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Buchan and comedian Tony Moclair (currently only Eddie and Luke have remained with the show, as Mieke and Tony have been replaced by comedian Mick Molloy).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!

Sophia Myles

My next celebrity autograph blog is English actress Sophia Myles.

Born in 1980, Sophia's first big break was in the 2001 film From Hell, in which she played Victoria Abberline, the wife of Johnny Depp's character PC Abberline (if my brother reads this blog he'll probably go and watch the film right now).

She then played a vampiress in the 2003 film Underworld, starring Kate Beckinsale, and again in the film's 2006 sequel Underworld: Evolution.

In 2004, Sophia scored her major first supporting role, playing Lady Penelope in the film adaptation of the hit classic supermarionation tv series Thunderbirds.  The film was directed by former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Jonathan Frakes (he played Number One, by the way).  The film was geared towards children, with many of the classic characters from the tv show moved to the sidelines.  Fans and critics bagged it, and the film was a box office bomb.  On holiday in the UK, I remember reading the Metro newspapers scathing review of the movie in which they stated that not even Sophia Myles in the bath tub could rescue it from failure.  By the way, Sophia Myles does have a bubbly bath tub scene in the movie, quite fun (remember though, it's a kids film).

Moving on.  In 2006, Sophia appeared as Madame de Pompadour in the Doctor Who episode The Girl In The Fireplace, in which David Tennant's Tenth Doctor visits her through the fireplace in her bedroom, and rescues her from the Clockwork Men as well.

After Doctor Who, Sophia was cast as Beth Baily for the ninth series of the UK tv show Spooks, based on the counter-terrorism unit Mi5.

Now, onto the autograph.  Just after Sophia appeared in Thunderbirds I wrote a fanmail letter to her in the UK, and soon after received this terrific inscribed colour 8x10 photo of her as Lady Penelope!

Until next time!

Noel Neill

My next celebrity autograph blog is Noel Neill.

Best known for playing Lois Lane in the 1940's and 50's, Noel was originally a pinup model ranked 2nd behind Betty Grable.  Noel was also a professional singer and dancer.

In 1948, Noel appeared as Lois Lane for the first time in the Superman film serials, and again in 1951's Atom Man vs Superman, alongside Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent/Superman.  Then, from 1951 to 1958 she starred alongside George Reeves' Superman in the Adventures of Superman tv show.

After the show ended, Noel's career continued through the character.  She played Lois Lane's mother in one scene of 1978's Superman (when a young Lois notices Clark running alongside the train).  She also played the role of Gertrude Vanderworth in the 2006 film Superman Returns.

Now, onto the autograph!  In the early 2000's I wrote a fan letter to Noel, and shortly after I received this terrific, inscribed 8x10 colour photo of Noel as Lois Lane, alongside George Reeves' as Superman.

Gold!!!

Roger Moore

My next celebrity autograph blog is Roger Moore.

Born in London in 1927, Roger Moore was originally a male model, before moving into acting in the 1950's.  His first big role was the lead, Simon Templar, in the TV series The Saint, which ran from 1962 - 1970.  The series was a big success, but nearing the end of it's run Roger Moore became bored with the role and looked to move on.

After appearing in 2 movies, and 2 years working on The Persuaders! alongside Tony Curtis, Roger Moore took over the role of James Bond from Sean Connery, in 1973's Live And Let Die.  The movie was a direct move away from the franchise's tried and true method, with Roger Moore taking James Bond into Harlem, and (heaven forbid) making love to an African American woman, Rosie Carver (who, strangely enough, was cut from the film in many States of the USA during the film's original release).

The next Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun, was released in 1974 to less than favourable reviews.  The film's location, however (Phang Nga Bay, Phuket, Thailand) remains a popular tourist attraction, and is still regarded as "James Bond Island".

On 7th July, 1977, Roger Moore starred in his third Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, which many (including myself) regard as his best.  Curt Jergens played the villainous Karl Stromberg, and the lovely Barbara Bach played Anya Amasova, also known as KGB Agent XXX.

2 years later, Roger Moore took James Bond to new heights (literally) in Moonraker.  The movie was a box office hit, but many critics (still to this day) felt that taking Bond into Outer Space was one step too far.  Therefore the 1981 release, For Your Eyes Only, was a deliberate step back for the franchise, which allowed Roger Moore to play a more ruthless 007.

Roger Moore again played 007 in 1983's Octopussy, having beaten US Actor James Brolin for the role.  The film has a terrific pre-title sequence, with 007 flying an Acro-Jet, and the film remains popular in India, where it was set and filmed.

At the age of 57, Roger Moore appeared as 007 for the seventh (and final) time in 1985's A View To A Kill, which featured Christopher Walken as the villainous Max Zorin, and former Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts as geologist Stacey Sutton.

After his work as James Bond, Roger Moore took a step back from acting and focussed on his humanitarian work for Unicef.  He has (however) appeared in numerous movies, such as The Quest (alongside Jean Claude Van Damme), Spice World, and Boat Trip, and cameoed in numerous tv shows, such as Alias.

Roger Moore also released an autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, in 2008, and appeared in Melbourne as part of his worldwide tour.  I was lucky enough to attend his Melbourne visit, and have a signed copy of his book to remember the occassion.

Now onto the autograph! In the early 2000's I wrote a fan letter to Roger Moore in the UK, and was lucky enough to receive this inscribed photo in the mail soon after.  Roger Moore is now contracted with an agency, and the profits for his autograph now go directly to Unicef.

Until next time!

Robert Brown

My next celebrity autograph is the late Robert Brown.

Robert Brown was born in Dorset, UK, in 1921, and had a varied film and television acting career in the UK.  Some of his roles were in the TV series Ivanhoe (alongside Roger Moore), The Saint (again alongside Roger Moore) and in The Avengers.  Robert Brown also had numerous roles in the movies Ben Hur, The 300 Spartans, and One Million Years B.C.

However it was his roles in the James Bond films for which he would be most known for.  His first Bond film was 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, in which he played the role of Admiral Hargreaves.

Robert Brown missed the following 2 Bond films, Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only, but was cast as the new M in Octopussy (1983).  It's unclear whether Robert Brown's M is the same man as Bernard Lee's M, or if Admiral Hargreaves had been promoted to the position after Bernard Lee's death.

He also starred in Roger Moore's final outing as Bond in A View To A Kill (1985).  In 1987 he helped usher in a new Bond to the franchise in Timothy Dalton's The Living Daylights, and in 1989 he fired James Bond for his reckless pursuit of drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) in Licence To Kill.

When the Bond films suffered from legal troubles in the early 1990's, Robert Brown's acting roles unfortunately dried up as a consequence.  When the franchise was re-ignited in 1995's Goldeneye, the producers introduced a new Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and a new M (Judy Dench).  Therefore Robert Brown's M was retired without explanation.

Now onto the autograph.  In the early 2000's I wrote to Robert Brown in the UK, and in early 2003 I received this wonderfully inscribed photo, with a handwritten apology for the delay in his reply on the reverse.

Until next time!

Don Adams

My next celebrity autograph is Don Adams.

Best known for playing Maxwell Smart in the TV series Get Smart, Don Adams was born in 1923 in Manhattan and began his entertaining career as a comedian.

In 1965, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created the tv series Get Smart, which was a mix of James Bond and Inspector Closeau.  The show's central character, Maxwell Smart, was a secret agent for CONTROL, based out of Washington, whose sole purpose was to foil the plots of the evil organisation known as KAOS.  Whilst Adams was not immediately cast as Smart (see Tom Poston), when the show was picked up by NBC he was given the part, having already signed on with the network.

Don Adams played the role for 138 episodes from 1965-1970, and moved into a producing role throughout.  When CBS picked up the show for it's fifth season (1970) they then decided to cancel it, as the spy genre was becoming out of fashion, and the show running on it's old gags.

After the show was cancelled Don Adams used this as an opportunity to branch out into new roles, however due to the strength of Maxwell Smart's character he found it difficult to escape typecasting.  He had his own tv game show from 1975-1976 titles Don Adam's Screen Test, but this has not been seen on tv since it's original screening.

In 1980 Don Adams reprised his role of Maxwell Smart in the movie The Nude Bomb, which failed at the box office.

From 1983-1986 Don Adams voiced the titular character in the cartoon tv series Inspector Gadget, which was loosely based on his Maxwell Smart role.  The show was released on DVD in 2006, and spawned two live action feature films in 1999 starring Matthew Broderick as Gadget (with Don Adams providing the voice of Brain) and in 2003 starring French Stewart.

In 1989 Don Adams once again reprised his role of Maxwell Smart in the TV series Get Smart, Again! with Barbara Feldon returning as 99, and Andy Dick as their son, Zach.  The show rated poorly and was promptly cancelled.

In 2005 Don Adams passed away from a lung infection.  Amongst the eulogists at his funeral were Barbara Feldon, Don Rickles (both of whom appeared alonside Don Adams in Get Smart) and former Superman contender James Caan.

Now, onto the autograph!  In the early 2000's I wrote a fan letter to Don Adams, and after a long wait I received this wonderful b&w 8x10" photo in the mail:

Until next time!

Kylie Minogue

My next celebrity autograph is Kylie Minogue.

Kylie started her career on Australian TV, making a name for herself in the mid-1980's playing Charlene Mitchell in the soapie Neighbours.  Her character married Scott Robinson in 1987, an episode watched by 20 million British viewers. To put that into perspective, the wedding of Princes Charles and Lady Diana Spencer had 28.4 million British viewers, and the 1998 World Cup match between England and Argentina had 23.78 million Britsh viewers (for the record, the most watched show in British TV history is the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany with 32.3 million British viewers).

With the success of her single "Locomotion" in 1987, Kylie released her debut CD the following year entitled "Kylie".  Her success in the UK was highlighted when her first 13 singles reached the UK Top Ten charts.  In 1988 her song "I Should Be So Lucky" was number 1 in the UK charts for 5 weeks, along with 18 other songs including Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" and the Timelords' "Doctorin' The Tardis".

Her next CD "Enjoy Yourself" in 1989 also reached Number 1 in the UK, but her follow up CDs "Rhythm Of Love" (1990), "Let's Get To It" (1991), "Kylie Minogue" (1994) and "Impossible Princess" (1997) didn't bother the scorers too much.

Her 2000 CD "Light Years" regained Kylie's Number 1 status in Australia, bouyed by the successful singles "On A Night Like This", "Kids" (a duet with Robbie Williams), and "Spinning Around" featuring her now famous golden hotpants.

In 2001, Kylie's CD "Fever" reached Number 1 in Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and Austria (bless them).  The CD has to date sold over 8 million copies worldwide, and her single "Come Into My World" earned Kylie a Grammy award.

Her 2003 CD "Body Language" failed to reach Number 1, but her follow up CDs "X" (2007) and "Aphrodite" (2010) achieved this in Australia and the UK respectively.

Now onto the autograph.  After her Fever CD was released, I wrote a number of fan letters to Kylie in the UK (where she now resides).  I'm unsure which one was successful in reaching her, or if perhaps she just wanted me to stop bugging her, but I eventually received this signed postcard in the mail:

Until next time!