Trivia: Actor Tom Courtenay studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his theatrical debut in the Old Vic production of The Seagull in 1960; in 1961 he took over Albert Finney's role in Billy Liar, a part he would later play in the film version. In his first British film, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), he made a big impression on audiences and critics alike. Courtenay went on to play numerous lead roles in American and British films, often as a misunderstood, underprivileged, nonconformist youth. He was nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for his work in Doctor Zhivago (1965) and for a "Best Actor" Oscar for The Dresser (1983). His screen career mysteriously came to a near-halt after 1971, but he continued to succeed as a stage actor, making his belated Broadway debut in 1977's Otherwise Engaged. He is married to stage actress Cheryl Kennedy.

Trivia: Known for making provocative, stylized, and tightly budgeted films about people living on society's social and/or sexual fringes, British director Stephen Frears is renowned as one of his country's most vibrant and recognizable filmmakers. Regarding his tendency to make films that branch into unfamiliar territory, Frears has said that he likes "making films about different cultures...I'm interested in things that I've never encountered before. I try to put myself in the audience's position." Born in Leicester on June 20, 1941, Frears studied law at Cambridge University before turning to the arts. He became involved with London's Royal Court Theatre, where he served as an assistant to director Lindsay Anderson and to actor Albert Finney. He started his career in the film industry as an assistant director to Karel Reisz, with whom he worked from 1966 until 1972.In 1971, Frears made his directorial debut with Gumshoe. Starring Finney, it was a tribute to the hardboiled detective drama. Frears helmed a few made-for-television films, and in 1985, he had his breakthrough directing My Beautiful Laundrette. Written for the screen by Hanif Kureishi, the film used its central story of the relationship between a young Pakistani and a London street punk (a then unknown Daniel Day-Lewis) to explore issues encompassing homosexuality, racism, and intergenerational tensions. An edgy, offbeat tale, it earned great critical acclaim, a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, and a New York Film Critics Circle award for Kureshi. Frears and Kureishi again collaborated on Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), a film about the faltering relationship between a London couple. Like My Beautiful Laundrette, it looked at a number of issues that were particularly relevant to late-'80s British society; unlike Laundrette, it failed to make much of an impression on critics or audiences.Frears' next three films proved to be some of the most successful of his career. The first, Prick Up Your Ears (1987), was a biographical drama about the celebrated and controversial English playwright Joe Orton. Featuring stellar performances by Gary Oldman as Orton, Alfred Molina as his tragically unstable lover, and Vanessa Redgrave as his agent, the film was widely praised. A year later, a Best Director BAFTA nomination and a number of international honors greeted Frears for Dangerous Liaisons, his adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The director's most opulent piece to date, it was an elegant, witheringly cynical tragi-comedy that boasted an Oscar-winning script by Christopher Hampton and deliciously nasty lead performances from John Malkovich and Glenn Close, the latter of whom earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the scheming Marquise de Merteuil. Frears gained more international acclaim and a Best Director Oscar nomination in 1990 for The Grifters. The gripping, stylish depiction of a deadly power struggle between three con artists (John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, and Annette Bening), the film earned a reputation as one of the best noirs in recent memory. Both Huston and Bening were nominated for Oscars for their work, and Frears duly earned a reputation as one of the most gifted British directors of his generation.Frears' subsequent films have been of wildly mixed quality. Hero (1992) and Mary Reilly (1996) were complete duds, while two Roddy Doyle adaptations, The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996), were modest affairs that enjoyed a fairly positive reception. Despite the presence of a strong cast that featured Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup, Penélope Cruz, and Patricia Arquette, Frears' 1998 film, a 20th century Western entitled The Hi-Lo Country, was a sizable disappointment. A number of critics remarked that Frears was out of his element directing a film about cowboys. In 2000, however, Frears returned to more familiar territory with High Fidelity. Adapted from Nick Hornby's popular novel of the same name, the film reunited Frears with Cusack (who also co-wrote the script), and promised more of the same insightful social and sexual commentary that had so endeared the director to audiences and critics in years past.Frears continued in 2000 with a nod to his past by directing the television remake of Fail Safe, featuring an all-star cast headed by George Clooney and Harvey Keitel. It was the first live two-hour telefilm in decades. That same year, he released the drama Liam. In 2002, Frears made one of his best films, Dirty Pretty Things, a biting yet hopeful drama-thriller about illegal aliens working, living, and surviving in London. The film's script was written by Steven Knight, the creator of the original British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? In 2003, Frears once again directed a film for British television. The Deal was a historical political drama about how Tony Blair came to be the head of the Liberal party.After a detour with the respectably ribald period piece Mrs. Henderson Presents, Frears reunited with the writer and star of The Deal to take another look at modern royalty; the result would be one of the high points of his career. Scripted by Peter Morgan, 2006's The Queen took a comic-yet-sympathetic look at the P.R. nightmare that ensued after Princess Diana's death in 1997. Bolstered by Helen Mirren's universally acclaimed work as Queen Elizabeth II, the film enjoyed a healthy arthouse run through awards season, when Frears found himself the recipient of countless Best Director nominations from critics' organizations, as well as the Golden Globe Awards. He won praise for his direction of the comedy drama Tamera Drewe in 2010, and reunited with screenwriter D.V. DeVincent to direct the Lay the Favorite in 2012.

Trivia: With a long-limbed elegance and the voice of a serpent crossed with an angel, Jeremy Irons has long been described as swoon fodder for the thinking woman. Tall, brooding, and impossibly well-spoken, Irons has often been cast as a haunted aristocrat, but has on occasion used his well-heeled attributes to more sinister effect, most notably in David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers.Born September 19, 1948, on the Isle of Wight, Irons was educated at Sherborne. While a student there, he formed a band with four of his friends called the Four Pillars of Wisdom. Irons played drums -- badly, by his own estimation -- and the band attained a limited fame playing at various parties. After failed attempts to enter veterinary school, Irons decided to become an actor and received classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His training there led to a two-year stint with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company, where Irons performed in a large number of plays. On the side, he supported himself by doing odd jobs, including busking (singing on the streets), and it was thanks to his musical inclinations that he got his big break in the 1972 London production of Godspell. Singing for his supper alongside David Bowie, Irons won acclaim for his portrayal of John the Baptist and was soon a respected figure on the London theater scene. Irons made his screen debut in the 1980 film Nijinsky, but didn't find true fame until the following year, when he starred in the 11-part television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. As part of a glittering cast that included Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Claire Bloom, Irons won raves on both sides of the Atlantic for his portrayal of the lovelorn, conflicted Charles Ryder. Following this success, the actor was in demand as a romantic lead and could soon be seen starring opposite Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). After trying his hand at playing a Polish laborer in Moonlighting (1982) and an adulterous lover in Betrayal (1983), Irons again played a tortured aristocrat in Swann in Love (1984).Following work in a few minor films and a Tony Award for his 1984 Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing, Irons once again struck gold with his role as a conscientious missionary in The Mission (1986), in which he starred opposite Robert De Niro and received a 1987 Golden Globe nomination for his work. He next went completely against type, playing insane twin gynecologists in David Cronenberg's 1988 thriller Dead Ringers, a dual performance that both shocked his longtime fans and won him some new ones. For his portrayals, he garnered a New York Film Critics Circle Award, acclaim that was to be heightened two years later with his Oscar-winning turn as millionaire murder suspect Claus Von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune. Irons also won a Golden Globe for his work and settled into a real-life role as one of the most respected actors on both sides of the Atlantic.Throughout the 1990s, Irons' career was one of great variety and sometimes varying quality. Less acclaimed work included 1992's Waterland, in which he starred with his wife, Sinéad Cusack; the star-studded 1993 adaptation of The House of the Spirits; and The Man in the Iron Mask, a big-budget 1998 historical action piece in which Irons appeared to be competing with Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich, and Gérard Depardieu to see who could wear the worst wig. Irons' more acclaimed films included Louis Malle's psychological drama Damage (1992); Disney's animated The Lion King (1994), to which Irons lent his voice as the villainous Scar; the following year's Die Hard With a Vengeance, in which Irons once again explored his sinister side, as a terrorist; Stealing Beauty (1996), which cast the actor as a dying artist; Chinese Box (1997), in which he portrayed yet another dying man; and Adrian Lyne's controversial adaptation of Lolita (also 1997), in which Irons gave a subtle, heartbreaking performance as Humbert Humbert. In 2000, Irons' relatively small role in the ultimately mediocre adaptation Dungeons & Dragons was once again noted as one of the highlights of an otherwise so-so film. Shortly afterward, Irons played the leading role in The Fourth Angel, which featured the actor as a magazine editor-cum-freedom fighter after his wife and three children were killed when their airplane was hijacked by terrorists. Though his performance was generally viewed as good, few Americans would enjoy it -- the original (and uncanny) plan for a United States theatrical release in fall of 2001 was canceled after the 9/11 attacks. Luckily for Irons and his loyal fan base, the 2002 releases of The Time Machine and the musical drama Callas Forever were not similarly hindered. In the same year, Irons would play the role of F. Scott Fitzgerald in director Henry Bromell's biographical feature Last Call with great success. 2003 was a busy year for Irons' vocal chords, as he provided one of the starring voices in the lavish, multi-episode television documentary Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites. Irons appeared in two small but well-received 2004 releases, taking a role alongside screen legend Al Pacino in Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice, and showing up in the comedy drama Being Julia with Annette Bening and Sheila McCarthy. However, the following year, he could be seen in director Ridley Scott's big-budget box-office dud Kingdom of Heaven, an historical film about the Crusades that failed to find an audience in the wake of similar pictures such as Troy and Alexander. Irons once again snared great notices for his work in the period drama Elizabeth I opposite Helen Mirren, winning the Golden Globe for his supporting work in that television production. He next displayed his remarkable versatility by appearing in two very different motion pictures, the fantasy action film Eragon and David Lynch's Inland Empire.An Englishman to the last, Irons has resisted the temptation to settle in Hollywood and continues to reside in England. He starred with one of his two sons, Samuel, in the 1989 television adaptation of Roald Dahl's Danny, the Champion of the World.In 2008, Irons took on the role of a cold-hearted rancher in actor/director Ed Harris' western Appaloosa, and joined the supporting cast of The Pink Panther 2 in 2009. Irons was praised for his vocal skills once more in 2011, when he narrated The Last Lions, a sweeping nature documentary. The same year, Irons took on the role of Pope Alexander VI in Showtime's historical drama series The Borgias, and co-star in Margin Call, a paranoid thriller following an investment firm analyst who becomes privy to extremely sensitive information.

Trivia: Actress Sian Phillips was performing on BBC radio's Welsh-language service at the age of 11. Phillips made her first British television appearance at 17; one year later, she won a Welsh acting award, which paid her way through RADA. She made her London stage debut in 1957, in a charity production of Hedda Gabler. From 1959 through 1979, Sian was the wife of actor Peter O'Toole, with whom she appeared in the 1964 film Becket and the 1969 movie musical Goodbye Mr. Chips. Almost too dynamic for "average" roles, Sian was an unforgettable Livia in the PBS miniseries I, Claudius, and brought a properly mystical bearing to her otherworldly characters in the film fantasies Clash of the Titans (1981) and Dune (1984). Her instinctive regality served her well as narrator of the 1967 documentary The Other World of Mr. Churchill and as the Duchess of Windsor in the made-for-TV The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1983). A more grounded-in-reality Sian was seen as Ann Smiley in the 1982 miniseries Smiley's People; most recently, she was the American aristocrat Mrs. Archer in The Age of Innocence (1993). A favorite daughter of her home country, Sian Phillips has served in the Welsh Arts Council and as a governor of the National Theatre of Wales, and has received the Welsh theatre world's ultimate accolade: a membership in the Honorary Order of Druids.

Trivia: After briefly toiling away as an apprentice accountant, Michael Jayston trained for a theatrical career at Britain's Guildhall School. Jayston made his professional debut at age 27 in The Amorous Prawn then made up for lost time by appearing in as many stage, film and TV projects as his schedule would allow. A Shakespearean specialist at such august organizations at the Old Vic and the RSC, he also thrived in contemporary roles, touring extensively in Peter Schaffer's Equus. His film roles include Czar Nicholas II in Nicholas and Alexandria (1971) and Captain Hardy in The Nelson Affair (1971), while numbering among his TV-miniseries credits are the internationally distributed Smiley's People and Tinker, Soldier, Sailor, Spy. In addition, Michael Jayston has starred in two weekly British TV series, playing Colonel Mustard in Cluedo (1991) and Bob in Outside Edge (1994).

Trivia: Stout, jovial character actor Simon Callow has been enlivening the stage and screen for years, often in roles that highlight his versatility and capacity for a particular brand of good-natured, self-deprecating humor.Born in London on June 13, 1949, Callow began going to the theatre when he was 18 and working at a bookstore with no idea of what to do with his life. He took a particular interest in the Old Vic, which was being run by Laurence Olivier at the time. Deeply impressed with Olivier's talent, Callow wrote to him. To his great surprise, the esteemed actor responded in kind, telling the young man that if he was interested in acting, he should consider taking a job at the Old Vic's box office. Callow did so, and thus made his entrance into the theatre world. He subsequently became a fixture on the London stage, appearing in numerous productions over the years.Callow made his film debut with a substantial supporting role in 1984 in Milos Forman's Amadeus. Two years later, he endeared himself to transatlantic audiences with his portrayal of the bumbling reverend Mr. Beeb in Merchant-Ivory's celebrated adaptation of E.M. Forster's A Room with a View. He would also appear in two more Merchant-Ivory-Forster adaptations, Maurice (1987), in which he had a brief role as the title character's deluded school teacher, and Howards End (1992), which featured him in the small but memorable role of a pompous lecturer on music appreciation.In addition to his numerous collaborations with Merchant-Ivory (which also include Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, 1990, and Jefferson in Paris, 1995), Callow has worked in a number of diverse British and American productions. Perhaps one of his best-loved and most recognizable roles was in the popular Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). As one of Hugh Grant's motley circle of friends, the ebullient, flamboyant Gareth, Callow injected both poignance and joie de vivre into the proceedings. His character particularly stood out for being in an open, unapologetic relationship with another man (John Hannah), something that at the time had few parallels in American films. The character also highlighted Callow's status as one of Britain's openly gay actors, which also had regrettably few parallels across the Atlantic.Among the other diverse films he appeared in throughout the '90s, Callow particularly stood out in the animated James and the Giant Peach (1996), in which he voiced the wise Grasshopper; the acclaimed Shakespeare in Love (1998), which featured him as the obnoxious, party-pooping Master of Revels; and Rose Troche's omnisexual romantic comedy Bedrooms & Hallways (1998), in which Callow starred as the painfully sincere guru of a men's consciousness-raising group.Keeping busy into the new millenium, Callow noteably appeared among the ensemble cast of Mike Nichols' critically-acclaimed HBO mini-series Angels in America.In addition to working in front of the camera, Callow has spent a fair amount of time behind it as a director. In 1991, he made his feature directorial and screenwriting debut with the film version of Carson McCullers' Ballad of the Sad Cafe. Two years earlier, he had made his Broadway debut as the director of Shirley Valentine. And, apparently averse to having too much free time, Callow is also the author of numerous books on acting and actors. In particular, his biographies of Orson Welles and Charles Laughton have met with great acclaim, further establishing Callow as an actor who is more than just the sum of his parts.