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Katharine Hepburn  is one of my most acclaimed actresses of the Old Hollywood era, and the only actor in history to have four Academy Awards. She received her fourth Oscar for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen consort of King Henry II of England, in Anthony Harvey's The Lion in Winter (1968). But did you know that she was actually a direct descendant of Eleanor and Henry II, who were, in «technical terms,» her 23rd great-grandparents? Here's another interesting fact: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were also direct ancestors of Olivia de Havilland , Joan Fontaine, Humphrey Bogart and Laurence Olivier via their great-grandson, King Edward I of England, whose children originated the blood lines from which all of these actors (including Kate) descended. This means that they are all somehow related.   King Edward I of England was Katharine Hepburn's 20th great-grandfather. Edward I (1239-1307) married Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290) in 1254 and together they ...

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy led a surprise military strike against the American naval base stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The following day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war against Japan, which fully plunged the United States into World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of American men enlisted in the various branches of the armed forces to help their country in the fight against the Axis Powers. Some of these men were established Hollywood actors, while others became recognizable movie stars in the post-war period. Here are five male actors who served in World War II before they were famous.   Paul Newman (1925-2008) | U.S. Navy, 1943-1946 After graduating from high school in June 1943, Newman volunteered for the U.S. Navy and enrolled in the V-12 pilot training programme at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. When his colourblindess was discovered, he was sent to a traditional boot camp in Newport, Rhode Island, a...

Doris Day Loretta Young   Maureen O'Hara   Vera-Ellen   Sandra Dee   Ann Miller   Gloria DeHaven   Mitzi Gaynor     Happy Easter, everyone!  

Esther Pressman, Kay Gordon, Bonita Barker, Dorothy Thompson and Dene Myles in a Christmas publicity shot for Paramount Pictures (December 1935).  Boris Karloff and Ginger Rogers at a Christmas party in Los Angeles in December 1932.   Priscilla Lane besides a Christmas tree with a armful of presents (1941).   George Burns and Gracie Allen with their two adopted children, Ronnie and Sandra Jean, at home during Christmas (December 1939)   Cyd Charisse in a Christmas publicity shot (1947).   Butch Jenkins and Lassie in a Christmas publicity shot (December 1947).   Deanna Durbin decorating a Christmas tree (December 1944).   Mara Alba, Anna May Wong and Alga Baclanova at a Christmas party given by the Foreign Correspondents Association (December 1932).   A Christmas parade at the Hollywood Boulevard (December 1941).     Merry Christmas, everyone!

Do you ever wonder when a certain event happened for the first time in history? For someone as painfully curious as me, I do. And often. So, I thought it would be fun to find some firsts in film history. Here are 10 that I thought would be interesting to share. 1. The first ever motion picture to be made in Hollywood was In Old California (1910). Directed by D. W. Griffith for Biograph Company, the film was a 17-minute melodrama set in the early 19th century, when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule. It starred Frank Powell, Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard and Henry B. Walthall. The short was considered lost for many decades, until a copy was found in 2004 and screened at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.   (from left to right) Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall and Arthur Johnson in In Old California ; D. W. Griffith in his office at Biograph Company in New York.   2. The first ever movie to have a Hollywood premiere was Robin Hood (1922). Directed by Allan Dw...