Michael Caine - ©Theda Bara

The name I want to highlight in this post is that of the excellent British actor Michael Caine, who won two Oscars, both in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his roles in 1987 in “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), as “Elliot”, and in 2000 in “The Cider House Rules” (1999), as “Dr. Wilbur Larch”. He was nominated four other times for the Best Actor Oscar, but never won.

In addition to his two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Caine won two BAFTA Awards: Best Actor in 1984 for “Raising Rita” (1983), in the role of “Dr. Frank Bryant”, and the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 2000. Michael Caine won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical in 1984 and 1999 for “Raising Rita” (1983) and “Little Voice of Laura” (1998), playing the character “Ray Say”, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in 1989 for “Jack the Ripper, Hemingway” (1988), in the role of “Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline”.

Michael Caine played the butler “Alfred Pennyworth” in all three films of the trilogy: “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Michael Caine was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) in 2000. The ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of his services to film and theatre. On that occasion, he was formally named Sir. Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, his birth name. Michael Caine had already received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992.

Michael Caine is yet another British actor who does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, despite his long and award-winning film career.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite was born on March 14, 1933, at St. Olave’s Hospital in London, United Kingdom, and is 92 years old.

Caine was married twice. First with English television actress Patricia Haines (1932-1977) from 1954 to 1958. The couple had a daughter, British civil servant Dominique Caine (1956-); Fifteen years after their separation, he married former Guyanese-British actress, model and beauty pageant winner Shakira Baksh “Lady” Caine (1947-), who competed in Miss World 1967, where she came in second place.  The couple has been together since 1973. He was 40 and she was 26 when they married. The couple has a daughter, Guyanese fashion designer Natasha Caine (1973-).

Haiku: Write History - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

Knowledge leads to learning

Those who learn become enriched

And, in doing so, they also teach!

Billy Crystal - ©Theda Bara

The name I want to highlight in this post is that of the American actor, voice actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director Billy Crystal.

Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars nine times, becoming one of the ceremony’s most iconic presenters, known for his parodies and monologues. He hosted the ceremony in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2012. However, he never won an acting Oscar in Hollywood. He is second only to Anglo-American comedian and actor Bob Hope, stage name of Leslie Townes Hope (1903-2003), who hosted 19 Oscar ceremonies between 1940 and 1978. Bob also never won an acting Oscar in Hollywood, but received five honorary statuettes from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences throughout his career.

The actor won seven Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Performance in a Special Event in 1989; Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series in 1990, 1991, and 1992; Outstanding Comedic Performance in 1992 for “City Slickers” (1991), as “Mitch Robbins”; Billy Crystal won the award for Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical Program in 1991 and 1998. He also received the Disney Legends Award in 2013. In addition, he won an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance in 1992 for “City Slickers”; two Tony Awards for Best Special Event in the Theatre in 2005 for “700 Sundays”; and a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Theatre in 2022.

Billy Crystal has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Film category.

William Edward Crystal was born on March 14, 1948, at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan, New York, United States, and is 77 years old.

Billy Crystal married a High School, Janice Louise Goldfinger (1949-), to whom he has been married since June 4, 1970, a long-lasting relationship. The couple has two daughters: American actress Jennifer Crystal Foley (1973-) and film director and producer Lindsay Crystal (1977-).

Haiku: Write History - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

2026 has already begun

We are a book with yet another page turned

Continuing to write history!

Jane Fonda - ©Theda Bara

The first name I will highlight in 2026 is that of the beautiful Jane Fonda, renowned American actress, writer, model, businesswoman, and playwright, daughter of the also renowned actor Henry Jaynes Fonda (1905-1982). Jane won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: in 1972 and 1979. In 1972, for her performance in the film “Klute” (1971), playing the role of “Bree Daniels”; and in 1979, for her performance in the film “Coming Home” (1978), playing the role of “Sally Hyde”.

In addition to two Oscars, Jane Fonda also received two BAFTA Film Awards: Best Actress in 1978 for “Julia” (1977), playing the character “Lillian Hellman”, and in 1979 for “The China Syndrome” (1978), playing the character “Kimberly Wells”; 1 Primetime Emmy Award: Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie 1984, “The Dollmaker”, character “Gertie Nevels”; 1 Golden Lion: Honorary Award 2017; 7 Golden Globe Awards: Best New Actress of the Year 1962; Best Actress in a Drama Film: 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979 (2 times) and 1980.

Jane Fonda will finally have her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2026. She was one of the celebrities selected in 2025 to receive a star in the coming year, an honor that confirms her long and iconic career in film, television, and activism, but details about the exact date of the ceremony (in 2026) have not yet been released by the official Walk of Fame website, which lists a star for her, who will join her father, Henry Fonda, and brother, Peter Henry Fonda (1940-2019), who already have their stars.

Jane Seymour Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, in New York City, United States, and celebrated her 88th birthday 4 days before last Christmas.

Jane Fonda has been married three times. Her first marriage was to French filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter Roger Vadim, stage name of Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov (1928-2000), from 1965 to 1973. The couple had one daughter, independent producer, film director, and actress Vanessa Vadim (1968-). Her second marriage was to American social activist, writer, and politician Thomas Emmet Hayden, known as Tom Hayden (1939-2016), from 1973 to 1990. The actress had two children with Tom: Mary Luana Williams (1967-), an American social activist and writer. She is known for writing the autobiography "The Lost Daughter: A Memoir by Mary Williams" (2013), in which she details the care Jane Fonda gave her during her adolescence, as well as her childhood as the daughter of Black Panthers before being adopted by Fonda and Tom Hayden; Her other son (legitimate child) is American actor Troy Garity (1973-). Finally, her third and last marriage was to American media mogul and philanthropist Robert Edward Turner III, known as Ted Turner (1938-), from 1991 to 2001. The couple had no children.