Rembrandt van Rijn

Posted in Westerkerk with tags , on January 22, 2024 by Cade

July 15, 1606 – October 04, 1669

Perhaps the most prolific and famous visual artist of all-time, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a leading talent in the already-packed-with-talent, era known as the Dutch Golden Age. Throughout the prosperous 17th Century, the Dutch masters perfected a painting style which moved away from the religious subjects of previous generations in lieu of more common, everyday people and daily life. The fact that they were able to capture the nuance of light so well only added to the lasting appeal. Dozens of painters became famous for their works: Vermeer, Steen, Cuyp, legends all. But, none reached the heights of the man who is simply remembered by one name: Rembrandt.
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Ian Holm

Posted in Highgate Cemetery with tags , on January 15, 2024 by Cade

September 12, 1931 – June 19, 2020

Prolific Shakesperean actor, Sir Ian Holm, did not become a household name overnight, but his award-winning, nearly six decade career should be the envy of any aspiring thespian. Born in Essex, England, Holm secured a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 19. From RADA, it was a certain jump to a long tenure at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Performances on stage and television built up his reputation and, by 1967, he had won a Tony award for his role in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming on Broadway. More roles followed, including the voice of Frodo Baggins in the BBC’s radio production of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – a sign of legendary things to come.

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Marcel Marceau

Posted in Père Lachaise Cemetery with tags on January 8, 2024 by Cade

March 22, 1923 – September 22, 2007

Marcel Marceau was arguably the most famous World-War-II-Jewish-Resistance-hero-turned-international-mime-superstar in the history of the world. Top 3, at very least.

Born Marcel Mangel in France along the German border, Marcel’s family fled to central France when the Nazis invaded. He and his brother joined the liberation movement after their father was killed in Auschwitz. With the resistance, they helped rescue many Jewish children from captivity and racial laws at the time. Following the liberation of Paris, Marcel joined the French army for the remainder of the war.

As a young boy, Marcel was introduced to performing when his mother took him to see Charlie Chaplin movies. During his time with the resistance, he dabbled with silent comedy and mime to entertain children being evacuated. When the war ended, he entered college and studied the art of mime officially.

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Eugène Ionesco

Posted in Montparnasse Cemetery with tags , , on January 1, 2024 by Cade

November 26, 1909 – March 28, 1994

There are absurdist playwrights. Then there is Eugène Ionesco.

Born in Romania, Ionesco spent most of his youth in France. He would alternate between the two countries depending upon whether there was a war or not, but eventually, he settled with is family in Paris. Following a transcendental experience in which he found himself awestruck by a crystal clear, sunny day in the idyllic French countryside as a young man, he was taken by how juxtaposed that feeling was to the actual world around him…which he regarded as decaying and monotonous. The moment would have a lasting impression on his life and his art.

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George Michael

Posted in Highgate Cemetery with tags , on December 25, 2023 by Cade

June 25, 1963 – December 25, 2016

From the years 1987 to 1992, there were 2, maybe 3, entertainers in the world more famous than George Michael. As one half of the ubiquitous ’80s English pop-duo, Wham!, Michael was already a household name when he launched his solo career. Wham! spawned a Gold album (Fantastic), a 6x Platinum album (Make it Big) and 11 Top-10 singles in the UK (6 in the US). George was the primary songwriter for the group and never hid his ambitions to be a solo artist.

In 1987, with bandmate Andrew Ridgeley’s blessing, Michael recorded his first foray into post-Wham! superstardom: A duet with Aretha Franklin called “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”. As was the trend, the song hit #1 in both the US and the UK. Later that year, he released his first solo album, Faith, and his meteoric rise hit the stratosphere.

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Stephen Hawking

Posted in Westminster Abbey with tags , , on December 18, 2023 by Cade

January 08, 1942 – March 14, 2018

Stephen Hawking’s story began unremarkably. As a young boy in Hertfordshire, England, Stephen played games with his friends. He built model boats and made homemade fireworks. He was, in every way, a normal kid. But, he also was profoundly interested in mathematics. He began attending his father’s alma mater, University College at Oxford at the age of 17. Since math wasn’t an available area of study, he majored in physics and chemistry.

It was immediately apparent that he was a gifted thinker, though he had to make a considerable effort to enjoy his university experience. But once he committed, he made friends, took up rowing and found interest in other subjects like music and literature. He fell in love with theoretical physics and eventually earned a degree in physics as well as a doctorate in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Cambridge. He then went on to blow our understanding of the universe out of the proverbial water.

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M. de Voltaire

Posted in The Pantheon with tags on December 11, 2023 by Cade

November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778

There’s a part of me that just wants to list pop-culture references to Voltaire and move on. Considering his name has been bandied around as an indirect punchline in everything from Les Misérables to Swingers, it would be easy enough. The name alone has become shorthand for philosophy the way “Shakespeare” has become a snarky characterization for someone who writes or “Einstein” has for someone who thinks they’re smart.

But alas, the point of this blog is to outline the person, not the caricature. So, François-Marie “Zozo” Arouet was born into low-nobility in Paris at the end of the 17th century. Educated by Jesuits and forced to hold desk jobs by his father, all young Zozo wanted to do in life was write.

And write, he did.

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Douglas Adams

Posted in Highgate Cemetery with tags , on December 4, 2023 by Cade

March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001

Lying on his back in a field in Austria, drunkenly staring up at the vast universe of stars above him, humorist and writer, Douglas Adams, had a thought that would change his life forever. He was traveling through Austria with a book entitled Hitch-hiker’s Guide to Europe and he suddenly thought how interesting it would be to write a similar guidebook…for the entire galaxy.

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Robert Browning

Posted in Westminster Abbey with tags , , on November 27, 2023 by Cade

May 07, 1812 – December 12, 1889

Robert Browning was one of the leading poets and writers in Victorian England. Specializing in long-form poems and dramatic monologues, Browning directly influenced generations of writers ranging from Oscar Wilde to Ezra Pound to Stephen King. In addition to poems like The Pied Piper of Hamelin, My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover, he also wrote a number of plays and songs. 1869’s verse novel The Ring and the Book was his most successful and lucrative work during his lifetime and earned him international acclaim.

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Jean Simmons

Posted in Highgate Cemetery with tags , on November 20, 2023 by Cade

January 31, 1929 – January 22, 2010

British actress Jean Simmons was most widely known for her award-winning roles in classic films like Elmer Gantry and Guys and Dolls, as well as her appearance in other unforgettable movies like 1960’s epic Spartacus. She appeared in the noir classic, Angel Face, opposite Robert Mitchum and was well-represented later in her career on television in everything from The Odd Couple to her monumental turn in the 1983 miniseries, The Thorn Birds.

She was not, however it may sound, the singer and bass player for the American rock band, KISS.

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