Actors in Character Trivia Quiz

Answer: Laurence Fishburne

American actor Laurence Fishburne is the link between the three films referenced, which are "The Color Purple" (1985), "The Matrix" (1999) and "John Wick: Chapter 2" (2017). Fishburne appeared as Swain in the 1985 period drama set in the early 20th century. This was based on Alice Walker's 1982 book of the same name, with Whoopi Goldberg starring in her breakthrough role.

In "The Matrix", where most of humanity is trapped within a virtual world by intelligent machines, Fishburne was Morpheus, captain of the Nebuchadnezzar and part of the rebellion. At one point Morpheus offered Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) the choice of two coloured pills, symbolising the virtual and real worlds. Morpheus is the god of sleep and dreams in the Greek mythology.

As 'The Bowery King' in the 2017 film, Fishburne played an underground crime lord, encountering Keanu Reeves, who played the titular role in this neo-noir action thriller sequel.

Answer: Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster is the actress common to the three films referenced, which are "Taxi Driver" (1976), "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) and "Nyad" (2023). Foster was 12 years old when acting as child prostitute Iris in the 1976 film, which was a psychological drama revolving around the Vietnam War veteran, now taxi driver, with deteriorating mental health, played by Robert De Niro.

In the 1991 film she is an FBI trainee seeking advice from the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter. The food phrase is from the Hannibal Lecter comment ("I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti") made to Foster's character Clarice Starling.

In the 2023 biographical sports drama Foster takes on the role of Bonnie Stoll, friend, athletic trainer for and former business partner of Diana Nyad, who had a long-held dream to swim the Straits of Florida.

Answer: Harrison Ford

Of his more than 50 films, the three Harrison Ford characters referenced here appear in nine. The first appearance of Hans Solo is in "Star Wars" (1977). He and his side-kick Wookiee (named Chewbacca) are smugglers who are drawn into the conflict between the Empire and rebel forces. He appears in a number of subsequent "Star Wars" franchise films, reprising his role as Hans Solo.

Next on the list was Rick Deckard in dystopian science fiction film "Blade Runner" (1982) where he is hunting down synthetic humans (replicants) who have escaped back to Earth. He also appears in its sequel "Blade Runner 2049" (2017).

Finally, the action thriller "Patriot Games" (1992) is the first of the Tom Clancy novels to feature Harrison Ford and is a sequel to "The Hunt for Red October" (1990) where Alec Baldwin plays the Ryan role. In this one, Jack Ryan, a former CIA analyst who is currently teaching history, frustrates an IRA kidnapping attempt resulting in consequences which follow him to the US.

Answer: Judi Dench

Award-winning British actress Judi Dench had a supporting role in the period romantic comedy "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) as Queen Elizabeth I with the main story revolving around a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare and a merchant's daughter. Dench's role as Queen Victoria in "Mrs. Brown" (1997) is a drama exploring the relationship between the widowed queen and a Scottish ghillie who became a personal attendant and favourite, although resented by many in her court.

The third character, M, is the fictional head of MI6 and superior of the spy James Bond. She first took on the role in the spy thriller "GoldenEye" (1995), reprising the role in a further six Bond movies (or seven if you include a post-mortem video appearance). In "GoldenEye" Pierce Brosnan as Bond is pitted against an ex-MI6 agent in the form of Sean Bean.

Answer: Leonardo DiCaprio

The espionage hint is for the sci-fi film "Inception" (2010) where American actor Leonardo DiCaprio heads a team to implant a suggestion in the target with the action taking place in various layers of the target's subconscious. The next film featuring DiCaprio as lead actor is the biographical drama "The Aviator" (2004), which charts a 20-year period of Howard Hughes' life as an aviation pioneer and film director.

DiCaprio earned an Oscar for his performance as Hugh Glass in "The Revenant" (2015) in which his character is left for dead after being mauled by a bear, but survived to confront his former colleagues. It is partly based on the fur trapper's experiences in 1823, although he was more forgiving in real life.

Answer: Frances McDormand

The descriptions point to the films "Fargo" (1996), "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017), and "Nomadland" (2020), with the actress starring in each being Frances McDormand. She won Oscars for all three performances. "Fargo" is a black comedy crime film by the Coen brothers, in which a car salesman has his wife kidnapped in order to extort money from his father-in-law. What could go wrong?

The 2017 film has McDormand's character, frustrated by the lack of progress in solving her daughter's murder, using advertising billboards to encourage more progress. In "Nomadland", McDormand's character becomes part of a loosely-knit van-based community moving around between temporary jobs.

Answer: Michael Keaton

The hints point in succession to "Beetlejuice" (1988), "Batman" (1989), and "The Founder" (2016). In the 1988 fantasy film the owners of a house die in a car accident, coming back as ghosts. They didn't like the new occupants and hire Michael Keaton's character Betelgeuse to get rid of them.

The 1989 film is the first of the Batman films in which Keaton starred. In this one, he goes up against the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson. Finally, there is the 2016 biographic drama where Keaton takes on the role of Ray Croc who develops the franchise business of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain and eventually forces out the McDonald brothers.

Answer: Renée Zellweger

In a loose adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice", Renée Zellweger is the diarist who records her wish-list in "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001). Two men, played by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, enter her life and change it.

As a farmer in "Cold Mountain" (2003), Zellweger gained an Oscar for her supporting role. The story is set in the American Civil War and involves a Confederate soldier who deserts in order to reunite with the love of his life. In the biographical drama "Judy", Zellweger gained another Oscar playing Judy Garland in the last year of her life, with flashbacks that include the filming of "The Wizard of Oz" and her Dorothy Gale role.

Answer: Sean Connery

Umberto Eco wrote the book, while the film adaptation of "The Name of the Rose" (1986) saw Sean Connery take on the sleuthing role of fictional friar William of Baskerville to solve the 14th century Italian murder mystery. The next hint is to the submarine spy thriller "The Hunt for Red October" (1990) in which Connery plays Captain Marko Ramius who is looking to defect with the most modern Soviet ballistic missile submarine.

In this adaptation of the Tom Clancy 1984 novel of the same name, Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who works out the captain's intentions.

In "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003), Sean Connery is the retired adventurer Allan Quatermain who, with his team of Victorian-era superheroes, tackles a terrorist problem.

Answer: Julia Roberts

The legal action against Pacific Gas and Electric Company over the Hinkley groundwater contamination incident is the subject matter of "Erin Brockovich" (2000). Julia Roberts earned an Oscar for her role as Brockovich who digs up the evidence.

Roberts plays the fairy Tinker Bell in the fantasy film "Hook" (1991), a sequel to the 1912 novel "Peter and Wendy" by J.M. Barrie. In the film, the grown-up Peter Pan reclaims his youthful memories when he has to save his kidnapped children. In the fantasy comedy "Mirror Mirror" (2012), Roberts plays the insecure Evil Queen when Snow White joins the dwarves and turns to banditry.