We love to celebrate the history of cinema here at More Movies and we really enjoy delving in to the rich history of film. Each week, we like to highlight some of the most interesting moments in cinema, including milestone releases, births and deaths of the industry’s most notable characters, along with other historic happenings. This week we cover the period between 7th December – 13th December.
American actor and director Edward LeSaint, famous for Modern Times and The Dumb Messenger, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
13th December, 1870
English actor Victor McLaglen, famous for his award winning role in The Informer, was born in Tunbridge Wells, England.
10th December, 1886
British actress Nora Nicholson, famous for her roles in The Blue Lagoon and Crow Hollow, was born in Leamington, England.
7th December, 1892
Romanian actor Edward G. Robinson, famous for his roles in Double Indemnity, The Stranger and The Ten Commandments, was born in Bucharest, Romania.
12th December, 1893
American actress Margaret Hamilton, famous for playing the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
9th December, 1902
American actor Robert Livingston, famous for roles in The Three Mesquiteers, The Lone Ranger and Zorro, was born in Quincy, Illinois.
9th December, 1904
Colour moving pictures were demonstrated at Madison Square Garden, NYC.
11th December, 1909
American actress Karen Morley, famous for her role in Scarface, was born in Ottumwa, Iowa.
12th December, 1909
American actor Lee J. Cobb, famous for his role in The Virginian, 12 Angry Men and On the Waterfront, was born in New York City.
8th December, 1911
American actor Broderick Crawford, famous for roles in All the King’s Men and Highway Patrol, was born in Philadelphia.
9th December, 1911
Italian film producer Carlo Ponti, famous for Marriage Italian Style and Doctor Zhivago, was born in Magenta, Lombardy.
11th December, 1912
American jazz musician and actor George “Tiger” Haynes, famous for roles in In the Heat of the Night and The Wiz, was born in Frederiksted, St. Croix.
13th December, 1914
American actor Eli Wallach, famous for roles in The Magnificent Seven, The Misfits and The Good The Bad and The Ugly, was born in Brooklyn, NY.
7th December, 1915
American screenwriter Ernest Lehman, famous for writing North by Northwest, was born in New York City.
8th December, 1915
American singer and actor Frank Sinatra, known as ‘old blue eyes’, famous for roles in films such as From Here to Eternity , was born in Hoboken, New Jersey.
12th December, 1915
American actor Kirk Douglas, famous for roles in Spartacus and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, was born in Amsterdam, New York.
9th December, 1916
American composer Alexander Courage, who wrote the original Star Trek theme tune, was born in Philadelphia.
10th December, 1919
American singer and actor Sammy Davis Jr, famous for roles in Ocean’s 11 and The Cannonball Run, was born in New York City.
8th December, 1925
Greek-American actor and director John Cassavetes, famous for The Dirty Dozen and Rosemary’s Baby, was born in New York City.
9th December, 1929
Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, famous for roles in The Sound of Music and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, was born in Toronto, Ontario.
13th December, 1929
Polish-American actor Robert Prosky, famous for roles in Thief and Mrs Doubtfire, was born in Philadelphia.
13th December, 1930
Puerto Rican dancer and actress Rita Moreno, famous for her role in West Side Story and The King and I, was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico.
11th December, 1931
American actress Ellen Burstyn, famous for roles in The Exorcist and Alice Doesn’t Live Here, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
7th December, 1932
British actress Judi Dench, famous for her roles in Henry V, Wetherby and for playing M in the James Bond franchise, was born in York, England.
9th December, 1934
American actor David Carradine, famous for his roles Kung Fu, and Kill Bill V.1 & 2, was born in Hollywood, California.
8th December, 1936
American actor Douglas Fairbanks, famous for roles in The Mark of Zorro, The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood, died from a heart attack aged 56.
12th December, 1939
American actor Beau Bridges, famous for roles in The Incident and The Fabulous Baker Boys, was born in Los Angeles.
9th December, 1941
On the Town, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen, was released.
8th December, 1949
English actor Bill Nighy, famous for roles in Love Actually and Still Crazy, was born in Surrey, England.
12th December, 1949
James Dean begins his career with an appearance in a Pepsi commercial.
13th December, 1950
American film director Susan Seidelman, famous for Desperately Seeking Susan, was born in Philadelphia.
11th December, 1952
English actress Sarah Douglas, famous for roles in Conan The Destroyer and Superman II was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
12th December, 1952
American actress Kim Basinger, famous for her roles in Never Say Never Again, 8 Mile and Batman, was born in Athens, Georgia.
8th December, 1953
American actress Bess Armstrong, famous for roles in Nothing in Common and Jaws 3-D, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
11th December, 1953
American actress Priscilla Barnes, famous for roles in License to Kill and The Devil’s Rejects, was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
7th December, 1955
Ealing comedy The Ladykillers, directed by Alexander Mackendrick and starring Alec Guinness, was released in the UK.
8th December, 1955
Anastasia, the comeback film for Ingrid Bergman, was released in the US. Bergman later won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
13th December, 1956
American actor Michael Clarke Duncan, famous for his role in The Green Mile, was born in Chicago.
10th December, 1957
American actor Steve Buscemi, famous for his roles in Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski, Fargo and Con Air, was born in New York City,
13th December, 1957
The Young Ones directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Cliff Richard, Robert Morley and Carole Gray, premiered in London.
13th December, 1961
Timeline Block
David Lean’s film Lawrence of Arabia, based on life of T. E. Lawrence and starring Peter O’Toole, premiered at the Odeon, Leicester Square.
10th December, 1962
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, premiered in New York City.
11th December, 1967
American actor Jamie Foxx, famous for his roles in Ray and Collateral was born in Terrell, Texas.
13th December, 1967
American actress Jennifer Connelly, famous for her roles in Labyrinth and Requiem for a Dream, was born in the Catskill Mountains, New York.
12th December, 1970
British actor Cyril Delevanti, famous for his roles in Soylent Green and The Night of the Iguana, died aged 88.
13th December, 1975
The Deer Hunter, directed by Michael Cimino and starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep, premiered in Los Angeles
8th December, 1978
Superman: The Movie, directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder, premiered in Washington, D.C.
10th December, 1978
American filmmaker and director Ed Wood, famous for Plan 9 from Outer Space, died of heart failure aged 54. .
10th December, 1978
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first movie of the series, directed by Robert Wise, starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, premiered in Washington, D.C.
7th December, 1979
Sophie’s Choice, directed by Alan J. Pakula and based on William Styton’s 1979 novel of the same name, starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, was released.
8th December, 1982
American actress Leora Dana, famous for her roles in 3:10 to Yuma and Pollyanna, died aged 60.
13th December, 1983
American actress Jeanne Cagney, famous for her roles in Lion is in The Streets, Quicksand and Kentucky Rifle, died of cancer aged 65.
7th December, 1984
Out of Africa, based on the book by Isak Dinesen, directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, premiered in Los Angeles.
10th December, 1985
Wall Street directed by Oliver Stone and starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, was released in the US.
11th December, 1987
American actor Richard Castellano, famous for roles in The Godfather, and Lovers & Other Strangers, died aged 55.
10th December, 1988
Rainman, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, premiered in New York.
12th December, 1988
Driving Miss Daisy directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, was released in the US.
13th December, 1989
Italian-American actor Vincent Gardenia, famous for roles in Bang the Drum Slowly, Moonstruck and Little Shop of Horrors, died of a heart attack aged 71.
9th December, 1992
American actress Vivian Blaine, famous for her roles in Guys & Dolls and Skirts Ahoy, died of heart failure aged 74.
9th December, 1995
Christopher Reeve was released from physical rehab center after his fall from his horse in a riding competition. The injury would leave him paralyzed him from the shoulders down.
13th December, 1995
Tomorrow Never Dies, the 18th James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, premiered in London.
9th December, 1997
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first Lord of the Rings film directed by Peter Jackson, and starring Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, premiered in London.
10th December, 2001
A Beautiful Mind, based on the bio by Sylvia Nasar, directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, premiered in Los Angeles.
13th December, 2001
Star Trek: Nemesis, directed by Stuart Baird and starring Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, premiered in the US.
9th December, 2002
American actor Brad Dexter, famous for his roles in Macao and The Magnificent Seven, died of emphysema aged 85.
12th December, 2002
Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee and starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, released in the US.
9th December, 2005
American comedian and actor Richard Pryor, famous for his roles in Lady Sings the Blues and Stir Crazy, died aged 65.
10th December, 2005
American actor Peter Boyle, famous for his roles in Young Frankenstein, The Candidate and Taxi Driver, died aged 71.
12th December, 2006
Rogue One, the first of the Star Wars Anthology films, directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, premiered in Los Angeles.
10th December, 2016
Star Wars: The Last Jedi directed by Rian Johnson, starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver, premiered in Los Angeles.
9th December, 2017
Salma Hayek accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and threatening to kill her.
13th December, 2017
Comedian Kevin Hart steps down as 2019 Oscars host after a history of homophobic statements is revealed.
7th December, 2018
Well there we have our picks for this week in film history. Be sure to check back next week for some more fun film facts and tidbits. If you think we missed something important, be sure to let us know in the comments.
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