B
George Clooney
Bio:
The decade-long career in series TV, generally in
forgettable roles, finally paid off for handsome
George Clooney when he landed the regular
starring role as the charming but troubled
pediatrician Doug Ross on the acclaimed NBC
medical series "ER" in 1994. This scion of a show
business family--his father Nick is a broadcast
journalist and on-air host, his aunt Rosemary is a
singer and actress and cousin Miguel Ferrer is an
actor--grew up on the set of his father's local
Cincinnati shows, occasionally serving as a
commercial pitchman and sketch player and later
working as a floor manager.
When Clooney's dream of a career as a
professional baseball player came to naught, he
headed west to L.A., bunking with his aunt and
working as her handyman and chauffeur. His adult
acting career began with a slew of unreleased or
little seen films (i.e., "Grizzly II-The Predator" 1984;
"Return of the Killer Tomatoes" 1988) and fifteen
unsold pilots. Ironically, his first regular series role
was as a young physician working in an emergency
room in the short-lived sitcom "E/R" (CBS, 198485). He had recurring roles as a good-natured
carpenter in NBC's "The Facts of Life" (during the
1985-86 season), a womanizing factory manager in
ABC's "Roseanne" (during the 1988-89 season), a
construction worker in "Baby Talk" (ABC, 1991,
which he quit when he clashed with the show's
producer) and as a detective in "Bodies of
Evidence" (CBS, 1992-93). Clooney stayed with law
enforcement but switched to drama as the married
detective who falls for Teddy (Sela Ward) during
the 1993-94 season of "Sisters" (NBC).
Clooney has often said how his peripatetic
upbringing and the experiences of both his father
and aunt prepared him for the pitfalls of a showbiz
career. When he finally achieved a degree of
stardom on "ER", he took it in stride. As film offers
poured in, Clooney attempted to stretch as an actor,
handling roles in diverse genres, although several
of his efforts have fallen below expectations. He
was alongside Quentin Tarantino battling vampires
in the action adventure "From Dusk Till Dawn" and
displayed his boyish charm opposite Michelle
Pfeiffer in the romantic comedy "One Fine Day"
(both 1996). Though the former has acquired some
cult status, neither fared well at the box office.
Inheriting the franchise from Val Kilmer, Clooney
made a mediocre Bruce Wayne/Batman in Joel
Schumacher's "Batman & Robin" (1997) and has
often joked about his part in the debacle ("I think
I've buried that franchise!"), but the true culprits
were the confusing script, overblown visuals and an
ear-splitting soundtrack. "The Peacemaker" (also
1997) similarly proved to be a disappointing thriller.
As Elmore Leonard's sassy but fallible escaped
con Jack Foley in Steven Soderbergh's "Out of
Sight" (1998), Clooney romanced a federal marshal
(Jennifer Lopez) and the critics, earning praise for
the easy-going charm and intelligence of his laidback, debonair bank robber, but the film was still
little-seen, despite good reviews. After making a
cameo appearance as a platoon leader in Terrence
Malick's highly-anticipated "The Thin Red Line" (also
1998), his big screen fortunes changed dramatically
with David O Russell's "Three Kings" (1999), an
uncommonly political, Hollywood action feature set
during the Gulf War that delivered a cautionary
message about the responsibility accompanying
America's role as policeman of the world. Clooney
proved his mettle as an action star with his turn as
"seen-it-all" career military man Major Archie Gates
and the success of what was essentially an
independent film in studio clothing reinforced his
decision to leave his role as Dr Ross on "ER" in
February of that year.
Clooney returned to television, executive
producing as well as acting in the two-hour live
broadcast of "Fail Safe" (CBS, 2000), a black-andwhite homage to the days of live television adapted
from the Cold War novel by Harvey Wheeler and
Eugene Burdick. Superbly acted and flawlessly
produced, this welcome addition amidst the
standard small screen fare failed to register with
younger audiences weaned on the razzmatazz of
MTV. The quality outing was the first real fruit born
of his Maysville Pictures' agreement with Warner
Bros. to create and produce telefilms and series,
though he had previously executive produced and
co-written the failed HBO pilot "Kilroy" (1999).
Clooney next reteamed with "Three Kings" co-star
Mark Wahlberg for Wolfgang Petersen's film
adaptation of Sebastian Junger's best selling-novel
"The Perfect Storm" (2000), playing Captain Billy
Tyne of the doomed Andrea Gail. Anxiously awaited
for its tale of men in the grip of nature's fury, "The
Perfect Storm" seemed a sure bet to solidify
Clooney as a bankable big screen star. He also
starred that year in the Coen brothers' Depressionera jail break movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?",
based on Homer's "Odyssey", and produced "Metal
God", a black comedy about the world of heavy
metal music starring Wahlberg. The astounding
success of that movie only added to Clooney's
stellar career and he next starred in Steven
Soderberh's smash hit "Ocean's Eleven" in 2001.
That same year, following the Sept. 11 attacks,
Clooney was instrumental in rallying dozens of his
Hollywood friends and colleagues to create a
televised memorial to the victims of the World
Trade Centers, "America: A Tribute to Heroes."
In 2002, Clooney had small but memorable role
as a crippled crook in "Welcome to Collinwood," and
tried his hand behind the camera, in his directorial
debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," based on
the book by Chuck Barris, the host of TV's "The
Gong Show" who claims he was a CIA hitman.
Clooney also had a supporting role in the film,
which was written by Charlie Kaufman and starred
Clooney pal Sam Rockwell. Sometimes aping a
Soderberg style fused with Clooney's off-kilter
sense of humor, the film garnered many admirers
but also had its flaws, including a nudge-nudge-
wink-wink demeanor. Clooney also co-starred with
Natascha McElhorne in the thriller feature "Solaris,"
a sci-fi remake of a 1972 Russian film which
reunited the actor yet again with Steven Soderberg.
"Interesting" was about all critics and moviegoers
had to say about the box-office impaired
metaphorical meditation on life and death, which
was produced by James Cameron. The spotty track
record of Section Eight Productions, the company
launched by Clooney and Soderberg responsible for
most of the pair's product in 2002, did little to
tarnish either's reputations, and Clooney remained
among the most in-demand A-list leading men in
Hollywood.
Although he's the opposition counsel, Miles is
smitten by the man-eating, churn 'em-and-burn
'em Marylin and makes his interest known to her.
(She marries wealthy men and quickly disposes
of them to get half their fortunes; she also has a
way of getting them to forsake pre-nup
agreements.) Although enchanted by Marylin,
Miles is out to win; he ends up humiliating her in
court.
Vexed that Miles foiled her get rich scheme,
Marylin sets her sights on revenge ... even if it
means marrying Miles to accomplish it! Trouble
is, Miles has undergone a change of heart and
fallen for this dangerous beauty. Will love win
out over cynicism and greed? That's the
question this dark comedy asks.
Miles has become bored with success; there are
no more worlds left to conquer, you could say.
That leaves only love, the realm of emotion, all
those positive life elements that his vocation has
required he forsake. I can't say exactly why
Miles falls for the duplicitous Marylin the way he
does. He's obviously smitten with her "win at all
costs" attitude; does she remind Miles of himself?
Perhaps Miles is like a Film Noir protagonist who
can't help but fall for the femme fatale despite
his better judgment.
B.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Bio
A native of Wales, Catherine Zeta-Jones
debuted on the British stage, starring in the
musical 42nd Street, but made a name for
herself in the early '90s, when she starred in the
Yorkshire Television comedy-drama series The
Darling Buds of May. Based on a series of
novels by H.E. Bates, the show was a smash hit
and made Zeta-Jones one of the United
Kingdom's most popular television actresses.
Dark-haired and brown eyed, Zeta-Jones has
an exotic look that enables her to play a wide
variety of interesting roles. Following the demise
of her first series, she returned to the stage and
then starred in the miniseries Catherine the
Great. She had made her film debut in Philip
de Broca's Scheherazade (1990). It was de
Broca who discovered Zeta-Jones while she
was performing on stage. She subsequently
played supporting roles in several films,
including Christopher Columbus: The
Discovery (1992) and a larger part as the
seductive Sala in The Phantom (1996), before
landing her first co-starring stint playing the
fiery Elena opposite Anthony Hopkins and
Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro
(1998). A talented singer, Zeta-Jones has
occasionally performed with the English
National Opera. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie
Guide
The gorgeous, raven-haired Welsh actress
Catherine Zeta-Jones first came to prominence in
the United Kingdom with her co-starring role as the
eldest daughter in a boisterous farm family in the
British TV series "The Darling Buds of May"
(Yorkshire TV, 1991-93). A head-turner who
balanced her stately beauty with an appealing
working class bluntness, Zeta-Jones had begun her
career as a child performer on the musical stage,
starring as the wholesome heroine "Annie" and as
the most sophisticated Tallulah in the stage musical
"Bugsy Malone". Her biggest stage break came
when she headlined the West End production of
"42nd Street", portraying chorus girl-turned-star
Peggy Sawyer. French director Philippe de Broca
tapped the exotic actress for the title role in
"Sheherazade" (1990). Zeta-Jones subsequently
portrayed the explorer's wife in "Christopher
Columbus: The Discovery" (1992) and a reckless
young woman desperate to be a duchess in the
comedy "Splitting Heirs" (1993). She was well-cast
as Eustacia Vye, the willful woman thought to be a
witch, in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" adaptation of
"The Return of the Native" (CBS, 1994), opposite
Clive Owen and Ray Stevenson. After playing Chloe,
the girlfriend of a surfer torn between the waves
and a commitment to her, in the unusual British
film "Blue Juice" (1995), Zeta-Jones was finally
tapped by Hollywood to portray the villainous
aviatrix Sala in "The Phantom" (1996). She
continued to make in-roads in the USA portraying a
woman jeopardizing her future by having a
shipboard affair with an old flame in the CBS
miniseries "Titanic" (1996). In 1998, Zeta-Jones
landed the high profile role of a seductress opposite
Antonio Banderas in "The Mask of Zorro" and made
headlines in the trades when she won the female
lead opposite Sean Connery in the romantic thriller
"Entrapment" (1999).
While the actress' onscreen May-December
match-up with Connery captured much attention, it
was nothing compared to the talk surrounding her
real-life romance with actor-producer Michael
Douglas, a Hollywood heavyweight 25 years her
senior. The two became parents and subsequently
married in 2000, in a highly publicized ceremony.
Prior to the nuptials, Zeta-Jones played a playful,
mysterious beauty in the 1999 remake of "The
Haunting", and had a memorable cameo as the
glamorous, free-wheeling former girlfriend of John
Cusack's central character in "High Fidelity" (2000).
She would next be seen to good effect playing the
unwitting wife of a drug lord (Steven Bauer) in the
roundly acclaimed feature "Traffic" (also 2000).
Though the film co-starred Douglas, the two were
in no scenes together, due to the thematicallylinked three-part storyline. In 2001, Zeta-Jones was
featured in "America's Sweethearts", a romantic
comedy about a high-profile Hollywood couple, an
experience not far from her own. Surely she hoped
that life didn't imitate art in this case, as the pair in
question are in the midst of a bitter break up on the
movie set, much to the chagrin of the film's
publicist.
In 2002, Zeta-Jones wowed audiences and
critics with her heretofore undisplayed singing
and dancing chops when she starred as the
murderess Velma Kelly in the film version of the
hit Broadway musical "Chicago." Her dazzling
performance earned Zeta-Jones an Academy
Award as Best Supporting Actress, as well as a
Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a
Comedy/Musical.