Gregory Peck - ©Theda Bara

The name I highlight in this post is that of American actor Gregory Peck, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963 for his performance in the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962), based on the novel of the same name by American author Nelle Harper Lee (1926-2016), published in 1960. In the film, Peck plays the role of the extremely upright lawyer “Atticus Finch”.

In addition to the Oscar, Gregory Peck won 6 Golden Globe Awards: 5 for Best Actor in a Drama Film: 1947, 1951, 1955 (Henrietta Award), 1963, 1969 (Cecil B. DeMill Award) and 1 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (1999).

The actor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Film category.

Eldred Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916, in La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States, and died on June 12, 2003, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The actor died of bronchopneumonia at his home, while sleeping, at the age of 87.

Gregory Peck was married twice: his first marriage was to Finnish-American real estate broker Greta Kukkonen (1911-2008), from 1942 to 1954. Together, they had three children: biographer Jonathan Peck (1944-1975), writer Stephen Peck (1946-) and actor Carey Paul Peck (1949-), all Americans; his second marriage was to Franco-American journalist and philanthropist Veronique Passani (1932-2012), in 1955, shortly after his divorce. They were married until Peck’s death in 2003. With her, Peck had two children: American actor Anthony “Tony” Peck (1956-) and American film producer Cecilia Peck (1958-).

Haiku: Thanksgiving [2025] - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2025

Yesterday, we who live in the United States

Gathered together as one family for Thanksgiving

Celebrating the abundant table and Divine blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[November 27, 2025]

Angus T. Jones - ©Theda Bara

In this post I highlight the name of an American actor who emerged as a child star in film and television; I am referring to Angus T. Jones, best known for his role as “Jake Harper” in the CBS series “Two and a Half Men” (from 2003 to 2015).

Angus’s filmography includes: “Simpatico” (1999), character (5 year old kid); “Dinner with Friends” (2001), character “Sammy”; “See Spot Run” (2001), character “James”; “The Rookie” (2002), character “Hunter Morris”; “George of the Jungle II” (2003), character “George Jr.”; “Bringing Down the House” (2003), character “Georgey Sander”; “Audrey’s Rain” (2003), character “Tye Powell”; and “The Christmas Blessing” (2005), character “Charlie Bennett”.

The actor has won relatively few major awards in his career so far, such as the Young Artist Award (three times) and the TV Land Award, and does not yet have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Angus Turner Jones was born on October 8, 1993, in Austin, Texas, United States, and is currently 32 years old.

There is no recent public information confirming Angus T. Jones’s marital status. He maintains a low profile on social media and has stayed away from public life and the entertainment industry since leaving “Two and a Half Men”. Although he has had relationships in the past, his current marital status is religious celibacy, having converted to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 2012, he released a video criticizing the series “Two and a Half Men”, asking viewers to stop watching it because he considered it incompatible with his new faith. He left the series' regular cast in 2013, although he returned for the final episode in 2014, which aired in 2015 on CBS. Currently, he lives away from the spotlight and has no plans to return to acting on TV or in film.

Haiku: Magical Rabbits - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2025

Rabbits emerging from top hats

Magical times that will never return

We are fruits that have ripened!

Maximilian Schell - ©Theda Bara

The name I present to you in this post is that of the Austrian actor, director, and producer Maximilian Schell, who won the 1962 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961), playing the role of defense attorney “Hans Rolfe”.

In addition to the Oscar, he won two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Series or Television Film for “Stalin” (1993), playing “Vladimir Lenin”, and Best Actor in a Drama for “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1962).

Maximilian Schell does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although he had a successful international career, his name is not on the list of honorees.

Maximilian Gerhard Schell was born on December 8, 1930, in Vienna, Austria, and died on February 1, 2014, in Innsbruck, Austria, at the age of 84.

Maximilian Schell was married twice. His first wife was the Russian actress Natalja Eduardowna Andreitschenko (1959-), who starred in “Mary Poppins, Goodbye” (1984) as the protagonist. They were married from 1985 to 2005 and the couple has a daughter, Nastassja Schell (1989-), who did not follow in her parents’ footsteps; his second marriage was to Iva Mihanović, also known as Iva Schell (1978-), a German opera soprano and concert singer. She married Maximilian in 2013 and was widowed the following year.