More Middle Ground Trivia Quiz

Answer: Griffin

Kathy Griffin is an American actress and comedienne, born in Illinois in 1960. She has appeared on several cable comedy specials like "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List". She has also been in movies such as "Pulp Fiction" in 1994.

Griffin Dunne is an actor, director and producer. He was born in New York City in 1955. Among his many films are: "After Hours" (1985), "Practical Magic" (1998) and "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013).

Answer: Leonard

Sheldon Leonard (1907-1997) was an actor on TV and in films, predominantly in the 1950s and 1960s. He also wrote, produced and directed many sitcoms when TV was still young. Among his hits as a producer are: "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Make Room for Daddy" and "The Andy Griffith Show".

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was one of the first American composers to gain worldwide fame. He was the musical director of the New York Philharmonic and is responsible for works like "West Side Story" and "On the Town".

Answer: Lewis

Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) was an American actor and comedian. His slapstick shtick earned him the nickname "The King of Comedy". From 1946 to 1956 he teamed up with Dean Martin in films such as "Scared Stiff" in 1953. Additionally, every Labor Day for 44 years, Lewis hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

Lewis Black, a stand-up comedian, author and actor, was born in Maryland in 1948. Much of his humor is political in nature, as he delivers his comedy with an angry, belligerent demeanor.

Answer: Miles

Vera Miles was born in Oklahoma in 1929. In the 1950s and 1960s, you could find her all over the TV screen and in films. Perhaps her most notable role was that of Lila Crane, sister of embezzler and (brief) hotel guest Marion Crane, in the 1960 movie "Psycho"; a role she reprised in the 1983 sequel.

Miles Davis (1926-1991) was a jazz trumpeter and composer. He was one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century. He started in Charlie Parker's quintet in 1944 and, shortly after, recorded "Birth of the Cool".

Answer: Penn

Feisty actor Sean Penn was born in California in 1960. He first made a name for himself as Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in 1982. He was nominated for his first Best Actor Oscar for "Dead Man Waling" and has won the Best Actor Academy Award for his roles in "Mystic River" and "Milk".

Magician Penn Jillette was born in Massachusetts in 1955. He is an author, an illusionist, a musician and a comedian. He was the voice of Comedy Central in the 1990s, and he is half of the successful duo of Penn and Teller.

Answer: Tatum

Arthur Tatum Jr. (1909-1956) was one of the finest jazz pianists of all time. Both his parents were musicians and he was born with perfect pitch. His technique was so unique and intricate that luminaries in the field like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong would come to hear him play.

Tatum O'Neal is an actress and the daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal. She was born in Los Angeles, California in 1963. When she was ten years old, she starred with her father in "Paper Moon" for which she won an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress.

Answer: Forrest

Actor Steve Forrest (1926-2013) played Lieutenant Hondo Harrelson in the short-lived TV series "S.W.A.T." from 1975 to 1976. He also won a Razzie Award for his performance in the film "Mommie Dearest". His brother was actor Dana Andrews.

Forrest Gump is a fictional character from the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" and, prior to the film, from Winston Groom's 1986 novel. As he says to Jenny, the love of his life, "I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is".

Answer: Ray

Johnny Ray (1927-1990) was one of the most popular American singers of the 1950s. Among his biggest hits were "Just Walking in the Rain", "The Little White Cloud that Cried" and the poignant "Cry" from 1952. He was a pioneer in what was to become the 'rock and roll' explosion.

Ray Milland (1907-1986) was a Welsh-American actor whose career lasted from 1929 to 1985. He had the lead role in many films such as "Dial M for Murder" and "Love Story". He won a Best Actor Oscar for "Lost Weekend" (1945).

Answer: Jay

John Jay (1745-1829) was a New York native and Founding Father of a new nation. He drafted New York's first constitution in 1777, and was chosen as president of the Continental Congress in 1778. He was the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1789-1795) and the second governor of New York State.

Jay Leno is a comedian and late night TV host. He was born in New Rochelle, NY in 1950. After Johnny Carson retired, Leno hosted "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"
on NBC from 1992 through 2009, and from 2010 to 2014.

Answer: Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a British chef and restaurant owner born in Clavering, U.K in 1975. In 1999 his BBC TV show "The Naked Chef" debuted. That same year his cookbook became a bestseller in England, and he was invited to make lunch for Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Oliver Twist is a fictional orphan from the eponymously titled novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1838, with the subtitle the "Parish Boy's Progress". Dickens often wrote about the dichotomy between the rich and poor.