Wales and the Welsh in Hollywood. Quiz

Answer: Jonathan Pryce

John Price, (later changed to Jonathan Pryce), was born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, on June 1st 1947. Much of his early career was spent on the stage, and he was cast in many notable productions, such as "Hamlet", "Miss Saigon", "Oliver!" and "My Fair Lady". In fact, it was not until 1976 that he made his movie debut, which was in "Voyage of the Damned" and also starred Faye Dunaway.

Answer: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

According to Wikipedia, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain" is based on a story that the writer and director of the film, (Christopher Monger), heard from his grandfather. This story focuses on the village of Taffs Well, (which is in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales), and more specifically, its nearby mountain.

In fact, as Wikipedia notes, the only reason that Taffs Well wasn't used during filming was due to the "20th century urbanisation of the area".

Answer: Rhys Ifans

Rhys Ifans' first language is Welsh, and prior to embarking on a career in the movie industry, he actually appeared in many Welsh language television programmes. He presented the children's quiz show, "Sdwnsh", and was also involved in the sketch comedy show, "Pobol y Chyff".

Answer: Richard Burton

The twelfth of thirteen children, Richard Burton went on to have a successful stage, television and film career, spanning four decades. It was he who provided the voice of the narrator in both "Under Milk Wood" and the 1964 masterpiece, "Zulu". Yet despite his many contributions to the movie industry, he never won an Oscar.

Answer: Anthony Hopkins

In 1958, Anthony Hopkins was actually called up for National Service, and became a Royal Artillery man, affectionately known to his friends as 'Gunner' Hopkins. But as soon as this was over he returned to his first love, acting. Following National Service he acted in a few small plays, before moving to London, where he joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Answer: How Green Was My Valley

According to Wikipedia, John Ford, the director of "How Green Was My Valley", "wanted to shoot the movie in Wales, but events in Europe during World War II made this impossible", and so "he built a replica of the mining town at the nearly 3,000-acre Fox Ranch in Malibu Canyon".

Moreover in 1990, the film was "selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'".

Answer: Ioan Gruffudd

Ioan Gruffudd's first language is Welsh, and he is fiercely patriotic. He was educated through the medium of Welsh, and played the oboe for South Glamorgan's Youth Orchestra during his teenage years. He also competed in many singing competitions, and even won one at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Answer: Gareth Hughes

According to the Silent Era website, towards the end of the 1930s Gareth Hughes turned his back on the movie industry. Changing his name to Brother David, he shunned acting completely and focused on his new life as a missionary instead. He never acted afterwards, and dedicated the next fourteen years of his life to his work as a missionary to the Paiute Indians.

Answer: Timothy Dalton

Bizarrely, according to the IMDb website, in 1976, when Dalton appeared in an episode of "Charlie's Angels" (entitled "Fallen Angel"), his character, "Damien Roth, is referred to as being like James Bond, which was eight years before Dalton's first Bond outing".

Answer: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones actually left school early, and didn't achieve any O levels. Instead, she moved to London to attend The Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, where she followed a course in musical theatre. Prior to doing this, she had already starred in various musicals, such as "Annie" and "Bugsy Malone", which were performed in Swansea's Grand Theater.