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William Hurt died on March 13, 2022, at age 71, just a week short of his 72nd birthday. The Oscar-winning actor starred in a variety of movies over the last four decades, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let's take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1950, Hurt made his movie debut with a starring role in Ken Russell's psychedelic thriller "Altered States" (1980), quickly followed by Lawrence Kasdan's classic neo-noir "Body Heat" (1981). He won the Oscar as Best Actor just four years later for Hector Babenco's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985), playing a transgender inmate at a South American prison who forms a bond with his cellmate (Raul Julia), a political prisoner. The role brought him additional prizes at BAFTA and the Cannes Film Festival.

Hurt followed up his Oscar victory with two more consecutive Best Actor bids: first for Randa...

Sitcoms had been around for years before the '90s, but that decade seems to have been a golden age for the format. Does the fact I grew up in that particular decade play into this opinion? Well, yes. But with shows such as "Friends," "Seinfeld," and "Frasier" emerging during the '90s, it's hard to argue against the fact that the final years of the millennium produced some of the finest sitcoms to grace the small screen.

Of course, if you happened to grow up in the '80s, there are plenty of other examples you could point to that would certainly make a good case for that particular decade being the apex of sitcoms. Take the show on which Frasier Crane himself debuted, for example: "Cheers." The legendary series premiered in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons until 1993 — the same year the "Frasier" spin-off launched. By that point, Kelsey Grammer...

Three-time Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver has proven herself a capable leading lady in a variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, comedy, horror and drama. Let’s take a look back at 16 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Weaver made her film debut with a walk-on role as Woody Allen‘s girlfriend in “Annie Hall” (1977). Her breakthrough came just two years later for Ridley Scott‘s landmark sci-fi thriller “Alien” (1979). As Ripley, the lone survivor aboard a spacecraft besieged by a snarling, ferocious extra-terrestrial, Weaver broke down barriers for female action stars and helped launch a franchise that led to three sequels: James Cameron‘s “Aliens” (1986), David Fincher‘s “Alien 3” (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s “Alien: Resurrection” (1997).

“Aliens” brought Weaver her first Oscar nomination as Best Actress, a rarity for the genre. Not to be typecast, she found further success in a variety of roles that didn’t require donning a space helmet.

With a career spanning over 50 years, Sigourney Weaver has showcased her versatility across Broadway, television, and film, creating iconic heroic characters in both dramatic and comedic roles. Her remarkable talent has earned her three Academy Award nominations.

Born Susan Alexandra Weaver on October 8, 1949, in New York City, she adopted the name Sigourney at age 14, inspired by a character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby.

Weaver graduated from Stanford University and obtained a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. Even as she found fame and success on the screen, she would maintain her love for the stage throughout her career. Her many theater credits include four Broadway productions: Sir John Gielgud’s production of The Constant Wife in 1975, the groundbreaking 1984 production of David Rabe’s Hurlyburly opposite William Hurt, Harvey Keitel and a newcomer named Cynthia Nixon, and the 1996 production of Sex and Longing, written...

Cancel culture has not been kind to one Kevin Spacey, and even though some of his mates in the industry recently came to his aid – Liam Neeson, Sharon Stone etc. – the damage done has been a very deep one. Despite this, Spacey looks forward to the time when he can make a comeback.

You hear legal fees and you think thousands, no Kevin Spacey owes “many millions” and he doesn’t know where to get the money to pay for them. So his home has been auctioned.

As of right now, Spacey believes he’s done his penance for his past deeds, including being “too handsy” at some point in his career, and he’s now seeking redemption. Who’s ready to give it to him?

Kevin Spacey – Confesses He Doesn’t Know Where He’s Going To Go After Baltimore Home Forecloses

When Kevin Spacey says he’s not a fan of cancel culture,...

Kevin Spacey is essentially broke and is having his Baltimore home foreclosed upon, the beleaguered actor admitted while sitting for a lengthy interview this week with Piers Morgan on the perennial TV host’s Fox News show.

The interview with a sympathetic Morgan on his YouTube show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, takes a wide-ranging look at Spacey’s life. Included — sometimes through the actor’s tears — are details of his tumultuous childhood family life with a Nazi-sympathizer father; a discussion of his ongoing shunning from Hollywood, despite the accused actor notching multiple not-guilty verdicts as allegations of his past sexual misconduct have fallen to pieces in U.K. and U.S. courts; and flat denials from Spacey of some of the fresh accusations lobbed at him in a new Channel 4 documentary.

The sit-down culminated with Spacey disclosing that he’s essentially in financial ruin, with his Baltimore home about to...

Kevin Spacey used to be one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood before the s-xual misconduct allegations roped him in a web that has had him maintaining a much lower profile than ever before. But while the controversies led to him getting fired from his masterpiece series House of Cards, it also seems to have taken a dear friend away from him.

Kevin Spacey. | Credit: Pinguino k/Wikimedia Commons.

This dear friend is Robin Wright, who played his co-star Claire Underwood in the Netflix drama series, and who abandoned him by cutting off all connections with him following his controversy. But instead of blaming her and disapproving of how she treated him when he needed support the most, Spacey still prefers to remember her very fondly, even after all this time.

Kevin Spacey Gets Candid About Robin Wright Abandoning Him

Throughout the years they worked together on House of Cards,...

In 1984, Cynthia Nixon made Broadway history by appearing in two productions at the same time. Newly graduated from New York’s Hunter College High School, Nixon was cast in two concurrent plays, “Hurlyburly” and “The Real Thing,” each led by legendary director Mike Nichols. For three months, the teenager would cut between theaters, squeezing in a single scene of “The Real Thing” between the two acts of “Hurlyburly.”

Forty years later, the actor and activist’s career has come full circle. Nixon is a series regular on two successful, widely talked-about shows: “And Just Like That,” the follow-up to “Sex and the City” in which she reprises the iconic role of Miranda Hobbes, and “The Gilded Age,” the Julian Fellowes period drama where Nixon plays the gentle, open-hearted Ada Brook. This year, for the first time, the shows will shoot their upcoming seasons simultaneously.

Speaking from her New York apartment,...

Molly Hurwitz is remembering her former fiance Matthew Perry.

The late Friends actor announced that he was engaged to the Hollywood literary agent after two years of dating in November 2020. They called off their engagement the following June.

Following the news of Matthew‘s sudden death at the age of 54 over the weekend, Molly took to social media on Monday (October 30) to remember her late ex.

Read Molly Hurwitz’s tribute to Matthew Perry…

Taking to Instagram, Molly shared a photo of Matthew in silhouette looking out over a city in winter.

“He would love that the world is talking about how talented he was. And he really was very talented,” she started her tribute.

Molly continued, recalling watching Friends with her ex while they were together. “As the Friends reunion was approaching, we rewatched the show together. ‘F-ck, I was so good!!!…See what I did there???’ We rewound and studied scenes,...

Sigourney Weaver Depositphotos

Susan Alexandra “Sigourney” Weaver, born on October 8, 1949, is an accomplished American actress known for her contributions to the action heroine archetype in science fiction movies. Weaver’s notable portrayal of Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise garnered her an Academy Award nomination in 1986 and solidified her status as one of the most influential female protagonists in the history of cinema.

Throughout her career, Weaver has received seven Golden Globe Award nominations. In 1988, she made history by winning both the Best Actress in Drama and Best Supporting Actress categories for her outstanding performances in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl, respectively. This achievement made her the first individual to secure two acting Golden Globe Awards in a single year. Moreover, Weaver received Academy Award nominations for her exceptional work in both films. Additionally, she was honored with the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...

U.S. actor Robin Wright will be awarded the President’s Award at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s closing ceremony. In honor of Wright, it will screen “The Princess Bride.”

Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations.

In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Her first two nominations, a Golden Globe and a SAG, came as early as 1995 for her...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Helen Mirren is set to star as celebrated author Patricia Highsmith in new movie Switzerland, whose plot will mirror one of the Tom Ripley novels for which the American novelist was most famous.

Filmmaker and celebrated music video director Anton Corbijn, whose credits include Control, A Most Wanted Man and The American, is aboard to direct the movie, which FilmNation will be launching for world sales at next week’s EFM.

In Switzerland, Highsmith’s late life solitude in the Swiss Alps is interrupted by Edward, a young literary agent who is sent by the writer’s relentless publishing company to convince her to pen one last novel in her wildly popular Ripley series (which includes the classic The Talented Mr Ripley). Highsmith uses her famously macabre imagination to scare Edward away, but before they know it a collaboration ensues, leaving the world they’ve constructed indistinguishable from their own.

New titles join 47 unveiled at April 14 press conference and previously announced Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick.

Cannes Film Festival has added a flurry of new titles to its 2022 Official Selection, as promised by delegate general Thierry Frémaux at last week’s press conference unveiling the bulk of the titles due to premiere at its 75th edition, running May 17-28.

A total of 17 fresh additions were announced, joining the 47 films unveiled on April 14 as well as Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick, which were announced earlier. This brings the total number of films in selection so far to 66 against 83 in last year’s special July edition.

William Hurt was tall, blond, and attractive, and the product of a prep-school education and training at Julliard. For someone whose first movie came out in 1980 — the year Ronald Reagan was elected and “The Official Preppy Handbook” was published — he could have had a much different career as an actor, one that was blander, less eccentric, and less daring.

But the approachable exterior camouflaged a complicated, difficult artist, one who constantly challenged himself, even when dealing with his own inner demons. As Mark Harris noted on Twitter upon hearing of Hurt’s death at the age of 71, “Hurt always seemed profoundly uncomfortable being a good-looking leading man, which may be one reason that his performance in ‘Broadcast News’ is absolutely perfect — he understood that he was playing someone who was miscast.”

Before making his way to the screen, Hurt had already established his bona fides on the New York stage,...

Oscar-winning actor William Hurt, who rose to fame as one of the most notable leading men on the big-screen in the 1980s, died on March 13, 2022 – one week before his 72nd birthday. According to his family, “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.”

A three-time nominee for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, he won the prize for his cross-dressing role in 1985’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” His first big-screen role was in the 1980 sci-fi horror film “Altered States,” which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He would become a very versatile male lead. He was comfortable doing neo-noirs such as “Body Heat” and “Eyewitness” as well as romantic comedies like “Broadcast News” and “The Accidental Tourist” and dramas such as “Children of a Lesser God.”

SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

Besides claiming a trophy for “Kiss of a Spider Woman,” Hurt garnered two...

William Hurt, an Oscar winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman who often played a quiet intellectual in his early acting roles but later took more strident turns in science fiction and Marvel films, died today, a week before his 72nd birthday.

William Hurt’s son, Will, posted today that his father has died. It was announced in May 2018 that the elder Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bone.

William Hurt Remembered As A Giant Talent By His Peers In The Acting Community

“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday,” his son wrote. “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”

Hurt had three consecutive Best Actor Academy Award nominations in the mid-1980s for Kiss of the Spider Woman...

Casting director and producer Don Phillips, who helped launch the careers of such actors as Sean Penn, Matthew McConaughey and Mary Steenburgen, passed away on Thanksgiving Day from natural causes. He would have turned 81 on Dec. 21.

Phillips received his first break when he landed an entry-level job in the casting department of filmmaker Otto Preminger’s 1971 movie Such Good Friends. Impressed by Phillips, Preminger took an ad in Variety and Backstage to praise the novice’s work on the film.

The acknowledgement led to Phillips getting hired to do extras casting on Sidney Lumet’s Serpico starring Al Pacino with his job subsequently expanding to casting the entire film. Lumet then tapped him as casting director on his next film, Dog Day Afternoon, also starring Pacino. Phillips is credited with holding out for actor John Cazale to be cast opposite Pacino as Sal.

Phillips went on to cast the cult...

Exclusive: MGM’s Orion Pictures and Plan B Entertainment have set Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod and Ben Whishaw to join Frances McDormand in writer/director Sarah Polley’s feature adaptation of Miriam Toews’ bestselling novel Women Talking. Rounding out the cast are August Winter and Liv McNeil and Kate Hallett in their feature film debuts. Plan B will produce Women Talking alongside McDormand via her Hear/Say Productions.

Based on the best-selling novel by Miriam Toews, Women Talking follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. Published in 2018, the novel was named a Best Book of the Year By The New York Times Book Review, NPR.Org, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate, Publishers Weekly and Time, among many others.

When the American Film Institute announced that it was giving its 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award to Mike Nichols, the event instantly became the hottest ticket in town. As recounted in Mark Harris’ upcoming biography “Mike Nichols: A Life,” not only did just about all of Nichols’ most celebrated collaborators — Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, Nora Ephron, Emma Thompson, Warren Beatty, Natalie Portman, Cher — immediately agree to attend, but other industry luminaries with no direct connection to Nichols called AFI and asked if they could come, too.

“Steven Spielberg said, ‘I want to be there for Mike,'” AFI chief Bob Gazzale says in the book. “Oprah Winfrey said, ‘How do I buy a table?’ It had never happened before, and I don’t know that it will happen again.”

Reading Harris’ meticulous, deeply engrossing account makes abundantly clear: We will never see the likes of Mike Nichols again.

Richard Gladstein, longtime exec producer on Quentin Tarantino films and two-time Best Picture Oscar nominee, has been appointed executive director of Brooklyn College’s Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.

Located at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, the Feirstein School was established in 2015 and is considered the nation’s only film school operating on a working studio lot. Gladstein will oversee the school’s next phase of development, extending partnerships and resources, and developing new student programming.

“The mission of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is to bring new voices to the film industry, to populate it with our diverse, exceptionally talented students,” said Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson. “Richard Gladstein’s experiences and success in that industry make him the perfect new Executive Director at Feirstein. We are confident he will enhance the programs, support our students, and lead the School with great distinction.

Jerry Stiller was known for playing irascible loudmouths and high-strung hotheads.

In truth, the actor and comedian, who died May 11 of natural causes at the age of 92, could not have been more different than the TV personas of his later years: the ultra-neurotic Frank Costanza of “Seinfeld” or the miscreant Arthur Spooner of “The King of Queens.”

Friends and colleagues remember Stiller as an actor who was dedicated to his work and grateful for a long career in show business after growing up in difficult circumstances during the Depression. The father of filmmaker Ben Stiller, actor Amy Stiller and widower of Anne Meara — his longtime comedy partner and wife of 62 years — was respected throughout the industry.

“One of the sweetest and kindest men I’ve ever known, not to mention one of the funniest,” “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David says of Stiller, who had a recurring role as the father of Jason Alexander’s George Costanza.

Film, television, and stage actor Jerry Stiller died of natural causes, as according to his son Ben Stiller. He was 92.

“I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Ben announced on Twitter. “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

Stiller is known for his TV roles as Frank Costanza on Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens, and multiple films including, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, John Waters’ Hairspray, his son’s Zoolander, and Richard Lester’s adaptation of Terrence McNally’s play, The Ritz, which Jerry also acted in on Broadway.

But he might be best remembered for being part of the comedy team Stiller & Meara, which he performed with his wife, Anne Meara. The pair met in 1953 at a New York casting call,...

Everyone on the “Seinfeld” set wanted a piece of Jerry Stiller’s comedic greatness, and they got it. When the iconic NBC sitcom’s nine seasons were released together in a DVD box set, fans got access to one of the most beloved TV bloopers of all time.

In the 80-second clip, Stiller’s Frank Costanza spars with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Elaine Benes. Or rather, they would spar, if Louis-Dreyfus and Stiller’s on-screen son Jason Alexander (playing George Costanza) could keep it together through the lines “What the hell does that mean?” and “You sayin’, you want a piece of me?”

Watch the video above.

Also Read: Jerry Stiller, Star of 'Seinfeld' and 'King of Queens,' Dies at 92

Stiller, the father of Ben Stiller and member of legendary husband-and-wife comedy duo Stiller & Meara, passed away at age 92 early Mondy.

“I’m sad to say that my father,...

Jerry Stiller — perhaps best known for playing George’s father Frank Costanza on Seinfeld — has died at the age of 92. His son, actor Ben Stiller, confirmed the news on Monday morning via Twitter.

“I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” the younger Stiller wrote. “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

“I remember watching Stiller and [Anne] Meara as a kid on Ed Sullivan, loving them,...

Jerry Stiller, the Emmy-nominated comedy legend who re-emerged later in life playing loud-mouthed cranks on the TV sitcoms “Seinfeld” and “King of Queens,” has died at age 92.

His death was confirmed early Monday by his son, actor-director Ben Stiller. “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” the younger Stiller tweeted. “He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

In addition to his TV work, starting with comedy appearances with his wife Anne Meara, Stiller had memorable turns in movies, playing Walter Matthau’s NYPD partner in 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and the mild-mannered husband of Divine’s Edna Turnblad in John Waters’ original 1988 comedy “Hairspray.”

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2020 (Photos)

He also appeared with his son, Ben Stiller, in a series of movies, including the Oscar-nominated 1987 short film “Shoeshine” as well as “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Zoolander” and “Zoolander 2.

Jerry Stiller, an actor and comedian and father to Ben Stiller, has died of natural causes. He was 92.

Ben Stiller confirmed his father’s death early Monday morning, writing on Twitter: “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

After a long career performing in comedy routines with his wife, Anne Meara, appearing on Broadway and guest-starring on TV series, Stiller became known for his role on “Seinfeld” as Frank Constanza, as Leah Remini’s father on “The King of Queens,” and as Zoolander’s manager in the comedy directed by Ben Stiller.

He appeared in 26 episodes of “Seinfeld” as Constanza, the father of George (Jason Alexander), from 1993-98, with Estelle Harris playing his wife, Estelle. Stiller...

The late James Lipton was asked in 2017 who among the many legendary stars and thespians he’s interviewed over the years was his absolute favorite interview, and it wasn’t some Old Hollywood icon but Bradley Cooper.

Cooper, it turns out, was a student in the Actors Studio and auditioned with Lipton when the “Inside the Actors Studio” host was Dean of the school for 10 years. Lipton had personally accepted Cooper into the program. Both he and Cooper got emotional at seeing how far Cooper had come in his career since his days in the acting school.

“The night that one of my students has achieved so much that he or she comes back and sits down in that chair next to me will be the night I’ve waited for since we started this thing 23 years, and it turned out to be Bradley Cooper,” Lipton told Larry King in 2017. “I auditioned him.

Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” may not be coming to an AMC Theatres near you, but it will be playing Broadway.

Fresh off of its electric debut at this year’s New York Film Festival, Netflix announced that the gangster epic will have an unorthodox theatrical run at the Belasco Theatre, a famed New York venue that recently hosted such Tony Award-winning productions as “Network” with Bryan Cranston and “Hedwig and the Angry Itch” with Neil Patrick Harris.

“The Irishman” brings together a murderer’s row of film talent, including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, and Joe Pesci. It’s been marked for Oscar glory after premiering to reviews that bordered on the rhapsodic. In short, it’s the kind of movie that most theaters would kill to play. However, Netflix’s business model, which calls for a shorter than usual “exclusive” theatrical run, means that major chains such as Regal,...

Netflix’s The Irishman is headed to Broadway. No, not some musical version or star-studded stage play, but the actual Martin Scorsese film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 1, The Irishman will screen at the Shubert Organization’s historic Belasco Theatre, mimicking the standard Broadway schedule of eight performances per week.

The unusual arrangement – hailed by the preservation-minded Scorsese as a way to showcase his film in the type of ornate theater in which New Yorkers could once routinely view films – will be the first film screening ever in the Belasco’s 112-year history (the theater was an NBC studio for several years in the early 1950s). Netflix will provide what it describes as state-of-the-art equipment for the screenings.

Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale will star in Simon Stone’s contemporary rewrite of the Euripides’ tragedy Medea at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in January.

Originally staged in 2014 by Amsterdam’s International Theater Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam), Medea will pair real-life couple Byrne and Cannavale, with additional cast to be announced.

Stone’s adaptation of the Medea story uses the true-life crime case of American Debora Green, who poisoned her cheating husband and killed two of her three children in 1995. The adaptation played London’s Barbican in 2019, where it starred Marieke Heebink and Aus Greidanus Jr.

Byrne, whose performance on FX’s Damages earned her an Emmy nomination, is currently in production for FX’s limited series Mrs. America, the nine-episode drama in which she plays Gloria Steinem (set for a 2020 premiere). She’ll next be seen in comedy Hostile Makeover (formerly Limited Partners) opposite Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek...

Warner Bros. Television’s head of New York casting, VP Meg Simon has retired after nearly two decades with the studio and a career of more than 40 years as a casting director and executive in television, theatre and motion pictures. Wbtv casting VP Findley Davidson — who has worked closely with Simon for 12 years at the studio — will now serve as Wbtv’s new head of New York casting.

The studio is not confirming but it appears likely that Simon, a highly regarded casting director/executive, has taken one of the buyouts/early retirement packages made available to veteran employees at all WarnerMedia divisions after the At&T acquisition was completed. Wbtv head of current programming Melinda Hage also recently retired after 25 years at the studio.

“We are incredibly fortunate at Warner Bros. Television to have been associated with Meg for almost 20 years,” said Tom Burke, Wbtv Evp and Head of Casting.

William Hurt celebrates his 69th birthday on March 20, 2019. The Oscar-winning actor has starred in a variety of movies over the last four decades, but how many of those titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

Born in 1950, Hurt made his movie debut with a starring role in Ken Russell‘s psychedelic thriller “Altered States” (1980), quickly followed by Lawrence Kasdan‘s classic neo-noir “Body Heat” (1981). He won the Oscar as Best Actor just four years later for Hector Babenco‘s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985), playing a transgender inmate at a South American prison who forms a bond with his cellmate (Raul Julia), a political prisoner. The role brought him additional prizes at BAFTA and the Cannes Film Festival.

SEELawrence Kasdan movies: 12 greatest films ranked...

Sean Penn busted out his sense of humor all over his pal Bradley Cooper ... just in time for Bradley's huge Hollywood achievement. BC was honored with the American Cinematheque Award Thursday night at The Beverly Hilton. The star-studded dinner featured plenty of tributes from his fellow actors and collaborators, but Sean's stood out because it included a pretty funny stroll down memory lane. Sean started off his toast by telling the crowd something felt strangely...

Richard Gladstein, who has served as dean of the American Film Institute’s AFI Conservatory for the past 18 months, is exiting his post, the organization said Monday. The graduate film school’s Michael Chung, Vice Dean of Administration, and Tom Engfer, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, have been appointed Co-Interim Deans. Both will report to AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale.

AFI, which just wrapped its AFI Fest 2018 last week, said a search for a permanent replacement is underway. Gladstein said that in AFI’s announcement today he was moving “on to new opportunities” but offered no other details. He had been in the post one academic year.

Said Gazzale: “We appreciate Richard’s contributions to the Conservatory, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Gladstone was appointed dean in May 2017, taking over for Jan Schuette. He has been nominated for two Best Picture Oscars — The Cider House Rules...

Sigourney Weaver celebrates her 69th birthday on October 8, 2018. The three-time Oscar nominee has proven herself a capable leading lady in a variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, comedy, horror, and drama. In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Weaver made her film debut with a walk-on role as Woody Allen‘s girlfriend in “Annie Hall” (1977). Her breakthrough came just two years later for Ridley Scott‘s landmark sci-fi thriller “Alien” (1979). As Ripley, the lone survivor aboard a spacecraft besieged by a snarling, ferocious extra-terrestrial, Weaver broke down barriers for female action stars and helped launch a franchise that led to three sequels: James Cameron‘s “Aliens” (1986), David Fincher‘s “Alien 3” (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s “Alien: Resurrection” (1997).

“Aliens” brought Weaver her first Oscar nomination as Best Actress, a rarity for the genre. Not to be typecast, she...

Cineville has attached writer-director Dito Montiel to the independent dramatic thriller “Afterward,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Production is planned to start in the spring of 2019. Producers are Thomas D. Adelman, production manager on “The Usual Suspects”; Elizabeth Gast Napolitano; Frederic Demey (“Female Fight Squad”) and Carl Colpaert.

The story centers on a father’s struggle to deal with the passing of his daughter, which leads him on a quest for truth and justice against corruption and small town politics.

Montiel made his feature directorial debut on 2006’s “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” followed by “Fighting,” “The Son of No One,” “Empire State,” “Boulevard,” “Man Down,” and “The Clapper.”

“I’m excited to have Cineville behind me as we guide ‘Afterward’ into production,” he said. “While I’m hardly said to have a particular style or type of film I gravitate towards, ‘Afterward’ represents a challenging change of direction and a personal project for me,...

John Christopher Jones is a veteran “actor’s actor” with many Broadway shows including Simon Gray’s Otherwise Engaged (directed by Harold Pinter), Hurlyburly (directed by Mike Nichols), The Iceman Cometh (with Jason Robards), and Shaw’s Heartbreak House. He is the subject of a documentary film, The Endgame Project, which follows him in his tenth year with Parkinson’s as he rehearses and performs Beckett’s masterpiece. A “text-lover” through and through, he continues to translate the major plays of Chekov (he received a Lortel Award for his version of The Cherry Orchard) and work on his memoir. I’ve often heard the word “craftsman” […]...

John Christopher Jones is a veteran “actor’s actor” with many Broadway shows including Simon Gray’s Otherwise Engaged (directed by Harold Pinter), Hurlyburly (directed by Mike Nichols), The Iceman Cometh (with Jason Robards), and Shaw’s Heartbreak House. He is the subject of a documentary film, The Endgame Project, which follows him in his tenth year with Parkinson’s as he rehearses and performs Beckett’s masterpiece. A “text-lover” through and through, he continues to translate the major plays of Chekov (he received a Lortel Award for his version of The Cherry Orchard) and work on his memoir. I’ve often heard the word “craftsman” […]...

Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri will join the cast of his Broadway musical A Bronx Tale in the role of Sonny beginning May 24.

Written by Palminteri, A Bronx Tale features music by Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Oscar and Tony Award nominee Glenn Slater.

Based on the critically acclaimed play that inspired the now-classic film, the musical draws on the wisdom of the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Featuring an original doo-wop score, the story is about respect, loyalty, love and family.

The musical is directed by two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro and four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Tony nominee Sergio Trujillo. The show opened on December 1, 2016 and is now playing on Broadway...

“Theater geek” may not be the most obvious label for J.J. Abrams, who has built a film and TV career directing, writing and producing sci-fi and action-heavy shows (Alias, Lost), rebooting film franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars) and launching his own Easter egg-filled film universe (Cloverfield). But the filmmaker has the same appreciation for Broadway as he does The Twilight Zone, the sci-fi anthology series he’s long considered to be one of the best on TV.

“I’ve been a fan of theater all my life,” Abrams tells Et. In fact, he has been attending shows in New York City, where he was born, since he was a young kid, collecting playbills from every production along the way. “I embarrassingly saved all of them.”

He recalls seeing the original runs of The Magic Show, starring Doug Henning, and Noises Off, as well as various productions of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams plays. He cites Ira Levin...

The Hollywood community is in mourning once again, with another icon passing away. Garry Shandling died suddenly today at the age of 66. TMZ was the first to report the news, with sources stating that the actor and comedian has died from a heart attack "with no prior warning whatsoever." After the news first started to spread, numerous celebrities took to their Twitter accounts to mourn the loss of their dear friend.

The initial report revealed that Garry Shandling was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, after a 911 call was received from the actor's home. He was reportedly alive when he arrived at the hospital and the original report revealed the the comedian and actor wasn't suffering from any known illness. A source connected to the actor said he was healthy, and he was talking to people earlier this morning before his untimely death.

Just last weekend, actress Kathy Griffin sent...

Beloved comedian and actor Garry Shandling passed away earlier today at the age of 66, after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. TMZ reports the comedian and actor wasn't suffering from any known illness, and a source connected to the actor said he was healthy, and he was talking to people earlier this morning before his untimely death. A 911 call was received from the actor's home and he was taken to a local hospital. He was reportedly alive when he arrived at the hospital.

Just last weekend, actress Kathy Griffin sent out a photo from her Twitter account, where she was flanked by Garry Shandling and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk. No official cause of death was given at this time, but we'll be sure to keep you posted with more details as this story continues to unfold. The actor was best known for his hit HBO series The Larry Sanders Show,...

Garry Shandling, star of The Larry Sanders Show and It's Garry Shandling's Show, has died. TMZ reports that he was not suffering from a specific illness but was in a hospital at the time of his death. Police confirmed the actor's death to The Associated Press. He was 66.

Related: Garry Shandling: True Lies

The comic originally made a name for himself in the late Seventies and early Eighties for his dry, ironic wit and humorously pained grimace. Between comedy stages, television programs and Hollywood films in the decades since then,...

The New Group has announced that Marin Ireland and Amanda Seyfried will join original cast members from the company's critically-acclaimed 2005 hit revival of Hurlyburly Bobby Cannavale, Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey and Wallace Shawn, in the previously announced one-night-only benefit reading of David Rabe's award-winning play. Directed by Scott Elliott, this benefit reading within The New Group's current 20th Anniversary Season takes place Sunday, April 26 at The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street.

The New Group announces a one-night-only benefit reading of David Rabe's Hurlyburly, reuniting director Scott Elliott and original cast members from the company's critically-acclaimed 2005 hit revival Bobby Cannavale, Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey and Wallace Shawn, with additional casting to be announced. This special event within The New Group's current 20th Anniversary Season takes place Sunday, April 26 at The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street.

Just last night, he New Group just honored Founding Artistic Director Scott Elliott and celebrated its 20th Anniversary season. Scott Elliott is an award-winning stage director, filmmaker and the founding Artistic Director of The New Group, where he recently directed the critically acclaimed revival of David Rabe's Sticks and Bones. At The New Group, he has directed world premieres by Thomas Bradshaw, Ayub Khan Din, Francine Volpe, Erika Sheffer and Tommy Nohilly and the world premiere of the 2010 musical The Kid Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominations for Outstanding Musical. Other credits include The New Group's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Cynthia Nixon David Rabe's Hurlyburly and numerous collaborations with Ayub Khan Din, Wallace Shawn and Mike Leigh. Broadway credits include Present Laughter, Barefoot in the Park, The Threepenny Opera, The Women and Three Sisters. This spring at The New Group,...

Was corrupt congressman Frank Underwood pulling strings at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences this morning? It sure seems that way: His pitch-black Netflix series, House of Cards, scored an impressive nine nominations, including nods for Drama Series and Lead Actor in a Drama. Its huge tally pushed Netflix’s total nomination count to 14 — not bad for a “network” best known for hosting old episodes of Saved by the Bell until this past winter.

For series star Kevin Spacey — who plays the devious Underwood — this amount of recognition is nothing short of revolutionary. “It’s such a big acknowledgement.

Acting guru and ex-Parisian pimp — seriously — James Lipton has never had trouble attracting big names to Inside the Actors Studio, which began airing on Bravo in 1994. Lipton’s first interview was with former Actors Studio president Paul Newman; the show’s first season also featured heavy hitters like Alec Baldwin, Sally Field, Dennis Hopper, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, and Stephen Sondheim.

Nearly 20 years later, Lipton has chatted with hundreds of boldfaced names both awe-inspiring (Meryl Streep! Morgan Freeman! ) and… occasionally less awe-inspiring (was anyone really yearning to hear J. Lo describe her craft?). And naturally, those visits have produced days...

Bradley Cooper may be an Oscar nominee now, but at one point he was just an up-and-coming second-year actor with a whole bunch of questions. For Sean Penn. So he went where all actors with questions go: Inside the Actor's Studio. In this clip from 1999, a 24-year-old Bradley takes the mic to ask the Dead Man Walking actor a question about Hurlyburly. Penn's answer? Who really cares, we just like watching Bradley Cooper before he was Bradley Cooper. And ladies? He's a really good listener. Like, he doesn't just listen, he listens. Who knew 12 years later Cooper would have his very own Inside the Actor's Studio episode. Someone go skim through the kids who asked him...

• Johnny Depp is in talks to star in Transcendence, the directorial debut of A-list cinematographer (and noted Avengers non-fan) Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight Rises, Moneyball, Inception). The plot is top secret at this point, though given the title, we’re thinking undead pirates are likely not involved. First-time feature screenwriter Jack Paglen penned the script. [Variety]

• In other intriguing-projects-being-kept-under-wraps news, Bradley Cooper is in preliminary talks to join Emma Stone in writer-director Cameron Crowe’s next untitled project — about which we know nothing other than it is destined to have a killer soundtrack. [Deadline]

• The Amazing Spider-Man’s Rhys Ifans has...