Showing results for "Icon" in Entertainment & Celebrity

For generations of fans, the Playboy Interview was revered as the gold standard in American journalism.

Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (April 2, 1939-April 1, 1984) was an American R&B and soul singer, musician, and songwriter. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist, which earned him the nicknames "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul." With hits like, "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "What's Going On," "Let's Get It On" and "Sexual Healing," Gaye is often considered one of the greatest singers of all time. The following recording is from a 1983 TV interview.

Carson Wayne Newton, born April 3, 1943, in Norfolk, Virginia, also known as "Mr. Las Vegas," "The Midnight Idol," and "Mr. Entertainment," is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas and has headlined there since 1963. Newton has also appeared in many dozens of films and television shows. The following includes two television interviews, each from the 1960s and 70s.

'Mightily entertaining' - Heat This audiobook includes an interview with Ozzy Osbourne from 2009. People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us...

‘Fascinating and authoritative’ The Daily Express Sunday Times bestselling author Sean Smith tells the extraordinary story of a modern cultural icon: Harry Styles. Harry Styles has grown up. The One Direction boy band member so loved by millions has become a truly global superstar – and...

Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 - September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer, best known for his portrayal of Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in Mel Brooks' 1967 film The Producers.

Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938-November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), followed by a role in John Ford's The Searchers (1956). The following recording is from a 1979 interview.

Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899 to April 4, 1983), born in Chicago, was an American actress who joined United Artists in 1925 as one of the film industry's pioneering women filmmakers. She produced and starred in the 1928 film Sadie Thompson, earning a nomination for Best Actress at the first annual Academy Awards. The following recordings are from two tv interviews, one in 1965 and one in 1957.

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936-September 6, 2018) was an American actor who became well known in the tv series Gunsmoke, Hawk and Dan August, before breaking out as a movie star in the 1970s and 80s, starting with his role as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972). He later returned to television, in the sitcom Evening Shade (1990-1994), which won him a Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The following recording includes three interviews from the early 1970s.

Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927–December 25, 2008) was an American singer/songwriter, author, and actress of stage, television and films. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style, starring as Catwoman in the final season of the Batman television series in 1967, two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy nominations, and two Tony Award nominations.

Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933-May 18, 1995) was an American actress, from Los Angeles, whose career spanned five decades in film, stage and television. She portrayed the good witch Samantha Stephens on the popular television show Bewitched, which earned her five Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations.

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937-June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author in a career that spanned from the 1960s to the 2000s. He was known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, English, psychology, religion, and sociocultural criticism of American society.

Vincent Paterson began his professional dancing career late in life. It would take an exceptional turn when he became one of the lead dancers in Michael Jackson's Beat It music video. Through hard work, he rises to the rank of choreographer and director for the world's greatest singers, but also for cinema and musical comedy. He tells with humility the fascinating universe of film sets, the rehearsal sessions where he had to orchestrate and synchronize dozens of dancers, and life backstage, where it is sometimes necessary to manage a few whims of the stars.

Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923-May 31, 2013), born in Manhattan, was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wife of Archie Bunker, on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family—arguably the most iconic female character in television history. The role earned her three Emmys and two Golden Globes for Best Actress in a comedy series. The following recordings include two interviews (1972 and 1980) and two of Stapleton's Emmy Award wins, in 1972 and 1978.

Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942-August 9, 1995), born in San Francisco, was the co-founder, lead guitarist, and a vocalist for the rock band Grateful Dead (1965-1995), which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s. Garcia was renowned for his musical and technical ability, particularly his skill at playing a variety of instruments and sustaining long improvisations. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as part of the Grateful Dead. The following interview was recorded in 1976.

Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (September 29, 1904-April 6, 1996) was a British and American actress and singer. She was a major star at MGM who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the homefront and was listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's Top 10 box office draws from 1942 to 1946.

Kristoffer Kristofferson is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are the songs "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which were hits for other artists.

Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942-June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His best-known work is distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, vocal layering, and introspective themes. The following is from an interview recorded in the mid 1970s.

Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 - December 12, 1968) was an American actress, born in Huntsville, Alabama. Primarily a stage actress, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944). She also had a brief but successful career on radio and made appearances on television. In all, Bankhead amassed nearly 300 film, stage, television and radio roles during her career. She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1972. The following television interview is from 1953.

Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 to October 20, 1994), born in New York City, was an American actor and World War II veteran. The following audio clips include a 1963 interview discussing Lancaster's participation in the March On Washington, a tv interview from 1963 about his experience working with various directors, and a tv interview from 1974 during which Lancaster promotes his forthcoming Moses The Lawgiving tv mini-series.