| Christopher Guest | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher Haden-Guest February 5, 1948 New York City, New York, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Jamie Lee Curtis (1984-) |
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948), is a British-American comedian, actor, writer, director, musician and Grammy Award-winning composer known as Christopher Guest. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22 1958 is a two-time Golden Globe -winning BAFTA -winning and Emmy -nominated American Film Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He is most famous for having written, directed and starred in several "mockumentary" films of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work He is frequently seen as the leader of a repertory film troupe, because he tends to re-use a core of actors from one film to the next. For other meanings of repertory please see Repertory (disambiguation.
He principally works in American film and television, despite holding a minor peerage in the United Kingdom. The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located That barony has given him an additional measure of celebrity in the UK. A barony is an Administrative division of a country usually of lower rank and importance than a County. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located He has publicly expressed a desire to see the House of Lords reformed as a democratically-elected chamber. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" Despite initial activity in the Lords, his career there was cut short by the House of Lords Act 1999. The House of Lords Act 1999 (1999 c 34 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999
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Background
Guest was born in New York City, the son of Peter Haden-Guest, a British United Nations diplomat who later became 4th Baron Haden-Guest, and his second wife, Jean Pauline Hindes, a CBS executive. The City of New York Peter Haden Haden-Guest 4th Baron Haden-Guest ( 29 August 1913 &ndash 8 April 1996) the 4th Baron Haden-Guest of Saling in the County of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Guest's maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia,[1] [2] while a paternal great-grandfather was Colonel Albert Goldsmid, a British Jew who founded the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade[3]. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Colonel Albert Edward W Goldsmid MVO ( 6 October, 1846 Pune, Maharashtra - 27 March 1904) was the The Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade (JLGB is England's oldest Jewish youth movement Guest spent parts of his childhood in his father's native UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Although both of his parents were born Jewish, they became atheists and Guest had no religious upbringing [1]. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Atheism
Guest attended The High School of Music & Art (New York City), studying classical music (clarinet). The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" was a public alternative high school at 443-465 West 135th Street New He later took up the mandolin and became interested in country music. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. He also played guitar with Arlo Guthrie, who went to the same school. Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10 1947 is an American folk singer Guest later began performing with bluegrass bands until he took up rock and roll. Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African [4].
Peerage and heirs
Guest became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, of Saling in the County of Essex, when his father died in 1996. Baron Haden-Guest, of Saling in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common He succeeded upon the ineligibility of his older brother, Anthony Haden-Guest, who was born prior to the marriage of his parents. Anthony Haden-Guest (born 2 February 1937) is a British-American Writer, Reporter, Cartoonist, Art critic, In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the According to an article in The Guardian, Guest attended the House of Lords regularly until the House of Lords Act 1999 barred most hereditary peers from their seats. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The House of Lords Act 1999 (1999 c 34 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999 In the article Guest remarked:
| “ | There's no question that the old system was unfair. I mean, why should you be born to this? But now it's all just sheer cronyism. The Prime Minister can put in whoever he wants and bus them in to vote. The Upper House should be an elected body, it's that simple. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" | ” |
Guest married actress Jamie Lee Curtis in 1984 at the home of their mutual friend Rob Reiner. Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22 1958 is a two-time Golden Globe -winning BAFTA -winning and Emmy -nominated American Film Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American Actor, director, producer, Writer, and They have two adopted children: Anne (born 1986) and Thomas (born 1996). Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born As Guest's children are adopted, they cannot inherit the family barony under the terms of the letters patent that created it, though a 2004 Royal Warrant addressing the style of a peer's adopted children states that they can use courtesy titles. Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The current heir presumptive to the barony is Guest's brother, the actor Nicholas Haden-Guest. An heir presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne peerage or other hereditary honor but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an Heir apparent Nicholas Haden-Guest (born May 5, 1955) is an American actor He primarily works as a voice actor, but is best known for a TV role as the
Career
1970s
Among Guest's earliest works are contributions to The National Lampoon Radio Hour in the early 1970s as well as various National Lampoon audio recordings. The National Lampoon Radio Hour was a comedy Radio show which was created produced and initially written by people from National Lampoon magazine. He both performed comic characters (Flash Bazbo-Space Explorer, Mr. Rogers, music critic Roger de Swans, and sleazy record company rep Ron Fields) and also wrote, arranged and performed numerous musical parodies. He was also featured alongside Chevy Chase and John Belushi in the Off-Broadway revue National Lampoon's Lemmings. Cornelius Crane “Chevy” Chase (born October 8 1943 is an American Emmy Award-winning Comedian, Writer, and television and film John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. One of his earliest films includes a bit part as a beat cop in Death Wish 1974 starring Charles Bronson.
1980s
Guest had a one-season stint, 1984-85, as a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live. The early eighties Doumanian's season For much of the decade SNL was in turmoil and many critics wrote the show off as a pale imitation of its former glory The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Recurring characters on SNL played by Guest include: Frankie, of Willie and Frankie (two co-workers who recount in detail physically painful situations in which they've found themselves); Herb Minkman, a shady novelty toymaker with a brother named Al (played by Billy Crystal); Rajeev Vindaloo, an eccentric foreign man in the same vein as Andy Kaufman's Latka character from Taxi; and Senor Cosa, a Spanish ventriloquist often seen on the recurring spoof of The Joe Franklin Show. William Edward "Billy" Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is an American Golden Globe Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (January 17 1949 &ndash May 16 1984 was an American Entertainer, Actor and Performance artist While often referred Taxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC, and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. Joe Franklin (born Joseph Fortgang on March 9 1926, Bronx New York) is an American radio and television personality
He has also appeared as Count Rugen in The Princess Bride, Charlie Ford in The Long Riders, Lord Cromer in Mrs Henderson Presents and Dr. Count Tyrone Rugen is a character in William Goldman 's 1973 novel The Princess Bride. The Princess Bride is a 1987 film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining Comedy, The Long Riders is a 1980 Western directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Mrs Henderson Presents is a Academy Award nominated comedy film of 2005 directed by Stephen Frears. Stone in A Few Good Men. A Few Good Men is a play by Aaron Sorkin, first produced on Broadway by David Brown in 1989 He had a cameo role as Dylan, a smarmy pedestrian, in the 1986 remake of The Little Shop of Horrors. Little Shop of Horrors is the 1986 musical Film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical comedy of the same name The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 Comedy film directed by Roger Corman. As a co-writer and director, Guest made the Hollywood satire The Big Picture
Guest's biggest role of the first two decades of his career, however, is likely that of Nigel Tufnel in the 1984 "rockumentary" film This Is Spinal Tap. Nigel Tufnel (1945- is the fictional Lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The term rockumentary is a Neologism denoting a program on Television or movie documentary about Rock music or its This Is Spın̈al Tap (officially spelled with a non-functional umlaut over the letter 'n' and dotless 'i' is a 1984 mock Rockumentary Amplifier manufacturers actually began to produce amps with knobs going up to 11 (rather than the traditional scale of 10), as a result of a popular scene where a benighted Tufnel proudly shows off such an amp, believing it to be louder. An instrument amplifier is an Electronic amplifier that converts the inaudible electric or electronic signal from musical instruments such as an Electric guitar " Up to eleven " or " these go to eleven " is an Idiom from Popular culture which has come to refer to anything being exploited to "This one goes to 11!" has become something of a meme among musicians ever since. A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation [5] Guest made his first appearance as Tufnel on the 1978 sketch comedy program The TV Show, and appears as Tufnel most recently in a television ad for Volkswagen.
1990s-present
The experience of having made Spinal Tap would directly inform the second phase of his career. Starting in 1996, Guest began writing, directing and acting in his own series of heavily improvised films. Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Many of them would come to be definitional examples of what came to be known as "mockumentaries"
- Waiting for Guffman (1996) - as Corky St. Waiting for Guffman is a musical Mockumentary starring co-written and directed by Christopher Guest that was released in 1997 The year 1996 in film involved some significant events Major releases this year included Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient Clair
- Best in Show (2000) - as Harlan Pepper
- A Mighty Wind (2003) - as Alan Barrows
- For Your Consideration (2006) - as Jay Berman
His frequent writing partner is Eugene Levy. Best in Show ( 2000) is a Mockumentary that follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show. The year 2000 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films Please note that following the tradition of the A Mighty Wind is a 2003 pseudo-documentary about a Folk music reunion concert and the three groups that must come together to perform on national television The year 2003 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings The Return For Your Consideration is a 2006 comedy film directed by Christopher Guest. Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian Emmy - and Grammy Award -winning Actor, Television director Together, Levy, Guest and a small band of other actors have formed a loose repertory, which appear across the several films. For other meanings of repertory please see Repertory (disambiguation. These include Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Harry Shearer and Fred Willard. Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian - American Emmy and Gemini Award Michael John McKean (born October 17 1947) is an American actor comedian composer and musician perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend Parker Christian Posey (born November 8 1968 is an American actress. Jane Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American Writer, Actress, Comedian, and Singer best known for her roles For the Australian metallurgist and businessman see John Michael Higgins (metallurgist; for other people named John Higgins see John Higgins (disambiguation Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American comedic Actor, Writer, Musician, and radio host Fred Willard (born September 18 1939 He also appeared as KVWN news director "Ed Harken" in Anchorman The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and in American Guest and Levy write backgrounds for each of the characters and notecards for each specific scene, outlining the plot, and then leave it up to the actors to improvise the dialogue, which is supposed to result in a much more natural conversation than scripted dialogue would. Each of these movies also shares a hallmark plot development, where the movie leads up to some kind of a highly anticipated performance, or the outcome of a performance. This could reflect Guest's background in theater, and simply a kind of meta-commentary, as a real performance is of course what is being improvised for the duration. Notably, everyone who appears in these movies receives the same fee, and the same portion of profits[5].
Despite making a number of mockumentaries, Guest himself dislikes the term. He maintains that his intention is not to mock anyone, but to explore insular, perhaps obscure communities through his method of filmmaking. When pressed in a 2003 interview by Charlie Rose, however, he could not provide a word to substitute for "mockumentary" [5]. Charlie Rose (born Charles Peete Rose Jr, on January 5, 1942) is an American TV interviewer and journalist
He had a guest voice-over role in the popular children's show SpongeBob SquarePants as SpongeBob's cousin, Stanley. SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series and Media franchise.
Guest will appear in the upcoming 2009 comedy This Side of the Truth. This Side of the Truth is an upcoming Comedy film, directed by Ricky Gervais and Matt Robinson from their own script
Off-stage demeanor
Guest is sometimes off-putting in interviews and promotional appearances, having been described by reviewer Warren Etheredge as "rude, condescending and intolerable. "[6] as well as with people who have met him outside of the work environment, because contrary to expectations of him as a comedian he often seems deadpan, even dour. Of this, Guest has said, "People want me to be funny all the time. They think I'm being funny no matter what I say or do and that's not the case. I rarely joke unless I'm in front of a camera. It's not what I am in real life. It's what I do for a living. "[7]
References
- ^ a b Rosen, Steven (2006-11-16). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published "Want to spoof Purim and the Oscars? Be our Guest!". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles 21 (39).
- ^ Witchel, Alex. "The Shape-Shifter", The New York Times, 2006-11-12. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
- ^ A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe. thePeerage. com (2006-11-12). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
- ^ Guest, Christopher. "interview with Terry Gross", Fresh Air, National Public Radio, WHYY, Philadelphia, 1989-09-14. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.
- ^ a b c Charlie Rose interview with Christopher Guest, 2003
- ^ Dizon, Dristin. "If it's happening in Seattle, you can bet movie lover Warren Etheredge is in the loop", SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, March 30. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia.
- ^ Hobson, Louis B. "Guest Shots", canoe. ca, October 10. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708)
External links
- Christopher Guest at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview for release of A Mighty Wind
- Interview with Christopher Guest
- Terry Gross Interview with Christopher Guest - September 14, 1989.
| Preceded by Brad Hall |
Weekend Update as Saturday Night News 1984–1985 |
Succeeded by Dennis Miller |
| Preceded by Peter Haden-Guest |
Baron Haden-Guest 1996 – present |
Incumbent |
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