George Baker

The next entry into my celebrity autograph blog is British actor George Baker.

As is with many distinguished British actors, George can be seen in various well known productions, such as the Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Minder, Coronation Street, and Doctor Who (in the episode Full Circle). 

However I will best remember George for his portrayal in 3 of the best James Bond films of all time.

His first appearance was in You Only Live Twice (1967) starring Sean Connery, as an uncredited NASA Engineer.

His second appearance was as Sir Hilary Bray in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) alongside George Lazenby's 007.  George Baker also dubbed Lazenby's lines (for the scenes where 007 goes undercover at Piz Gloria) as Lazenby had difficulty with the 'proper' English accent required for the scenes.

And his final appearance in a 007 film was as Captain Benson in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) alongside Roger Moore.

According to the legend, George Baker was one of Ian Fleming's original choices to play James Bond (he missed out due to other committments).  He is also (currently) only 1 of 4 actors to have starred in Bond films with (at least) 3 separate actors as 007 (the other actors being Bernard Lee as M, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, and Desmond Llewellyn as Q).

Anyway, onto the autograph!  Once again it was a standard through-the-mail success, a 4x6 b&w photo inscribed to me with "Best Wishes", which I obtained in the mid 2000's

George died of pneumonia in 2011 aged 80, so I'm really pleased to have his autograph in my collection.

Jacinta Stapleton

I haven't been blogging for a while so I thought I'd get back into the swing of things by detailing my next celebrity autograph, Jacinta Stapleton.

Jacinta is an Australian actress born in 1979 (making her one year older than I).  A former model, Jacinta is blonde, pretty, and with a throaty voice, so she was always going to be popular (at least amongst the male community).

She is best known for her role as Amy Greenwood in the soapie Neighbours, which she played from 1997-2000.  She returned to the role in 2005 for a cameo in the shows 20th anniversary episode.

In 1999 she returned to modelling for a riske photo shoot in the artistic celebrity porn magazine Black & White.  I think my brother might have a copy, as well as the issue featuring fellow Neighbours star Michelle Ang...

From 2002-2004 she played Christina Dichiera in the cop series Stingers, and she had a recurring role as Chloe Davis in the medical drama MDA.

Unfortunately that's pretty much where her acting credentials stop, which is probably due to Australian TV's obession with screening US made tv shows and "reality" shows in place of good Australian-made and proud TV.  Sure, in order to retain their licence the Australian TV Networks are legally bound to provide a % of Australian-Made TV, but when that percentage is something like 5% and can be filled with garbage like Big Brother, and the xenophobic Border Security, quality productions are few and far between.  I heard a rumour she took a job selling women's shoes on Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn.  I'm not sure how true that is, but if what I just rambled is any indication as to the difficulty of being an Australian actor, I wouldn't be surprised.

Now, onto the autograph!  During her run on the show I wrote to Jacinta c/- Stingers at Channel 9 and requested an autograph.  Not long after I received this terrific signed headshot!  Funny story, in 2006 I attended a celebrity gargage sale at the Richmond Football Club (of all places) where I saw the exact headshot, signed by Jacinta and inscribed to some celebrity (who I can't remember, not me) with the asking price of $35.  I had a chuckle, all mine cost me was a $0.60 postage stamp!

Until next time.

Eddie McGuire and the Triple M Hot Breakfast

My next celebrity autograph is Eddie McGuire and the Triple M Hot Breakfast team.

Eddie McGuire started his career in sports journalism in 1978 as a cricket statistician for The Herald newspaper.  He then moved to Channel 10, and in 1993 to Channel 9, working primarily in the field of AFL journalism.

From 1994 - 2005 Eddie was the host of the AFL Footy Show, which garnered a huge support base despite the face of not being able to screen any AFL footage, due to the rights being held by Channel 7.

In 1998, Eddie was elected as President of his beloved Collingwood Football Club, which he promptly resurrected out of the rat-infested hole it was in.  Over the course of 8 years, Eddie replaced incumbent coach (and former club premiership captain) Tony Shaw with Mick Malthouse (prompting a rapid rise in on-field success), and moved the club out of Victoria Park and into the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre.  His vision for the club finally proved successful when Collingwood won the 2010 AFL Premiership against St Kilda.

Now onto the autograph! In 2009 Eddie became host of The Hot Breakfast radio show on Triple M, and was initially supported by former Western Bulldog footballer Luke Darcy, SBS sports reporter Mieke Buchan and comedian Tony Moclair (currently only Eddie and Luke have remained with the show, as Mieke and Tony have been replaced by comedian Mick Molloy).  Shortly after the show commenced I sent them an email congratulating them on their success, to which I received this card signed by the group:

I think it's Luke who has written "Go Doggies" but it seems he's replaced 2009 with 2010 for some reason..?

Until next time!

Barry Nelson

My next celebrity autograph is Barry Nelson.

Born in San Fransisco, California, in 1917, Barry was an American actor whose career in tv and movies spanned from 1941 to 1990.

In 1954 Barry became the first person to play James Bond on screen, in the CBS tv show Climax! in which Season 1 Episode 3 featured a live taping of the first 007 novel Casino Royale.  As the show was aired in the US some of the characters were altered, in particular James Bond was changed from a British secret agent to an American agent named Jimmy Bond, and Felix Leiter was changed from an American CIA agent to a British agent named Clarence Leiter.  With a budget of $40,000 and within the confines of taping in front of a live studio audience, the show managed stayed true to the novel for the most part.  Barry was quite good as Jimmy Bond, and if you're a 007 fan like me then I urge you to purchase a copy (try ebay).

Barry's next big role came in 1970 when he starred alongside Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin and Jacqueline Bisset in the movie Airport, which was one of the first big "disaster" movies of the genre.  It's box office takings for the time were well over $100million, which (adjusted to inflation) is the equivalent to $558million as at 2010.

Then in 1980, Barry had a small but important part as hotel manager Stuart Ullman in The Shining.  For those of you who remember the movie, Stuart Ullman was the man who hired Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) as the hotel's winter caretaker, despite having knowledge of what happened to the previous winter caretaker.  So, you could say it was his fault that Jack went bananas and tried to murder his family (apologies for those of you who haven't seen the film, but to be fair, it has been 32 years since it's release).

Now onto the autograph!  In 2004 Barry was a guest at the New York Autograph Show in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Casino Royale, where he signed 250 copies of a specially designed poster.  As Barry Nelson's autograph was near on impossible to obtain in the mail, you could say I cheated, as I purchased this autograph from a dealer.  Still, to be honest it wasn't too dear, and I think it was worth it.

Until next time!

William Daniels

My next celebrity autograph is William Daniels.

Who, you ask? Shame on you!  Born in 1927, William Daniels is an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild (yes, the SAG).  William started his career in show business in the 1950's, appearing on various tv shows, and has (to date) played 2 US Presidents, John Adams, and John Quincy Adams (twice) in numerous tv shows.  His first big break came in 1967 when he was cast as Dustin Hoffman's father in the movie The Graduate.

Various tv roles filled his career over the next decade, including appearances on The Bob Newhart Show, McCloud, The Incredible Hulk, and Quincy M.E, and in 1980 he played the role of Arthur Lestrange in the movie The Blue Lagoon.

Then in 1982 came one of his greatest roles to date, as the voice of K.I.T.T. on the tv series Knight Rider alongside David Hasselhoff.  Uncredited in the role (by choice) William's voice was used in all 84 episodes of the shows run over the next 4 years, and is a role which he has reprised on many occassions since.

Once again, tv and movie roles sustained his career until 1993, when he was cast as Cory Matthew's teacher and mentor (and later Principal) Mr George Feeny in Boy Meets World.  The show ran for 7 wonderful years, and was only stopped when Ben Savage's chest hair started to show.

Since then, William has appeared in the tv shows Scrubs, Star Trek: Voyager, and once again as the voice of K.I.T.T. for an episode of The Simpsons.

Now onto the autograph!  As a massive fan of Boy Meets World, I tracked down William Daniels' fanmail address (it's in the US, by the way) and sent off an autograph request.  Soon after I received this fantastic inscribed 8x10" b&w photo of Mr Feeny (I mean William Daniels)!

Score!

Billie Piper

My next celebrity autograph is Billie Piper.

Born in the UK in 1982, Billie first came to prominence as a pop singer when her debut album Honey To The Bee was released in 1998.  The album contained many catchy tunes, such as it's title track, Because We Want To, and Girlfriend.  Some of the songs reached number 1 in the charts in the UK, and had varied success around the world.  Her second album, Walk Of Life also had mixed success.

Soon after, Billie switched her focus towards her main goal, acting.  In 2003 she starred alongside Dennis Waterman and James Nesbitt in one episode of The Canterbury Tales, and in 2004 she starred alongside Orlando Bloom in the boxing comedy movie The Calcium Kid.

Then in 2005, Billie was cast as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, alongside the brilliant Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor.  Whilst many critics were wary of the casting, particularly due to her previous career in music, it was Billie's involvement in the 2005 season which helped usher in the show's revival after it's 16 year hiatus (with the exception of the 1996 tele-movie of course).

When the Ninth Doctor died in the 2005 season's final episode The Parting Of The Ways, Rose Tyler continued her adventures in the TARDIS, now opposite David Tennant's Tenth Doctor.  She quickly fell in love with him, and although she left the show as a main companion at the end of the 2006 season, Rose spent the next few seasons dancing around the subject (eventually getting what she wanted, sort of).

After her time on Doctor Who, Billie Piper appeared in numerous productions, such as Mansfield Park.  Then in 2007 she was cast in the lead role of Hannah Baxter (aka Belle) in the tv series Secret Diary Of A Call Girl.  As the title suggests it was a deliberate move away from the wholesome image of her time on Doctor Who.  The show lasted for 4 seasons, and rumours of a big screen adaptation were circulated after the tv series ended.

Now onto the autograph!  I had been after Billie Piper's autograph ever since her first season on Doctor Who and had written to her many times at various addresses in the UK.  Nearing the end of her time on Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, I found a working fanmail address to which I sent a letter of request.  Shortly after I received not one but TWO inscribed 3x5 photos of Billie.

Until next time!

Sophie Marceau

My next celebrity autograph blog is Sophie Marceau.

Born in France in 1966, in the 1980's Sophie became involved in the movie business through her modelling agency.  Her first movie, La Boum, was a box office hit in France and across Europe and Japan, and she was thusly signed to a long term contract with the Gaumont Film Company.

2 years later, Sophie bought her contract from Gaumont for 1 million Francs, which was quite a bit of money back then (based on today's standards).  She was therefore free to appear in a range of films, which gave her the opportunity to work alongside other French film stars such as Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu.

In 1994, Sophie played the lead role of Eloïse d'Artagnan in Revenge of the Musketeers (aka D'Artagnan's Daughter) which received mixed reviews from critics and the public.  Check out the movie poster, that pretty much sums up the movie.  It's not bad, by the way.

The following year, Sophie starred as Princess Isabella alongside Mel Gibson's William Wallace in Braveheart.  I remember watching a making of piece, Mel said she had nice teeth, which is kind of creepy, unless your a dentist of course.

In 1999, Sophie played the villainous Elektra King in the Bond film The World Is Not Enough, alongside Pierce Brosnan who was returning to the role of Bond for the third time.  This is one of my favourite Bond films, and I have the movie poster in my lounge room to prove it.

After Bond, Sophie returned to France and not only starred in a string of French films but also moved into writing and directing.  She made worldwide headlines in 2005 when her dress fell, revealing her breasts, on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival no less.  And since 2007, Sophie has been in a relationship with Raiden himself, Christopher Lambert.

Now, onto the autograph!  A few years ago I wrote a fan letter to Sophie in France, and after a short wait I received this terrific signed 3x5 photo in the mail!

Until next time!