Brief biographies of my favorite stars
Clara Bow Born Clara Gordon Bow Date of birth: July 29, 1905 (The exact year of her birth has been debated, but TCM’s database lists it at 1905.) Date of death: September 27, 1965 Roles First role: Beyond the Rainbow (1922) Final role: Hoop-La (1933) Best known for… …being Hollywood’s first “It” girl and the… Read More Star Spotlight: Clara Bow
Vincent Price Born Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. Date of birth: May 27, 1911 Date of death: October 25, 1993 Roles First role: Service de Luxe (1938) Final film role: Arabian Knight (1995) TMP’s favorite Vincent Price role: Dr. Warren Chapin in The Tingler (1959) Best known for… …appearing in horror films like The Tingler …appearing… Read More Star Spotlight: Vincent Price
James Cagney Born James Francis Cagney, Jr. Date of birth: July 17, 1899 Date of death: March 30, 1986 Roles First role: Sinner’s Holiday (1930) Final role: Terrible Joe Moran (TV movie, 1984) Best known for… …playing a tough guy in Warner Bros. gangster flicks …excelling as a song and dance man despite his tough… Read More Star Spotlight: James Cagney
Peter Lorre Born Laszlo Lowenstein Date of Birth: June 26, 1904 Date of Death: March 23, 1964 Roles First film: Die verschwundene Frau (1929) First credited role: M (1931) Final film: The Patsy (1964) TMP’s favorite: Mad Love (1935) Best known for… …starring in the Mr. Moto film series …playing a lot of great (and… Read More Star Spotlight: Peter Lorre
Doris Day Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff Date of birth: April 3, 1922 or 1924 Roles First role: as Georgia in Romance on the High Seas (1948) Most recent film role: as Abby in With Six You Get Egg Roll (1968) Most recent TV role: The Doris Day Show, which ran until 1973 TMP’s favorite… Read More Star Spotlight: Doris Day
Paul Henried Born Paul Georg Julius Freiherr von Hernried Ritter von Wassel-Waldingau (Paul von Hernreid for short) Date of birth: January 10, 1908 Date of death: March 29, 1992 Roles First role: Dawn (1933) First English-language role: Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) Final film role: Exorcist II (1977) First film directed: For Men Only (1952) Final… Read More Star Spotlight: Paul Henreid
Buster Keaton Born Joseph Frank Keaton Date of birth: October 4, 1895 Date of death: February 1, 1966 Roles First role: The Butcher Boy (short film, 1917) Final role: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Best known for… …being one of the greatest silent film comedians, and one of the… Read More Star Spotlight: Buster Keaton
A note from Lindsey: This post is a combination of a tribute and a Star Spotlight. We lost Lauren Bacall last month, and at the time I wasn’t able to collect my thoughts properly. Prior to the news of her passing, I had two separate posts drafted for her — a birthday tribute to be… Read More Lauren Bacall: a tribute
This Tuesday, the third season of The Mindy Project begins! To remind you all that you should be watching TMP (Bonus: The show shares its initials with this blog), today I’m adding the incredibly talented Chris Messina to the Star Spotlight roster. Chris Messina Date of birth: August 11, 1974 Roles First role: Higgins in… Read More Star Spotlight: Chris Messina
Vivien Leigh Born Vivian Mary Hartley Date of birth: November 5, 1913 Date of death: July 8, 1967 Roles First role: Gentlemen’s Agreement (1935) Final role: Ship of Fools (1965) Best known for… …her Oscar-winning performance as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, alongside Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard …her Oscar-winning… Read More Star Spotlight: Vivien Leigh
