Actor Report

(4 points)

Pick an actor from the list below and prepare a report that will address the points listed. You may not be able to find all of this information, but find as much as you can. I have purposely chosen actors that I know have done stage, film, and TV work. Many are known as "actor's actors" because they tend to be more interested the artistic quality of the projects they undertake rather than merely accumulating wealth and celebrity. You may also not have heard of them--my intention is to expose you to fine actors who are not celebrities. They deserve to be more widely known. Be adventurous, don't be afraid to learn something new, pick one you've don't know anything about.

1. Vital Statistics: Real name, place of birth, real age, ethnicity, height, hair and eye color, family background and other important biographical facts
   
2. Picture: Attach or insert a picture showing the actor either as him/herself or as a character.
   
3. Education & Training: List schools, classes, or workshops from which they obtained their higher education and professional training.
   
4. Productions/Roles: list in columns only the most important organized into stage, film, and TV categories; be selective, don't give an endless list of everything they've ever done. Indicate which was their breakthrough role in each category.
   
5. Interview: Find an interview with this actor and select some quotes which seem to reveal some important insights as to this actor's views about the craft of acting, not gossip or other matters.
   
6. Awards: List highest awards or nominations (Oscar, Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe). Avoid more obscure honors unless that's all they've won.
   
7. Web Sites & Media Articles: a) List and evaluate the best three or four Web sites containing info on this actor. Be sure to show the complete URL so that I can visit them. b) List two articles you read from a newspaper or magazine with the title, date, and page numbers if hard copy and also the URL of the source if found on the publication's online website.
   
8. Their Work: Rent a video (or watch a TV program) that you have not seen before that features this actor. Based upon what you observed describe what makes this actor's work special or unique. Be sure to use some of the terminology about acting that you have learned.

The Best Actors You May Never Have Heard Of List

Jeffrey Wright
Kenneth Branagh
Toni Collette
William H. Macy
Frances McDormand
Patricia Clarkson
Terrence Howard
Gary Sinese
Lili Taylor
Andre Braugher
Marcia Gay Harden
Joan Allen
Mercedes Ruehl
Ian Gomez
Mary-Louise Parker

Where to Look

Start with common search engines such as Yahoo, Alta Vista, and Google. These may lead you to fan pages which can be useful. Also try Web sites for movies or television programs these actors appear in. The URLs are listed in movie ads, and networks such as NBC and Fox have links on their Web sites for their shows. There are some good links on my Links page. Caution: DO NOT limit yourself to only the information appearing in such websites. Drill down deeper and try to find the original source material these sites got their information from. Explore links on sites that may lead you to original source material.

A great source is the L.A. Times online. Since they are the paper of record for Hollywood they have done a lot of feature-length articles on actors. Do a search on their website and look for long, in-depth pieces on your subject. The best ones will be in their archive and you may have to pay a couple of dollars for a copy, but it's well worth it to get primary source material.

Finally, don't forget the good old fashioned library. There are many excellent magazine and newspaper articles there that just aren't available on the Web. The best reports will indicate the use of such sources.

How to Prepare

Lay out your report using separate sections with headings as I have suggested by the question list above. When asked for a list such as for Productions or Awards, use a list--don't bury the info in a paragraph of text.

Avoid cutting and pasting unaltered chunks of text into your report. This is not a scrapbooking assignment, but a research report. Put what you do use in your own words. Review my FAQ page section on plagiarism if you're not sure how to do this. Be succint--I think 250 words (not counting lists of shows and awards) is probably enough. It's really not so much an essay as a fact-sheet. Click here to see an example of a student's report.

If you choose to submit as an e-mail message, send a copy to yourself first to make sure all your formatting is coming through. If not, then left-justify everything, avoid indenting or centering. Use only caps to indicate headings and such--italics and bolding may not come through, use a double space to separate each section. Include a picture if your e-mail allows you to do it. Those who use AOL, as I do, may have better luck getting fancy formatting though intact.

If you submit your report as an attached word processing document (a preferred method for longer work such as this) you may include text, photos, hot links, or anything you want.

You may also submit this report as a PowerPoint presentation if wish. Just be sure all the content is there--don't rely on just clip art and snappy transitions for a good grade. Avoid music unless it has to do with the actor.

If you're a real Internet hot-shot, you may create a Web page on your personal site to include all this and just send me the URL. Click here to see an example Web page created by a student for this class. It may also help you to figure out what to put in a regular report.

Whichever method you choose just send your homework assignment to me via e-mail with the following in the subject line:

TH101DE -- YourFirst&LastName -- H-ActorReport