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The Greatest Story Ever Told
''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast, it is Claude Rains' final film role. It received five Academy Award nominations. Plot Part I Three wise men (magi) follow a brightly shining star from Asia to Jerusalem in search of a newborn king. They are summoned by King Herod the Great, whose advisers inform him of a Messiah mentioned in various prophecies. When Herod remembers that the prophecy names nearby Bethlehem as the child's birthplace, he sends the Magi there to confirm the child's existenceand secretly sends guards to follow them and "keep iminformed." In Bethlehem, the Magi find a married coupleMary and Josephlaying their newborn son in a manger. Mary states that his name is Jesus. As the local shepherds watch, the Magi present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Stevens
George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture six times while he had five nominations as Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director, winning twice. Among his most notable films are ''Swing Time (film), Swing Time'' (1936), ''Gunga Din (film), Gunga Din'' (1939) and the five movies for which he was nominated for Best Director: ''The More the Merrier (film), The More the Merrier'' (1943); ''A Place in the Sun (1951 film), A Place in the Sun'' (1951), for which he won the Best Director Oscar; ''Shane (film), Shane'' (1953), ''Giant (1956 film), Giant'' (1956), for which he won the Best Director Oscar, and ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959). Biography Film career Stevens was born on December 18, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal of international attention. At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Lansbury received many accolades throughout her career, including six Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Academy Honorary Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, eighteen Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Lansbury Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Lansbury was born to an upper-middle-class family in Central London, the daughter of Irish actress Moyna Macgill and English politician Edgar Lansbury. She moved to the United States in 1940 to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Stewart (actor)
Paul Stewart (born Paul Sternberg; March 13, 1908 – February 17, 1986) was an American character actor, director and producer who worked in theatre, radio, films and television. He frequently portrayed cynical and sinister characters throughout his career. A friend and associate of Orson Welles for many years, Stewart helped Welles get his first job in radio and was associate producer of the celebrated radio program "The War of the Worlds", in which he also performed. One of the Mercury Theatre players who made their film debut in Welles's landmark film ''Citizen Kane'', Stewart portrayed Kane's butler and valet, Raymond. He appeared in 50 films, and performed in or directed some 5,000 radio and television shows. Biography Paul Stewart was born in Manhattan, New York, on March 13, 1908, as Paul Sternberg. His parents were Maurice D. Sternberg, a salesman and credit agent for a textile manufacturer, and Nathalie C. (née Nathanson) Sternberg; both were born in Minneapoli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Schildkraut
Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as Otto Frank in the film ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and a Primetime Emmy for his performance as Rabbi Gottlieb in a 1962 episode of the television series ''Sam Benedict''. Early life Schildkraut was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Erna (née Weinstein) and stage (and later motion picture) actor Rudolph Schildkraut. His family was Jewish. In 1910, he accompanied his father on his tour to the U.S. and returned to Europe in 1913. He began stage training with Max Reinhardt in Berlin shortly afterward, began his career on the stages of Germany and Austria, then made the transition to film. Schildkraut moved to the U.S. in 1920 and appeared in many Broadway productions. Among the plays in which he starred was a no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series ''Kojak'' (1973–1978) and James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969). Savalas' other roles include ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965), ''Battle of the Bulge'' (1965), ''The Dirty Dozen'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), ''Horror Express'' (1972), ''Lisa and the Devil'' (1974) and ''Escape to Athena'' (1979). For ''Birdman of Alcatraz'', he was nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. As a singer, Savalas released a cover of the Bread song " If", which became a UK No. 1 single in 1975. The song also peaked at number 12 in Australia. Early life Aristotelis Savalas was born in Garden Ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Raymond
Gary Barrymore Raymond (born 20 April 1935) is an English film, television and theatre actor. Biography Gary Raymond was born in Brixton, London, to theatrical parents, both of whom were variety artistes. The youngest of three brothers, Gary and his brother Robin are twins, Robin being twenty minutes older. Raymond's mother died of tuberculosis within nine months of his and his brother's birth, and the two were then in the care of a nanny. When Raymond was eleven years old, he won a scholarship to the Gateway School and remained there until he was sixteen. After training at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Raymond worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1950s, playing roles such as Macbeth, Oberon and Claudius, and others. He made his film debut as Charles Stuart ( King Charles II) in the British swashbuckling film ''The Moonraker'' (1958). He soon followed up with his role as Cliff Lewis in Tony Richardson's film adaptation of John Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), '' Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' (1939), '' The Wolf Man'' (1941), ''Casablanca'' and ''Kings Row'' (both 1942), '' Notorious'' (1946), ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), and ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965). He was a Tony Award-winning actor and was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Rains was considered to be "one of the screen's great character stars" From McFarlane's ''Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.545 who was, according to the ''All-Movie Guide'', "at his best when playing cultured villains". During his lengthy career, he was greatly admired by many of his acting colleagues, such as Bette Davis, Vincent Sherman, Ronald Neame, Al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born unexpectedly in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre, landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955). In 1958, Poitier starred with Tony Curtis as chained-together escaped convicts in ''The Defiant Ones ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Pleasence
Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in '' The Great Escape'' (1963), the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967), SEN 5241 in ''THX 1138'' (1971), and the deranged Clarence "Doc" Tydon in ''Wake in Fright'' (1971). Pleasence starred as psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis in ''Halloween'' (1978) and four of its sequels, a role for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor. The series' popularity and critical success led to a resurgent career for Pleasence, who appeared in numerous American and European-produced horror and thriller films. He collaborated with ''Halloween'' director John Carpenter twice more, as the President of the United States in ''Escape from New York'' (1981), and as th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American character actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years, beginning after his service in the United States Army during World War II. Persoff got his first part as an extra in ''The Naked City'' (1948). He is best known for roles as Leo in ''The Harder They Fall'' (1956), as Little Bonaparte in ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959), as Rebbe Mendel in '' Yentl'' (1983), and as the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the animated film ''An American Tail'' (1986) and its sequels. He also made appearances on episodes of ''The Twilight Zone'', ''Gilligan's Island'', ''Hawaii Five-O'', Adam-12 and ''Law & Order''. Biography Early life and training Persoff was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, on August 2, 1919, to Puah (née Holman, 1887–1963) and Shmuel Persoff (1885–1961). His father, who was a silversmith, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sal Mineo
Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at age 17, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category. Mineo also starred in films such as ''Crime in the Streets'', ''Giant'' (both 1956), ''Exodus'' (1960), for which he won a Golden Globe and received a second Academy Award nomination, '' The Longest Day'' (1962), John Ford’s final western ''Cheyenne Autumn'', and ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971). Early life and education Mineo was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of coffin makers Josephine (née Alvisi) and Salvatore Mineo Sr. He was of Sicilian descent; his father was born in Italy and his mother, of Italian origin, was born in the United States. Mineo's sister Sarina and brothers Michael and Vict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for ''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for '' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956).Dorothy McGuire Actress who was often cast as a mother and had the talent, but not the will, for stardom The Daily Telegraph 18 Sep 2001: 29. She starred as the eponymous mother in the popular film '' Swiss Family Robinson'' (1960). Life and career Early years Born in Omaha, Nebraska,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . pp. 755–756. McGuire was the only child of Isabelle Flaherty McGuire and Thomas Johnson McGuire. She made her stage debut at age 13 at the local community playhouse in Barrie's ''A Kiss for Cinderella''. Her co-star was Henry Fonda, who was also born in Nebraska and was making a ret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
