A Celebrity Zodiac Trivia Quiz

The sign of Aries rules the days from 21 March through 19 April, so Stephen Sondheim was an Aries - albeit close to the cusp with Pisces. Born in New York City, he grew up on Manhattan's West Side, attending several different schools before studying mathematics, then switching to a music major, at Williams College. He formed a childhood friendship with James Hammerstein, whose father Oscar Hammerstein II was to be a major influence on Sondheim's development as a musician specialising in musical theatre.

Sondheim had no professional experience when he was invited to write the lyrics for Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story', which opened on Broadway for the first time in 1957 - and has been revived multiple times since, in addition to being adapted to an award-winning movie. This was the start of something big - Sondheim went on to win a swag of awards as both composer and lyricist in musicals as 'A Little Night Music', 'Sunday in the Park with George', 'Into the Woods', and 'Assassins'.

Stephen Sondheim had a reputation as a keen puzzle solver. He is credited with introducing British-style cryptic crosswords to Americans through a series of them he constructed and published in 'New York' magazine in the late 1960s. He is also said to be the inspiration behind the character of Andrew Wyke in the 1970 play 'Sleuth', written by his close friend Anthony Shaffer.

Pete Seeger was born near the middle of the sun sign Taurus, which runs from 20 April through 20 May. He came from a musical family - his father Charles was a well-known musicologist, credited as one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology, while his mother was a concert violinist. When they divorced, his father married his assistant, Ruth Crawford, who was deeply interested in folk music. This second marriage produced four half-siblings, all of whom became folk singers.

Pete Seeger's first instrument of choice was the ukulele, until he discovered the banjo, which he felt worked perfectly in performing the folk songs (both traditional and contemporary protest material) he wanted to perform. Working as a research assistant for Alan Lomax starting in 1939 saw him getting radio appearances, as well as live work with the Almanac Singers (which included Woody Guthrie as a member). To avoid compromising his father's government career by affiliation with a group performing left-wing protest material, he used the stage name of Pete Bowers. In 1950 the group was reconstituted as the Weavers, and he re-assumed his birth name.

During the 1950s, protest music was considered almost treasonous, undermining the US government and espousing communism, and Seeger was called to testify in the infamous McCarthy hearings, where he refused to discuss the political alignment of any acquaintances, and was indicted for contempt of Congress. It was not until the 1960s that his political views became acceptable again, at least in some circles. Seeger became a leader in the folk revival centred in Greenwich Village. There he met a young man named Bob Dylan, and organised the production of his eponymous debut album in 1962. Along with participating in protests about the Vietnam War, Seeger (along with his wife Toshi, who he married in 1943) set up a non-profit environmental organisation called the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, aimed at preserving the Hudson.

The sign of Gemini covers the dates from 21 May through 20 June, so Paul McCartney's birthday places him close to the end of Gemini's span. Sir James Paul McCartney (to use his full name, although to those of us who remember Beatlemania he will always be Paul) was born in Liverpool, named after his father Jim, and was always called Paul. His was a musical family, with an upright piano which he learned to play by ear. His musical talent was clear, and his trumpet-playing father gave him a trumpet on his fourteenth birthday; McCartney, however, wanted to sing as he played, so traded the trumpet for an acoustic guitar. Although he is right-handed in most activities, he found it easier to play the guitar left-handed.

The story of the Beatles has been covered many times, from the schoolboy beginnings through to the acrimonious split following a level of success that was practically unheard of, and left a legacy that continues over fifty years later. Following their dissolution in 1970, McCartney produced solo albums, and gathered a group of musicians to perform with him as Wings, which included his wife Linda. When Wings broke up in 1981, he continued both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others in specific projects.

Although Paul McCartney is primarily associated with popular music (specifically with classic rock and roll), he has also written the music for multiple films, including 'Live and Let Die' with Wings, and several orchestral works, some of which were collected for the 1999 album 'Working Classical'. He voiced himself on the animated television series 'The Simpsons', appearing with Linda in the episode 'Lisa the Vegetarian', in which the couple promoted their vegetarianism.

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was indeed born under the sign of Cancer, which covers the days between June 21 and July 22. Love his movies or hate them, he is an undeniable force in Hollywood, having starred in numerous blockbuster films since the 1980s, when he made his film debut as Billy, a minor character in 'Endless Love' (1983). 'Risky Business' (1983) earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and his star was clearly on the rise. Many award-winning films followed. In 1996 he was co-founder of a production company whose first film saw him starring as Ethan Hunt in 'Mission Impossible' (1996) - the start of a franchise that had produced eight films as of the time this quiz was written.

Such is Tom Cruise's celebrity that his marriages hit the headlines in both positive and negative stories. His first wife, in a marriage that lasted from 1987 until 1990, was Mimi Rogers, who he met when he became one of her 'clients' in the study of Scientology, a religion he has continued to espouse. A few months after their divorce he married Nicole Kidman, who he had met on the set of 'Days of Thunder'; their marriage lasted until 2001. In 2005 he began a relationship with Katie Holmes, famously leading to the couple being nicknamed TomKat in the media, following his sofa-jumping declaration of love on Oprah Winfrey's television chat show. They married in 2006 and divorced in 2012.

Leos (those born between July 23 and August 22) are said to be confident and generous, as well as stubborn attention-seekers. Possibly this explains Alfred Hitchcock's practice of making a cameo appearance in the films he directed. You may not have noticed the first time you watched - there is so much else to hold your attention - but a careful rewatching while playing 'Spot the Cameo' (or just using a web search) will show you that he pops up all over the place.

The English director Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in 1899, became a US citizen in 1955, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1980 , and died of kidney failure a few months later, having left an indelible impression in the film world as the 'Master of Suspense'. He has been quoted as commenting that true suspense lies in what you do not see on the screen, but let the viewer imagine. Despite directing such famous films as 'Psycho', 'The Birds', 'North by Northwest' and 'Rear Window', he never won an Academy Award for direction, but was honoured with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1968.

When Hitchcock was 11, he started three years of study in a Jesuit school, where his favorite subject was geography - with a special interest in maps which he transferred to what became a lifelong obsession with train networks and timetables. Even when a train was not central to the film (as it was in 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'Strangers on a Train'), many of them include a scene on a train or tram.

Since Virgo is usually said to rule the dates from August 23 through September 22, Bill Murray just squeaks in at the end. Some sources would consider his birth, within the last two days of the span, to mean he is 'on the cusp' between Virgo and Libra, the following sign. Astrologists would therefore predict him to exhibit a combination of the traits typical for those two signs. As a Virgo, he would be predicted to be practical, diligent, and assiduous in paying attention to detail; this would be modified by the inclusion of the Libra traits of seeking balance and equilibrium, especially in maintaining harmony in partnerships. This dichotomy is reflected in reports that he is very difficult to work with on film sets (which he has contended is only a problem with those who don't want to work), yet has maintained a number of long-term performance partnerships, such as the numerous films directed by Harold Ramis and by Wes Anderson.

Whatever the opinion of those who work with him about the experience may be, he is a highly skilled comedian, whose deadpan delivery has helped him achieve a legendary status on television (starring in 'Saturday Night Live' between 1977 and 1980) and film (including the classic original 'Ghostbusters' in 1984 and 'Groundhog Day' in 1993). In 2016 he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

William James Murray was born in Evanston, IL, (a suburb of Chicago, which explains his lifelong support of the Cubs, the Bears and the Bulls) as one of nine siblings in an Irish Catholic family. His older brother Brian (who performs as Brian Doyle-Murray) was responsible for getting him involved with Second City, Chicago's famous improvisational comedy group. He moved to New York in 1974, where he became a featured act on 'National Lampoon's Radio Hour', which was followed by the Off-Broadway run of 'The National Lampoon Show', a stage production that also featured Brian Doyle-Murray, John Belushi, Harold Ramis, and Gilda Radner. The rest is comedy history.

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born under the sign of Libra (23 September - 22 October) into an upper middle class London family, the daughter of a British merchant and politician and an Irish actress who used the stage name Moyna MacGill (a surname that will be familiar to fans of 'Murder She Wrote'). In 1940 her widowed mother decided to move Angela and her younger twin brothers to the United States, to escape the Blitz. There she continued the acting studies she had briefly begun in London. She was only 16 (pretending to be 19) when she got a job in Montreal singing Noel Coward songs in a nightclub; when she finished the stint, the family moved to California so that Moyna could pursue her career. It never really took off, but in 1944 a 19 year old Angela was offered a role in the film adaptation of 'Gaslight', a role which garnered her a nomination for an Academy Award as Best supporting Actress - the first in a long line of accolades.

While Angela Lansbury had moderate success in films, it was on the stage and television that she achieved her greatest celebrity. In 1966 she won the first of five Tony Awards, for Best Actress in 'Mame'. But to the world at large it is probably her portrayal of Jessica Fletcher on the television show 'Murder She Wrote' (1984-1996) that springs to mind when her name is mentioned. The role famously earned her ten consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, but no wins. She did, however, win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress four times, from ten nominations.

'Murder She Wrote' became something of a family affair, with the final four seasons co-produced by Corymore Productions, a company that she and her husband Peter Shaw established, her brother Bruce became a supervising producer (while she herself was executive producer), and her son Anthony directed 68 episodes.

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio's surname sounds as if he should have been a Capricorn, but he was born under the sign of Scorpio, which runs from 23 October through 21 November. His first name is a reflection of the fact that his mother was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in Florence's Uffizi Gallery when she first felt him kick. His parents separated when he was very young, but chose to live in adjacent houses to share in his upbringing for several years. 'Leonardo DiCaprio: The Biography' by Douglas Wight includes a number of unsubstantiated memories by the actor of his early years, including being sent off the set of 'Romper Room' for being disruptive. He describes a series of ads for Matchbox cars as being his first role - at the age of 14.

By 1990, he had made several television appearances, and was nominated twice that year for the Youth in Film Awards: Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series for a single-episode appearance as an alcoholic teenager on the soap opera 'Santa Barbara' and Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series for his role of Garry Lampkin in 'Parenthood' (the part that Joaquin Phoenix had played in the movie from which the series was adapted).

While 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' (1993) was not DiCaprio's first film role, it was the one that really set his career alight; he didn't have star billing (that was Johnny Depp), but his star quality was clear. His subsequent career has included such a variety of films that naming the best or most significant is virtually impossible - something has to be left out - but 'Titanic' (1997) and 'The Revenant' (2015), for which he won an Oscar as Best Actor, would have to make the list.

Pennsylvania native Taylor Alison Swift was born under the star sign of Sagittarius, which covers the days from 22 November until 21 December. As a child, she loved musical theatre, and took singing and acting lessons while also performing in amateur productions locally. But when she was 11, she changed her mind, and shortly after her father arranged a transfer to the Nashville branch of his accounting firm. Her eponymous first album was released in 2006, when she was all of 17, and sat at the top of the Top Country Albums chart for 24 weeks. Over the following years, she adapted her songwriting and performance to cover a wide range of genres within the popular music field. As she writes her own material, the albums reflect her own growth and change from a teenager to a mature woman who has strong opinions on many social issues.

Taylor Swift has been decreed by the media covering her albums and world tours to be a pop superstar, and her life has been very much on public display. When she became engaged to NFL football player Travis Kelce in 2025, after they had been dating for two years, the news was headlines around the world.

Since Capricorn is the sun sign covering 22 December through 19 January, Humphrey DeForest Bogart, like all Christmas babies, is a Capricorn. His father was of Dutch descent, and the family name comes from a Dutch word meaning orchard. Somehow, Bogart sounds more in keeping with the characters he portrayed than would Orchard! 'Casablanca', the 1942 classic with Ingrid Bergman (featuring 'As Time Goes By', "We'll always have Paris", "Play it, Sam", and "Round up the usual suspects" was named in second place on the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the greatest American movies of all time. 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (1948), and 'The African Queen' also made the list.

In 1944, at the age of 44, he fell in love with his 19-year-old costar, Lauren Bacall, who was making her film debut. In 1945 he divorced his third wife and married her - a marriage that was to last until his death in 1957 from esophageal cancer. Their off-screen romance was reflected in their on-screen chemistry, and 'The Big Sleep' (originally due to be released in 1945) was re-edited to add more scenes featuring the pair, to take advantage of public interest in the couple. the last film they starred in together was 'Key Largo' (1948) - whose title was used by Bertie Higgins for a 1982 heartbreak song featuring the line "We had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall".

You don't have to be a fan of American basketball to recognise the name of Michael Jeffrey Jordan; it would be sufficient to have been a teenager (or the parent of one) in the 1980s when absolutely everyone 'needed' a pair of Air Jordans, the sports shoes he endorsed for Nike. If you are a basketball fan, you will know that he earned the nickname His Airness and Air Jordan for his ability to execute a slam dunk from the free throw line. This may not sound like much, but since the free throw line is 15 feet away from the location of the basket, and the slam dunk is performed by having the player holding onto the ball as it is slammed into the basket, this means an impressive leap is required.

Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls twice: 1984-1993 and 1995-1998. His first retirement, in 1993, cited exhaustion from the pressure of celebrity; he took up the chance to play some professional baseball, before returning to the Bulls in 1995. His second retirement was followed by a break from the game, and a return to play for the Washington Wizards (2001-2003). While with the Bulls, he was a member of six NBA championship teams, in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. And All-Star teams, and MVP awards, and Sportsperson of the Year, and his jersey number was retired, and so on and so forth. And, of course, he was part of the 1992 US Men's Basketball team, nicknamed the Dream Team, that won an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona.

Michael Jordan, who is an Aquarian by virtue of being born between 20 January and 19 February, was born in Brooklyn, but moved to North Carolina when he was five. In high school, he was rejected from the school basketball team as being too short (a mere 5'11"); hard work on skills development and a growth spurt saw him make the team and become its star during his final two years in high school - wearing the #23 that was to be come associated with him throughout his career. He selected his university (of the numerous scholarships he was offered) because he could major in a subject that would help him in his intended career as a meteorologist. He never took it up. Following his final retirement, he continued to promote his own clothing line, took on ownership of several basketball and NASCAR teams, and reaped the rewards of many marketing campaigns featuring him.

Justin Drew Bieber's birthday places him right in the middle of Pisces, which covers the days from 19 February to 20 March. he was born in London and raised in Stratford - Ontario, not the UK cities of the same name. His parents, both 18 when he was born, separated shortly after his birth, and he was raised by his single mother. He was all of 12 when he performed a cover of Ne-Yo's song 'So Sick' at a local talent show, coming in third. His mother uploaded a video of the performance to You Tube, and his career was off and running. Promoter Scooter Braun saw the video, took him to Atlanta to record some demos, and signed him to work on the label he and Usher had set up, RBMG.

He became a pop sensation, appealing mostly to teens at the start, but with an audience that matured along with him. Of course, this was not an easy way to live through adolescence, and his various missteps were broadcast internationally. He has discussed the difficulty of being the centre of attention of so-called Beliebers, a celebrity that recalled the frenzied fans of Sinatra, Elvis, and the Beatles - all of whom were actually at least young adults, not adolescents, when they had to deal with the pressure. Still, he has managed to leverage it into some commercial success outside of his music - between 2011 and 2014 he released four different perfumes, he became the face of Calvin Klein in 2015, and in 2019 he launched a clothing line called Drew House.