5 random things that happened on this day, December 8th, in showbiz history
1861 Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès born in Paris to boot factory owners. He would eventually become a stage magician and then in the early days of the silent era, a popular filmmaker. He is often regarded as the father of visual effects so he really ought to be more canonized given that that's the kind of movie the public cares most about for many many years now. You might recall Ben Kingsley played him in Scorsese's Hugo.
Gene Kelly, Meryl Streep, and Matthias Schoenaerts after the jump...
1949 The Gene Kelly musical comedy On the Town has its premiere in NYC though it strangely waits until after Christmas for a general release. It wins the Oscar for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (a now defunct category that ran from 1942 through 1962... one of Oscar's many experiments in trying to figure out what to do with musicals onscreen.
1970 John Cassavettes Husbands opens in US theaters. Happy 50th to the film which received a Golden Globe nomination for its screenplay.
1978 ...AND 1982 ...AND 1989 December 8th is a Meryl Streep kind of day in history. It's the day that The Deer Hunter premiered (the first of two consecutive Best Picture winners she starred in and received Supporting Actress nominations for). It's also the day Sophie's Choice would open four years later, cementing her legend as a thespian and then-new leading lady status. AND (no really) it's the day that She-Devil hit theaters, her big transformational move in becoming a comedy star (which eventually worked) after a full decade as America's preeminent dramatic actress.
Today's Birthday Suit
Matthias Schoenaerts in "A Bigger Splash" one of many pictures in which he reveals his very European comfort sans clothing
Happy 43rd to 'the Belgian Brando' Matthias Schoenaerts born on this day in 1977 in Antwerp, Belgium to the popular stage actor Julien Schoenaerts and the costume designer Dominique Wiche. He made his first movie at 15 and became an international star by 34. He's currently in The Old Guard on Netflix. His next picture is the crime drama Brothers by Blood with Joel Kinnaman and then Terrence Malick's The Last Planet about the life of Christ in which he plays Peter. His Oscar-related titles in case you're curious:
- Daens (Belgium, 1992) His debut film at 15 (his father is also in it). Best Foreign Language Film Nominee
- Black Book (The Netherlands, 2006) Oscar-Finalist for Foreign Language Film
- Bullhead (Belgium, 2011) Best Foreign Language Film Nominee
- Rust & Bone (France, 2012) Marion Cotillard nearly snagged a Best Actress nomination for this brutal but mesmerizing romantic drama (if the precursors were accurate). Sadly it didn't come to pass.
- Death of a Shadow (Belgium, 2012) Best Live Action Short Nominee
- The Danish Girl (UK/US, 2015) four Oscar nominations with 1 win (Alicia Vikander for Best "Supporting" Actress)
- Racer and the Jailbird (Belgium, 2017) Oscar-submission for Foreign Language Film
Other showbiz types born on this day (NOT a complete list): Oscar winner Kim Basinger, Hobbit Dominic Monaghan, Bill who was Killed David Carradine, entertainment legend Sammy Davis Jr, Director most likely to make you want to remodel your house Nancy Meyers, Oscar winning actor and multi-hyphenate talent Maximillian Schell, Mrs Tony Leung Chiu Wai and star in her own right Carina Lau, Oscar winning Makeup legend Rick Baker, and queer Argentinian director Marco Berger.