Archive for the ‘Birthdays’ Category

On this day in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was born.

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (it-Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.ogg pronunciation (help·info), April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the renaissance man, a man whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention.[1] He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.[2] Helen Gardner says “The scope and depth of his interests were without precedent…His mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote”.

Born as the illegitimate son of a notary, Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Caterina, at Vinci in the region of Florence, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio. Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice and spent his last years in France, at the home awarded him by Francis I.

It sure would have been nice to be around back then. He could test his ideas and vehicles without worrying about car insurance.

On this day in 1902, Archibald Alexander Leach was born.

To escape poverty and a fractious family, Archie Leach ran away from home at age 13 to perform as a juggler with the Bob Pender Troupe of comedians and acrobats. He made the United States his home during the company’s American tour of 1920, and for the next several years he honed his performing skills in such disparate pursuits as a barker at Coney Island, a stilt walker at Steeplechase Park, and a straight man in vaudeville shows. His performances throughout the country in numerous stage musicals and comedies during the late 1920s and early ’30s led to a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1932. Studio executives thought “Archie Leach” was an unsuitable name for a leading man and rechristened the actor Cary Grant, a name he would legally adopt in 1941. Grant first appeared in several short films and low-budget features for Paramount, and he attracted some attention with his role as a wealthy playboy in the Marlene Dietrich vehicle Blonde Venus (1932). The next year, Grant became a star when Mae West chose him for her leading man in two of her most successful films, She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel (both 1933).

On this day in 1922, actress Betty White was born.

Betty Marion White (born January 17, 1922) is a film and television actress with a career spanning 60 years. White is perhaps best known for her close association with the show The Golden Girls and the game show Password, her affiliation with animal charities (Actors and Others for Animals), and her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Mama’s Family, as well as being a regular panelist on the popular 1970s game show Match Game.

Happy Birthday, Betty!

Jerry Lewis celebrates his 82nd birthday today! Happy birthday, Jerry!

On this day, in 1911, Ronald Reagan was born.

Happy Birthday to Harrison Ford, who turns 65 today.

Here is a clip from his first speaking role in “Dead Heat On a Merry-Go-Round”