Mixed Celebrities Number Two Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lady Day

Billie Holiday lived from 1915 until 1959. A reading of the life of this beautiful but completely tortured and self-destructive star is heart-breaking. She didn't have a chance right from the very beginning. Child of a single, abandoned mother, Billie already had a record in the juvenile courts by the time she was ten, at eleven she was raped by a neighbour, and by the time she was fourteen, she was working as a prostitute alongside her mother in Harlem, New York.

It was here that the troubled child with the truly gifted voice also began singing at night clubs, and by the time she was in her twenties, she had become a successful recording star with her unique voice recognised world wide.

She was given the nickname Lady Day by her long time friend, musician Lester "Prez" Young (1909-1959) who worked with her on several early recordings, and this nickname stayed with her for the remainder of her life. Billie died in 1959, unable to give up her lifelong addiction to alcohol and drugs.

She had seventy cents left to her name.

This tortured songbird sang about pain, loss and sorrow. Her art reflected her life.

Answer: Paul Newman

Paul Newman (1925-2008) was not only one of Hollywood's most sought after stars during the height of his career, he was also a director, astute business man, ordained minister, raced cars at a professional level, founded racing teams on the side, and created a food production company, the net profits of which he donated to charity. He was the complete package in other words. Of his acting skills, he won many awards, including an Academy Award for the 1986 movie "The Colour of Money" in which he plays a one time pool hustler who misses the action so much that he goes back on the road again.

In 1982, Newman established his food production company "Newman's Own". By the year 2010, from the net profits of this venture after tax, he had donated $300 million dollars to charity. That's pretty amazing. The most famous of these products was his salad dressing, hence the above quote. A major beneficiary of Paul Newman's generosity and big heart is The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. These are a series of summer camps for seriously ill children, and named as such after the gang of outlaws in another of his most popular films, the 1969 "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Such is the popularity of this organisation that some 13,000 deeply ill children are able to have a residential holiday in these fun-filled camps every year. How heart-warming is that?

Answer: A movie title

Born in 1933, Michael Caine has to have one of the most magnetic personalities ever to appear on the silver screen. His is one amazingly expressive face. Even if he just moves his eyes, they portray a complete emotion. Nominated many times for Academy Awards for his work, he scored that honour the first time for his role in the 1968 film "Hannah and Her Sisters", in which he plays a man having an affair with one sister while married to another, the naughty fellow.

During an interview printed in the London "Guardian" newspaper in 2001, when asked how he chose his stage name from that of his birth - Maurice Joseph Micklewhite - Caine, known for his excellent sense of humour, said that after having been told to do so by his agent while he was on the phone to him, he looked out of the phone booth he was in and saw that "The Caine Mutiny" was playing at a nearby theatre, and that was that. "However" he remarked with a straight face, "If I'd looked the other way, my name could have just as easily have been Michael 101 Dalmatians".

Answer: The same day and month of birth

They're eleven years apart though, or visions of evil twins would be dancing in our heads. Both men were born on May 27th, Vincent Price in 1911 (he died in 1993) and Christopher Lee in 1922.

Even though Price will be forever associated with horror films, none of which stands out particularly, he began his career as a serious actor, branched into horror movies, and then into spoofs of the same. The latter were excellent and extremely amusing. Crossing over to work in television as well, one of Price's more light-hearted roles was that of a mad scientist in one of "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974) episodes where he keeps several of the Brady kids prisoners in an underground cave. He married three times, meeting his third wife, Coral Browne, when she was cast as one of his victims in the 1973 "Theatre of Blood". One hardly dares enquire as to the fate of his first two ladies of horror.

Christopher Lee, in contrast to Price, began his career in a series of horror movies, many of which featured Dracula, before branching out into more serious roles in some of the box office hits of the day. These include roles in "The Lord of the Rings" series of movies (2001-2003) in which he plays the character Saruman, who is overtaken by his own ambition and lust for power. Lee is also a fine singer, noted for his operatic work and songs from the musicals. Interestingly, his long ago ancestors on his mother's side were awarded for their loyalty with a coat of arms by the German Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, He is also related to British author Ian Fleming, and the American General Robert E. Lee. Pooh-poohing the popular belief that he owned 20,000 books on the occult, Lee, in a recent interview, snorted when asked about this and replied it was sheer nonsense and that if he did so, he'd "have to live in a bath!".

Answer: Tiffany

I've never felt the same about him since. The delectable Richard Gere was born in 1949 and has been one of Hollywood's leading heartthrobs for some years. Tiffany was his mother's maiden name. Perhaps we're fortunate it wasn't Petunia. Not only is Richard one of the smoothest actors to ever take his place in front of a camera, he has also shown he can sing and dance as well, as evidenced in the excellent 2002 film "Chicago" in which he plays the devious lawyer Billy Flynn who is very skilled at getting the most wicked female prisoners out of jail - for a price.

Apart from his entertainment side, Richard Gere is also a passionate advocate for human rights, the environment, victims of AIDS, and organisations promoting world peace. A Methodist turned Buddhist, Richard's devotion to his many charities saw him having an arrest warrant issued in his name. This was in India, as a result of his appearance at a rally to promote condoms as a form of protection against AIDS. During a live interview on television, at which one of India's megastars, Shilpa Shetty was present, he kissed her on the cheek one or six times and then swept her into his arms and dipped her in a classic dance move. He was found to have violated public obscenity laws, the warrant was issued, and he had to flee the country. Dipped and kissed by Richard Gere? I should be so lucky.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

British born movie director and producer Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) was the master of suspense. During his long, long career in this field, Hitchcock directed more than fifty movies, many of which are still looked upon today as classics. These include perhaps his most noted of all, the 1960 "Psycho" which starred Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.

Its setting is that of a secluded motel owned by a very disturbed man with a ghoulish attachment to his mother. Throw in a beautiful blonde just begging to be killed and you have a real edge of the seat thriller.

A trademark of this famous director, who was so considerate about our bladders, is his cameo appearances in most of his films. Hitchcock, a lonely and isolated obese child, was embarrassed all his life about his weight but found it impossible to lose same.

He also had somewhat of a phobia about policemen, brought about by his father sending him to the local police station when he was all of five years old, to be locked up in a cell for several minutes for misbehaviour.

Answer: All considered for the lead in "Gone With The Wind"

What a line up of beauties. The 1939 film "Gone With the Wind", based on the 1936 award winning novel by Margaret Mitchell, stars Vivien Leigh as the tempestuous, passionate Scarlett O'Hara, and the delectable Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, the only man who has ever been able to tame her. It is set in the historical period of the American Civil War. Astonishingly so, over 1,400 women auditioned for the part of Scarlett. On the other hand the producers of the film always had Clark Gable in mind for the lead male role.

This film on completion won an amazing ten Academy Awards. The actors are brilliant, the film is mighty, passionate, epic, and the musical score is exquisite. "Tara's Theme" also known as "My Own True Love" by many, is the one piece of music most associated with this movie. It still has, so many years after the movie was made, and long after its stars are dead and gone, the power to tug at the heart strings.

Answer: "Old Cary Grant fine how you"

The debonair Cary Grant (1904-1986) was one of Hollywood's leading men for many years. With his symmetrical good looks, never a hair out of place, and always impeccably dressed, he was the epitome of the sophisticated man-about-town, or the bumbling, still impossibly good-looking hero in most of his films, but with always the best of intentions towards the ladies in whatever role he played. He has been named the second greatest male star of all time by the American Film Institute, coming a close runner up to Humphrey Bogart. What a contrast. With 73 films to his credit, Cary featured at movie theatres everywhere from 1932 until 1966 when he retired altogether from the film-making industry to focus on his only child, a daughter who was born in that year, during his fourth marriage. He married five times altogether. The telegram with the abbreviated question was sent to Gary's agent at the height of Gary's career. Spotted by the actor, it tickled his renowned sense of humour so much, that he gave that comical response.

Rather comically so, Cary Grant began his working career as a stilt walker in a circus. On the rise even then it seems. He moved from there into vaudeville and then into films. One of the endearing traits about this text book handsome actor was that he never lost his sense of humour and ability to laugh at himself. My personal favourite of his films is an old black and white movie I happened to see late one night on television. This 1938 comedy "Bringing Up Baby" is one of the most amusing films I've ever seen. With Katharine Hepburn as the female love interest, "Bringing Up Baby" relates the story of an absent-minded palaeontologist, mistaken for a zoologist, who finds himself unwittingly involved in a number of scrapes directly caused by a madcap girl he meets - who happens to be looking after a pet leopard. It's an extremely funny film and features both of its leading stars at their best.

Answer: Over the Rainbow

Singer, dancer, actress Judy Garland lived from 1922 until 1969. Hers was a tragic life, for fame brought her little happiness. After years of battling insecurity, broken marriages, alcoholism and an over-dependence on medications, she was found dead on the floor of her bathroom by her then husband. The cause of death was registered as barbiturate overdose. Compare this then to the beautiful and magical story of the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" and the delightful world of colour, music and delight in which the heroine of that wonderful film, Dorothy, finds herself as she searches, with her new found friends, to find the Emerald City. That is the Judy we would wish to remember.

Judy Garland would often say during her lifetime of the hit song from that film that "'Over the Rainbow' has become part of my life. It's so symbolic of everybody's dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I've sung it thousands of times and it's still the song that's closest to my heart." Somehow I don't think that's why people get tears in their eyes when they hear this beautiful old melody sung by that fragile, troubled and deeply sensitive human being.

Answer: Troy Donahue

Troy starred in the 1959 film "A Summer Place" with Sandra Dee, a movie that tells of the heartache of young lovers torn apart by unsympathetic parents. The contrast between the tough guy roles that actor, director and producer Rory Calhoun came to be identified with, and the fairy floss romantic figures played by Troy Donahue (1936-2001) when he came on the scene is rather amusing. Rory Calhoun's early life was as tough as any he played on the screen. His father died when Rory was a baby, he was in a youth detention centre by the time he was thirteen (for stealing a gun), escaped from another reform centre, robbed several stores, stole a vehicle, fled interstate, was captured and spent three years in prison for his pains.

On his release from jail, he worked at a number of jobs until one day he met Alan Ladd. Through that actor and his contacts, Rory began to appear in bit parts in movies - and worked his way up from there. He appeared in over sixty films and twenty television series during his long career. These included many westerns such as the 1954 "River of No Return" in which he played a wicked gambler who wins a gold mine in a poker game, and then steals the weapon and horse of a small group of travellers (including his fiancé) in the wilderness, before finally being sent to Boot Hill by the hero of the piece. Quite frankly, Calhoun's private life, what his numerous affairs totalling more than eighty (he said, in a divorce suit, that that was only half the number) sounds far more interesting than that predictable plot. He only ever married twice though. Too exhausted I guess.