date_of_birth jay rifkin
Barry Levinson ( born April ___MASK11___ , 1942 ) is an American filmmaker , screenwriter , and actor . Levinson ' s best - known works are comedy - drama and drama films such as " Diner " ( 1982 ), " The Natural " ( 1984 ), " Good Morning , Vietnam " ( 1987 ), " Rain Man " ( 1988 ), " Bugsy " ( 1991 ), and " Wag the Dog " ( 1997 ). He won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on " Rain Man ", which also won the Academy Award for Best Picture . Richard Anthony " Cheech " Marin ( born July 13 , ___MASK73___ ) is an American comedian , actor , writer , voice actor and activist who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong , and as Don Johnson ' s partner , Insp . Joe Dominguez , on " Nash Bridges ". He has also voiced characters in several Disney productions , including " Oliver & Company ", " The Lion King ", " It ' s Tough to Be a Bug !", " Cars ", " Cars 2 " and " Beverly Hills Chihuahua ". James Jonah " Jim " Cummings ( born November ___MASK94___ , ___MASK20___ ) is an American voice actor and singer , who has appeared in almost 400 roles . He is known for voicing the title character from " Darkwing Duck ", Dr . Robotnik from " Sonic the Hedgehog ", and Pete . His other characters include Winnie the Pooh , Tigger , and the Tasmanian Devil . He has performed in numerous animated Disney and DreamWorks movies including " Aladdin ", " The Lion King ", " Balto ", " Antz ", " The Road to El Dorado ", " Shrek ", and " The Princess and the Frog ". He has also provided voice - over work for video games , such as " Icewind Dale ", " Fallout ", "", " Baldur ' s Gate ", " Mass Effect 2 ", "", "", "", and " Splatterhouse ". Caryn Elaine Johnson ( born November 13 , ___MASK34___ ), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg , is an American actress , comedian , author and television host . She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television and is one of the few entertainers who has won an Emmy Award , a Grammy Award , an Oscar , and a Tony Award . She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar . Moira Kelly ( born March ___MASK11___ , 1968 ) is an American actress . She is best known for the role of Donna Hayward in "", replacing Lara Flynn Boyle in this prequel to the 1990 TV Series " Twin Peaks ". She is also known for portraying Kate Moseley in the 1992 film " The Cutting Edge ", as well as single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama " One Tree Hill ", Dorothy Day in "", White House media consultant Mandy Hampton in the first season of " The West Wing ", and the voice of Simba ' s love interest Nala in " The Lion King " and its sequel "". She also played Hetty Kelly and Oona O ' Neill in " Chaplin " ( 1992 ). Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July ___MASK94___ , 1962 ), known professionally as Tom Cruise , is an American actor and producer . He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards . He started his career at age 19 in the film " Endless Love " ( 1981 ). After portraying supporting roles in " Taps " ( 1981 ) and " The Outsiders " ( 1983 ), his first leading role was in the romantic comedy " Risky Business ", released in ___MASK8___ . Cruise became a full - fledged movie star after starring as Pete " Maverick " Mitchell in the action drama " Top Gun " ( 1986 ). One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood , Cruise starred in several more successful films in the 1980s , including the dramas " The Color of Money " ( 1986 ), " Cocktail " ( ___MASK99___ ), " Rain Man " ( ___MASK99___ ), and " Born on the Fourth of July " ( 1989 ). The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually since the awards debuted in ___MASK54___ , by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) to producers working in the film industry and is the only category in which every member is eligible to submit a nomination . The actors or actresses in the film will not accept this award unless he or she produced the film . The Tragedy of Hamlet , Prince of Denmark , often shortened to Hamlet , is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between ___MASK21___ and 1602 . Set in the Kingdom of Denmark , the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle , Claudius , by the ghost of Hamlet ' s father , King Hamlet . Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne , also marrying his deceased brother ' s widow . " Hamlet " is Shakespeare ' s longest play , and is ranked among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature , with a story capable of " seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others ". The play likely was one of Shakespeare ' s most popular works during his lifetime , and still ranks among his most performed , topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford - upon - Avon since 1879 . It has inspired many other writers  from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch  and has been described as " the world ' s most filmed story after " Cinderella "". The story of Shakespeare ' s " Hamlet " was derived from the legend of Amleth , preserved by 13th - century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his " Gesta Danorum ", as subsequently retold by 16th - century scholar François de Belleforest . Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier ( hypothetical ) Elizabethan play known today as the " Ur - Hamlet ", though some scholars believe he himself wrote the " Ur - Hamlet ", later revising it to create the version of " Hamlet " we now have . He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor , Richard Burbage , the leading tragedian of Shakespeare ' s time . In the 400 years since its inception , the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century . The 62nd Academy Awards ceremony , presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ), honored the best films of ___MASK22___ and took place on March 26 , ___MASK80___ , at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at ___MASK11___ : 00 p . m . PST / 9 : 00 p . m . EST . During the ceremony , AMPAS presented Academy Awards ( commonly referred to as Oscars ) in 23 categories . The ceremony , televised in the United States by ABC , was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis . Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the first time . Three weeks earlier in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills , California on March 3 , the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Richard Dysart and Diane Ladd . Madge Dorita Walters - Sinclair ( April ___MASK2___ , ___MASK66___  December ___MASK98___ , 1995 ) was a Jamaican American actress , best known for her roles in " Cornbread , Earl and Me ", " Coming to America ", " Trapper John , M . D .", and the ABC TV miniseries " Roots ". She also voiced the character of Sarabi , Mufasa ' s mate and Simba ' s mother , in the animated feature film " The Lion King ". Sinclair won the 1991 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series for her role as Empress Josephine in " Gabriel ' s Fire ". Jay Rifkin is a music and film producer . Rifkin co - founded the company Media Ventures with Hans Zimmer , a childhood friend . As CEO of the company from ___MASK99___ , Rifkin partnered with Zimmer to produce and to compose . Media Ventures is a diverse entertainment group that includes music , new media , film and television . The partnership earned them numerous awards and nominations , including Academy Award nominations , for the film scores of Driving Miss Daisy , Rain Man and The Lion King . After the success of The Lion King , Rifkin conceived and produced the platinum - selling follow - up album Rhythm of the Pride Lands . Rifkin was also chairman of Media Revolution , an award - winning new media company , which he founded in 1977 . Media Revolution was part of Cyberia Holdings , which Rifkin was also CEO of , and Hans Zimmer the vice - president . He was also a founder of the film production company Media Ventures Pictures and a producer of the comedy Waiting ... . Rifkin was the managing partner of Media Ventures through his company Mojo Music , which he founded in 1995 . In 1995 , he started Mojo Records , which became a joint venture with Universal Records in 1996 , and after producing multiple gold and platinum records , Mojo Records was subsequently sold to Zomba / BMG in 2001 . From 2005 , Rifkin was chairman and CEO of China Youth Media Inc . , a youth marketing and media company focused on China . He resigned the position on June 21 , 2011 , when the company merged with Midwest Energy Emissions Corp . , for which Rifkin served as a Director , until 11 / 09 / 2015 . http :// www . otcmarkets . com / edgar / GetFilingHtml ? FilingID = 11011239 Valeria Golino ( born ___MASK26___ ___MASK78___ ) is an Italian actress and director . She is best known to English - language audiences for her roles in " Rain Man ", " Big Top Pee - wee " and the " Hot Shots !" films . In addition to David di Donatello , Silver Ribbon , Golden Ciak and Italian Golden Globe awards , she is also one of the three actresses who has won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival twice . Sir Elton Hercules John , ( born Reginald Kenneth Dwight ; ___MASK64___ March 1947 ) is an English singer , pianist , and composer . He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967 ; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date . In his five - decade career Elton John has sold more than 300million records , making him one of the best - selling music artists in the world . He has more than fifty Top 40 hits , including seven consecutive No . ___MASK90___ US albums , ___MASK30___ " Billboard " Top 40 singles , 27 Top 10 , four No . 2 and nine No . ___MASK90___ . For 31 consecutive years ( 1970  ___MASK15___ ) he had at least one song in the " Billboard " Hot 100 . His tribute single , re - penned in dedication to the late Princess Diana , " Candle in the Wind 1997 " sold over 33million copies worldwide and is the best - selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts . He has also composed music , produced records , and has occasionally acted in films . John owned Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987 , and 1997 to 2002 . He is an honorary Life President of the club , and in 2014 had a stand named after him at the club ' s home stadium . The Disney Renaissance is the era from ___MASK22___ to ___MASK52___ during which Walt Disney Feature Animation ( renamed Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2006 ) experienced a creative resurgence in producing successful animated films based on well - known stories , which restored public and critical interest in The Walt Disney Company as a whole . William Shakespeare ( 26 ___MASK33___ ( baptised )  ___MASK36___ April 1616 ) was an English : poet , : playwright , and actor , widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world ' s pre - eminent dramatist . He is often called England ' s national poet , and the " Bard of Avon ". His extant works , including collaborations , consist of approximately ___MASK55___ plays , 154 sonnets , two long narrative poems , and a few other verses , some of uncertain authorship . His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright . Dustin Lee Hoffman ( born August ___MASK16___ , ___MASK79___ ) is an American actor and a director , with a career in film , television , and theatre since 1960 . Matthew Broderick ( born March 21 , ___MASK25___ ) is an American actor and singer . His roles include the title character in " Ferris Bueller ' s Day Off " ( 1986 ) for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor  Motion Picture Musical or Comedy , the adult voice of Simba in Disney ' s " The Lion King " trilogy ( ___MASK1___  2004 ), David Lightman in the Cold War thriller " WarGames ", and Leo Bloom in the Broadway production of " The Producers ". Rhythm of the Pride Lands is an audio CD released on February ___MASK2___ , ___MASK3___ by Walt Disney Records , a " sequel " to the original motion picture soundtrack of the animated film " The Lion King ". The CD was originally an independent project developed by Jay Rifkin and Lebo M and included songs and performances inspired by , but not featured in the film . As the project developed Disney came on board and supported the project . Most of the tracks were composed by African composer Lebo M and producer Jay Rifkin and focused primarily on the African influences of the film ' s original music , with most songs being sung either partially or entirely in various African languages . Several songs featured in the album would later have incarnations in other " The Lion King "- oriented projects , inspiring Julie Taymor ' s stage musical or the direct - to - video sequels , such as " He Lives in You ". As of April 1997 , the album had sold more than ___MASK76___ , 000 copies and by October ___MASK89___ was certified platinum . James Earl Jones ( born January ___MASK57___ , ___MASK29___ ) is an American actor . His career has spanned more than 60 years , and he has been described as " one of America ' s most distinguished and versatile " actors and " one of the greatest actors in American history ." Since his Broadway debut in ___MASK69___ , Jones has won many awards , including a Tony Award and Golden Globe Award for his role in " The Great White Hope ". Jones has won three Emmy Awards , including two in the same year in 1991 , and he also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the film version of " The Great White Hope ". He is also known for his voice roles as Darth Vader in the " Star Wars " film series and Mufasa in Disney ' s " The Lion King " as well as many other film , stage , and television roles . Donald Paul Hahn ( born November ___MASK64___ , 1955 ) is an American film producer who is credited with producing some of the most successful animated films in recent history including " The Lion King " and " Beauty and the Beast ", the first animated film to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture . He currently is Executive Producer of the Disneynature films , and owns his own film production company , Stone Circle Pictures . Robert R . " Rob " Minkoff ( born August ___MASK46___ , ___MASK25___ ) is an American filmmaker . He is known for directing the double Academy Award  winning animated feature " The Lion King " ( along with Roger Allers ). Ernest " Ernie " Sabella ( born September ___MASK72___ , ___MASK13___ ) is an American actor and voice actor , who is best known for his role as the voice of Pumbaa from " The Lion King " film series . Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance . The term comes from a Greek word meaning " action " ( Classical Greek : , " drama "), which is derived from " to do " ( Classical Greek : , " drao "). The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy . They are symbols of the ancient Greek Muses , Thalia , and Melpomene . Thalia was the Muse of comedy ( the laughing face ), while Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy ( the weeping face ). Considered as a genre of poetry in general , the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since Aristotle ' s " Poetics " ( c . ___MASK50___ BCE ) the earliest work of dramatic theory . Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and a division of Walt Disney Studios , owned by The Walt Disney Company . The division is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank , California , and is the main producer of live - action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit . It took on its current name in ___MASK58___ . Today , in conjunction with the other units of Walt Disney Studios , Walt Disney Pictures is classified as one of Hollywood ' s " Big Six " film studios . Jonathan Taylor Thomas ( born Jonathan Taylor Weiss ; September ___MASK16___ , ___MASK68___ ) is an American actor , voice actor , former child star , and teen idol . He is known for his roles as the middle child Randy Taylor on " Home Improvement ", and as the voice of the young Simba in Disney ' s ___MASK1___ film " The Lion King ". The Last Samurai is a ___MASK67___ American epic historical war film directed and co - produced by Edward Zwick , who also co - wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz . The film stars Tom Cruise , who also co - produced , with Timothy Spall , Ken Watanabe , Billy Connolly , Tony Goldwyn , Hiroyuki Sanada , Koyuki , and Shin Koyamada in supporting roles . Robert Guillaume ( born Robert Peter Williams ; November ___MASK59___ , ___MASK47___ ) is an American stage and television actor , known for his role as Benson on the TV - series " Soap " and the spin - off " Benson ", voicing the mandrill Rafiki in " The Lion King " and as Isaac Jaffe on " Sports Night ". In a career that has spanned more than 50 years he has worked extensively on stage ( including a Tony Award nomination ), television ( including winning two Emmy Awards ), and film . Hans Florian Zimmer ( born ___MASK74___ September ___MASK69___ ) is a German composer and record producer . Since the 1980s , he has composed music for over ___MASK19___ films . His works include " The Lion King ", for which he won Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1994 , the " Pirates of the Caribbean " series , " The Thin Red Line ", " Gladiator ", " The Last Samurai ", " The Dark Knight Trilogy ", " Inception ", and " Interstellar ". Sir Timothy Miles Bindon " Tim " Rice ( born ___MASK85___ November 1944 ) is an English author and Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , Tony Award , and Grammy Award - winning lyricist . He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber , with whom he wrote " Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ", " Jesus Christ Superstar ", and " Evita "; with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA , with whom he wrote " Chess "; for additional songs for the 2011 West End revival of " The Wizard of Oz "; and for his work for Walt Disney Studios with Alan Menken (" Aladdin , Beauty and the Beast , King David "), Elton John (" The Lion King ", " Aida ", " The Road to El Dorado ") and Ennio Morricone . Nathan Lane ( born Joseph Lane ; February ___MASK94___ , ___MASK84___ ) is an American stage , film and television actor and writer . He is known for his roles as Albert in " The Birdcage ", Max Bialystock in the musical " The Producers ", Ernie Smuntz in " MouseHunt ", Nathan Detroit in " Guys and Dolls ", Pseudolus in " A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ", his voice work in " Stuart Little " as Snowbell the cat and " The Lion King " as Timon the meerkat , and his recurring roles on " Modern Family ", " The Good Wife ", and "" as F . Lee Bailey . In 2006 , Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and in 2008 , he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame . Roger Allers ( born ___MASK13___ ) is an American film director , screenwriter , storyboard artist , animator and playwright . He is most well known for co - directing the highest - grossing 2D animated film of all time , Walt Disney Animation Studios ' " The Lion King ", and for writing the Broadway adaptation , " The Lion King ". The Lion King is a ___MASK1___ American animated epic musical film , produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures . It is the 32nd Disney animated feature film . The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by William Shakespeare ' s " Hamlet ". The film was produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance . " The Lion King " was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff , produced by Don Hahn , and has a screenplay credited to Irene Mecchi , Jonathan Roberts , and Linda Woolverton . Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice , and original scores were written by Hans Zimmer . The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick , James Earl Jones , Jeremy Irons , Jonathan Taylor Thomas , Moira Kelly , Nathan Lane , Ernie Sabella , Rowan Atkinson , Robert Guillaume , Madge Sinclair , Whoopi Goldberg , Cheech Marin , and Jim Cummings . Barry Morrow ( born June ___MASK74___ , ___MASK41___ ) is an American screenwriter and producer . He wrote the story and co - wrote the screenplay for " Rain Man ". Irene Mecchi is an American writer for television , movies , newspapers , and Broadway . Originally from San Francisco , she started her work with Disney in March ___MASK96___ , when she wrote " Recycle Rex ", an animated short film which won the 1994 Environmental Media Award . Irene has worked on Herb Caen ' s books , and is the co - screenwriter of Disney animated movies such as " The Lion King ", " The Hunchback of Notre Dame ", and " Hercules ". With co - author Roger Allers , she received a ___MASK89___ Tony nomination for writing the book for " The Lion King ". Irene wrote the teleplay for " Annie ", which aired on ABC in 1999 . At the 62nd Academy Awards in ___MASK80___ , " Driving Miss Daisy " received nine nominations , and won the Academy Award for Best Picture , Best Actress , Best Makeup , and Best Adapted Screenplay . Rowan Sebastian Atkinson , CBE ( born ___MASK11___ January 1955 ) is an English actor , comedian , and screenwriter best known for his work on the sitcoms " Blackadder " and " Mr . Bean ". Atkinson first came to prominence in the BBC ' s sketch comedy show " Not the Nine O ' Clock News " ( 1979  82 ), receiving the 1981 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance , and via his participation in The Secret Policeman ' s Ball from 1979 . His other work includes the 1983 James Bond film " Never Say Never Again ", playing a bumbling vicar in " Four Weddings and a Funeral " ( 1994 ), voicing the red - billed hornbill Zazu in " The Lion King " ( 1994 ), and featuring in the BBC sitcom " The Thin Blue Line " ( 1995  1996 ). His work in theatre includes the 2009 West End revival of the musical " Oliver !". Africa is the world ' s second - largest and second - most - populous continent . At about ___MASK59___ . ___MASK94___ million km² ( 11 . ___MASK56___ million square miles ) including adjacent islands , it covers ___MASK11___ % of Earth ' s total surface area and 20 . 4 % of its total land area . With 1 . 1 billion people as of 2013 , it accounts for about 15 % of the world ' s human population . The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north , both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast , the Indian Ocean to the southeast , and the Atlantic Ocean to the west . The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos . It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states ( countries ), nine territories and two " de facto " independent states with limited or no recognition . Rain Man is a ___MASK99___ American road comedy - drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass . It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish young wheeler - dealer , Charlie Babbitt ( Tom Cruise ), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion - dollar estate to his other son , Raymond ( Dustin Hoffman ), an autistic savant , of whose existence Charlie was unaware . Charlie is left with only his father ' s car and collection of rose bushes . In addition to the two leads , Valeria Golino stars as Charlie ' s girlfriend , Susanna . Inception is a ___MASK14___ science fiction heist thriller film written , co - produced , and directed by Christopher Nolan , and co - produced by Emma Thomas . The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious , and is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased as payment for a seemingly impossible task : " inception ", the implantation of another person ' s idea into a target ' s subconscious . The ensemble cast additionally includes Ellen Page , Joseph Gordon - Levitt , Marion Cotillard , Ken Watanabe , Tom Hardy , Dileep Rao , Cillian Murphy , Tom Berenger , and Michael Caine . Linda Woolverton ( born December ___MASK72___ , ___MASK20___ ) is an American screenwriter , playwright , and novelist , whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals . She became the first woman to write an animated feature for Disney by writing the screenplay of " Beauty and the Beast ", the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards . She also wrote the screenplay of " The Lion King ", and adapted her own " Beauty and the Beast " screenplay into the book of the Broadway adaptation of the film , receiving a Tony Award nomination for this . Ronald Bass ( born March 26 , ___MASK49___ ), sometimes credited as Ron Bass , is an American screenwriter . Also a film producer , Bass ' s work is characterized as being highly in demand , and he is thought to be among the most highly paid writers in Hollywood . He is often called the " King of the Pitches ". In ___MASK99___ , he received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for " Rain Man ", and films that Bass is associated with are regularly nominated for multiple motion picture awards .