Tom Hanks' mother, Portuguese-American Janet Marylyn Frager (born in Alameda County, California, on January 18, 1932), was a hospital worker; the two divorced in 1960. The family's three oldest children, Sandra (now Sandra Hanks Benoiton, a writer), Larry (now Lawrence M. Hanks, Ph.D., an entomology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Tom, went with their father, while the youngest, Jim, now an actor and film maker, remained with his mother in Red Bluff, California. Afterwards, both parents remarried. Hanks's first stepmother came to the marriage with five children of her own. Tom Hanks once told Rolling Stone: "Everybody in my family likes each other. But there were always about 50 people at the house. I didn't exactly feel like an outsider, but I was sort of outside it." That marriage ended in divorce after just two years.
In 2006, Jennifer Aniston appeared in the low-budget drama, Friends with Money, which was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival, received a limited release. Aniston's next film, The Break-Up opposite Vince Vaughn, which was released on June 2, grossed approximately $39.17 million during its opening weekend, despite lukewarm reviews. In 2006, Aniston directed a hospital emergency room-set short film called Room 10, starring Robin Wright Penn and Kris Kristofferson. Jennifer Aniston has noted that she was inspired to direct by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also directed a short film in 2006.
Taylor Swift released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", in mid-2006, reaching #6 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Songs chart. Her self-titled debut album was later released on October 24, 2006. Debuting high on the Billboard 200, the album sold 39,000 copies during its first week. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and #5 on the Billboard 200. Her debut album spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the Top Country Albums charts and remained at the top for 24 out of 91 weeks. The only other country artists this decade to achieve the number-one sales position for 20 weeks or more are The Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood.
Brooke Burke is the oldest of nine children born to Donna and George Burke. Is of Irish, French, and Portuguese ancestry. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Tucson, Arizona. Brooke Burke attended both Sahuaro High School and Palo Verde High School in Tucson, and later studied broadcast journalism at UCLA.
In 2000, Beyonce Knowles signed a three-album deal with Columbia Records. While Knowles was with Destiny's Child, she made solo appearances. Beyonce Knowles made a duet with label mate Marc Nelson on the song "After All Is Said and Done" for the soundtrack to the 1999 film The Best Man, and featured on the 2000 single "I Got That" by rapper Amil.
Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of Vicki Marshall, a private school teacher, and George Remini, who owned an asbestos removal company. Her mother was of Austrian Jewish background and her father was Sicilian. Leah Remini has an older sister, Nicole Remini (born 1969), who was her assistant on The King of Queens. Leah Remini also has four half-sisters, including Christina (born 1969).
Cameron Diaz returned to mainstream films with the major box office successes My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and There's Something About Mary (1998), a film for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Actress — Musical or Comedy. Cameron Diaz received critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards, and the SAG Awards.
Amanda Bynes opposite Frankie Muniz. Her first solo leading role was in 2003's What a Girl Wants as Daphne Reynolds, co-starring with Colin Firth, Oliver James and Kelly Preston. Subsequently, Amanda Bynes starred in The WB Television Network's sitcom What I Like About You and had voice parts in 2003's Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure and 2005's CGI animated comedy, Robots. Amanda Bynes also co-starred in an episode of The Nightmare Room as Danielle Warner, and in Arliss as Crystal Dupree.
Gerard Butler was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the youngest of three children of Margaret and Edward Butler. Gerard Butler was brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family and spent the first few years of his life in Montreal, Canada, before returning to live in Scotland. His family originates from all around the Republic of Ireland. Gerard Butler received a Certificate of Bravery from the Royal Humane Society for rescuing a drowning girl named Ghita when filming a movie in 1997. Before aspiring an actor's career, Gerard Butler studied law at the University of Glasgow, he became the president of the Law Society. Then Gerard Butler took time off to go to California.
Catherine Bell is fluent in Persian and English. Catherine Bell is fond of skiing, snowboarding and kick-boxing, which she has been practicing for over 10 years. Her hobbies include cross-stitching and making model cars, which she has done since age 8. Catherine Bell met actor/production assistant Adam Beason on the set of Death Becomes Her in 1992 (where she was the body-double for Isabella Rossellini), and they were married on May 8, 1994. They have a daughter, Gemma, who was born on April 16, 2003. Catherine Bell and Adam Beason are currently expecting their second child, a boy in late Summer 2010.
