(Encyclopedia) Brooks, Mel, 1927–, American film director, writer, actor, and producer, b. Brooklyn, NY as Melvin Kaminsky. His earliest work was in television, notably as a gag writer for Sid Caesar…
(Encyclopedia) Law, Andrew BonarLaw, Andrew Bonarbŏnˈər [key], 1858–1923, British statesman, b. Canada. He went to Scotland as a boy and in 1900, after a business career, was elected to Parliament as…
(Encyclopedia) Morgenthau, HenryMorgenthau, Henrymôrˈgənthô [key], 1856–1946, American banker, diplomat, and philanthropist, b. Germany; father of Henry Morgenthau, Jr. He emigrated to the United…
(Encyclopedia) Hauser, KasparHauser, Kasparkäsˈpär houˈzər [key], 1812?–1833, mysterious German foundling. He appeared in Nuremberg in 1828 in a state of semi-idiocy, producing dubious documents and…
(Encyclopedia) Joseph, one of the heroes of the patriarchal narratives of the Book of Genesis. He is presented as the favored son of Jacob and Rachel, sold as a boy into slavery by his brothers, who…
(Encyclopedia) Ptolemy V (Ptolemy Epiphanes)Ptolemy Vtŏlˈəmē [key]Ptolemy Vĭpĭfˈənēz [key], d. 180 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (205–180 b.c.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy IV. He…
(Encyclopedia) Oberlin, Russell Keys, 1928–2016, American countertenor, b. Akron, Ohio, grad. Juilliard, 1951. A boy soprano, he sang in his church choir and on the radio, and won a nationwide radio…
actorBorn: 1/9/1925Birthplace: Somerville, New Jersey With the ideal looks for a villain, Van Cleef found himself typecast as the heavy in crime stories, westerns, and action films. He played in a…
(William Stacey Burr)actorBorn: 5/21/1917Birthplace: New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada A heavy-set character actor, he gained fame playing mainly bad guys, as the murderer in Hitchcock's…