Today, we're celebrating the 37th birthday of actress Angelina Jolie. The daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight, Angelina was raised around the motion picture industry, so it came as no surprise that she made her way into the business. When she first hit it big, she garnered a lot of publicity for her sex appeal as well as her acting credentials. Married twice before to actors Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller, it has only been recently that she has become the fodder of many a paparazzo after starting a relationship with actor Brad Pitt. The highly-publicized couple - nicknamed "Brangelina" - has been the centerpiece of many a news story, and the family the two have created together has kept Angie in the spotlight even as takes the occasional break from the acting scene. Her consistent humanitarian efforts have also been a cause of good-natured publicity. A few years ago, the actress started to delve into the directing field, and her work has been generally well-received thus far. Here's a look at some fun facts and accolades that Miss Jolie has earned throughout her career:
Won: Best Supporting Actress: Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Nominated: Best Actress: Changeling (2008)
Over the years, I've managed to see fifteen of Jolie's films, and on average, her films have received a 'C+' grade. From these fifteen, I have created the following list of my five favorite of her performances:
5. Fox
Wanted (2008)
*****
4. Jane Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
*****
3. Lara Croft
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
*****
2. Christine Collins
Changeling (2008)
*****
1. Lisa Rowe
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Once again, I would like to wish Angelina Jolie a happy 37th birthday!
Today, we're celebrating the 33rd birthday of actor James McAvoy. A native of Scotland, McAvoy made his acting debut in the 1995 film The Near Room before spending most of his time making appearances in TV series and made-for-TV movies through the late 1990s and early 2000s. It wasn't until his starring role opposite eventual Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in 2006's The Last King of Scotland that McAvoy started to rise out of obscurity. He truly burst onto the scene in 2007's Atonement opposite Keira Knightley and then again in 2008's Wanted opposite Angelina Jolie. Most recently, audiences have seen McAvoy in 2011's X-Men: First Class as Charles Xavier, and they'll next see him in the 2012 films Welcome to the Punch and Filth. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite of James McAvoy's performances. I've found a few clips to give you a sense of his acting ability, so I hope you can enjoy watching those. Once again, I'd like to wish James McAvoy a very happy birthday!
