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Cornell, Katharine

(Encyclopedia)Cornell, Katharine, 1898–1974, American actress, b. Berlin. Cornell made her debut in 1916 with the Washington Square Players. In 1921 she married Guthrie McClintic, a producer-director. From their ...

Colbert, Claudette

(Encyclopedia)Colbert, Claudette klōdĕtˈ kôlbĕrˈ [key], 1903–96, American movie actress, b. Paris as Lily Chauchoin. Known for her rosy cheeks, velvet voice, hearty laugh, and curly bangs, Colbert distingui...

Finnbogadóttir, Vigdís

(Encyclopedia)Finnbogadóttir, Vigdís vĭgˈdēs fĭnˌbōgədôˈtĭr [key], 1930–, Icelandic teacher and politician, president of Iceland (1980–96). She first became a public figure as the director of the Re...

Haley, Alex

(Encyclopedia)Haley, Alex (Alexander Murray Palmer Haley), 1921–92, American writer, b. Ithaca, N.Y. Haley was for a time one of the most famous writers in the United States as the author of Roots: The Saga of an...

Goldmark, Peter Carl

(Encyclopedia)Goldmark, Peter Carl, 1906–77, Hungarian-American engineer, b. Budapest. He studied at the Univ. of Vienna (B.S., 1929, Ph.D., 1931); worked for a radio company in England (1931–33). After emigrat...

Nagin, Ray

(Encyclopedia)Nagin, Ray (Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr.), 1956–, African-American politician, b. New Orleans. A Louisiana cable-television executive before entering politics, Nagin won the 2002 mayoral election handily...

Morricone, Ennio

(Encyclopedia)Morricone, Ennio, 1928–2020, Italian composer. Most famous for his film scores for 1960s spaghetti westerns, he also composed for comedies, historical dramas, and thrillers. Combining music with hau...

Lindgren, Astrid

(Encyclopedia)Lindgren, Astrid, 1907–2002, Swedish author of children's fiction, b. Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson. She worked as a secretary before turning to writing as a profession and later was a children's book...

Parton, Dolly

(Encyclopedia)Parton, Dolly, 1946–, country singer, songwriter, and actress, b. Sevier County, Tenn. Among the most popular country singers of the 1970s and 80s, Parton is known for her Nashville-style flamboyanc...

Welwyn Garden City

(Encyclopedia)Welwyn Garden City wĕlˈĭn [key], town (1991 pop. 40,665), Hertfordshire, E central England. It is a garden city, founded by Ebenezer Howard in 1920, as well as one of the new towns. Its industries ...