December Celebrity Birthdays Trivia Quiz

Answer: In My Life

Singer-actress Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1945. The "Divine Miss M" starred in a 1991 movie called "For the Boys." In this film, Midler played the role of Dixie Leonard, a singer who worked with Eddie Sparks (James Caan). In one of the later scenes in the movie, Leonard and Sparks traveled to Vietnam in order to entertain some U.S. soldiers. Leonard performed a poignant rendition of the 1965 Beatles' song "In My Life." The rowdy troops became silent as Leonard's sweet, wistful voice comforted them. Shortly after the song was completed, however, an enemy mortar attack killed Leonard's son Danny. Midler was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress for her work in "For the Boys."

Answer: Issur

Issur Danielovitch Demsky (Kirk Douglas) was born in New York State in 1916, the son of poor immigrants from Russia. Douglas apparently was a good student and athlete, and he used acting as a way to escape his humble beginnings. In 1946, Douglas starred in the movie "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" and he soon became a major star in the Hollywood movie business.

In 1995, Douglas received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement in motion pictures.

Answer: Cora

Margaret Hamilton was born in 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio. She became famous for her role as the Wicked Witch in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." During her career, Hamilton, a former teacher, appeared in more than 50 films. During the 1970s, Hamilton became popular as the character Cora in a series of TV commercials for Maxwell House. Cora worked in a general store and recommended Maxwell House to her customers. Hamilton passed away in 1985.

Answer: Goodfellas

Actor Samuel L. Jackson was born in Washington, DC, in 1948. In 1990, Jackson appeared in the Martin Scorsese film "Goodfellas." His character was named Stacks Edwards, a small-time hood who assisted in the 1978 heist of more than five million dollars in cash, from Lufthansa Airlines at New York's JFK Airport. Shortly after the crime, Stacks was murdered by Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci).

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Ava Gardner was born in North Carolina in 1922. This beautiful actress began to draw considerable attention after her work in the 1946 film "The Killers". In 1951, Gardner married popular singer Frank Sinatra - her third trip down the aisle. Gardner and Sinatra lent considerable grist to the Hollywood rumor mill because of their often stormy relationship.

In 1957, the couple divorced and Gardner moved to Spain to spend time with a bullfighter named Luis Miguel Dominguin. Gardner died in 1990.

Answer: New York, NY

Maria Callas was born on December 2, 1923, in New York City. Callas moved to Greece at the age of 14, in order to fulfill her mother's dream of making her a famous opera singer. Callas later established herself as a world-class opera singer in Greece, Italy and the USA. Callas was romantically linked with tycoon Aristotle Onassis in the late 1950s. She died in Paris in 1977.

Answer: Missing

Mary "Sissy" Spacek was born in Texas in 1949. She received an Academy Award for her work in the 1980 film "Coal Miner's Daughter". In 1982, Spacek played the role of Beth Horman in the movie "Missing". The setting of this film was Chile, during the 1973 coup which removed President Salvador Allende from power. Horman was searching for her missing husband, a so-called "radical" journalist. Horman and her father-in-law (Jack Lemmon) gradually learned to trust each other as the movie progressed. Spacek was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in "Missing".

Answer: The U.S. Civil War

Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, in 1954. Washington embarked on an acting career in the late 1970s. In 1989, he portrayed an escaped slave in the movie "Glory". This film told the story of a Union army unit from Massachusetts, which fought during the U.S. Civil War.

Many of the battle scenes in "Glory" took place in South Carolina, where Afro-American soldiers proved their bravery under fire. This movie also starred Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick.

Answer: Steve

Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan) was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1920. From 1968 to 1980, Lord played the charismatic detective, Steve McGarrett, on the hit CBS television series "Hawaii Five-O". McGarrett's most notable phrase was "Book 'em, Dano" - an order to his assistant Danny Williams (James MacArthur) to arrest a captured criminal suspect. Lord was also an accomplished painter and theatrical performer. Lord died in 1998.

Answer: Days of Thunder

Val Kilmer was born in 1959. He became popular during the 1980s and 1990s with appearances in such movies as "Top Gun" (1986), "The Doors" (1991) and "Batman Forever" (1995). However, Kilmer didn't appear in the 1990 "Days of Thunder" movie about NASCAR racing. The leading actors in this film were Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall and Nicole Kidman.