London Academy of Media Film TV

EARLY LIFE

Angelina Jolie

Born Angelina Jolie Voight on the 4th of June, 1975, in Los Angeles, California; Angelina is the youngest of two children to actors Marcheline Bertrand and Jon Voight. Her parents separated a year after she was born and she was primarily raised in New York by her mother. With the soon-to-be actress having a somewhat tempestuous relationship with her father, Angelina has credited her interest in acting to her childhood experiences with her mother, though she made her debut film appearance in her father’s poorly received comedy Lookin’ to Get Out released in 1982. Angelina pursued her interest in the profession in her early teenage years when she began studying at the Lee Strasbourg Theatre Institute in 1986, making several stage appearances during her studies. She also briefly considered a career as a funeral director during her more troubled years; with the young actress collecting knives and experimenting with self-harm when she was 16 years old, before achieving some success as a professional model.

MODELING CAREER

Angelina found success as a model across the globe; working in London, Los Angeles, and New York, earning the attentions of the music industry with the teenage model appearing in numerous music videos for the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Meatloaf, and the Rolling Stones. With her passion for acting reignited, Angelina enrolled at the MET theater company in Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actress. After appearing in a couple of shorts by Secretary director Steven Shainberg in 1993, Angelina quickly made her film debut as an adult in the low-budget sci-fi thriller, Cyborg 2 (1993).

COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGH

After making numerous appearances in low-profile genre films, including Hackers (1995) with Johnny Lee Miller, and Playing God (1997) with David Duchovny, Angelina earned her first taste of critical acclaim with television biopic Gia (1998) portraying doomed model Gia Carangi. She was nominated for an Emmy for her performance and won a Golden Globe award, planting her firmly on the Hollywood map. More high profile roles soon followed with Angelina starring opposite Billy Bob Thornton in romantic drama Pushing Tin (1999), and Denzel Washington in crime thriller The Bone Collector (1999), before making her breakthrough performance in Girl, Interrupted (1999). She won an Oscar for her performance and quickly established herself as one of Hollywood’s highest earning stars with a string of blockbuster hits.

BOX OFFICE QUEEN

With Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) opposite Nicolas Cage, highly anticipated video-game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), action comedy Mr and Mrs Smith (2005), and roles in animated hits Shark Tale (2004), and Kung Fu Panda (2008) grossing over $100 million each in America alone, Angelina became a certified box office star. Though she has starred in her fair share of box office flops, including Original Sin (2001) with Antonio Banderas and Thomas Jane, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) with Jude Law, Angelina has remained one of cinema’s biggest draws, and has endeavoured to balance more challenging dramatic work with box office blockbusters. She earned a second Oscar nomination for her performances in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling (2008), and has recently lit up the box office with blockbusters Wanted (2008), Salt (2010), and The Tourist (2011) with Johnny Depp. She will next be seen in the animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011).

HUMANITARIAN WORK

However, Angelina’s most fulfilling work has been away from the big screen with the actress using her celebrity status to raise awareness for humanitarian causes across the world. She has visited many third world countries and conflict zones including Sierra Leone, Namibia, Darfur, and Haiti, and has made numerous donations from her own fortune. She has made public speeches at fundraising events including World Refugee Day, and in 2001 was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN. She has been awarded the Citizen of the World award, and a Global Humanitarian award for her prolific charity work.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

PERSONAL LIFE

Aside from her highly-publicized estrangement from her father, Angelina has been the subject of controversy with her love life too, earning a reputation as a wild child. At her first wedding, to actor Johnny Lee Miller (1996-1999), Angelina had written the groom’s name on her shirt in her own blood, and the star has professed that she wore a vial of her spouse’s blood during her marriage to second husband Billy Bob Thornton (2000-2003). Her current relationship to actor Brad Pitt has also been the subject of obsessive media speculation with Angelina rumored to have been the cause for the dissolution of Brad’s marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston. Angelina has 3 adopted children; Maddox (adopted 2002) from Cambodia, Zahara Marley (adopted 2005) from Ethiopia, and Pax Thien (adopted 2007) from Vietnam. She also has three biological children with Brad; Shiloh Nouvel (born 2006), and twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon (born 2008). Angelina is currently represented by United Talent Agency.

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London Academy of Media Film TV

EARLY LIFE

Brad Pitt

Born William Bradley Pitt on 18th December, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Brad is the eldest of three children to counselor Jane, and truck company owner William Alvin Pitt. Having moved to Missouri shortly after his birth, Brad studied at Kickapoo High School in Springfield, where he first discovered a passion for acting; performing in numerous school productions. He went on to study journalism at the University of Missouri, but soon realized his true calling was in the arts with the teenager acting with the Sigma Chi fraternity. Brad abandoned his studies shortly before he was due to graduate and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in 1986.

ACTING DEBUT

Brad soon found work as an extra, making minor appearances in numerous films and television series’. His debut came in 1987 with the burgeoning actor appearing in the likes of Hunk, No Way Out, and Less Than Zero with Robert Downey Jr. That same year he landed a recurring role on television soap Dallas (1987-1988), and proceeded to guest star in popular television fare including 21 Jump Street (1988), and Wes Craven’s Freddy’s Nightmares (1989). Brad continued to land small roles in film and television, until he found his breakthrough role in Ridley Scott’s acclaimed crime drama Thelma & Louise (1991). The film was a box office smash and Brad’s supporting performance as a hitchhiker soon earned him the attentions of Hollywood’s top producers, and the affections of female audiences around the world who quickly became enamored with his chiseled looks.

BIG SCREEN BREAKTHROUGH

Following Thelma & Louise’ success, Brad found himself in consideration for lead roles; earning his leading man status as the titular Johnny Suede in the 1991 musical comedy. However, Brad was keen to avoid being typecast and strived to establish himself as a talented actor, with his acclaimed performance as a serial killer in Kalifornia (1993) being an indicator of the diverse roles that would define his career. Brad sealed his A-list status in 1994 with Interview with the Vampire, sharing leading man duties with Tom Cruise, and Edward Zwick’s Legends of the Fall for which he earned his first Golden Globe nomination. Brad’s career went from strength to strength, with the actor collaborating with director David Fincher in acclaimed thriller Se7en (1995), and earning his first Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for his performance in Twelve Monkeys (1995) opposite Bruce Willis. A couple of misfires soon followed with the underwhelming The Devil’s Own, and Seven Years in Tibet in 1997, but Brad would soon be back on the path to superstardom with the release of dark fantasy Meet Joe Black (1998) reaffirming his heartthrob status, and a reunion with Fincher for Fight Club in 1999.

FIGHT CLUB AND BEYOND

Though it disappointed at the box office, Fight Club became a cult smash and revived Brad’s career. More high profile genre films followed with The Mexican (2001), Spy Game (2001), and a guest appearance on Friends (2001), before Brad appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s ensemble blockbuster Ocean’s Eleven (2001) that saw the actor begin a long-standing friendship with actor George Clooney. Between appearances in 2 Ocean’s sequels; Twelve (2004), and Thirteen (2007), Brad’s screen profile skyrocketed with lead roles in blockbusters Troy (2004), and action comedy Mr & Mrs Smith (2005) becoming box office hits. He has since reunited with Clooney once more for the Coen’s Burn After Reading (2008), and earned rave reviews for his performances in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2008), David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) which earned the actor his second Oscar nomination, and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009). He will next be seen in The Tree of Life (2011).

PRODUCING CAREER

Brad has also had success as a producer, with his company Plan B Entertainment producing the likes of The Departed (2006), A Mighty Heart (2007), The Time Traveller’s Wife (2009), Kick-Ass (2010), and Eat. Pray. Love (2010) amongst others.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr & Mrs Smith

PERSONAL LIFE

Brad has had several high profile relationships with actresses Juliette Lewis, and Gwyneth Paltrow, and was previously married to actress Jennifer Aniston (2000-2005). His marriage to Jennifer became the cause of immense media speculation amid rumours that Brad became close to co-star Angelina Jolie whom he met whilst filming Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005, and the couple divorced shortly after. Brad’s relationship with Angelina has become one of the most talked about in Hollywood, the couple have 3 children; Shiloh Nouvel (born 2006), and twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon (born 2008), and in 2006 Brad legally adopted Angelina’s 3 adopted children Maddox Chivan, Zahara Marley, and Pax Thien. He has also accompanied Angelina on some of her humanitarian visits, and co-established the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to raise funds and awareness for humanitarian causes. Brad was also active in relief efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, funding housing projects and encouraging film production in the area. He is currently represented by Creative Artists Agency.

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London Academy of Media Film TV

EARLY LIFE

James Franco

Born James Edward Franco on April 19th, 1978, in Palo Alto, California, James is the eldest of three sons to poet and children’s author Betsy and businessman Douglas Franco. James had a keen interest in the arts from a young age. He often painted and wrote in his free time, and excelled in his studies at Palo Alto High School, graduating in 1996 and enrolling at UCLA to study English in the same year. At UCLA, James’ passion for the arts led to his discovery of acting and he soon dropped out of college to undertake professional acting tutelage. He studied under Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West theatre for 15 months before auditioning for acting roles around Los Angeles.

ACTING DEBUT

James made his acting debut with a small role in the television series Pacific Blue in 1997. He made more television appearances in the years to follow with performances in television movies 1973 (1998) and To Serve And Protect (1999), before making his film debut in the Drew Barrymore comedy Never Been Kissed in 1999. That same year James landed his first leading role as a series regular on Judd Apatow’s acclaimed television comedy Freaks and Geeks. The show was a cult hit and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, but due to poor ratings it was ultimately cancelled after its first season. James continued to land small roles in film and television, including an episode of The X-Files, but his breakthrough eluded him until 2001 when he portrayed James Dean in the biographical TV movie of the same name. His performance was highly acclaimed; earning the actor nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Hollywood’s top producers soon came calling and James quickly landed a supporting turn as Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi’s highly anticipated Spider-Man (2000).

BIG SCREEN CAREER

James’ career has gone from strength to strength since with the star balancing more personal independent projects with high-profile supporting turns. He appeared in Nicolas Cage’s directorial debut Sonny (2002), City By The Sea (2002) with Robert De Niro, Robert Altman’s The Company (2003), and military drama Annapolis (2006) between two Spider-Man sequels (2004 and 2007). James’ career has shown no signs of slowing down since his final Spider-Man appearance with the actor receiving high acclaim for his performances in In The Valley Of Elah (2007), and Milk (2008), before returning to his comedy roots and reuniting with producer Judd Apatow for Pineapple Express (2008). In 2009 James made an unusual choice for such a high profile actor by returning to television in a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.

James Franco in 127 Hours

127 HOURS AND BEYOND

Despite his involvement in the Spider-Man series, James’ most high-profile role to date came in 2011 when he was cast as the American climber Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle’s acclaimed 127 Hours. Based on Ralston’s own experience of being trapped alone in a canyon for the titular amount of time – eventually resorting to amputating his own forearm with a blunt pen knife to survive, James won rave reviews for his performance and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor at the 83rd Academy Awards, which he co-hosted with actress Anne Hathaway. He has since made appearances in the superhero thriller The Green Hornet (2011), the comedy Your Highness (2011) alongside Natalie Portman, and will next be seen in the Planet of the Apes prequel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011).

PERSONAL INTERESTS AND PRIVATE LIFE

James’ long-standing interest in the arts has encouraged the actor to return to higher education; studying literature and film at NYU and Columbia University in 2008, before enrolling at Yale to pursue a Ph.D in English. He has also published a collection of short stories based in his hometown, simply titled Palo Alto, and has had his paintings exhibited at the Glu Gallery in Los Angeles and at Peres Projects in Berlin. His passion for film has also seen the actor appear behind the camera as well as in front of it; directing numerous shorts and the feature length productions Fool’s Gold (2005), The Ape (2005), and Good Time Max (2007). James frequently volunteers for the Art of Elysium charity to help children with serious medical conditions, and is often involved with campaigns to better educate youths in regards to literature. James has previously had relationships with actresses Marla Sokoloff and Ahna O’Reilly whom he had dated for 6 years. He is currently represented by United Talent Agency.

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Antonio Banderas

London Academy of Media Film TV

FIRST YEARS

Antonio Domínguez Bandera was born in Málaga, Spain, on August 10^th, 1960. His father, who died at the age of 87 in 2008, was a Police Superintendent  and his mother, a Secondary School teacher. He has one brother. He wanted to become a professional football player but at the age of 14, he broke his foot and his dream was spoiled.

He started playing some theatre roles while attending acting classes at ARA School of Theatre in Málaga. At the end of the 70’s he joined a theatre company and started acting around Spain. There he met director Pedro Almodóvar and started to work with him. Mr. Almodóvar was the one who suggested his stage name: Antonio Banderas. Those were the years of “La Movida Madrileña“, a very popular cultural movement thanks to people like Antonio Banderas and Pedro Almodóvar.

ACTING CAREER

Starting in 1980 he made five movies with  Almodóvar. The first one was “Labyrinth of Passions” in 1982. In 1984, he did “Law of Desire”, a bit scandalous at the time as it was the first time ever to show a male-to-male kiss on the screen. Then “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” came out 1988 which was nominated for many awards such as the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. 1990 was the year he filmed “Tie me Up, Tie me Down”.

In 1991 he appeared in Madonna’s Truth or Dare. At that time he was still an unknown actor in the USA.

Celebrating the 60^th anniversary of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1992, he played the role of the phantom in The Phantom of the Opera with Sara Brightman. The following year he filmed “Philadelphia” playing the role of the homosexual partner of Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks). For this work he achieved wide recognition and his personal jump into the States started to be successful.

Other movies came right after: “The Mambo Kings” in 1994; “Desperado” by Quentin Tarantino in 1995; “Two Much” by Fernando Trueba in 1996, where he met his actual wife, Melanie Griffith; “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; Original Sin, with Angelina Jollie and in 1998, the musical “Evita” and “The Mask of Zorro”.

In 1999, he did his opera prima as a director with “El Camino de los Ingleses”, (“Summer Rain”), and in 2001 he started to film the “Spy Kids” saga. In 2003 he participated again in a musical, “Nine”, with great success and won some awards such as the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk. He was also nominated to the Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical.

He has been candidate 3 times for both the Golden Globes and the Goya Award and was nominated for the Tony Awards in 2003 and the Emmy Awards in 2004. He received a European Cinema Award in 1998.

At the moment, he is involved  in the filming of “The Skin I Inhabit”, by Pedro Almodóvar, based in “Tarantula” by Thierry Jonque.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Antonio Banderas has also been very successful in some other projects. For example, his fragrance line, Perfumes Antonio Banderas, was honoured at the prestigious FIFI Awards.

In 2007, together with producer Antonio Pérez, he started a project to help support cinema and movies made by Andalusians.

In 2009, he entered the world of Spanish wine, becoming co-partner of ANTA Wineries under denomination of Ribera del Duero

Antonio Banderas

PERSONAL LIFE

Antonio Banderas was married to Ana Leza from 1988 to 1996. Then he met and married Melanie Griffith. The couple has a daughter, Stella del Carmen, born in 1996.

He is very commited with the Holy Week celebrations in his hometown in Málaga, where he participates as Mayordomo de la Virgen de Lágrimas y Favores (Virgin of Tears and Favours).

He was distinguished as Predilect Son of Málaga in 2001.

In 2008 he received the Golden Medal to the Merit in Bellas Artes.

On May 5^th, 2010, he was given the  Honoris Causa Doctorate from Málaga University.

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