Ross Simpson
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. is 64 today.
His mother Lynne owned a beauty parlor and his father was an
ordained Pentecostal minister. After taking a semester off from
college, he worked as an overnight summer camp counselor,
where he discovered his acting abilities.
2006
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992)
German born actress Marlene Dietrich starred on both the stage and on the
big screen. Her best known films include The Blue Angel (1930), Shanghai
Express (1932) and Desire (1936). She was ranked 9th on The American
Film Institute’s 1999 list of the Greatest Female Stars of All Time. She
began her acting career as a chorus girl in vaudeville and theater acts.
1930
The Christmas fantasy drama film It’s a Wonderful Life was produced and
directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift",
which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published privately in
1945. The film is now among the most popular in American cinema and
because of numerous television showings in the 1980s has become
traditional viewing during the Christmas season.
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most acclaimed films ever made and
was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. It has
been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the100 best
American films ever made, placing number 11 on its initial 1998 greatest
movie list, and number one on AFI’s list of the most inspirational American
films of all time
The Technicolor adventure film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first
science fiction film shot in CinemaScope. The film was personally produced
by Walt Disney through Walt Disney Productions. It was also the first feature-
length Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista Distribution.
A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film based on the short stories
and semi-fictional anecdotes of author Jean Shepherd, based on his book In
God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. The film earned director Clark two Genie
Awards. In 2012, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant".
Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen (then and now) turned 44 on April 16.
