Actor/Director Collaborations Quiz | Movies Grab Bag

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1. Rob Reiner made his big break as Michael Stivic on the politically charged 1970's sitcom "All In The Family". Similarly, Billy Crystal hit the big time playing the homosexual on the risque soap opera parody "Soap". The two have worked together on several movies. Which of the following is not one of them?

Answer: North

Billy Crystal played Miracle Max in "The Princess Bride" (1987), Harry in "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989), and one of the mime waiters (credited as Morty the Mime) in "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984). The other mime waiter, by the way, was Dana Carvey, who went on to become one of Saturday Night Live's most popular cast members. Crystal and Reiner also worked together on the 1997 documentary, "I Am Your Child".

2. Celebrated suspense director Alfred Hitchcock worked with many actresses in his career, but which of the following only made one film with him?

Answer: Janet Leigh

Janet Leigh only appeared in one film for Alfred Hitchcock, turning in a memorable performance in "Psycho" (1960). Grace Kelly appeared in three: "Dial M For Murder" (1954), "Rear Window" (1954), and "To Catch A Thief" (1955). Ingrid Bergman also appeared in three: "Spellbound" (1945), "Notorious: (1946), and "Under Capricorn" (1949). Bess Flowers, also known as "The Queen Of Hollywood Extras", made uncredited appearances in seven Hitchcock films: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1941), "Notorious", "Dial M for Murder", "Rear Window", "To Catch a Thief", "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956), and "Vertigo" (1958).

3. In a classic case of nepotism, actress Tracy Reiner had parts in many movies directed by relatives. Which relative has directed her in their ninth collaboration, in 2004 and what was their relation?

Answer: Garry Marshall/Uncle

Up to and including 2004, Penny Marshall, Tracy's mother, had directed her daughter in four movies: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986), "Big" (1988), "A League of Their Own" (1992), and "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001). Penny's second husband, Rob Reiner, adopted Tracy, and Tracy took on his last name.

He directed his stepdaughter in two films: "The Sure Thing" (1985) and "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989). Carl Reiner, Rob's father, never directed Tracy in a movie, but Penny's brother Garry directed her in the most movies, including "The Flamingo Kid" (1984), "Nothing in Common" (1986), "Beaches" (1988), "Pretty Woman" (1990), "Frankie and Johnny" (1991), "The Other Sister" (1999), "The Princess Diaries" (2001), "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" (2004), and "Raising Helen" (2004).

4. Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed many movies, and used certain actors multiple times. Which of the following actors, who starred in the movie "Fargo" (1996), starred in his fifth Coen Brothers movie in 1998 with "The Big Lebowski" (1998)?

Answer: Steve Buscemi

In addition to his work in "Fargo", Peter Stormare also appeared in "The Big Lebowski", but that was only his second Coen film. Steve Buscemi also starred in "Miller's Crossing" (1990), "Barton Fink" (1991), "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994), and "The Big Lebowski". Frances McDormand appeared in "Blood Simple" (1984), "Raising Arizona" (1987), "Miller's Crossing", and "The Man Who Wasn't There" (2001). "Fargo" was William H. Macy's only appearance in a Coen Brothers' movie, as of the release of "The Ladykillers" in 2004.

Other actors that frequently appear in Coen movies include John Goodman, Bruce Campbell, John Turturro, and John Polito.

5. Martin Scorsese is famous for his collaborations with actor Robert DeNiro. The two worked together in the actor/director relationship for the eighth time in 1995, with the movie "Casino". Which of the following was their first collaboration?

Answer: Mean Streets

"Mean Streets" was released in 1973, "Taxi Driver" in 1976, "New York, New York" in 1977, and "Raging Bull" in 1980. The two also collaborated on "The King Of Comedy" (1983), "Goodfellas" (1990), and "Cape Fear" (1991).

6. Ron Howard grew from being Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show", to being Richie on "Happy Days", to being the Oscar winning director of "A Beautiful Mind". Many of his movies feature his brother, Clint Howard. Which of the following does not?

Answer: Ransom (1996)

"Ransom", the 1996 thriller starring Mel Gibson and Gary Sinise, had no trace of Clint Howard. Other Ron Howard movies that Clint has appeared in include "Night Shift" (1982), "Cocoon" (1985), "Parenthood" (1989), "Backdraft" (1991), "Far and Away" (1992), "Ed TV" (1999), and "The Missing" (2003). Ron has also directed his father Rance in several movies.

7. Harold Ramis is perhaps best known for his work as Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters series, but he has also directed a few films. "Groundhog Day" was the fourth collaboration between Ramis and which of the Murray brothers?

Answer: Brian Doyle-Murray

Bill Murray is, of course, the most famous of the Murray brothers, and has spent a lot of time acting with Harold Ramis. The two were members of the "Second City" comedy group together, and appeared in "Stripes" (1981), "Ghostbusters" (1984), and "Ghostbusters II" (1989).

However, "Groundhog Day" was only the second film in which Ramis directed Bill, the first being the 1980 classic "Caddyshack". Joel and John have never appeared in a Harold Ramis movie, but Brian Doyle-Murray has appeared in his sixth, in 2000.

The movies were "Caddyshack", "Vacation" (1983), "Club Paradise" (1986), "Groundhog Day", "Multiplicity" (1996), and "Bedazzled" (2000). The four Murray brothers appeared all together in the 1988 Christmas comedy, "Scrooged".

8. One of the greatest stars of the silent era, Charlie Chaplin appeared in every single movie he directed. How many movies was that?

Answer: 74

From 1914's "Mabel's Married Life" to 1967's "A Countess In Hong Kong", Charlie Chaplin directed and appeared in 74 films. Twenty-one of those films came out in 1914.

9. The famous spoof movies of director Mel Brooks frequently feature the same actors in different pictures. Which of the following actors appeared in his/her sixth Mel Brooks film in 1993?

Answer: Dom DeLuise

Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn both appeared in "Young Frankenstein" (1974), "High Anxiety" (1977), and "History Of The World: Part I" (1981). Madeline Kahn also appeared in "Blazing Saddles" (1974), bringing her total to four. Gene Wilder was in what are considered the three best Mel Brooks movies, namely "The Producers" (1968), "Young Frankenstein", and "Blazing Saddles".

However, Dom DeLuise has made appearances in six of Mel's movies: "The Twelve Chairs" (1970), "Blazing Saddles", "Silent Movie" (1976), "History of the World: Part I", "Spaceballs" (1987, as the voice of Pizza the Hutt), and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993).

10. Orson Welles was an accomplished director as well as an actor, directing some of the greatest films in American cinematic history. He was a good friend of actor Joseph Cotten and gave him roles in seven of his movies. Which was not a Welles-directed movie that featured Cotten?

Answer: The Third Man (1949)

Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles both acted in "The Third Man", but the movie was directed by Carol Reed. Orson Welles directed the other three movies, and also had significant acting roles along with Cotten.

11. Sam Raimi frequently casts several of the same actors in many of his movies, whether in a starring capacity or in a cameo role. In 2004, one actor made his tenth appearance in the Raimi film, "Spider-Man 2", as an usher. Who was that actor?

Answer: Bruce Campbell

The Sam Raimi movies Bruce Campbell starred in include his role as Ash in the "Evil Dead" series. He made a cameo appearance in "Spider-Man" (2002) as the wrestling ring announcer, as well as his role as an usher in "Spider-Man 2". That movie marked the ninth appearance by Scott Spiegel in a Raimi movie, the eighth for Ted Raimi, and the fifth for Timothy Patrick Quill.

12. Billy Wilder made some of the greatest, and most classic films in American cinematic history, including "Sunset Blvd." (1950), "Some Like It Hot" (1959), and "The Apartment" (1960). Which of the following actors appeared in the most Wilder directed films?

Answer: Jack Lemmon

Lemmon was directed by Wilder in seven movies: "Some Like It Hot", "The Apartment", "Irma la Douce" (1963), "The Fortune Cookie" (1966), "Avanti!" (1972), "The Front Page" (1974), and "Buddy Buddy" (1981). The two died within a year of each other, Lemmon in June of 2001, and Wilder in March of 2002.

13. John Lasseter is known for directing and/or producing the computer animated movies of Pixar. Which of the following actors appeared in the first six Pixar movies, three of which were directed by Lasseter?

Answer: John Ratzenberger

John Ratzenberger, best known as Cliff Clavin from the hit TV series "Cheers", played supporting roles in "Toy Story" (1997), "A Bug's Life" (1998), and "Toy Story 2" (1999), all directed by John Lasseter. He also made cameo appearances in Pixar's other features, "Monsters Inc." (2002), "Finding Nemo" (2003), and "The Incredibles" (2004).

14. Robert Zemeckis has made a name for himself by pushing the limits of special effects in his movies, such as the "Back To The Future" series (1985-1990) and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" He has worked with actor Tom Hanks in several movies. Which of the following Tom Hanks features was not directed by Zemeckis?

Answer: Big (1988)

"Big" was directed by Penny Marshall, who also directed Hanks in "A League Of Their Own" (1992).

15. Director Jonathan Demme has worked with character actor Charles Napier in more movies than any other actor. Which of the following Demme-directed movies did NOT feature Napier?

Answer: Caged Heat (1974)

Demme's first film, "Caged Heat", was about a women's prison but did not include Charles Napier. Napier has appeared in bit parts in films such as "The Blues Brothers" (1980), "Philadelphia" (1993), and "Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery" (1997).

Source: Author asutbone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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Actor/Director Collaborations Trivia Quiz

People frequently go to the movies to see a director's vision of a story, as well as the performance of an actor or actress. This quiz concerns actors and directors who have worked together multiple times.

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