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2012, he starred in the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines, as a police officer,[51] and in the drama The Words.

In 2013, Cooper reprised his role as Phil Wenneck in the third and final installment of The Hangover trilogy, The Hangover Part III, which was almost universally panned by critics and was most heavily criticized for its darker tone.[52] Cooper was subsequently considered as a contender for his second Razzie nomination for the fan-voted "Worst Screen Combo" award, but failed to receive a nomination.[53] That year Cooper also appeared in the ensemble cast of David O. Russell's dramedyAmerican Hustle alongside Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence. His performance as an unhinged FBI agent earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cooper reunited with Silver Linings Playbook co-star Jennifer Lawrence for director Susanne Bier's adaptation of Ron Rash's period novel, Serena (2014).[54]

In 2014, Cooper provided the voice of Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy.[55] Also that year, Cooper starred in the film American Sniper, about U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, directed by Clint Eastwood.[56] His third Academy Award nomination (his second for Best Actor) made him the 10th person to earn acting nominations in three consecutive years.[57] He will next star with Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams in the film Aloha directed by Cameron Crowe,[58] which also features Bill Murray and John Krasinski.

From late 2014 through early 2015, Cooper starred on Broadway in The Elephant Man, directed by Scott Ellis.

Bradley Cooper. (2015, February 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:37, March 2, 2015, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradley_Cooper&oldid=649249638

Seth Rogen (/ ̍ r oʊ ɡ ən / ; born April 15, 1982)[1] is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, producer, director, and comedian.

Rogen began his career performing stand-up comedy during his teenage years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a supporting role in the series Freaks and Geeks. Shortly after he moved to Los Angeles for his role, Freaks and Geeks was officially cancelled after one season due to low viewership. Rogen later got a part on the equally short-lived sitcom Undeclared, which also hired him as a staff writer.

After landing his job as a staff writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show, for which Rogen and the other writers received an Emmy Award nomination, Rogen was guided by Judd Apatow toward a film career. Rogen was cast in a major supporting role and credited as a co-producer in Apatow's directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin. After Rogen received critical praise for his performance, Universal Pictures agreed to cast him as the lead in Apatow's filmsKnocked Up and Funny People.

Rogen and his comedy partner Evan Goldberg co-wrote the films Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is the End, andThe Interview. He has also done voice work for the films Horton Hears a Who!, Kung Fu Panda and its sequel,Monsters vs. Aliens, and Paul.

Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His mother, Sandy (Belogus), is a social worker, and his father, Mark Rogen, worked for non-profit organizations and as an assistant director of the Workmen's Circle Jewish fraternal organization.[2][3][4][5] He has described his parents, who met in Israel at a kibbutz, as "radical Jewish socialists."[3] Rogen has an older sister named Danya.[2]Rogen attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School (although he did not graduate), incorporating many of his classmates into his writing. He was also known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, aHabonim Dror camp.[2]

Early work and friendship with Judd Apatow[edit]

Rogen's acting debut was in Apatow's 1980s-set cult hit series Freaks and Geeks as Ken Miller, a cynical, acerbic "freak".[4] Revolving around a group of teenagers' lives, Freaks and Geeks first aired in 1999. Although well-reviewed, the show was NBC's lowest-viewed program and was canceled after one season due to poor ratings.[9][11] Impressed with Rogen's improvisational skills,[8] Apatow then chose him as the lead in another of his shows, Undeclared. Rogen was originally set to play a fairly popular but nerdy college freshman, but the network did not think he was leading male material. Apatow opted not to go along with the show.[8] Rogen also served as a staff writer to the short-lived production.[12][13] Following the show's cancellation in 2002, Rogen did not get many auditions, which was not upsetting to him as he always thought he would achieve better success as a writer.[14] He would soon be a part of Apatow's "frat pack", a close-knit group that includes Steve Carell and Paul Rudd.[6] Of the awkwardness of a grown man spending so much time with a teenaged Rogen, Apatow said: "I'm such a comedy fan that, even though he's 16, I know I'm hanging out with one of the guys who's going to be one of the great comics." [8] Around this time, Apatow would come up with odd requests for Rogen and Goldberg, such as turn an idea of his into a

movie in 10 days and come up with 100 one-page ideas for films.[14] Regarding Apatow's professional effect on Rogen, the actor said in 2009, "Obviously, I can't stress how important Judd's been to my career".[6]

He had roles in Donnie Darko (2001) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004).[15] A big career point for him was becoming a staff writer for Sacha Baron Cohen's last season of Da   Ali G Show in 2004.[10] Along with the show's other writers, Rogen received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.[16] He became familiar to audiences as one of the main character's witty co-workers in Apatow's well-reviewed buddy comedy directorial debut feature The 40-Year-Old Virgin(2005).[17][18] Rogen also co-produced it and improvised all his dialogue.[10][19] "[Rogen] hadn't done any screen work that indicated he could carry as memorable and convincing a performance as he does with the character Cal," MTV's John Constantine wrote.[15] The Boston Globe reviewer Wesley Morris wrote that Rogen, along with co-stars Rudd and Romany Malco, were each hilarious in their own right[20] and Orlando Sentinel 's Roger Moore believed that Rogen had his moments in the film[21] whereas Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times said the actor was "droopily deadpan."[22] He followed this with a small role in You, Me and Dupree(2006), a critically panned comedy featuring Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson.[23]

Breakthrough[edit]

Rogen in 2007

His breakthrough came when Universal Studios greenlit him, for the lead, in yet another Apatow production: Knocked Up (2007), adramedy that follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between his slacker character and Katherine Heigl's just-promoted media personality that results in an unintended pregnancy. Upon completing The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Apatow had approached Rogen about potential starring roles, but the actor suggested many high-concept science fiction ideas. After Apatow insisted that he would work better in real life situations, the two agreed on the accidental pregnancy concept of this production.[24]Rogen called shooting sex scenes with Heigl "nerve-racking" and found comfort with the supporting cast since, even though he played the lead, the focus was not all on him.[25][26] Made on a $30 million budget and released on June 1, Knocked Up was a critical and commercial box office hit, garnering an approval rating of

90 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $219 million.[27][28] Rogen also received favorable reviews.[29][30] Later that year he played a supporting part as an irresponsible police officer in Superbad, which he had written with his writing partner and was co-produced by Apatow. Michael Cera and Jonah Hill originate the main roles, two teenage best friends whose party plans go wrong, based on them.[3] The film and their writing was praised, with critics finding it to be very authentic.[31] It topped the US box office for two weeks in a row.[32] Rogen hosted Saturday Night Live on October 6, 2007 and again on April 4, 2009.[33][34]

Rogen's projects in 2008 included Jimmy Hayward's Horton Hears a Who!, an animated film based on the Dr. Seuss book, that Rogen voiced a character in.[35]Rogen additionally co-wrote Drillbit Taylor, also produced by Apatow and starring Owen Wilson as the homeless titular character.[36] He based the screenplay on a 70-page scriptment done by John Hughes.[37] The movie was panned by critics who thought its plot – a grown man becoming three kids' bodyguard and beating up their bullies – had no focus and was drawn out. "If Superbad were remade as a gimmicky Nickelodeon movie, it would probably look something like Drillbit Taylor" Josh Bell wrote in the Las Vegas Weekly.[38] He again lent his voice to another animated movie, this time Kung Fu Panda, with Jack Black and Angelina Jolie.[39] It did exceptionally well in theaters, making more than $630 million.[40] Rogen, Goldberg and Apatow were behind the stoner action comedy Pineapple Expressdirected by David Gordon Green at Columbia Pictures. Apatow produced it while Rogen and Goldberg wrote the script.[41] Rogen was chosen to play the film'sprotagonist, a 25-year-old who accidentally witnesses a murder while delivering a subpoena. James Franco was cast as his hippie pot dealer that he goes on the run with. When asked about its inspiration, Rogen said he wrote what he knew.[42] Pineapple Express was released to theaters on August 6 and made $101 million in ticket sales against its $27 million production budget.[43] Movie critics lauded it, appreciating their performances and its humor.[41][44]

In April 2008, Empire reported that the actor and Goldberg would write an episode for the animated television series The Simpsons.[45] He also voiced a character in the episode,[46] entitled "Homer the Whopper", which opened the twenty-first season.[47] Kevin Smith's romantic comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out 2008 for the actor. He and Elizabeth Banks portrayed the title roles: Pennsylvania roommates who try to make some extra cash by making an adult film together. After having difficulty trying to secure an R rating, Rogen commented to MTV, "It's a really filthy movie" but complained "It's really crazy to me that Hostel is fine, with people gouging their eyes out and shit like that... But you can't show two people having sex – that's too much". [48] The picture was distributed on Halloween by The Weinstein Company and disappointed at the box office.[49] Along with Reese Witherspoon, he voiced a character in the animated science fiction Monsters vs Aliens(2009), did well commercially, with a total of $381.5 million.[50] He then starred in the Jody Hill-directed mall cop comedy Observe and Report,[51] in which he portrayed bipolar mall security guard Ronnie Barnhart. The film opened in theaters on April 10. Critics noted a departure in Rogen's acting

style from playing laid-back roles to playing a more sadistic character; Wesley Morris from The Boston Globe opined that "Often with Rogen, his vulnerability makes his coarseness safe...Ronnie is something altogether new for Rogen. Vulnerability never arrives. He's shameless." [52] Later in 2009, Rogen starred in Apatow's third directorial feature, Funny People, with Adam Sandler. Rogen played a young, inexperienced comic while Sandler played a mentor of sorts to his character; the film had more dramatic elements in it than Apatow's previous efforts.[53] Funny People was a commercial failure, coming short of its $75 million budget, but has a "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[54][55]

Recent work[edit]

Rogen in 2013

After years of development, a feature film adaptation of The Green Hornet was handled by Rogen and Goldberg, with a theatrical release in January 2011. Rogen chose to do a re-imagining of the title character.[6] He was executive producer of the movie and also cast himself as the main character. Rogen later admitted to having been overwhelmed by handling its $120 million budget. "It's insane. But it's not so much the specific amount of money that's stressful, it's all the things that go along with making a movie of that size."[56] The actor also went on a strict weight-loss diet to play the slim crime fighter.[6] The Green Hornet was a critical disappointment; Adam Graham of the Detroit News called it "a big, sloppy, loud, grating mess of a movie"[57] and the Arizona Republic 's Bill Goodykoontz found its story to have fallen apart.[58] Nonetheless it still opened at number one at the box office, making $33 million in its opening weekend before going on to gross more than $225 million.[59]

He reprised his voice role in Kung Fu Panda   2 ,[60] as well as produced and took a supporting role in 50/50, from Mandate Pictures. The dramedy about cancer was based on an autobiographical script by screenwriter Will Reiser,[61] and was released in September 2011. In mid-2010, Rogen shot scenes for another upcoming film, Take This Waltz, with Michelle Williams.[62] Another of his movies, Paramount Pictures's road movie The Guilt Trip, also starring Barbra Streisand, was released in cinemas in 2012. The film was about an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother (Streisand) on a road trip, as he attempts to sell his new product while also reuniting her with a lost

love.[63] In 2013, Rogen along with screenwriting collaborator Evan Goldberg made their directorial debut with This is The End, a comedy movie featuring Rogen,Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride playing fictional versions of themselves facing a global apocalypse. The movie received positive reviews and was No. 2 in the box office on its opening weekend.

He co-wrote the foreword for the 2014 book "Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation" by Blake J. Harris. He is also working on a movie adaptation of the book along with This is the End collaborator Evan Goldberg.[64]

On April 12, 2014, Rogen hosted Saturday Night Live, with musician Ed Sheeran performing.[65] That year, Rogen starred in Neighbors, with Rose Byrne and Zac Efron, directed by Nicholas Stoller, and released in May, and The Interview, opposite James Franco and Lizzy Caplan, released in December. Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-wrote and co-directed the latter film. In June 2014, North Korea threatened a "merciless" retaliation on the USA if it did not ban The Interview, labelling the movie "an act of war" and a "wanton act of terror", and Rogen himself a "gangster filmmaker". [66] On December 17, 2014, Sony Pictures announced that it was canceling the release of the movie after a cyber attack on the studio, allegedly tied to North Korea and threats made subsequently by North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un.[67] As a result of criticism of this decision, Sony subsequently made the film available online and it allowed theatrical release on December 25, 2014.