Curated playlist
American male musical theatre actors
- Christopher WalkenTo look gaunt for The Deer Hunter, Christopher Walken ate only bananas, water and rice for a month.
- Patrick SwayzePatrick Swayze was an American actor, singer-songwriter and dancer who collected three Golden Globe nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1991, People magazine named him Sexiest Man Alive. Behind the glossy résumé sits…
- Martin ShortIn March 1972, Martin Short landed his first paid acting job. He played a plastic credit card, tucked inside a woman's purse, in a television commercial for Chargex. It was a speaking part for a piece of plastic, and nobody watching could…
- Sammy Davis Jr.Sammy Davis Jr. once answered a simple golf question with a line that became his signature. Playing a round with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. Davis replied, "Handicap?" and then went on: "Talk about handicap. I'm a…
- John TravoltaJohn Travolta was flying his Gulfstream, registered N728T, on the night of the 24th of November 1992. He was above a solid layer of cloud, descending toward Washington National Airport under instrument flight rules. Then the entire…
- J. K. SimmonsFor decades, audiences knew J. K. Simmons's face and voice but could not name him. Whiplash in 2014 changed that.
- Ewan McGregorEwan McGregor rode motorcycles 22,345 miles from London to New York City in 2004.
- Josh GrobanJosh Groban is an American singer, songwriter and actor, and in 2007 he was charted as the best-selling artist in the United States. That year his records had passed 22.3 million in sales. By 2022 his worldwide total had climbed beyond 25…
- Val KilmerVal Kilmer spent decades being praised in a way that sounded almost like an apology. In 1992, the film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it". By then…
- Richard GereRichard Gere had one narrow job at the 65th Academy Awards in 1993, which was to announce the nominees for best art direction. He used the moment to denounce human rights abuses by the Chinese government. The Academy responded by banning…
- Billie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe Armstrong was five years old when he recorded a song called 'Look for Love' for a Bay Area label named Fiat Records. A teacher had pushed him to try it. Decades later, the band he fronts, Green Day, has sold over 60 million…
- Dick Van DykeDick Van Dyke walked onto the stage of The Masked Singer in 2023 disguised as a character called Gnome, and he was the first contestant eliminated. The show had promoted his unmasking as "the most legendary, decorated and beloved unmasking…
- Kelsey GrammerKelsey Grammer was meant to play Frasier Crane for only six episodes. He kept the role for 20 years across two shows.
- Yul BrynnerA few days after Yul Brynner died, a thirty-second warning from him appeared on all the major American television networks and in other countries. The Russian and American actor looked straight into the camera. He said: "Now that I'm gone,…