Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in born in Whales. September 13th 1916 to November 23rd 1990. British novelist, short story writer, poet, fighter pilot and screenwriter. I grew up reading his famous kids books which were introduced to me by my 3rd grade teacher. I believe her name was Mrs. Klarich? Anyways, I got lost in his books. Recently I read this in the newspaper(and yes, to answer your question. Some people do still read the newspaper... Just not usually me). It stated "You know Roald Dahl for his kids' books, especially "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," starring Willy Wonka.
You may not know that during World War II, Dahl worked as a British spy in Washington, D.C. Part of the job seemed to involve sleeping with Georgetown's wealthiest women, including, apparently, Clare Booth Luce. He also drummed up pro-British and anti-Nazi propaganda to battle elements of the American public that were against U.S. entry into World War II." I myself, did not know this about him. Roald's parents Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl (née Hesselberg)were both Norwegian . His father had moved from Sarpsborg in Norway and was said to have settled in Cardiff in the 1880's. As lovers do, his mother came over to marry his father in 1911. Roald Dahl was named after the polar explorer Roald Amundsen, a national hero in Norway at the time.

He spoke Norwegian at home along with his sisters Astri, Alfhild and Else. Roald and his sisters were christened at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff. After the War Roald married American actress Patricia Neal on July 2nd 1953 at Trinity Church in New York City. Roald and Patricia's marriage lasted for over 30 years and had 5 children during that time. Including Olivia,Tessa, Theo, Ophelia and Lucy. On December 5th 1960 something tragic happened. Their 4 month old Theo Dahl was severely injured when his baby carriage was struck by a taxicab in New York City.
For awhile he suffered from hydrecephalus and as a result Roald became involved in the development of what became known as the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (or WDT) valve, a device to alleviate the condition. Then in November 1962 Olivia Dahl died of measles encephalitis at the early age of 7. Roald Dahl subsequently became a proponent of immunisation and dedicated his 1982 book The BFG to his daughter. He must have had a rough time when later his wife Patricia suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms while pregnant with their 5th child Lucy. Roald took care of her rehabilitation and she eventually re-learned to talk and walk. She even returned to her acting career.
He ended up divorcing Patricia Neal though in 1983 and married Liccy Crosland. Rumor has it they had been previously in a relationship before the divorce from Neal? 1983 quote from Roald Dahl "There's a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity ... I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason." Roald states that he was anti-Israel rather than anti-Semitic and he maintained friendships with a number of Jews including philosopher Isaiah Berlin who said "I thought he might say anything. Could have been pro-Arab or pro-Jew. There was no consistent line." In the 1986 New Years Honours List Roald Dahl was offered the Order of the British Empire (OBE) but turned it down.
He also is the father of author Tessa Dahl and grandfather of author, cookbook writer and former model Sophie Dahl as in Sophie in "The BFG".
James and the Giant Peach was one of the first books I've ever reak and it really opened up my imagination. Did you know that he wrote The Gremlins? Probably not the Gremlins your thinking of though. I also liked The Witches.

Betty White

Betty Marion White born on January 17th 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois. I know her mostly from the Golden Girls show. She was also on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland.
Her Mother Tess Curtis (née Cachikis) a homemaker she was of Greek, English, and Welsh descent and her Father Horace Lawrence White, a traveling salesman and electrical engineer. He was of Danish and English.
Betty attended Horace Mann School in Beverly Hills, California and Beverly Hills High School.
Betty's career was put on hold when World War II broke out. At the time she was modeling and acting at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. During the 1940's she worked in Radio on the shows Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve and This Is Your FBI.
In 1945, White married Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot. Unfortunately that marriage was short-lived. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent. This marriage ended in divorce in 1953.
On June 14, 1963, White married television host and personality Allen Ludden whom she had met on Ludden's game show Password where she was a celebrity guest in 1961. He proposed to White at least twice before she accepted. The couple appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on Password. Allen appeared as a guest panelist on Match Game with White sitting in the audience. (She was prompted to rip apart one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera during an episode of Match Game '74). The two appeared together on the Match Game panel in 1975.
Allen Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. They had no children together. White has not remarried since Ludden's death. When asked about her real-life heroes Betty told Vanity Fair that "Charles Darwin" was her hero.

Betty White has won seven Emmy awards including Funniest Female in 1987 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In all she received 20 Emmy nominations.
She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard next to the star of her late husband Allen Ludden.  Betty has also released several books over the span of her career including Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care if US, Betty White in Person, The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story, Here We Go Again: My Life In Television.  In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which is scheduled for release in 2011 called If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't).  So keep an eye out for those as well.
Here is a song she sang in 1954 "Never The Less (I'm In Love With You)"

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Steve Buscemi

 Steven Vincent Buscemi, born December 13th, 1957.  Steve is an actor, writer and film director.  In my opinion one of the most brilliant actors of our time.

   He was born in Brooklyn New York.  His mother Dorothy worked as a hostess at Howard Johnson's and his father John Buscemi worked as a sanitation worker.  His father was also a Korean War Veteran.  His father was Sicilian American and his mother was Irish American.  Steven and his three bothers Jon, Ken, and Michael were raised Roman Catholic.
Steve graduated from Valley Stream Central High School in 1975.  Patricia Charbonneau and writer Edward Renehan also attended the same High School.  In high school, Steve wrestled for the varsity squad and participated in the drama troupe, at that time directed by Mr. Lynne C. Lappin. Buscemi's 1996 film Trees Lounge, in which he not only starred but served as screenwriter and director, is set in and was largely shot in his childhood village of Valley Stream.
He went to college for a short time at Nassau before moving to Manhattan and enrolled  in the Lee Strasberg Institute.  Then in the early 80's from 1980 to 1984 he became a firefighter for the FDNY Engine 55!  This I never knew.  Can you imagine Steve Buscemi as a firefighter?  Amazing to me...
My favorite films and cartoons he was in include Resivoir Dogs(as Mr. Pink),Rising Sun(he's in there briefly),Airheads,Pulp Fiction,Billy Madison,Thing To Do In Denver When Your Dead,Desperado,Fargo,Con Air,The Big Lebowski,The Wedding Singer,Armageddon,Big Daddy,28 Days,Monsters Inc(voice of Randall Boggs),Mr. Deeds,Coffee And Cigarettes,Big Fish and he is the voice in The Simpsons as Dwight in the episode "Idon't wanna know why the cage bird sings".
On March 4, 2005, Buscemi returned to his old high school where he was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award as part of the school's 75th anniversary celebration.
In April 2001, while shooting the film Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, North Carolina, Buscemi was stabbed three times while intervening in a bar fight at Firebelly Lounge between his friend Vince Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg and a local man, who allegedly instigated the brawl .