The Wind That Shakes the Curtains Quiz

Answer: Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016) had her first major role in "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady" (1950), as the younger sister of the title character. Debbie will probably best be remembered for her role in "Singin' in the Rain" as the final love interest of Gene Kelly.
Other highlights of her career include the title role in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and the role of Frances Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" (2013).
She also did some work as voice actress, for instance for "Charlotte's Web" (1973) and the TV series "The 7D" in 2015 - her last project.
Her daughter Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) has starred as Princess Leia in four movies in the "Star Wars" series.

Carrie Fisher died of a heart attack on 27 December 2016, a few days after experiencing a medical emergency on a flight. Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, was hospitalized on 28 December 2016 following a severe stroke and died later the same day.

Judy Garland (1922-1969), Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) and Goldie Hawn (born 1945) were other actresses whose daughter followed in their footsteps.

Answer: Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson was born in 1925 as Roy Harold Scherer. He started his movie career in 1948 in "Fighter Squadron". After major roles in "Giant" (1956) and "Written on the Wind", he made several romantic comedies with Doris Day: "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Lover Come Back" (1961) and "Send Me No Flowers" (1964).
In 1981 scientists first discovered the HIV virus. Rock Hudson was one of the first victims of this degenerative disease. Rock Hudson contacted many specialists (in the USA and in France) in search for a cure, but sadly to no effect.
Hudson died in 1985. His last role was that of Daniel Reece in several episodes of the TV series "Dynasty".

James Stewart starred with Doris Day in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956). Doris Day's co-star in "Young at Heart" (1954) was Frank Sinatra, and Richard Widmark played opposite Doris Day in "The Tunnel of Love" (1958).

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962, born Norma Jeane Mortenson) started her career in 1947 in a minor role in "Dangerous Years". Her first main role was "Ladies of the Chorus" (1949).
In the fifties Marilyn gained fame with comedies such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) and "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). She was also in remarkably good company (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) in "Some like It Hot" (1959).
"The Misfits" (1961) with Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift was a production nightmare. Marilyn didn't get on with the script writer (Arthur Miller, whom she was divorcing at the time) and suffered from some ailments. Nevertheless, several years afterwards it would be praised as Marilyn's best movie ever.
In 1962 Marilyn was contracted for "Something's Got to Give". Because of her frequent illnesses, she was fired, but after a while the studio realised it would be impracticable to continue the movie with another actress. Alas, Marilyn died of an overdose of sleeping pills, and the movie was never completed.

The red herrings all played a part in one of Monroe's movies: Jane Russell starred in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", Bacall in "How to Marry a Millionaire" and Thorndike had a role in "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957).

Answer: Laurence Olivier

Sir Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) is equally renowned for his stageworks as for his movies. He started his movie career in 1930 with a role in the short movie "Too Many Crooks" and the full-length feature movie "The Temporary Widow".
Some of Laurence Olivier's greatest movie roles include Maxim De'Winter in "Rebecca" (1940), Crassus in "Spartacus" (1961) and Zeus in "Clash of the Titans" (1981).
He will always be remembered as a Shakespeare actor. He acted on stage as "Hamlet", "MacBeth" and "Henry V" and played the title roles in the movies "Hamlet" (1948), "Henry V" (1950) and "Othello" (1965) - a play for which he had performed the role of Iago on stage.
For the movie "Hamlet" (1948) Laurence Olivier won the Oscar as Best Actor, but also the Oscar for Best Picture. He was nominated for Best Director for this movie too.
Although afflicted by a degenerative muscle disease, Sir Laurence Olivier continued working during his last fifteen years. His last role was in the movie "War Requiem" (1989), as a veteran confined to a wheelchair. When it came time for Laurence Olivier to pass on, it wasn't the degenerative nerve disorder that did him in. He battled cancer for over ten years before he succumbed on July 11, 1989, near London, England.

The red herrings also starred as Hamlet: Williamson in 1969, Gibson in 1990 and Cumberbatch in 2015.

Answer: Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto, Canada. After the death of her father, her mother began taking in boarders to help meet ends. One of these was associated with the theater and gave Mary her first acting opportunity. Apart from her acting career, Mary also made remarkable strides as a director and producer.

She was one of the original founders of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the second woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as an extravagant socialite.

Answer: Robin Williams

Robin Williams began his career as a stand-up comedian performing across San Francisco and Los Angeles. He got his first big break as the alien Mork in the television sitcom "Mork & Mindy". This was followed by his performance in the lead role in the film "Popeye". With impeccable comic timing and improvisational skills, Williams soon made a name for himself as a comic actor. His talent wasn't only limited to comedy though and he also earned rave reviews for his more serious performances in films like "Dead Poets' Society" and "Good Will Hunting", the latter also resulting in an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Unfortunately, his personal life was not as bright and he had a lifelong battle with alcohol addiction and depression. In August 2014, audiences lost a much loved performer when Williams ended his own life.

Answer: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was first noticed when she bagged the lead role in the Broadway play "Gigi". This was followed by her performance in "Roman Holiday" opposite Gregory Peck, a role which shot her to stardom making her the first actress to win all three prestigious awards - Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA award, for a single performance. Hepburn remains one of the elite few to have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards giving an indication of the breadth and depth of her talent.

Post her acting career, Hepburn dedicated time towards working for humanitarian causes having endured the difficulties of German occupation during World War II herself as a child. She was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF. She died in 1993 of appendiceal cancer.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is regarded as one of the pioneers of the suspense thriller genre of films. His film-making career began in England before he moved to America and continued directing movies in Hollywood. Hitchcock's filmography includes the movies "Psycho", "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" which frequently find mention on Best Picture lists.

He was also known for his quirk of making cameo appearances in his own films. Hitchcock died in 1980 from renal failure.

Answer: Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly began her acting career at the age of 20 with a play called "Old Lady Robbins" that was broadcast on television followed by a small role in the film "Fourteen Hours". Her first major lead role was opposite Gary Cooper in "High Noon". This paved the way for other films like "Mogambo" which earned her an Oscar nomination, "Rear Window", "Dial M for Murder" and "To Catch a Thief". Her acting career was brief and she left showbiz at the age of 26 after her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

On 13 September 1982, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving back to her house in Monaco. This caused her to lose control of the vehicle and the car fell down the steep, winding mountain road. Her daughter was a passenger in the car but was unable to stop it from veering off the road. Both Kelly and her daughter were airlifted to the hospital where the former died from injuries sustained during the crash.

Answer: John Wayne

Born Marion Mitchell Morrison, he took the stage name John Wayne and was famous for his performances in the Westerns. His well known films in this genre include "The Searchers", "True Grit", "The Quiet Man" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" to name just a few. Carving a niche for himself in these films, Wayne enjoyed a successful run at the box office for nearly three decades.

He also won an Academy Award for his performance in "True Grit". Wayne succumbed to stomach cancer in 1979 at the age of 72 after a rich and rewarding career.