Showing results for "Icons" in Entertainment & Celebrity

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (born on September 20, 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren, was an Italian actress considered one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. The following is a recording from 1958 when Loren was 23-years-old.

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.

The Takin A Walk podcast, hosted by Buzz Knight, has released its first audiobook titled The Takin A Walk Icons. This exciting new project will feature captivating stories and insights from renowned musicians and artists, offering listeners an intimate glimpse into their journeys and the music that shaped their lives.

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.

Irene Dunne, born Irene Marie Dunn in Louisville, Kentucky (December 20, 1898-September 4, 1990), was an American actress who appeared in 42 movies and was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress—for her performances in the western drama Cimarron (1931); the screwball comedies, Theodora Goes Wild (1936) and The Awful Truth (1937); the romance, Love Affair (1939); and the drama, I Remember Mama (1948). Dunne is considered one of the finest actresses never to have won an Academy Award.

Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 to September 8, 1965) was an American actress and singer. She was the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Carmen Jones (1954). Dandridge had also performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. During her early career, she performed as a part of the Wonder Children, later the Dandridge Sisters, and appeared in a succession of films. In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess.

Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920-November 6, 1991), born in New York City, was an American stage and film actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, Tierney was a prominent leading lady during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She starred in Otto Preminger's Laura (1944), a film noir classic, and in John M. Stahl's Leave Her to Heaven (1945), which earned Tierney a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Darryl F. Zanuck, co-founder of 20th Century Fox, said Tierney was "unquestionably, the most beautiful woman in movie history."

Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922-July 7, 1973), born in Brooklyn, NY, known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in films noir with Alan Ladd during the 1940s, her peek-a-boo hairstyle, and films such as Sullivan's Travels (1941) and I Married a Witch (1942). The following audio recording is from a 1971 television interview.

Dorothy Lamour, born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton (December 10, 1914-September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer from New Orleans. Lamour began her career in the 1930s as a big band singer. In 1936, she moved to Hollywood, where she signed with Paramount Pictures. She is best remembered for having appeared in a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and for her appearance as Ulah in The Jungle Princess (1936), which brought her fame and marked the beginning of her image as the "Sarong Queen." The following interview is from 1978.

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.

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.