Golden Scots: Fill & Download for Free

Well, yes. And, I suppose you want to read them, or you wouldn’t have asked. Reluctantly, though, for I suppose I could just as easily embarrass myself as tell interesting things. Reluctance be damned; full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.I think John Denver was one of the best folk singers of his era. He died at 53 when the light aircraft he took up ran out of fuel. It’s sad. He had a lot more to offer us, or so I believe.I’m HIV+. I seroconverted in 1982. I’ve lived with HIV for some 37 years.In ‘82, many of my friends in Philadelphia began dying of GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome, as AIDS was called then). I was certain I was going to die too.Rather than obsess over it, I just went out and bought the best medical insurance policy I could find. A year later, the insurance companies wised up and stopped selling medical insurance to males between 18 and 45. I got in just under the wire.I bought a $250,000 life insurance policy so I would leave something for my mother and grandmother. I bought an income disability insurance policy for myself so that I wouldn’t be destitute when disabled.Then, I went back to work and gave it not another thought. If I died, I died. Que sera ….I’m gay, in case you hadn’t worked that out. I came out in 1970, at 22, three months after graduating from Johns Hopkins University.I was born in Garden City, Kansas, some 60 miles from the town in which my parents lived because that was the closest doctor and hospital. Leoti was my hometown. It was the county seat and had a population of 1,250. I know well what life in a small town is like.When I was 4, I could get on the chair and use the telephone that hung from the dining room wall of my grandmother’s house. It was a wooden box that had a mouthpiece extending from the center and an earpiece that hung on a hook on the right side. Also on the right side was a crank handle.To operate it, you took the earpiece off the hook and turned the crank. A voice on the other end of the line said, “Information, please.” For the longest time, I thought that was her name, Information Please.I was born tongue-tied. The doctor, who got there the day after I was delivered, said he would cut the thickened frenulum linguae, but I might nonetheless never speak correctly.I did learn to speak, well enough that I spoke freely and with effect in front of juries and in arguments before appellate judges.One summer, on my grandparents’ 1,000 acre Colorado farm, I saw my little brother standing frozen in the middle of the yard. I just knew there was a rattlesnake. Without thinking, I grabbed a hoe and ran over. There it was, poised to strike, with rattle shaking fiercely. I chopped its head off. Then my knees buckled under me, and I was flat on the ground next to the still wriggling corpse.I had nightmares for weeks. I just knew that that was a Mr. snake and somewhere out there, there was a Mrs. snake really pissed at me. She was hunting me, or so I dreamt.I’m a voracious reader. When I was in 9th grade or so, my mother gave me Churchill’s 6-volume history of WW II. Each volume exceeded 1,000 pages. I read all of them in one summer month.Among the books I’ve read, some of my favorites are:Encounters with the archdruid and Coming into the Country, John McPhee,The Kryptonite Kid and As If After Sex, Joseph Torchia,John Adams, David McCullough,The Charioteer, The Last of the Wine, Fire from Heaven, and The Persian Boy, Mary Renault,The Guns of August and The March of Folly, Barbara Tuchman,The Gathering Storm (first of the six-volume history The Second World War), Winston Churchill,Abraham Lincoln: The War Years, Carl Sandburg,The Cousins Wars, Kevin Phillips,A Separate Peace, John Knowles,The Man Without a Face, Isabelle Holland,An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce (short story),Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger,The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield,Sailing Alone Around the World, Joshua Slocum,Enders’ Game, Orson Scott Card,Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein,Maurice, E.M. Forster,A Single Man and Christopher and His Kind, Christopher Isherwood, andGILES: Goat-Boy, John Barth.I’m a life-long liberal Democratic snowflake in the FDR/JFK mold. Snowflake I might be, but I don’t melt under heat, I sparkle.I’ve been a confirmed atheist since 13 when I looked at the flyleaf of the Bible and saw the words “King James version.” I wondered how many other versions there were, and questioned why I wasn’t reading one of them. The minister said there were somethings I wasn’t to question but just had to take on faith.I found I hadn’t enough faith not to wonder about those other versions. Besides, I really didn’t like being told what I had to believe.My three most admired people in history are Alexander the Great, Lincoln, and Churchill.In elementary school and through high school, I was an overachiever. I got As with only a few Bs.I got a D in personal typing. I really wasn’t interested and didn’t apply myself though I had ample manual dexterity to type correctly.I learned typing on a manual, now old fashioned typewriter before the IBM Selectric was invented. Ugh. I’m old!The first court sport I played was handball at the YMCA in San Francisco when I was 27. I took it up on a challenge in 1976, my first year in law school in San Francisco. A straight friend, Peter, said I couldn’t beat him.He was right. I hated losing. I was competitive in things I was interested in, overly competitive.I took lessons from a man who had been U.S. handball champion four years running in his youth. He agreed to coach me if I was serious enough to practice 3 hours a week with him, practice by myself 3 hours a week, and play against other players another 3 hours a week.I did all that plus long distance running, swimming, and exercises at the Y.Peter stopped playing me because I kept beating him. I was good enough, said my coach, to be an A- professional player.In 1978, I graduated law school and accepted a trial court clerkship in Fairbanks even though that I had locked up a 9th Circuit appellate court clerkship with a judge in Idaho. The 9th Circuit clerkship would have given me a lot of resume power.But I already knew how to research and write. I thought a trial court clerkship would be better. Besides, Fairbanks would be an adventure, and, anyway, who wanted to spend a year in Idaho?I was admitted to Johns Hopkins University in 1965, my high school junior year, as a pre-med student.I spent the summer of that year as an intern at Goddard Space Flight Center.At Goddard, I did original research on the spectral distribution of the carbon arc lamp. I wrote a paper on the research that was published by Goddard. So, technically, I’m a published author.Summer of my high school senior year I spent working in the restaurant of the only motel in Leoti.I learned to love rare (rare) steak when a Texan came into the restaurant, walked past the cash register, past the owner, directly into the kitchen and up to the cook. He said, “I want the best steak in the house, and I want it rare. I mean pass a match under it and send it out.”She put it on the grill for a minute, flipped it over for another minute and sent me out with it and with the message that, please, if it wasn’t cooked enough, send it back.An hour later, the Texan walked again into the kitchen and up to Tillie. He gave her a $20 bill (this was 1966 when $20 was serious money in western Kansas), and said, “That’s the best damn steak I’ve had outside Texas.”I thought that if it was worth $20, I should try it. I got Tillie to make me one that I took into an empty and darkened room (dark so that I couldn’t see the blood as it ran from the cut). It was the best damn steak I’d ever had.I’ve eaten all my steaks rare ever since. I soon got so selective that I would only eat a filet mignon. It’s my favorite and the only cut I will eat.I’m choosy that way, or perhaps just a show-off.I’m an INTP, of which only about 3% of the population is.I’m contrary. I don’t like being told what to do. I rebel. I always have.In a junior-high English composition class, the student teacher told us we had to do 12 book reports. My immediate reaction was, “Oh, goody. I get to read 12 books and get credit for them.” Everyone else moaned.She gave us a list of 13 books from which to choose the 12. We had to read from that list. My immediate reaction was that I wasn’t going to read a one; I’d select my own.I was smart enough to know I’d better have an unassailable list, so I decided to read only Pulitzer Prize works.For my first one, I chose Giants in the Earth by Roølveg.I got a D. She didn’t even read it. I took it to the Vice Principal and noted that there was no crease where the staple was; she hadn’t even turned the first page. He liked me. I think he was a contrarian too. He summoned her and said she should read it before giving me a grade.I got a B+. I was certain it wasn’t an A because it wasn’t from her list. I’ve never since liked student teachers.I accidentally discovered Computer Science in my university freshman year. It was intuitive to me, ridiculously simple and easy. I got an A in the course.I switched majors from pre-med to computer science and applied mathematics. I had much more fun than ever I would have in Biochem.The professor got me a paid, graduate-level teaching assistantship. I taught a lab section in the adult education school that summer. I was 19. I kept teaching it through my senior year when I had two sections and was in charge of the 12 other instructors.I was a capitalist early on in life. I worked for the computer center programming for a group of professors who needed work on their grants. The computer center charged them $15/hr and paid me $5/hr.In my junior year, I quit the computer center and went to the professors offering to do the same work as an independent consultant for $10/hr, thus doubling my pay and saving them 1/3 on their grant expenses. The computer center director was not pleased.I taught myself to operate the IBM 7094 mainframe from the operator’s control console. One night around 02:00, I had entered a small program into high memory that waited until the next operator logged in.When he did, the computer flashed on the console’s light panel, “Jason has cold hands. I refuse to work for him.” At which point, all the lights on the panel and the two banks of tape drives began flashing wildly. Had there been a warning klaxon, I would have sounded it too.I thought Jason was smart enough to find the program and throw it out of memory. He wasn’t. At 03:30, I got an angry call from the director wanting to know what the Hell I’d done to his machine.I wasn’t thrown out although the Dean threatened to. Perhaps he too was a contrarian.I consistently operated in the 97th percentile. I’m complex and intelligent., although I have no example to offer you. I just know that I am.I’m well read and skilled at writing. Some times I can even write an entertaining or moving vignette.I have a sometimes droll sense of humor, tightly leashed.I’m a quiet, self-directed, self-sufficient, mildly extroverted introvert. The mild extroversion is a quality hard-won during my character makeover in junior and senior years in college. I determined to stop being the loner I had always been. I did.I can’t believe I’ve reached halfway. I’ve still got a lot of stuff to tell and am feeling no pressure, no fear that I might not make it to 100. I can sometimes be a prolific and prolix bloviator.My most valued skill is surviving life, though sometimes just barely.All my life, I’ve had two operating speeds, all ahead flank, 110% on the reactor, and all stop. That’s how I consistently described myself.I can also be a showoff. Sorry.In therapy in my 40s, in the middle of a 12-year depression, my psychiatrist diagnosed me as Bipolar II, NOS. I guess I was right in my self-description.I no longer read voraciously, not because I haven’t the interest, but because I’ve developed a double vision and another eye condition that makes it difficult to read the print. However, I can enlarge the font on my iPad sufficiently so that I can read on it.I now spend my reading time with the New York Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker magazine, and sometimes the Economist. I’ve digital subscriptions to all of them.I’m Quora Top Writer 2018, an “accomplishment” with which I’m pleased. But, I feel pressure to continually do better so that I’ll be a 2019 Top Writer. I thought I left performance pressure behind when I quit my litigation practice.I’m an attorney. The lawyer is the mealy-mouthed, obnoxious, conceited little piss-ant on the other side.How I got from pre-med to computer science to law is a good story, but it would be too long to recount here. I haven’t the time to make it short.It’s 01:55 hours as I write this. I often can’t sleep, so, I occupy the night hours with Quora (reading as well as writing). I’m listening to John Denver’s Wildlife Concert on my Bose Quiet Control 30 blue tooth headset.Did I say that I think Denver was one of the best?Three months after I came out in DC, I sort of accidentally crashed a dinner party for two lovers on the occasion of their 7th anniversary. The gay couple across the hall was giving the dinner.I had had a date with my boyfriend who lived on the floor above. He didn’t show. I didn’t want to go home. He had introduced me to Raj and Ulf, the couple across the hall, a few weeks previously and they had said I should visit anytime. I knocked, was invited to stay, and accepted with alacrity and without compunction.The honorees were two lawyers who had met and brought each other out in Harvard law school. They were smart and ever so cosmopolitan. Within an hour, while still at the table, I knew I was in love, in love with both and with the entity that was the two of them together. Really. Strong, visceral, undeniable love at first sight. Well, at first hour’s sight anyway.It was a Sunday night. We talked for hours until Raj and Ulf threw us out because they had to go to work on Monday, which it was because we had talked well beyond midnight.I went back with them to their apartment. After another hour, Tommy and Michael disappeared toward the back. I sat on the sofa looking out the great window that was the north wall of their apartment at the DC night lights, all the Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Monument ablaze in light.Michael came out a few minuted later saying that each of them wanted to bed me. Whichever one I chose, the other would sleep in the second bedroom and wouldn’t be hurt.I didn’t hesitate. I said I’d sleep with both or neither. I spent that night and Monday and Tuesday with them, talking, laughing, reading a book to each other (John McPhee’s The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed), and screwing our collective minds out.That is how I met what I call my two first lovers. We were together 3 years until Tommy decided he was in love with someone else. Michael and I stayed together another year until I left for a Ph.D. program at Cornell in search of my professional soul.I was supposed to come home over holidays, spring break, and summers. But, when I came back for Christmas, Michael said he had met another man and was leaving. He disappeared and left me alone in the apartment.For the first time in my life, I decided I needed to get drunk. My sorrow, anguish, and desperation demanded relief in the oblivion of Stolichnaya.In our favorite gay bar, I sat at the bar with my first Stolly and cranberry juice with a lime. I had finished the drink and was absent-mindedly pummeling the lime wedge in the bottom of the glass with the straw when the bartender came up with a second.He looked at me with a smile that curled up on the right side of his mouth and a twinkle in his brilliant hazel eyes. “I’d sure hate to be the guy you’ve got in the bottom of that glass,” he said as he slid the second drink toward me. He winked, “I get off at 2:30.”I decided I didn’t need to get drunk after all. I nursed that second drink the rest of the night.On the few occasions since, when I’ve felt I needed to get drunk, I’ve recalled those hazel eyes and the week I spent reflected in them. I remember, I really don’t have to get drunk at all.Since then, I’ve bedded perhaps 2,000 or so men. I’ve had 3 lovers and any number of boyfriends. A lot of men fell in love with me. I broke all their hearts. Two broke my heart.I fell in love with only the 3. I left the first two, breaking their hearts in the process. The third I was with for 8 years until he died on April 28th, 1995, of AIDS in San Diego. I know we would still be together but for that.We met in 1987 in Fayetteville, AR, where I had gone to practice law. In 1992, we decided to move to San Diego where he could get a job as an Emergency Department nurse despite being HIV+.He went out first. It took me 3 months to wind up affairs and sell the house. Upon my arrival in San Diego, he wrote this.Welcome Back BabyEden lets me in.I find the seeds of loveAnd climb upon the high wire.I kiss — and tell all my fears.Playing in the dirtWe find the seeds of fun.We scream like alley catsTearing down what we attackTo prove that we are one.Cutting through the night,We find the seds of lustAnd lose our minds on one intent.These passions never seem to end.© 1992 Loy Dean SloanOn his death 3 years later, I wrote thisThe Reflection Of My SoulYou are the reflection of my soul.No more than could my shadowCan you be torn from me,Though time and distanceinterpose, though Death’s persistenceDeliver you to Heaven’s fold.You are the reflection of my soul.© 1995 Steve AlexanderI was what is called an HIV slow progresser. My immune system resisted the virus from ’82 until ’96 when my T-cells dropped so far below 200 that I gave each of the remaining ones names.I received an AIDS diagnosis myself, but never got an opportunistic infection. Instead, I survived long enough to see the arrival of the so called three-drug-cocktail in Feb. ‘97. My viral load dropped to undetectable. My T-cells bounced back. I didn’t die.For 8 years, from 1979 - 1987, I practiced law in Philadelphia. I was a litigator in a small firm owned by the former 9=year First Assistant District Attorney of Philadelphia. He had one of the more brilliant legal minds in the country.I was fortunate to have complex, high-profile, high-pressure cases given me. I never had the same type of case a second time. I sued the National Football League in antitrust. I lost. The Third Circuit said they were immune from antitrust suits. I sued the sitting mayor of Philadelphia for libel committed during a campaign speech. I won.I defended an orthodontist in a medical malpractice case and won. I sued a gastroenterologist for medical malpractice and won. I worked on the divorce case of one of the most prominent lawyers in the city and made new law about how a professional practice is evaluated in divorce proceedings.At one point, the owner assigned me to review and approve the written work of three other attorneys; two were senior to me. I had a Mont Blanc fountain pen with red ink that I used to make revisions and criticisms in the margins. The hated that pen with the red ink.At Johns Hopkins, I was the only undergraduate in university history to hold a paid, graduate-level teaching assistantship. In my year at Cornell, I had a TA in finite mathematics. The second semester of my second year in law school, I taught a lab section in Appellate Advocacy, a course I had just taken the prior semester. I was the only student in the school’s history to teach a course.I think I would have made a good professor — in comparative religion and philosophy perhaps.In law school, I made law review. I was on and then president of the Moot Court Board. I was on the admissions committee.My third year, I took no classes but was appointed an intern law clerk to a United States District Court judge. He treated me just as he did his paid law clerks, giving me the same freedom and responsibilities and expecting the same performance as he did with them. On one of the cases, I argued him into holding a Coast Guard seizure of 5 tons of marijuana from a boat in theSan Francisco bay unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. It was a first impression case that made new national law. I was really happy with my performance.I ran long distance in college with the track team, but I wouldn’t join the team because I didn’t want the coach telling me what to do. At Cornell, I picked up the pace and began running 6 days a week, 6 miles a day, 6-minute miles. I like the number 666.One night around midnight in San Francisco, Nikos and I were holding hands and walking quietly on the top of a hill near Castro. I felt a rock come swishing by from behind, clipping me on my right knee. I turned to see two teenage boys with rocks in hand and arms poised to throw again.Without thinking, I was sprinting toward them, suffused with white-hot anger. They dropped their rocks, turned, and ran away. I chased them to a chain-link fence where the first dived down and through a hole at the bottom. The second was down and headed into the hole when I caught up. I could have but didn’t grab him by the ankles and haul his butt back. My anger had dissipated even as I had closed the distance between us.Nikos caught up with me just as the kid scrambled through the fence, leapt up and ran on. Panting, he asked what I was going to do with the kid if I had caught him. I had to admit I hadn’t the slightest idea. I would have marched him by his ear to the nearest police station, but there wasn’t one.I determined then that white hot anger was not a state conducive to good decision making. I’ve since seldom been white hot with anger, but when I have been, I recall that evening and delay action until I’ve calmed down.I had gotten my first motorcycle ride from Nikos a couple of months earlier. I was walking up Market St., headed home after classes, an hour spent at the Golden Gate YMCA playing handball, and a couple hours studying at Hastings Law School across the street. It was near midnight.I was standing at Van Ness street waiting for a light to cross when a guy on a motorcycle stopped at the light. The rider looked over and asked whether I needed a ride. I couldn’t see his face for the helmet, but his broad shoulders and well-defined pecs were silhouetted by his tight-fitting leather vest. I said sure.I got on behind him, seated with my chest firm against his back, and my arms wrapped around him, hands clasped against his chest. He reached up, took my hands in his and slid them down to his groin.We spent the night and the next day together. He called in sick, and I skipped classes. We became close friends with benefits.Two years later, in Anchorage, I was with two lovers, with whom I was spending the weekend, in the only gay bar in town. Across the dance floor stood Nikos, staring at me with a stupid grin on his face. He was the stage manager of a San Francisco ballet troupe. The company was performing in Anchorage for the week. The four of us spent the weekend together.At Cornell, one morning as I was hiking up the river bed to my office on campus, a boy jumped from a bridge high overhead. He landed just in front of me on the rocks with a soft thud.It was cold, freezing, but he had no jacket. His right leg was twisted full back, his heel resting against his hip. His right hand that he had reflexively extended to break his fall lay torn and crumpled. Bloody froth came from his mouth.His eyes caught mine. They latched onto me. He was still alive. I knelt beside him. My knees gave way, and I landed flat on my butt on the rocks. His eyes still held mine.I held him close to me as he died. I felt the last breath leave his spoiled body.He had been a freshman. I learned that he had gotten a D in a course, and couldn’t face telling his parents. That week, I joined the university suicide prevention, crisis intervention hotline.I’ve seen 5 people die, the suicide included. The first was my uncle of bone cancer when I was 19. The last was my mother of Alzheimer’s when I was 61.That’s not counting the hundred or so of my friends who died of GRID/AIDS from 1982 through the late 1990s. My entire generation of gay males is dead of AIDS. I’m the only one I know left alive. There must be others, surely, but I’m the only one I know.When I was 5, I had my first homosexual experience. I played naked doctor with 6-year-old Kevin from across the street. My grandmother caught us and whisked me away by my ear. I don’t recall what happened next, but I’m sure it was appropriately corporal. That’s how errant little boys were dealt with by grandmothers in Leoti in 1953.At 15, while watching the riderless horse, boots reversed in the stirrups, and JFK’s caisson go by on Pennsylvania Ave., I cried when taps were played.While a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell in Engineering, I took and passed a course in the Hotel Management School in wine tasting.Also while at Cornell, I audited a class at Ithaca College on creative writing given by Rod Serling.While a law clerk in Fairbanks, I was appointed an acting District Court judge.Also while in Fairbanks, in my second job as the night- and weekend-manager of the racquetball club, I met a young teenager from Ordway. Colorado, a town in which I lived when 4 years old.Also in Fairbanks, my friend and co-volunteer at the crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline was murdered by her ex.I found spirituality one night at 3 am, 80 miles north of Fairbanks. Stamping my feet against the -40F cold, along with some strangers from Fairbanks, I watched the Aurora Borealis dance and prance across the black night sky. I swear, one of the multi-hued streamers leapt down from 40,000 feet and touched my soul that night.That year, the courtroom clerk for my judge fell in love with me and asked me to marry her. I had to come out to her to explain why, despite that, we had a deep attraction for each other, I could not marry her.The year before she had been widowed when her husband was killed working on the Alaska Pipeline. She had gotten a million dollar settlement from them. I was tempted to marry her but decided it wouldn’t be fair. I’d always be wanting sex with men.In Philadelphia, I had the first inkling I was getting old (my secretary didn’t know where she was the day JFK was shot because she hadn’t been born yet).While retired (forcibly so by that 12-year depression) in San Diego, I served as a “Child Advocate” for the local Superior Court, and, otherwise, did absolutely nothing but read, bike, and swim at the local nude beach.My brother and I are the last surviving Alexander males in a long patrilineal line stretching back 346 years to 1673 when Samuel Alexander, one of 7 Scots-Irish brothers and 2 sisters, arrived in the New World from County Donegal on the ‘Good Ship Welcome.’I’m also descended from the 1620 Mayflower colonists John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. Alden was 22 and the ship’s cooper. He had been scheduled to return to England but elected to stay in Plymouth. Priscilla was 18. She arrived with her parents and brother. She was the only one of her family to survive that first winter when literally half the colonists died. They were the second Mayflower couple to marry.My great, great grandfather Daniel T. Alexander murdered his neighbor in Red River County, Texas, in 1853, in a dispute over a pig. He fled Texas for Jackson Port, Arkansas, where, 22 years later, he was recognized and extradited back to Texas for trial.I’m an autodidact in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, which I learned to build a website for a local genealogical nonprofit organization that puts on an annual conference.I also present classes at the conferences. This year will be 2 in DNA for genealogists, a subject I’ve yet to learn.Up until I got old and shrank, I was 6′ 2.5″ tall. I was always the tallest fellow around.One day, at Cornell, I felt uncomfortable kissing another guy. My neck was angled back and I was stretching up. He was 6′ 4″. It was the first time I met someone taller than me. It was also the last until I shrank.For 38 years, from 1966, my senior year in high school, until age 56 in 2004, I weighed from 175lbs to 180lbs. I was always long, lean, and lithe — qualities that stood me well with all the gay men I met. At 56, though, with age finally catching up with me and no partner for whom to stay fit, I got old and fat.There, that’s it. My, but aren’t you sorry you asked?Q:Can you write 100 things about yourself?

Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist, and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do.Norris appeared in a number of action films, such as Way of the Dragon, in which he starred alongside Bruce Lee, and was The Cannon Group's leading star in the 1980s.[3][4]He played the starring role in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 until 2001.Norris is a devout Christian and politically conservative. He has written several books on Christianity and donated to a number of Republican candidates and causes. In 2007 and 2008, he campaigned for former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who was running for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.[5]Norris also writes a column for the conservative website WorldNetDaily.[6]Since 2005 Norris has been widely associated with an internet meme which documents fictional and often absurd feats associated with him.Contents[hide]1Early life2Martial arts career3Acting career3.1Rise to fame3.2Walker, Texas Ranger4Product endorsements5Appearances6Chun Kuk Do7Personal life7.1Family7.2Christianity7.3Martial arts and personal fitness8Activism8.1Philanthropy8.2Political views9Honors10Internet meme11Filmography12References13Further reading14External linksEarly lifeNorris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma on March 10, 1940,[7]to Wilma (née Scarberry) and Ray Norris, who was a World War II Army soldier,[8]a mechanic, bus driver, and truck driver.[9]Norris has stated that he has Irish and Cherokee roots.[3][8][10]Norris was named after Carlos Berry, his father's minister.[8]He has two younger brothers, Wieland (1943–1970; killed in Vietnam) and Aaron (a Hollywood producer). When Norris was sixteen, his parents divorced,[11]and he later relocated to Prairie Village, Kansas, and then to Torrance, California, with his mother and brothers.[3]Norris has described his childhood as downbeat. He was nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre.[12]His father, Ray, worked intermittently as an automobile mechanic, and went on alcohol drinking binges that lasted for months at a time. Embarrassed by his father's behavior and the family's financial plight, Norris developed a debilitating introversion that lasted for his entire childhood.[13]He joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) in 1958 and was sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea. It was there that Norris acquired the nickname Chuck and began his training in Tang Soo Do (tangsudo), an interest that led to black belts in that art and the founding of the Chun Kuk Do ("Universal Way") form.[14]When he returned to the United States, he continued to serve as an AP at March Air Force Base in California.Norris was discharged in August 1962. He worked for the Northrop Corporation and opened a chain of Karate schools including a storefront school in his then-hometown of Torrance on Hawthorne Boulevard. Norris' official website lists celebrity clients at the schools; among them Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond.[15]Martial arts careerNorris in 1976Norris was defeated in his first two tournaments, dropping decisions to Joe Lewis and Allen Steen and three matches at the International Karate Championships to Tony Tulleners. By 1967 Norris had improved enough that he scored victories over the likes of Lewis, Skipper Mullins, Arnold Urquidez, Victor Moore, Ron Marchini, and Steve Sanders. Norris would be a two-time winner at S. Henry Cho's All American Championship.[16]In early 1968, Norris suffered the tenth and last loss of his career, losing an upset decision to Louis Delgado. On November 24, 1968, he avenged his defeat to Delgado and by doing so won the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title, which he held for six consecutive years.[11]In 1969, he won Karate's triple crown for the most tournament wins of the year, and the Fighter of the Year award by Black Belt magazine.Norris made history in 1990 when he was the first Westerner in the documented history of Taekwondo to be given the rank of 8th Degree Black Belt Grandmaster.[17]In 1999, Norris was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum's Hall of Fame. On July 1, 2000, Norris was presented the Golden Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame.Acting careerNorris on the set of the film The Delta Force (1986)Rise to fameIn 1969, Norris made his acting debut in the Dean Martin film The Wrecking Crew. At a martial arts demonstration in Long Beach, Norris met the martial artist Bruce Lee. In 1972, he acted as Lee's nemesis in the movie Way of the Dragon (titled Return of the Dragon in its U.S. distribution), which is widely credited with launching him toward stardom. In Asia, Norris is still known primarily for this role. In 1974, McQueen encouraged him to begin acting classes at MGM.Norris' first starring role was 1977's Breaker! Breaker!, and subsequent films such as Good Guys Wear Black (1978), The Octagon (1980), An Eye for an Eye (1981), and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) proved his increasing box office bankability.In 1984, Norris starred in Missing in Action, the first of a series of Rambo-inspired POW rescue fantasies themed around the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue that were produced by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and released under their Cannon Films banner. Norris later dedicated these films to his younger brother Wieland. Wieland, a private in the 101st Airborne Division, had been killed in June 1970 in Vietnam while on patrol in the defense of Firebase Ripcord.[18]The film, however, was criticized heavily as being a preemptive cash-in on the Rambo film series.[19][20]Over the next four years, Norris became Cannon's most prominent star, appearing in eight films, including Code of Silence, The Delta Force, and Firewalker, in which he co-starred with Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr.. Many of the aforementioned films were produced by Norris' brother Aaron Norris, as were several episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. In 1986, he was involved in the production of the Ruby-Spears cartoon Karate Kommandos.After an 8 year layoff, he starred in the 2012 sequel to The Expendables.In October 2014, he revealed that he would be shooting a new film, The Finisher, in March 2015.[21]Walker, Texas RangerBy the end of the 1980s, Cannon Films had faded from prominence, and Norris' star appeal seemed to go with it. He reprised his Delta Force role for MGM, which had acquired the Cannon library after the latter's Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Norris went on to make several more films before making a transition to television.[22]In 1993, he began shooting the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which lasted eight seasons on CBS and continued in syndication on other channels, notably the Hallmark Channel.On October 17, 2005, CBS premiered the Sunday Night Movie of the Week, Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire. The production was a continuation of the series, and not scripted to be a reunion movie. Norris reprised his role as Cordell Walker for the movie. He has stated that future Walker, Texas Ranger Movie of the Week projects are expected; however, this was severely impaired by CBS's 2006–2007 season decision to no longer regularly schedule Movies of the Week on Sunday night.Product endorsementsNorris has appeared with Christie Brinkley in a long-running series of cable TV infomercials promoting Total Gym home fitness equipment. Norris has also appeared in a commercial for Mountain Dew.In 2010, Norris appeared in advertisements for communications company T-Mobile in the Czech Republic.[23]In 2011, Norris appeared in advertisements for the World of Warcraft video game.[24]In 2012, Norris appeared in a series of commercials for the Polish bank BZ WBK.[25]Chuck NorrisStyleChun Kuk Do, Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, JudoRank10th degree black belt Chun Kuk Do9th degree black belt Tang Soo Do8th degree black belt Taekwondo5th degree black belt in Karate3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsublack belt JudoAppearancesAt the 1994 edition of Survivor Series, he was the special outside enforcer for the casket match rematch between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. He was the enforcer to ensure that nobody interfered in the match.Chun Kuk DoMain article: Chun Kuk DoNorris created the martial art Chun Kuk Do, which is based primarily on Tang Soo Do and includes elements from every combat style he knows. Like many other martial arts, Chun Kuk Do includes a code of honor and rules to live by. These rules are from Norris' personal code. They are:[26]I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family.I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness.I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times.I will always remain loyal to my God, my country, family and my friends.I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself.Personal lifeNorris receiving the Veteran of the Year award by the U.S. Air Force in 2001Norris during a meeting with Commanding Officer Captain J.R Haley, in June 2005Norris during a promotion ceremony at Camp Taqaddum in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on November 2, 2006FamilyNorris married Dianne Holechek in 1958. In 1963 their first child, Mike, was born. His daughter Dina was born in 1964 out of an extramarital affair.[27]Later, he had a second son, Eric, with his wife in 1965. After 30 years of marriage, Norris and Holechek divorced in 1988.On November 28, 1998, he married former model Gena O'Kelley, 23 years Norris' junior. O'Kelley had two children from a previous marriage. She delivered twins on August 30, 2001: Dakota Alan Norris, a boy, and Danilee Kelly Norris, a girl.[28]On September 22, 2004, Norris told Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart that his daughter Dina was the result of an extramarital affair. He did not meet her until she was 26, although she learned that he was her father when she was 16. She sent a letter informing him of their relationship. After meeting her, Norris said he knew she was his daughter upon seeing her.[29]In 2005, Norris reported in his autobiography that his mother gave birth to him when she was 18 years old.Norris has nine grandchildren.[30]ChristianityAn outspoken Christian,[31]Norris is the author of several Christian-themed books, such as The Justice Riders. He has also been in a few TV commercials promoting Bible study and prayer in public schools, in addition to efforts to reduce drug use. In his WorldNetDaily columns, he has expressed his belief in Biblical creationism,[32]that those who are troubled should turn to Jesus, and is quoted as saying "true patriots" do not stay clear of discussing religion and politics.[33]On April 22, 2008, Norris expressed his support for the intelligent design movement when he reviewed Ben Stein's Expelled for Conservative news, politics, opinion, breaking news analysis, political cartoons and commentary.[34]Martial arts and personal fitnessNorris has received a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the Machado family.[35]In his February 15, 2010 WorldNetDaily column, Norris announced that, starting in the fall of 2010, he will begin a second weekly column for Creators Syndicate. This new column, "C-Force", will focus on personal fitness.[36]ActivismPhilanthropyHe is known for his contribution towards organizations such as Funds for Kids, Veteran's Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the form of donations as well as fund-raising activities.[37]His time with the U.S. Veterans Administration as a spokesperson was inspired by his experience serving the United States Air Force in Korea. His objective has been to popularize the issues such as Pensions and Health care, that concern hospitalized war veterans. Due to his significant contributions, and continued patriotism, he received the Veteran of the Year award in 2001 at the American Veteran Awards.[37]Norris also established the United Fighting Arts Federation and Kickstart Kids in 1990. As a significant part of his philanthropic contributions, the organization was formed to develop self-esteem and focus in at-risk children as a tactic to keep them away from drug-related pressure by training them in martial arts. Norris hopes that by shifting middle school and high school children's focus towards this positive and strengthening endeavour, these children will have the opportunity to build a better future for themselves.[37][38]In 2005, Norris founded the World Combat League (WCL), a full-contact, team-based martial arts competition, of which part of the proceeds are given to his Kickstart Kids program.[37]Additionally, Norris supports the Vijay Amritraj Foundation, which aims at bringing hope, help and healing to the defenceless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance in India. Through his donations, he has helped the foundation support Paediatric HIV/AIDS homes in Delhi, a blind school in Karnataka, and a mission that cares for HIV/AIDS infected adults, as well as mentally ill patients in Cochin.[39]Norris with former Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Londonderry, New HampshirePolitical viewsNorris and his wife at a political event in The Woodlands, Texas on February 15, 2016.Norris is a Republican, and has donated more than $32,000 to Republican candidates and organizations since 1988.[40]Norris supports gun rights and ownership and is against public schools celebrating the Day of Silence.[41]In 2006, Norris began penning a column for the conservative news website WorldNetDaily, sharing his "musings about faith, family, freedom, country, loyalty – maybe even kickboxing."On October 22, 2007, Norris announced his endorsement of Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for President.[42]Norris said, "I believe the only one who has all of the characteristics to lead America forward into the future is ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee."[43]After the 2008 presidential election, Norris drafted a letter to President-elect Barack Obama, stating that he should "use and cite the Constitution ... protect American life ... learn from the mistakes of your Democratic predecessors ... [and] lead more from the center".[44]On November 18, 2008, Norris became one of the first members of show business to express support for the California Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, and he chided activists for "interfering" with the democratic process and the double standard he perceived in criticizing the LDS Church without criticizing African Americans, who had voted for the measure by a wide margin.[45]During the 2012 presidential election, Norris first recommended Ron Paul, and then later formally endorsed Newt Gingrich as the Republican presidential candidate.[46]After Gingrich suspended his campaign in May 2012, Norris endorsed Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney, despite Norris having previously accused Romney of flip-flopping and of trying to buy the nomination for the Republican Party candidacy for 2012.[47][48]On the eve of the election he and his wife Gina made a video warning that if evangelicals didn't show up at the polls and vote out President Obama, "...our country as we know it may be lost forever...".[49][50]Norris also produced the film Answering the Call, which featured his 2007 trip to Iraq to visit the troops.[51][52]Norris endorsed Huckabee again in the 2016 Republican Primary before he dropped out.[53]In March 2016, it was reported that Norris endorsed Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz and that he would be attending a Cruz rally,[54][55]but two days later, Norris stated he would only endorse the GOP nominee once that nominee has been nominated by the party.[56]Norris has visited Israel and voiced support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the 2013 and 2015 elections.[57][58][59]HonorsOn March 28, 2007, Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made Norris an honorary United States Marine during a dinner at the commandant's residence in Washington, D.C.[60]On December 2, 2010, he (along with brother Aaron) was given the title honorary Texas Ranger by Texas Governor Rick Perry.[61]Internet memeMain article: Chuck Norris factsIn late 2005, Norris became the object of an ironic internet meme known as "Chuck Norris Facts", which document fictional, often absurdly heroic feats and characteristics about Norris. Norris has written his own response to the parody on his website, stating that he does not feel offended by them and finds some of them funny,[62]claiming that his personal favorite is that they wanted to add his face to Mount Rushmore, but the granite is not hard enough for his beard.[63]On November 29, 2007, Gotham Books, the adult division of Penguin USA, released a book entitled The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human based on the Chuck Norris Facts.[64]Norris filed suit in December against Penguin USA and author Ian Spector, claiming, "trademark infringement, unjust enrichment and privacy rights."[65]Norris dropped the suit in May of the following year.[66]FilmographyMain article: Chuck Norris filmographyReferencesJump up^ Kirell, Andrew (May 25, 2012). "Celebrities You Probably Didn't Know Are Republicans". Mediaite. New York City. Retrieved September 17, 2016.Jump up^ "Norris, Carlos Ray, A1C". TogetherWeServed. 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-25.^ Jump up to:a b c Berkow, Ira (May 12, 1993). "At Dinner with: Chuck Norris". The New York Times.Jump up^ "Cinema: And Now, a Wham-Bam Superstar: Chuck Norris". Time. May 20, 1985. Retrieved August 14, 2010.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris Endorses Newt Gingrich, Swings Crucial 'Walker, Texas Ranger' Constituency". Reuters. January 20, 2012.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris". WorldNetDaily. Retrieved October 20, 2013.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck; Hyams, Joe (1988). "1". The Secret of Inner Strength; My Story (1st ed.). Boston: Little, Brown and Co. p. 6. ISBN 0-316-61191-3.^ Jump up to:a b c Norris, Chuck; Ken Abraham (2004). Against All Odds: My Story. Broadman & Holman Publishers. ISBN 0-8054-3161-6.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris Biography (1940–)".Jump up^ "Chuck Norris : Biography". IMDb.^ Jump up to:a b "Chuck Norris – Strong, Silent, Popular". The New York Times. September 1, 1985.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris Fights to Be a Better Actor in 'Hero and the Terror' Role". The Los Angeles Times. September 2, 1988.Jump up^ "Breaking the Silence : People.com". PEOPLE.com.Jump up^ Wedlan, Candace A. (October 2, 1996). "Body Watch; Kicking Old Habits; Chuck Norris found he couldn't eat just anything after he hit his mid-30s. These days, TV's top ranger feasts on veggies, fowl and fish. And he tries to keep his distance from peanut clusters.". The Los Angeles Times.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris Blog". Archived from the original on February 8, 2010.Jump up^ "Past Sparring Grand Champions". S. Henry Cho's Karate Institute Tae Kwon Do taekwondo tae kwon do karate Karate martial arts Martial Arts Chuck Norris Bruce Lee Master Cho Steven Segal H. Retrieved 2016-03-15.Jump up^ "Questions I am asked most about martial arts". July 9, 2007.Jump up^ "PFC Wieland Clyde Norris". The Virtual Wall.Jump up^ "War Movie Mondays, Missing in Action Movie Review". The Flick Cast. Retrieved July 7, 2012.Jump up^ "Box Office Flashback, December 10, 1984". Pop Dose: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Discussion. Retrieved July 7, 2012.Jump up^ "masternorris.com". masternorris.com -&nbspThis website is for sale! -&nbspmasternorris Resources and Information.. Retrieved 2016-03-15.Jump up^ King, Susan (April 18, 1993). "Chuck Norris: Karate Champ Turned Action-film Actor Turned Series Star?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 30, 2010.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris shills for T-Mobile ads". The Prague Post. November 10, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2011.Jump up^ "World of Warcraft TV Commercial: Chuck Norris – Hunter". YouTube. December 15, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2011.Jump up^ "Polish bank BZ WBK commercials with Chuck Norris". January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.Jump up^ "Welcome to the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF) and Chun Kuk Do!". Welcome to the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF). Retrieved 2016-03-15.Jump up^ "Herald Extra: Chuck Norris". Archived from the original on March 25, 2008.Jump up^ "Gena Norris Notes". Free Full Episodes, Clips, Show Info and TV Listings Guide. May 3, 2006.Jump up^ Hart, Mary (September 22, 2004). "At Home and Up-Close with Chuck Norris". Entertainment News | Celebrity News | Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on November 23, 2006.Jump up^ "mentorsharbor.com". Buy Domains - Find a Premium Domain & Open Your Doors, BuyDomains.com.Jump up^ See External Links Drew Marshall InterviewJump up^ Norris, Chuck (October 23, 2006). "On Chuck Norris 'mania' sweeping the net". WorldNetDaily. Retrieved February 16, 2010.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (November 20, 2006). "America's Code of Silence". WorldNetDaily. Retrieved February 16, 2010.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck. "Win Ben Stein's Monkey". Townhall. Retrieved April 22, 2008.Jump up^ BJJ Instructors and Students. "BJJ Genius".Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (February 15, 2010). "Ready for feds in your kitchen?". WorldNetDaily. Retrieved February 16, 2010.^ Jump up to:a b c d [1][dead link]Jump up^ "A Renaissance Man". Inside Kung Fu. Retrieved January 1, 2010.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris's Charity Work, Events and Causes". Celebrity Charity Work: Data, News, Events - Look to the Stars. Retrieved January 2, 2012.Jump up^ "Newsmeat: Chuck Norris's Federal Campaign Contribution Report". 2006.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (March 23, 2008). "Guns, God and gays". WorldNetDaily.Jump up^ "Mike Huckabee". Mike Huckabee.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (October 21, 2007). "My choice for president". WorldNetDaily.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (10 November 2008). "Obama, now that you work for me...". World Net Daily.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (18 November 2008). "If Democracy Doesn't Work, Try Anarchy". Townhall.Jump up^ Reilly, Mollie (January 20, 2012). "Chuck Norris Endorses Newt Gingrich For President". The HuffingtonPost.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck. "Chuck Norris Column: How Romney and Our Republic Can Win (Part 1)". News Busters.Jump up^ Poppleton, Travis. "Chuck Norris slams Romney, endorses Newt Gingrich for president". KSL.Jump up^ Bingham, Amy (2012-09-04). "Chuck Norris Warns of '1,000 years of Darkness' If Obama Re-Elected - ABC News". ABC News.Jump up^ Gunter, Booth (2012-11-04). "Six most paranoid fears for Obama's second term". Salon: in-depth news, politics, business, technology & culture.Jump up^ "Norris documentary shines light on troops overseas". Waxahachie Daily Light: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Waxahachie, TX.Jump up^ "Martial arts program for kids to start". The Ellis County Press. May 21, 2009.Jump up^ "Celebrity endorsements for 2016". The Hill.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris Endorses Ted Cruz". March 8, 2016.Jump up^ Heil, Emily (March 8, 2016). "Roundhouse kick! Chuck Norris to stump for Ted Cruz". The Washington Post.Jump up^ Recio, Maria (March 10, 2016). "Chuck Norris Bows Out of Cruz Event". The Star-Telegram.Jump up^ Thornhill, Ted; Irvine, Chris (March 17, 2015). "A campaign with more muscle: Chuck Norris endorses Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election as cult action hero says he is crucial to safety of Israel". Daily Mail.Jump up^ "What is Chuck Norris doing in Israel?". Jerusalem Post. February 5, 2017.Jump up^ Becker, Gahl; Froim, Yoni (February 6, 2017). "Chuck Norris arrives in Israel, peace seems imminent". Ynetnews.Jump up^ "Conway makes Chuck Norris honorary Marine – Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved January 2, 2012.Jump up^ Norris, Chuck (December 2, 2010). "Former TV lawman Chuck Norris to be given honorary Texas Ranger title by Gov. Rick Perry today in Garland". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 12, 2010.Jump up^ "Web Archive: Chuck Norris". Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2006.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris facts read by Chuck Norris". YouTube.Jump up^ Ian Spector (2007) [2007-11-29]. The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human. Gotham. ISBN 978-1-59240-344-8.Jump up^ Kearney, Christine (December 21, 2007). "Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure". Reuters. Retrieved December 23, 2007.Jump up^ "Chuck Norris drops lawsuit against university student". The Hindustan Times. May 30, 2008.Further readingThe Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems, Zen Buddhism and martial arts. Little, Brown and Company (1996). ISBN 0-316-58350-2.Against All Odds: My Story, an autobiography. Broadman & Holman Publishers (2004). ISBN 0-8054-3161-6.The Justice Riders, Wild West novels. Broadman & Holman Publishers (2006). ISBN 0-8054-4032-1.Norris, Chuck. Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America, Regnery Publishing (2008). ISBN 978-1-59698-558-2Spector, Ian: The Truth about Chuck Norris: Gotham Books: New York: 2007: ISBN 1-59240-344-1External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Chuck Norris.Wikiquote has quotations related to: Chuck NorrisOfficial websiteChuck Norris at the Internet Movie DatabaseChuck Norris at martialinfo.comChuck Norris at completemartialarts.comOfficial Chun Kuk Do WebsiteAppearances on C-SPAN[hide]vteChuck NorrisOrganizationsKickstart KidsUnited Fighting Arts FederationWorld Combat LeagueMartial artsChun Kuk DoVideo gamesChuck Norris: Bring on the PainChuck Norris SuperkicksBroforceTelevision programsKarate KommandosRelatedChuck Norris factsFilmographyAuthority controlWorldCat IdentitiesVIAF: 84036229LCCN: n82239657ISNI: 0000 0001 0920 1210GND: 119291037SELIBR: 351091SUDOC: 081946996BNF: cb12050984t (data)MusicBrainz: 58315bfe-2418-474a-821b-b2761147fff8NLA: 40862755NDL: 001154222NKC: jn20000701326BNE: XX1111227Categories:1940 birthsLiving people20th-century American male actors20th-century Christians21st-century American male actors21st-century ChristiansAmerican Christian writersAmerican chun kuk do practitionersAmerican evangelicalsAmerican gun rights advocatesAmerican male karatekaAmerican male film actorsAmerican male television actorsAmerican male writersAmerican martial arts writersAmerican motivational writersAmerican people of Cherokee descentAmerican people of English descentAmerican political punditsAmerican political writersAmerican practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsuAmerican male taekwondo practitionersAmerican tang soo do practitionersCalifornia RepublicansChristian creationistsConservatism in the United StatesIntelligent design advocatesInternet memesMale actors from OklahomaMartial arts school foundersPeople awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsuPeople from Jefferson County, OklahomaPeople from Tarzana, Los AngelesTexas RepublicansUnited States Air Force airmenWriters from Los AngelesWriters from OklahomaActivists from CaliforniaNavigation menuNot logged inTalkContributionsCreate accountLog inArticleTalkReadView sourceView historySearchMain pageContentsFeatured contentCurrent eventsRandom articleDonate to WikipediaWikipedia storeInteractionHelpAbout WikipediaCommunity portalRecent changesContact pageToolsWhat links hereRelated changesUpload fileSpecial pagesPermanent linkPage informationWikidata itemCite this pagePrint/exportCreate a bookDownload as PDFPrintable versionIn other projectsWikimedia CommonsWikiquoteLanguagesالعربيةAragonésAsturianuAzərbaycancaবাংলাBân-lâm-gúБеларускаяБеларуская (тарашкевіца)‎BislamaБългарскиBoarischBrezhonegCatalàЧӑвашлаČeštinaDanskDeutschEestiΕλληνικάEspañolEsperantoEuskaraفارسیFøroysktFrançaisGalego한국어ՀայերենHrvatskiIdoBahasa IndonesiaÍslenskaItalianoעבריתಕನ್ನಡქართულიҚазақшаLatinaLatviešuLietuviųMagyarМакедонскиമലയാളംმარგალურიمصرىNederlands日本語Norsk bokmålOccitanPolskiPortuguêsRomânăРусскийScotsShqipSicilianuSimple EnglishSlovenčinaSlovenščinaکوردیی ناوەندیСрпски / srpskiSrpskohrvatski / српскохрватскиBasa SundaSuomiSvenskaதமிழ்ไทยTürkçeУкраїнськаVènetoTiếng ViệtŽemaitėška中文Edit linksThis page was last modified on 25 April 2017, at 22:20.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. 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Instead 0f 5, i will give you 100 okay?100 Famous Actresses of Hollyood's Golden Era (1930-1959)by HarlowMGM | created - 05 Jun 2011 | updated - 14 Feb 2016 | PublicHere are 100 popular actresses who were very famous at some point during the golden era of Hollywood, the 1930's through the 1940's. They are not listed in any particular order. Due to space limitations I had to leave out actresses best known for the silent era (Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Clara Bow), who rarely worked in Hollywood (Anna Magnani, Danielle Darrieux, Brigitte Bardot). Also please note women who became stars AFTER 1959 such as Anne Bancroft (even though she was in 50's movies) are not included either. Most of these women were STARS, a few might be better described as leading ladies and a few were mainly supporting players but everyone of them was famous to the public in their eras. The list has been edited to now include some major actresses who did not have an IMDb when it was originally created which but alas several still do not such as Penny Singleton.Sort by:List OrderDate AddedView:100 names1. Jean HarlowActress | BombshellHarlean Carpenter, who later became Jean Harlow, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1911. She was the daughter of a successful dentist and his wife. In 1927, at the age of 16, she ran away from home to marry a young businessman named Charles McGrew, who was 23. The couple pulled up ...2. Claudette ColbertActress | It Happened One NightOne of the brightest film stars to grace the screen was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903, in Saint Mandé, France where her father owned a bakery at 57, rue de la République (now Avenue Général de Gaulle). The family moved to the United States when she was three. As Claudette ...3. Barbara StanwyckActress | Double IndemnityToday Barbara Stanwyck is remembered primarily as the matriarch of the family known as the Barkleys on the TV western The Big Valley (1965), wherein she played Victoria, and from the hit drama The Colbys (1985). But she was known to millions of other fans for her movie career, which spanned the ...4. Lucille BallActress | I Love LucyThe woman who will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo was born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father died before she was four, and her mother worked several jobs, so she and her younger brother were raised by their ...5. Vivien LeighActress | A Streetcar Named DesireIf a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Because of the outbreak of World War I, she is six years old the first time ...6. Jane WymanActress | Falcon CrestJane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917, in St. Joseph, Missouri (she was also known later as Sarah Jane Fulks). When she was only eight years old, and after her parents filed for divorce, she lost her father prematurely. After graduating high school she attempted, with the help ...7. Mae WestActress | She Done Him WrongMae West was born 1892 in Brooklyn, New York, to "Battling Jack" West and Matilda Doelger. She began her career as a child star in vaudeville, and later went on to write her own plays, including "SEX", for which she was arrested. Though her first movie role, at age 40, was a small part in Night ...8. Marilyn MonroeActress | Some Like It HotMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, comedienne, singer, and model. She became one of the world's most enduring iconic figures and is remembered both for her winsome embodiment of the Hollywood sex symbol and her tragic personal and professional struggles within the film industry. Her life and ...9. Dorothy LamourActress | Road to BaliIn addition to being Miss New Orleans in 1931, Dorothy Lamour worked as a Chicago elevator operator; band vocalist for her first husband, band leader Herbie Kaye; and radio performer. In 1936 she donned her soon-to-be-famous sarong for her debut at Paramount, The Jungle Princess (1936), and ...10. Rita HayworthActress | GildaRita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino Reina, was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's American mother, Volga Margaret (Hayworth), who was of mostly ...11. Doris DaySoundtrack | Pillow TalkOne of America's most prolific actresses was born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alma Sophia (Welz), a housewife, and William Joseph Kappelhoff, a music teacher and choir master. Her grandparents were all German immigrants. She had two brothers, Richard, who ...12. Carole LombardActress | To Be or Not to BeCarole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6, 1908. Her parents divorced in 1916 and her mother took the family on a trip out West. While there they decided to settle down in the Los Angeles area. After being spotted playing baseball in the street with the ...13. Ginger RogersActress | The Major and the MinorGinger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri on July 16, 1911. Her mother, known as Lelee, went to Independence to have Ginger away from her husband. She had a baby earlier in their marriage and he allowed the doctor to use forceps and the baby died. She was kidnapped ...14. Janet GaynorActress | A Star Is BornJanet Gaynor was born Laura Gainor on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child, she & her parents moved to San Francisco, California, where she graduated from high school in 1923. She then moved to Los Angeles where she enrolled in a secretarial school. She got a job at a shoe ...15. Loretta YoungActress | The Farmer's DaughterSweet, sweeter, sweetest. No combination of terms better describes the screen persona of lovely Loretta Young. A&E's Biography (1987) has stated that Young "remains a symbol of beauty, serenity, and grace. But behind the glamour and stardom is a woman of substance whose true beauty lies in her ...16. Myrna LoyActress | The Thin ManMyrna Loy was born Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905 in Helena, Montana, to Adelle Mae (Johnson) and David Franklin Williams. Her paternal grandparents were Welsh, and her mother was of Scottish and Swedish descent. Myrna was raised in Helena and nearby Radersburg. Her father, a rancher, was ...17. Bette DavisActress | All About EveRuth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her parents divorced when she was 10. She and her sister were raised by their mother. Her early interest was dance. To Bette, dancers led a glamorous life, but...18. Norma ShearerActress | The DivorceeShe won a beauty contest at age fourteen. In 1920 her mother, Edith Shearer, took Norma and her sister Athole Shearer (Mrs. Howard Hawks) to New York. Ziegfeld rejected her for his "Follies," but she got work as an extra in several movies. She spent much money on eye doctor's services trying to ...19. Jane RussellActress | Gentlemen Prefer BlondesErnestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Once Mr. Russell was mustered out of the service, the family took up residence in ...20. Katharine HepburnActress | The Lion in WinterKatharine Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut to a suffragist and a doctor who both always encouraged her to speak her mind, develop it fully, and exercise her body to its full potential. An athletic tomboy as a child, she was very close to her brother Tom; at 14 she was ...21. Dolores del RioActress | Las abandonadasDolores del Rio was the one of the first Mexican movie stars with international appeal and who had meteoric career in the 1920s/1930s Hollywood. Del Rio came from an aristocratic family in Durango. In the Mexican revolution of 1916, however, the family lost everything and emigrated to Mexico City, ...22. Hedy LamarrActress | Samson and DelilahHedy Lamarr, the woman many critics and fans alike regard as the most beautiful ever to appear in films, was born Hedwig Eva Kiesler in Vienna, Austria. She was the daughter of Gertrud (Lichtwitz), from Budapest, and Emil Kiesler, a banker from Lember (now known as Lviv). Her parents were both from...23. Gloria SwansonActress | Sunset Blvd.Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her film debut was as an extra in The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). From the following year on, she had leading roles in pictures for Keystone, then a year with Triangle, and, in...24. Irene DunneActress | The Awful TruthIrene Marie Dunne was born on December 20, 1898, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Joseph Dunne, who inspected steamships, and Adelaide Henry, a musician who prompted Irene in the arts. Her first production was in Louisville when she appeared in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the age...25. Joan FontaineActress | SuspicionBorn Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo, Japan, in what was known as the International Settlement. Her father was a British patent attorney with a lucrative practice in Japan, but due to Joan and older sister Olivia de Havilland's recurring ailments the family moved to ...26. Elizabeth TaylorActress | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early on in her youth and kept the world hooked ...27. Shirley TempleActress | Captain JanuaryShirley Temple was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. Shirley could do it all: act, sing and dance and all at the age of five! Fans loved her as she was bright, bouncy and cheerful in ...28. Betty HuttonActress | Annie Get Your GunBetty Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 26, 1921, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Two years later, Betty's father decided that the family way of life wasn't for him, so he left (he committed suicide 16 years later). Having to fend for themselves, Mrs. Thornburg moved the family to ...29. Rosalind RussellActress | Auntie MameThe middle of seven children, she was named, not for the heroine of "As You Like It" but for the S.S. Rosalind on which her parents had sailed, at the suggestion of her father, a successful lawyer.After receiving a Catholic school education, she went to the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New ...30. Marlene DietrichSoundtrack | Witness for the ProsecutionHer father was a police lieutenant and imbued in her a military attitude to life. Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated. She entered the cabaret scene in 1920s Germany, first as a spectator ...31. Grace KellyActress | Rear WindowOn November 12, 1929, Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to wealthy parents. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace ...32. Dorothy DandridgeActress | Carmen JonesDorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruby Dandridge (née Ruby Jean Butler), an entertainer, and Cyril H. Dandridge, a cabinet maker and minister. Under the prodding of her mother, Dorothy and her sister Vivian Dandridge began performing publicly, usually in ...33. Greer GarsonActress | Mrs. MiniverEileen Evelyn Greer Garson was born on September 29, 1904 in London, England, to Nancy Sophia (Greer) and George Garson, a commercial clerk. She was of Scottish and Ulster-Scots descent. Her childhood was a normal if not non-descript life. Greer showed no early signs of interest in becoming an ...34. Ava GardnerActress | The Night of the IguanaAva Lavina Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, to Mary Elizabeth (née Baker) and Jonas Bailey Gardner. Born on a tobacco farm, where she got her lifelong love of earthy language and going barefoot, Ava grew up in the rural South. At age 18, her picture in the window ...35. Greta GarboActress | NinotchkaGreta Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson on September 18, 1905, in Stockholm, Sweden, to Anna Lovisa (Johansdotter), who worked at a jam factory, and Karl Alfred Gustafsson, a laborer. She was fourteen when her father died, which left the family destitute. Greta was forced to leave school and ...36. Anna May WongActress | Daughter of ShanghaiAnna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star, was born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California, to laundryman Wong Sam Sing and his wife, Lee Gon Toy. A third-generation American, she managed to have a substantial acting career during a deeply racist time when the ...37. Betty GrableActress | How to Marry a MillionaireElizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Lillian Rose (Hofmann) and John Charles Grable, a stockbroker. She had German, English, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. Her mother was a stubborn and materialistic woman determined to make her daughter a star. Elizabeth, who ...38. Deanna DurbinSoundtrack | Mad About MusicThe girl who one day would be known as "Winnipeg's Sweetheart" was born at Grace Hospital on December 4, 1921, as Edna Mae Durbin. In her early childhood there were no obvious signs that one day she would be a bigger box office attraction than Shirley Temple. Renamed Deanna Durbin for show business...39. Audrey HepburnActress | Breakfast at Tiffany'sAudrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents.After her parents' divorce, ...40. Joan BennettActress | SuspiriaJoan Geraldine Bennett was born on February 27, 1910, in Palisades, New Jersey. Her parents were both successful stage actors, especially her father, Richard Bennett, and often toured the country for weeks at a time. In fact, Joan came from a long line of actors, dating back to the 18th century. ...41. Merle OberonActress | Wuthering HeightsEstelle Merle Thompson was born in India on February 19, 1911 of Welsh and Ceylonese (now Sri Lankan) descent. She was educated in that country until the age of 17, when she left for London. She began her career in British films with mostly forgettable roles or bit parts. She appeared in an ...42. Carmen MirandaActress | The Gang's All HereCarmen Miranda was born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha on February 9, 1909, near Porto, Portugal, in the town of Marco de Canavezes. Not long after her birth her family moved to Brazil, where her father was involved in the produce business. The family settled in the then-capital city of Rio de ...43. Ingrid BergmanActress | CasablancaIngrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses from Hollywood's lamented Golden Era. Her natural and unpretentious beauty and her immense acting talent made her one of the most celebrated figures in the history of American cinema. Bergman is also one of the most Oscar-awarded actresses, tied with ...44. Judy GarlandActress | The Wizard of OzOne of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals.She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in ...45. Joan CrawfordActress | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1904, in San Antonio, Texas, to Anna Belle (Johnson) and Thomas E. LeSueur, a laundry laborer. By the time she was born, her parents had separated, and by the time she was a teenager, she'd had three stepfathers. It wasn't an easy life; ...46. Susan HaywardActress | I Want to Live!Susan Hayward was born Edythe Marrener in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1917. Her father was a transportation worker, and Susan lived a fairly comfortable life as a child, but the precocious little redhead had no idea of the life that awaited her. She attended public school in Brooklyn, where she...47. Jean ArthurActress | Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonThis marvelous screen comedienne's best asset was only muffled during her seven years' stint in silent films. That asset? It was, of course, her squeaky, frog-like voice, which silent-era cinema audiences had simply no way of perceiving, much less appreciating. Jean Arthur, born Gladys Georgianna ...48. Lauren BacallActress | To Have and Have NotLauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in New York City. She was the daughter of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, a Romanian Jewish immigrant, and William Perske, who was born in New Jersey, to Polish Jewish parents. Her family was middle-class, with her father working as a ...49. Lana TurnerActress | Imitation of LifeLana Turner had an acting ability that belied the "Sweater Girl" image MGM thrust upon her, and even many of her directors admitted that they knew she was capable of greatness (check out The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)). Unfortunately, her private life sometimes overshadowed her professional ...50. Debbie ReynoldsActress | Singin' in the RainDebbie Reynolds was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas, the second child of Maxine N. (Harmon) and Raymond Francis Reynolds, a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Her film career began at MGM after she won a beauty contest at age 16 impersonating Betty Hutton. Reynolds wasn't a ...51. Veronica LakeActress | Sullivan's TravelsVeronica Lake was born as Constance Frances Marie Ockleman on November 14, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Constance Charlotta (Trimble) and Harry Eugene Ockelman, who worked for an oil company as a ship employee. Her father was of half German and half Irish descent, and her ...52. Olivia de HavillandActress | The HeiressOlivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents, Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor and patent attorney. Her sister, Joan, later to become famous as Joan Fontaine, was born the following year. Her ...53. Lena HorneSoundtrack | Cabin in the SkyLena Calhoun Horne was born June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. In her biography she stated that, on the day she was born, her father was in the midst of a card game trying to get money to pay the hospital costs. Her parents divorced while she was still a toddler. Her mother left later in order ...54. Joan BlondellActress | GreaseWith blonde hair, big blue eyes and a big smile, Joan was usually cast as the wisecracking working girl who was the lead's best friend. Born into vaudeville to a comic named Eddie, Joan was on the stage when she was three years old. For years, she toured the circuit with her parents and joined a ...55. June AllysonActress | Executive SuiteAmerican leading lady whose sweet smile and sunny disposition made her the prototypical girl-next-door of American movies of the 1940s. Raised in semi-poverty in Bronx neighborhoods by her divorced mother, Allyson (nee Ella Geisman) was injured in a fall at age eight and spent four years confined ...56. Paulette GoddardActress | Modern TimesPaulette Goddard was a child model who debuted in "The Ziegfeld Follies" at the age of 13. She gained fame with the show as the girl on the crescent moon, and was married to a wealthy man by the time she was 16. After her divorce she went to Hollywood in 1931, where she appeared in small roles in ...57. Miriam HopkinsActress | The HeiressBorn into wealth in Savannah,Georgia on October 18, 1902, Ellen Miriam Hopkins was able to attend the finest educational institutions including Goddard Seminary in Plainfield, Vermont and Syracuse University in New York State. Studying dance in New York , she received her first taste of show ...58. Yvonne De CarloActress | The Ten CommandmentsYvonne De Carlo was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was three when her father abandoned the family. Her mother turned to waitressing in a restaurant to make ends meet--a rough beginning for an actress who would, one day, be one of ...59. Anita PageActress | The Broadway MelodyBeautiful Anita Page was one of the most famous and popular leading ladies during the last years of the silent screen and the first years of the talkie era. She was best known for starring in The Broadway Melody (1929), the first sound film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her leading men...60. Alice FayeSoundtrack | Hello Frisco, HelloAs A&E's Biography put it, "She rose from the mean streets of New York's Hell's Kitchen to become the most famous singing actress in the world. When the pressures of fame became too much, she had the courage to leave Hollywood on her own terms". Alice Faye was born Alice Jeanne Leppert in NYC on ...61. Constance BennettActress | TopperIndependent, outspoken Constance Bennett, the first of the Bennett sisters to enter films, appeared in New York-produced silents before a chance meeting with Samuel Goldwyn led to her Hollywood debut in Cytherea (1924). She abandoned a burgeoning career in silents for marriage to Philip Plant in ...62. Maureen O'HaraActress | The Quiet ManIn America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made...63. Jayne MansfieldActress | The Girl Can't Help ItOne of the leading sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s, film actress Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the only child of Vera J. (nee Palmer; later Peers) and Herbert W. Palmer. Her parents were well-to-do, with her father a successful attorney ...64. Ida LupinoActress | High SierraIda was born in London to a show business family. In 1932, her mother brought Ida with her to an audition and Ida got the part her mother wanted. The picture was Her First Affaire (1932). Ida, a bleached blonde, came to Hollywood in 1934 and played small and insignificant parts. Peter Ibbetson (...65. Maureen O'SullivanActress | The Thin ManMaureen Paula O'Sullivan was born on May 17, 1911 in County Roscommon, Ireland, to Evangeline "Mary Eva" Lovatt (Frazer) and Charles Joseph O'Sullivan, an officer in the Connaught Rangers. She was of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The future mother of Mia Farrow was educated in private ...66. Eleanor PowellSoundtrack | Born to DanceEleanor Powell was born in 1912 in Springfield, Massachussetts, and got her professional start in Atlantic City clubs, from where she moved into in revue in New York at the Ritz Grill and Casino de Paris at the age of sixteen. She started her career on Broadway in 1929, where her machine-gun foot ...67. Ethel WatersActress | Cabin in the SkyThe child of a teenage rape victim, Ethel Waters grew up in the slums of Philadelphia and neighboring cities, seldom living anywhere for more than a few weeks at a time. "No one raised me, " she recollected, "I just ran wild." She excelled not only at looking after herself, but also at singing and ...68. Jeanette MacDonaldSoundtrack | CairoShe was the third daughter of Daniel and Anne MacDonald, younger sister to Blossom (MGM's character actress Marie Blake), whom she followed to New York and a chorus job in 1920. She was busy in a string of musical productions. In 1928 Paramount tested and rejected her, but a year later Ernst ...69. Sylvia SidneyActress | Beetle JuiceSylvia Sidney was born in New York City, in the Bronx borough, on August 8, 1910 with the birth name of Sophia Kosow. Her father was Russian born and her mother was born in Romania. They divorced not long after her birth. Her mother subsequently remarried and Sylvia was adopted by her stepfather, ...70. Rhonda FlemingActress | Out of the PastA native-born Californian, Rhonda Fleming attended Beverly Hills public and private schools. Her father was Harold Cheverton Louis (1896-1951). Her mother, Effie Olivia Graham (1891-1985), was a famous model and actress in New York. She has a son (Kent Lane), two granddaughters (Kimberly and Kelly)...71. Lupe VelezActress | The Girl from MexicoLupe Velez was born on July 18, 1908, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, as Maria Guadalupe Villalobos Velez. She was sent to Texas at the age of 13 to live in a convent. She later admitted that she wasn't much of a student because she was so rambunctious. She had planned to become a champion roller ...72. Ann SothernActress | The Whales of AugustAnn Sothern's film career started as an extra in 1927. Originally a redhead, she began to bleach her hair blonde for comedy roles. After working at MGM and on Broadway, Ann was signed by Columbia Pictures for Let's Fall in Love (1933). The next year she would work with Eddie Cantor in his hit Kid ...73. Deborah KerrActress | The King and IDeborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Captain Arthur Kerr Trimmer. She was educated at Northumberland House, Clifton, Bristol. She first performed at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London. She subsequently performed with the Oxford ...74. Lizabeth ScottActress | Too Late for TearsLizabeth Scott was born Emma Matzo on September 29, 1922 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the oldest of six children of Mary (Pennock) and John Matzo, who were Slovak immigrants. Scott attended Marywood Seminary and the Alvienne School of the Theatre in New York City, where she adopted the stage name of ...75. Marie DresslerActress | Min and BillOnce you saw her, you would not forget her. Despite her age and weight, she became one of the top box office draws of the sound era. She was 14 when she joined a theater group and she went on to work on stage and in light opera. By 1892, she was on Broadway and she later became a star comedienne on...76. Shelley WintersActress | The Poseidon AdventureShelley Winters was born Shirley Schrift of very humble beginnings on August 18, 1920 (some sources list 1922) in East St. Louis, Illinois. Her mother, Rose Winter, was born in Missouri, to Austrian Jewish parents, and her father, Jonas Schrift, was an Austrian Jewish immigrant. She had one sibling...77. Jane WithersActress | GiantDuring the early times of the Depression when life was more famine than feast, child stars became the blue plate special of the day, served up by Hollywood to help nourish a nation besieged with troubles. Following 20th Century-Fox monumental success with Shirley Temple in the early 1930s, every ...78. Helen HayesActress | AirportKnown as "The First lady of the American Theater", Helen Hayes had a legendary career on stage and in films and television that spanned over eighty years. Hayes was born in Washington, D.C., to Catherine Estelle "Essie" Hayes, an actress who worked in touring companies, and Francis van Arnum Brown,...79. Maria MontezActress | Cobra WomanIn a world weary of war and dispirited by the ravages of the Great Depression, Hollywood at the turn of the 1940's concocted a wildly popular, effective lot of escapist fare (though often cheaply made) to regale the sick at heart worldwide. Universal Pictures, more often than not, led in producing ...80. Esther WilliamsActress | Neptune's DaughterEsther Jane Williams was born on August 8, 1921 in Inglewood, California. Her youth was spent as a teenage swimming champion and she won three United States National championships. She eventually was spotted by a MGM talent scout while working in a Los Angeles department store. She made her film ...81. Gene TierneyActress | LauraWith prominent cheekbones, luminous skin and the most crystalline green eyes of her day, Gene Tierney's striking good looks helped propel her to stardom. Her best known role is the enigmatic murder victim in Laura (1944). She was also Oscar-nominated for Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Her acting ...82. Margaret O'BrienActress | Meet Me in St. LouisBorn Angela Maxine O'Brien on January 15, 1937 in San Diego, California. Her film debut was one-minute shot in MGM's Babes on Broadway (1941). Her big moment came when she was cast in Journey for Margaret (1942). This film shot her into instant stardom and also resulted in Angela changing her name ...83. Jeanne CrainActress | State FairJeanne Crain was born in Barstow, California, on May 25, 1925. The daughter of a high school English teacher and his wife, Jeanne was moved to Los Angeles not long after her birth after her father got another teaching position in that city. While in junior high school, Jeanne played the lead in a ...84. Jennifer JonesActress | The Towering InfernoOne of the world's most underrated Academy Award-winning actresses, Jennifer Jones was born Phylis Lee Isley on 2 March 1919 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Flora Mae (Suber) and Phillip Ross Isley, who ran a travelling stage show. As a young aspiring actress, she met and fell for young, handsome, aspiring ...85. Fay WrayActress | King KongCanadian-born Fay Wray was brought up in Los Angeles and entered films at an early age. She was barely in her teens when she started working as an extra. She began her career as a heroine in westerns at Universal during the silent era. In 1926 the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers ...86. Ann BlythActress | Mildred PierceThe dark, petulant beauty of this petite American film and musical star worked to her advantage, especially in her early dramatic career. Anne Marie Blythe was born of Irish stock to Harry and Annie (nee Lynch) Blythe on August 16, 1927 in Mt. Kisco, New York. Her parents split while she was young ...87. Judy HollidayActress | Born YesterdayJudy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim in New York City on June 21, 1921. Her mother, a piano teacher, was attending a play when she went into labor and made it to the hospital just in time. Judy was an only child. By the age of four, her mother had her enrolled in ballet school which fostered a ...88. Anne BaxterActress | All About EveAnne Baxter was born in Michigan City, Indiana, on May 7, 1923. She was the daughter of a salesman and his wife, Catherine, who herself was the daughter of Frank Lloyd Wright, the world-renowned architect. Anne was a young girl of 11 when her parents moved to New York City, which at that time was ...89. Leslie CaronActress | GigiBorn in the suburbs of Paris, France, Leslie Caron is an actress and dancer. Gene Kelly got her into the movies for the film An American in Paris (1951). Got a world-wide reputation for her roles in Lili (1953) and Gigi (1958). Most recently Caron has appeared in British TV series The Durrells in ...90. Sophia LorenActress | Una giornata particolareSophia Loren was born as Sofia Scicolone at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy, on September 20, 1934. Her father, Riccardo Scicolone, was married to another woman and refused to marry her mother, Romilda Villani, despite the fact that she was the mother of his two children (Sophia and ...91. Luise RainerActress | The Great ZiegfeldLuise Rainer, the first thespian to win back-to-back Oscars, was born on January 12, 1910 in Dusseldorf, Germany, into a prosperous Jewish family. Her parents were Emilie (Königsberger) and Heinrich Rainer, a businessman. She took to the stage, and plied her craft on the boards in Germany. As a ...92. Ann MillerActress | Mulholland Dr.Ann Miller was born Johnnie Lucille Ann Collier on April 12, 1923 in Chireno, Texas. She lived there until she was nine, when her mother left her philandering father and moved with Ann to Los Angeles, California. Even at that young age, she had to support her mother, who was hearing-impaired and ...93. Judith AndersonActress | RebeccaDame Judith Anderson was born Frances Margaret Anderson on February 10, 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia. She began her acting career in Australia before moving to New York in 1918. There she established herself as one of the greatest theatrical actresses and was a major star on Broadway ...94. Kim NovakActress | VertigoKim Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 13, 1933 with the birth name of Marilyn Pauline Novak. She was the daughter of a former teacher turned transit clerk and his wife, also a former teacher. Throughout elementary and high school, Kim did not get along well with teachers. She even ...95. Kathryn GraysonActress | Kiss Me KateKathryn Grayson was born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick in Winston-Salem, NC, on February 9, 1922. This pretty, petite brunette with a heart-shaped face was discovered by MGM talent scouts while singing on the radio. The studio quickly signed her to a contract, and she was given acting lessons ...96. Jane PowellActress | A Date with JudyJane Powell was singing and dancing at an early age. She sang on the radio and performed in theaters before her screen debut in 1944. Through the 1940s and 1950s, she had a successful career in movie musicals. However, in 1957, her career in films ended, as she had outgrown her innocent ...97. Kay FrancisActress | Trouble in ParadiseKay Francis is possibly the biggest of the 'forgotten stars' from Hollywood's Golden Era, yet, for a while in the 1930s, she ranked as one of the most popular actresses, tagged the 'Queen of Warner Brothers', by 1935 earning a yearly salary of $115,000 (compared to Bette Davis with $18,000). The ...98. Ruby KeelerSoundtrack | Sweetheart of the CampusRuby Keeler started as a dancer on Broadway. After her marriage to Al Jolson she moved to Hollywood and become a star in Warners musicals opposite Dick Powell. After her divorce from Jolson she retired for almost 30 years, until she appeared in "No No Nanette" on Broadway in 1971 under the ...99. Eleanor ParkerActress | The Sound of MusicEleanor Jean Parker was born on June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio, the last of three children born to a mathematics teacher and his wife. Eleanor caught the acting bug early and began performing in school plays. She was was so serious about becoming a thespian that she attended the Rice Summer ...100. Madeleine CarrollActress | The 39 StepsThe original ash-blonde "iceberg maiden", Madeleine Carroll was a knowing beauty with a confident air, the epitome of poise and "breeding". Not only did she have looks and allure in abundance, but she had intellectual heft to go with them, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Birmingham ...