This Day in History February 15, 1951

I have to admit that I have been fan of hers for quite some time, and ont his date in 1951, Jane Seymour was born.  Her birth name was Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg, but she took on the name of King Henry XIII's third wife as her stage name.  I did not realize she had been a James Bond girl (but I have yet to see a James Bond movie), but I loved her in The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1982, Somewhere in Time in 1980, and of course, Dr. Quinn!  In addition to her acting career, she has had had a fashion and writing career.  She has also been married four times--I didn't know that.  I just want to know why it is that she looks so good at the age of 62!  It's like the woman never ages.  And let's talk about her gorgeous hair!  Okay, enough of all that.

For more information:
http://www.janeseymour.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Seymour_(actress)
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jane-seymour.html

This Day in History February 14, 1934

It was on this date in 1934 that one of the most beloved TV moms was born--Florence Henderson.  I grew up watching reruns of The Brady Bunch, and it was not that long ago that she was on Dancing With the Stars.  She is indeed a multi-talented star--even a music theater star.  She is now 79 years old, and she is still going strong!

For more info:
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/florence-henderson.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Henderson
http://www.flohome.com/main.htm

This Day in History February 10, 1991

I actually recognized this girl when I was looking up today's feature, and once I read about her relationship to Julia Roberts, I knew where I had seen her.  I remember the 2007 film Nancy Drew, and I remember that I really liked her.  I had no idea that she had gone on to have a fabulous career.  It was on this date in 1991, that Emma Roberts was born.  She is 22 today, and I would say her future looks bright.  She is the niece of Julia Roberts, and she grew up on the film sets of her many of aunt's films.  Her mom pushed for her to have a normal childhood, but it was not to be.  Her first film for which she auditioned was her first film in which she appeared--Blow in 2001.  In 2004, she became a teen idol in the Nicklelodeon series Unfabulous.  It ran for three seasons.

She went on to star in many films including Valentine's Day with her aunt.  Evidently, she is scheduled to star in a pilot for Fox called Delirium based on Lauren Olivier's novels.  She has had a sort of music career due to her Nicklelodeon career, but her focus is movies and acting.  She did attend college for a time, but she decided that she would rather defer her college career.  I would say that she has a very bright future, and I may just have to check out that upcoming series.  I may be the only one in my household who would like it, but that's fine with me!

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Roberts
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731075/
http://movies.yahoo.com/person/emma-roberts/
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/emma-roberts.html

This Day in History December 10, 1985

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Raven-Symon%C3%A9_2011.jpg

I grew up watching The Cosby Show.  I can remember the season when "Olivia" showed up.  The little girl was so sweet and cute.  Little did we know what a career she would have.  On this date in 1985, Raven-Symone was born.  She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 1989, when she was three years old, she auditioned for a part in Bill Cosby's film Ghost Dad.  She was considered too young for the role, but he found a part for her on his show.  She remained on the show until it ended in 1992.

She went on to be in films, and then she became a Disney star with her show That's So Raven from 2003 to 2007.  In 2003, she starred in The Cheetah Girls.  She has moved on to becoming a singer.  She also has been on Broadway in the lead role of Sister Act.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven-Symone
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712368/
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/raven-symone.html

This Day in History December 6, 1900

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Agnes_Moorehead_Bewitched_1969.JPG

I grew up watching reruns of "Bewitched," so I knew who Agnes Moorehead was early on.  And on this date in 1900, she was born in Massachusetts.  I learned as I grew older that her career consisted of more than this role.  Her father was a pastor, and her mom was a singer.  She was known for playing many character roles throughout her acting career.

No need to watch this entire video, but here are some of her greatest moments:


For more information:
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/agnes-moorehead.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Moorehead
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001547/bio

This Day in History October 22, 1845

By George Newnes (1851-1910) (Players of the Day) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Ever heard of Sarah Bernhardt?  She was a French/Dutch/Jewish actress born on this date in 1845.  She was a very emotional actress known for the pathos of her death scenes.  At the age of 15, she bought a coffin, and sometimes she slept in it!  Goodness, that really is unusual!  She was often referred to as Divine Sarah.  An injury forced her to have her leg amputated, and she replaced it with a wooden leg in 1915.  She kept acting in roles where she was mainly seated.  This French actress was known worldwide, and died in 1923.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.answers.com/topic/sarah-bernhardt
http://www.theatrehistory.com/french/bernhardt001.html
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/sarah-bernhardt.html

This Day in History June 10, 1922

Judy Garland Somewhere Over The Rainbow - More amazing videos are a click away

Today's feature is one that means a lot to me.  Judy Garland was a very early influence on my life, and it was on this date in 1922 that she was born.  I cannot recall how many biographies I have read about her life.  It's been many years since I have picked up a book on her.  I even watched the made-for-TV movie based on her life, and I felt it mostly followed her life.


Judy Garland, originally born Frances Ethel Gumm, had an extremely tragic life, but I feel her talent is unparalleled.  I won't go into all the details about her life and death, but here are a few highlights.  She had a horrible mother, and she herself turned out to be not the best of mothers.  She struggled with drug use throughout her life.  It was the movie studio that originally got her hooked on drugs to help her lose weight (really?  I never thought the girl was heavy!) and give her energy.  Her co-star during her teenage years, Mickey Rooney, is still alive.  She was married five times, and she had three kids.  Liza Minnelli is her most successful and well-known daughter.  She was nominated for an Academy Award (that she lost to Grace Kelly) for her role in A Star is Born (my favorite of her movies, and I feel her best!).  She had a fantastic concert career.  She died June 22, 1969, due to drug overdose.  While it was not intentional suicide at that moment, the effects of drug use over a long period of time were what caused her death.


As I was growing up, I was able to make my singing voice sound just like hers.  I doubt I could now.  Vocal training does tend to change one's voice.  She is still one of my favorite actresses/singers.  If you have never checked out any of her movies (besides The Wizard of Oz--I could spend a whole blog post talking about the drama considering that film), I would invite you to check her out.  I can't remember how many of her movies I have seen---maybe 15 or so.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000023/bio
http://www.biography.com/people/judy-garland-9306838
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_garland