Celebrity Images (K-L) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ursula

As well as portraying Phoebe Buffay, Lisa Kudrow also portrayed Phoebe's identical twin sister Ursula in the series between 1995 and 2001. Ursula's first appearance was, in fact, in the series "Mad About You" (1993-1999), as an absent-minded waitress.

There were some "Friends" scenes where both characters appeared together. To make this work in practice, Lisa's real-life sister, Helene Marla Kudrow, stepped in as a body-double. Fortunately, the two sisters were similar in appearance.

Answer: Drunken Angel

Often considered his first major work, "Drunken Angel" (1948) was made during the post-Second World War occupation era and subjected to re-writes as a result of American censorship. The film was named after the protagonist, an alcoholic doctor who was treating a yakusa (in effect, a Japanese Mafia) patient.

In his first role for Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, who portrayed the yakusa Matsunaga, dominated the film. Mifune went on to become a frequent lead in Kurosawa-directed films.

Answer: Elizabeth Swann

British actress Keira Knightley gained international recognition for her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann, although her breakthrough roles were as a tomboy footballer in "Bend it Like Beckham" (2002) and co-starring in "Love Actually" (2003). The character Elizabeth Swann is the only fictional person in the selection, the others are said to have been pirates in real life. Elizabeth first appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) as the governor's daughter with a fascination for pirates.

She spent most of her time fending off an unwelcome suitor and trying to rescue another.

Answer: Two and a Half Men

Ashton Kutcher portrayed Walden Schmidt, the rich internet entrepreneur with a broken heart, who first appeared in Season 9. He soon made his mark by buying the house that Alan Harper found himself unable to afford to keep following his brother Charlie's (apparent) death. Ashton Kutcher, in effect, replaced Charlie Sheen when Sheen was dismissed from the series.

Answer: The Dark Knight

The 2008 superhero film "The Dark Knight" was a sequel to the 2005 film "Batman Begins". The Christopher Nolan-directed trilogy was completed with "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012). The 2008 film broke numerous box office records and received eight Oscar nominations, becoming the first comic book film to receive an Academy Award for acting (through Heath Ledger's performance).

Heath Ledger was to die of an accidental overdose six months before the film's release.

Answer: Twin Peaks

American film-maker David Lynch was known for his distinctive style with the mundane juxtaposed with the surreal or sinister, giving rise to the term Lynchian. The TV series "Twin Peaks" (1990-1991) fit this stereotype, being a surrealist mystery horror drama.

He followed the initial two series with a third in 2017. There was also a film prequel, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (1992). The murder at the heart of the TV series was a MacGuffin, a device necessary for the plot, but otherwise not that relevant, with the focus being more on the interesting stories of the town's inhabitants.

Answer: Horror

It was as a result of his casting in "Dracula" (1931) that Bela Lugosi found himself typecast as a horror villain. He auditioned for many roles to try and break the mold, but was generally unsuccessfully. He was paired with (and received second billing to) Boris Karloff in a succession of horror films, such as "The Black Cat" (1935), "The Raven" (1935), and "Frankenstein" (1939). Karloff, by contrast, managed to secure good non-horror roles. Lugosi died aged 73 in 1956 and, although not requested by him, was buried wearing a Dracula cape, his full costume, and Dracula ring.

Answer: Frequency-hopping communication

Married to an arms-dealer at the time, Hedy Lamarr learnt that a torpedo guidance system was required. Radio control was considered, but had the weakness of being susceptible to jamming. Lamarr's idea of frequency-hopping was combined with her composer friend George Antheil's attempted synchronisation of note-hopping in a score written for the film "Ballet Mécanique" (1923-24), and a patent was obtained. The navy did not pursue the idea, however, it is now considered part of spread-spectrum technology which, amongst other benefits, helps with secure communications and jamming resistance.

Answer: Dr. Watson

Playing opposite Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes, Jude Law portrayed Dr. Watson in the Guy Richie-directed 2009 period mystery film "Sherlock Holmes". Law reprised his role in the 2011 sequel "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows", also directed by Guy Richie. A third film in the series, to star both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, was postponed during 2021 during the COVID-19 epidemic. Law's version of Dr. Watson leans more on his soldier background rather than the bumbling sidekick seen in earlier adaptations.

Answer: A Fish Called Wanda

Kevin Kline portrayed Otto West in the 1988 comedy heist film "A Fish Called Wanda". Lots of double-crossing followed the diamond heist and the jailing of the gang leader. To extract the location of the hiding place, Otto swallowed a fellow thieves' pet fish one by one, leaving the fish called Wanda until last.

The pet fish owner took his revenge by somewhat implausibly running over Otto with a steamroller. Otto was stuck in wet concrete and this apparently prevented him from being crushed by the steamroller when it ran over him. Kline won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his performance.