Celebrity States 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Jersey

John Joseph Travolta was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on February 14, 1954. He was the youngest of six children, many of whom also became performers, largely due to the influence of their mother, who was an actress and singer, and later a drama and English teacher. At the age of 17, John dropped out of high school to pursue a career in acting, relocating to New York City for a short time before making the move to California and Hollywood.

John got some small roles in both television and film, but soon landed the breakout role of Vinnie Barbarino in "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975-1979). He followed that up with the star-launching films, "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), "Grease" (1978), and "Urban Cowboy" (1980).

John Travolta had a downturn in popularity in the early 1990s, but made a 'comeback' with 1994's "Pulp Fiction," for which he received an Oscar nomination. He has continued to act in varying roles in both film and television into the 2020s.

Answer: New Jersey

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972. As a youth, Shaq moved with his family (by reason of his military step-father) to Germany and Texas, and it was in San Antonio at Robert G. Cole High School that he achieved notice for his basketball prowess, helping his school team to a 68-1 record over two years, and the state championship in 1989.

Shaquille was drafted in 1992, 1st overall by the Orlando Magic. He went on to have a stellar career, beginning with the Rookie of the Year award in 1993. He won the NBA scoring title in 1995 with the Magic) and in 2000 (with the LA Lakers), and won four NBA Championships during his career (2000, 2001, and 2002 with the Lakers, and 2006 with the Miami Heat).

Shaq would also go on to play with the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics before his retirement in 2011.

Answer: New Jersey

John Francis Bongiovi Jr., more popularly known as Jon Bon Jovi, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on March 2, 1962. Jon began playing piano and guitar at the age of 13, and by the time he graduated high school, had already formed multiple different bands, and was performing in local clubs or opening for other, more established bands.

Jon formed the band 'Bon Jovi' in 1983, and released the first eponymous album a year later. With the release of the group's third album "Slippery When Wet" in 1986, the band got two Number One hits ("You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer"), and achieved superstar status. In addition to over a dozen studio albums with the band, Jon also released a couple of his own solo albums, including the soundtrack for "Young Guns II" in 1990 with the hit song "Blaze of Glory."

Jon Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Answer: Virginia

Robert Hepler Lowe was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, on March 17, 1964, but grew up in Dayton, Ohio, before relocating to Malibu, California, for his high school years. While still in Ohio, Rob got his start in acting, a passion which he was able to pursue more fully in California.

Rob's first film and television roles came in 1983, and his talents were recognized early on with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film for his role in "Thursday's Child." But what really got him noticed was his debut film, "The Outsiders" that same year, where he was cast alongside many other young, up-and-coming actors.

Rob had a successful career beginning through the '80s, but after a bit of a scandal, he stepped back from acting in the '90s, returning with a successful role in "The West Wing" (1999-2003) before moving on to other projects.

Answer: Virginia

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on April 5, 1973. He grew up in a musical family and early on had the fortune of meeting Chad Hugo, with whom he would form "The Neptunes" - a songwriting production duo that would successfully write songs for acts like Britney Spears, Jay-Z, and Justin Timberlake.

In 2006, Pharrell released his debut solo album, entitled "In My Mind," and a few years later had the smash hit "Happy" in 2013 as part of the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack, and also released on his second studio album "Girl."

In addition to his successful (Grammy-winning) musical career, Pharrell has also achieved success in the fashion industry, establishing the clothing lines 'Billionaire Boys Club' and 'Ice Cream' in collaboration with Japanese fashion designer Nigo. In 2015, Pharrell was also named one of GQ's 'Best Dressed Men in the World.'

Answer: Virginia

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington County, Virginia, on July 26, 1964. With a U.S. military father and a German mother, Sandra spent the bulk of her childhood in Germany and Austria, growing up fluent in both English and German. She graduated high school in Virginia, and went on to acquire a degree in Drama from East Carolina University (1987).

Sandra spent the early part of her career playing small television and film roles, and finally got her breakthrough role with 1994's "Speed," opposite Keanu Reeves. From here, her career took off with a variety of roles, culminating in winning the 2010 Oscar (as well as the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award) for Best Actress for her role in "The Blind Side" (2009).

Sandra's strengths did not only rest in her acting skills, as she also formed her own production company Fortis Films in 1995, producing many of her own movies along her highly successful acting career.

Answer: Oklahoma

William Bradley Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on December 18, 1963, but at a young age his family relocated to Springfield, Missouri, where he grew up and graduated high school. He enrolled at the University of Missouri in 1982, studying journalism, but did not quite complete his degree, choosing to pursue a career in acting with a move to Los Angeles in 1986.

It took some time for Brad to establish himself as an actor, taking acting classes while landing numerous small movie roles and television guest appearances. It wasn't until 1991 that he truly got noticed with his role in "Thelma & Louise." It was soon followed up with a breakthrough role in 1992's "A River Runs Through It," and he began to get more significant roles, and his star rose with "Legends of the Fall" in 1994 and 1995's "Seven," firmly establishing Brad as a lead actor.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Pitt continued to star in high-profile films, such as "Fight Club" (1999), "Ocean's Eleven" (2001), and "Troy" (2004). He also received critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for his roles in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) and "Moneyball" (2012). His role in 2020's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

In addition to his successful acting career, Pitt has also worked as a producer, with his production company Plan B Entertainment producing films such as the Academy Awards Best Picture "12 Years a Slave" (2013), "Moonlight" (2016), and "The Big Short" (2015), among others.

Answer: Oklahoma

Vincent Grant Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma, on April 12, 1957. While growing up, his father (who played part time in a country music band) encouraged him to learn to play guitar and banjo, and to pursue a career in music. He got an early start, playing with a local band called 'Mountain Smoke' before he graduated high school. After graduation, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky and played with the bands 'Bluegrass Alliance' and 'Boone Creek' before relocating to Los Angeles to play with 'Sundance.'

Vince's career began to climb when he joined the country rock band 'Pure Prairie League' in 1978, followed by the country supergroup, 'The Cherry Bombs', in 1981. Having firmly established his reputation, Vince began his solo career, which proved to be a highly successful one, garnering more than 20 Grammy Awards, over 40 songs in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and better than 26 million albums sold

As a few other points of interest, Vince was named to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

Answer: Oklahoma

Dr. Phil, AKA Phillip Calvin McGraw, was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, on September 1, 1950. Most of his childhood was spent in North Texas until he moved to Kansas with his father as a teenager. He completed high school in Overland Park, KS and received a football scholarship to attend the University of Tulsa (Oklahoma). After transferring to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, Phil acquired his B.A. in psychology in 1975. He earned two further degrees from North Texas State University in 1976 (M.A. in experimental psychology) and 1979 (Ph.D. in clinical psychology).

Dr. Phil was launched into the public eye in 1995 after coming on to the Oprah Winfrey show as a specialist in a regular segment. His popularity grew, and Oprah helped him start his own show, "Dr. Phil," produced by her Harpo Studios beginning in 2002.

The "Dr. Phil" show has been one of the most popular daytime talk shows over the past 20 years, consistently having high viewership and ratings. In addition to his primary show, Phil has begun his own production company, which has launched various spin-offs, including the popular series "The Doctors" (2008-22). He has also published a number of books on life and relationship strategies.

Answer: Washington

Kurt Donald Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on February 20, 1967, and he grew up there, albeit not quite how he wanted. His parents divorced when he was nine years old, and life became much more complicated and difficult, especially after both of them married new spouses. Kurt dropped out of school before graduation, and for a time was homeless while trying to establish himself as a musical artist.

Shortly after leaving school, Kurt formed a band called 'Fecal Matter,' but they were only together long enough to make a demo tape. But that tape was instrumental in Kurt convincing friend and bassist Krist Novoselic to join him in a new enterprise... 'Nirvana.' They recorded their first album "Bleach" (1989) with Chad Channing on drums, but that partnership ended in favour of Dave Grohl, who joined Nirvana in 1990. Their second album, "Nevermind" (1991) and the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" vaulted the band into the proverbial limelight. Their success popularized 'alternative rock,' and they became identified with the 'grunge' scene of Seattle.

In spite of Kurt's success, he still struggled with many problems, including depression and addiction. Only one more studio album was released ("In Utero" in 1993) before Kurt tragically took his own life on April 5, 1994 at the age of 27.

Answer: Washington

William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28, 1955. At the age of 13, he enrolled in a private school, Lakeside prep school, which is where he got his start with programming. After graduating as a National Merit Scholar in 1973, Bill started his post-secondary schooling at Harvard University, ostensibly as a pre-law major. Of course, he also took graduate-level computer science courses, which had nothing to do with pre-law. More importantly, Bill met Steve Ballmer there, who would one day succeed him as CEO of Microsoft.

Speaking of Microsoft, Bill took leave from Harvard after only two years, establishing a partnership with fellow Lakeside alum Paul Evans... they named it Micro-Soft (he never went back to Harvard). A year later in 1976, they trademarked the name Microsoft, and history was made. The company's early success came from its development of the MS-DOS operating system, which was used by IBM for its first personal computer. Microsoft went on to become the world's largest personal computer software company, and Bill Gates' name has become synonymous with computers and technology.

Answer: Washington

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was born in Seattle, Washington, on April 22, 1966. While growing up, Jeffrey wasn't thinking of acting as a career, and after graduating high school in 1984, he wanted to become a professional basketball player. A leg injury changed the course of his life, and after helping friend move to Los Angeles, he decided to stay, as he said in a 2003 interview, "I fell into acting, found out I had a little of talent, and pursued it."

Jeffrey's first movie role came with 1991's "Uncaged," and while he has appeared in a number of films, the work for which he is best known is in television, with recurring roles in "Supernatural" (2005-2020) and "The Walking Dead" (2010-2022) that made him a household name.

Answer: Hawaii

Nicole Mary Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 20, 1967 to Australian parents who were there traveling on student visas. Her parents moved to Washington, DC for a short time, and then returned to Australia when Nicole was three years old. She grew up in Sydney and at the age of 16, dropped out of school to pursue acting.

Nicole's first role was in 1983's "Bush Christmas," followed by several Australian television series and films throughout the 1980s. In 1989, she appeared in the thriller "Dead Calm," which brought her international recognition. Her breakthrough role came in 1990 when she appeared in the film "Days of Thunder" opposite Tom Cruise, whom she later married. In 2001, Kidman won critical acclaim for her performance in the film "Moulin Rouge," for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress in 2003 for her role in "The Hours."

Nicole received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 13, 2003. In the 20 years since, she has continued to act in prominent roles in both film and television, and has also made biographies and independent films. She has become a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, and one of the highest-paid actresses in the world.

Answer: Hawaii

Peter Gene Hernandez, AKA Bruno Mars, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 8, 1985. He grew up in a musical family, and began performing with them at the age of four. His mother was a singer and dancer, and his father was a percussionist, and Bruno was exposed to a wide variety of musical styles as he grew up.

In 2003, Bruno moved to Los Angeles and began his professional career in the music industry, originally working as a songwriter and producer for other artists before releasing his first solo album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" in 2010. Since then, Bruno has been extremely successful, with more than 130 million records sold, numerous songs reaching Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 and over a dozen Grammy Awards. He became first artist to receive six Diamond-certified songs in the United States.

Answer: Hawaii

Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, (the Territory of) Hawaii, on December 1, 1945. She grew up there and attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the drama program, but left after just three semesters to pursue her entertainment career, relocating to New York City in 1965.

Bette started out in theatre, acting in plays and musicals (such as "Fiddler on the Roof" from 1966-69 on Broadway). In 1970 she began working with Barry Manilow, which led to his producing her first album, "The Divine Miss M" in 1972, earning her her first Grammy Award (for Best New Artist). Over more than 40 years working as an actor and musician, Bette has earned numerous awards, including three Grammys, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, plus a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role in 1979's "The Rose."

Bette received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 14, 1985, and has continued to act and sing professionally, including returning to perform on Broadway in 2013 and subsequent years. On December 4, 2021, Bette received the Kennedy Center Honor for a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts.