On this day: Annie Hall, Hot Fuzz, Jessica Lange
Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 8:00AM 
On this day (April 20th) in history as it relates to showbiz...
1893 Harold Lloyd, silent comedian of excellence, born in Nebraska
1889 Adolf Hitler born. The German Führer has been played in movies by literally hundreds of actors including in recent years Robert Carlyle, Udo Keir, Noah Taylor, and Bruno Ganz. On this awful subject let's consider it a shame that Jodie Foster never made that rumored Leni Reifenstahl (Triumph of the Will) biopic she was interested in doing. That would have made an interesting less covered piece of the ever-harrowing Nazi puzzle.
⇱ 1924 Oscar nominated actress Nina Foch (Executive Suite, An American in Paris, Spartacus) is born in The Netherlands. She was awesome.
1937 Modern gay hero George Takei born in Los Angeles. Becomes famous as Lt. Sulu in the Star Trek TV series in the 60s.
the O'Neals in the magical PAPER MOON (1973)
1941 Ryan O'Neal born in Los Angeles. Becomes the golden boy of the movies in the 1970s.
1943 Edie Sedgwick born. Becomes a famous "celebutante" and member of Andy Warhol's entourage at "The Factory". A long forgotten movie factoid: Warren Beatty was going to make an Edie Sedgwick bio starring Molly Ringwald in the 80s but it never materialized
1949 Awards-magnet Jessica Lange is born in Minnesota. On this same day the less heralded but special Veronica Cartwright (Alien, The Witches of Eastwick) who would absolutely slay on American Horror Story (just saying) is born
1964 Andy Serkis, mocap god, and Crispin Glover, king of weirdos, were both born on this very day.
1977 Woody Allen's Annie Hall opens in theaters. It will win four Oscars just shy of one year later.
1981 TV spoof sitcom Soap airs its final episode. Such a funny groundbreaking if very-dated show: gay character, interracial relationships, you name it.
1984 Spanish actress and Goya winner Bárbara Lennie born
1985 Billy Magnussen born in New York. Turns heads as Sigourney Weaver's himbo arm candy in Broadway hit Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike and then wows in Into the Woods. Why isn't Hollywood all over this super handsome great comic actor?
2007 Bollywood superstars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai marry. On this same day the comedy Hot Fuzz opened in theaters. Happy 10th anniversary.
2017 Fargo season 3 begins tonight with Ewan McGregor doubled and Carrie Coon. I still haven't watched the first two seasons but I love the movie so that will have to count for now.
Aishwarya Rai, Annie Hall, Hot Fuzz, Jessica Lange, Nina Foch, Soap, TV
Reader Comments (20)
Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Sissy Spacek, Ellen Burstyn, Isabelle Huppert, Susan Sarandon, Shirley Mclaine, Michelle Pfeiffer ...Representative Actresses of Silver Age Hollywood. Bless for us that them still very active today
Remind me if i forgot another actresses.
I don't understand why Hollywood is so reluctant to Broadway talents.
Because film talent isn't required to have the skill set of a Broadway baby.
Amy, you forgot Glenn Close. How could you?
Annie Hall won four Oscars, not five.
Thank God for the extraordinary Jessica Lange's resurgence into the popular culture. It has been such a thrill to see her string of successes this past decade. She is a national treasure. Have a wonderful day.
I'd love to throw in Fassbinder heroine Brigitte Mira, who was born on this day in 1910. Her performance in 'Fear Eats the Soul' is just stunning, and probably one of the main reasons for the film's status as the other definite Fassbinder film besides 'The Marriage of Maria Braun'.
Moviefilm, My mistake, how can i forget Glen Close and Signourey Weaver...especially Glen gave us two of greatest film performances in FA and DL.
Peggy Sue. Because film producers prioritize look and bankability over talent. It's easy for movie star to cross over Broadway but it's hard for Broadway star cross over screen. Kathy Bates, Marlon Brando, Helen Hayes, Anne Bancroft are rare example successful theater star turned movie star.
Unlike British Contemporary where most actors and actresses also theater's star ( even seems that Theater Actor more respected and prestigious than movie star one)
You forgot Weaver,Field,Griffith,Ringwald and Turner maybe Young,Midler and Hannah too.
I LOVE Harol Lloyd, he never gets the credit he deserves, on par with Keaton and Chaplin.
Hot Fuzz has to be the best film of the Cornetto trilogy... and the scariest in its meaning.
Who was ever going to say, George Takei would become so important, in the XXIst century? A true LGTB hero, even if sometimes I have to disagree with him.
I discovered Jessica Lange when Big Fish came out. I was in high school and i suddenly understood, watching her diving in that bathtub with Albert Finney, why my father was always talking about that particular actress.
Then i saw Hush, one of my all time guilty pleasures, and Tootsie, Frances, A Thousand Acres, Blue Sky (the only time i nearly went straight for a minute) followed. When i finally discovered the extraordinary HBO movie 'Normal', i was mad about her, and it was so frustrating that she didn't appear in anything anymore.
And then came "Grey Gardens", her first Emmy, and of course AHS .... I'm so happy she's back in the conversation. Happy Birthday to her!
It's gr8 to hear someone discovering an Actress when she has past her peak of stardom.
I just love the Cartwright sisters. Angela in The Sound of Music and Lost in Space and Veronica in Daniel Boone and so many movies. Veronica should have an Oscar nomination by now.
Wait, Nina Foch was born in 1924, so she was playing a sophisticated "older" woman pursuer of Gene Kelly in An American In Paris when she was about 26 or 27?
Jesus Alonso: Absolutely, though it's really only minor steps of quality separating the three.
I agree Billy Magnussen should be in more movies
AmazingAmy, I tend to agree. Part of the reason, of course, is that London is the center of the UK film community, the UK TV community and the UK theatre community. While there are performers that come up in the UK who aren't classically trained, they're fewer and far between (basically, everyone who appeared in Skins apparently - Dev Patel, Jack O'Connell, Nicholas Hoult), the strong centralization means that cross-fertilization happens more frequently.
I think, with the explosion of television, you'll start seeing more theatre performers crossing over and getting, if not huge Hollywood parts, respectable screen careers going along. Nina Arianda, Analeigh Ashford and Alex Sharp - I fully expect them to do well).
Arkaan, I have no idea that Nicholas Hoult actually British...he exudes american vibe for me
I am living watching both Lange and Sarandon in Feud on FX!!
I am loving watching both Lange and Sarandon in Feud on FX!!