Actor Generations - Missing Links Quiz

Answer: Paul Newman

These all-time screen legends were born in 1925. They were all nominated at the Oscars and some of them were awarded.

Paul Newman - won three Academy awards: the Oscar (Best Leading Role) for 'The Color of Money', the Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award; he was also nominated for 'Road to Perdition', 'Nobody's Fool', 'The Verdict', 'Absence of Malice', 'Rachel, Rachel', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Hud', 'The Hustler' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'; Jack Lemmon - won the Oscar for 'Save the Tiger' (Best Leading Actor) and 'Mister Roberts' (Best Supporting Actor), also nominated for 'Missing', 'Tribute', 'The China Syndrome', 'Days of Wine and Roses', 'The Apartment' and 'Some Like It Hot';

Richard Burton - nominated seven times for 'Equus', 'Anne of the Thousand Days', 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', 'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold', 'Becket', 'The Robe' and 'My Cousin Rachel'; Rod Steiger -won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor with his performance in 'In the Heat of the Night', after previously being nominated for 'The Pawnbroker' and 'On the Waterfront';

Peter Sellers - nominated for 'Beinbg There', 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film'; Tony Curtis - nominated for 'The Defiant Ones'; Rock Hudson - nominated for 'Giant'.

They were elder: Gregory Peck (1916), Anthony Quinn (1915), Humphrey Bogart (1899).

Answer: Sean Connery

Born in 1930, they've gained the recognition of their talent with some exceptional roles played over time. In their long careers, they've all stared, more or less, in westerns.

Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen are among the champions of this genre performing in masterpieces like 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'Unforgiven' and respectively 'The Magnificent Seven', 'Junior Bonner', the 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' series. Gene Hackman is the 'bad boy' of the West appearing in 'Unforgiven' (received the Oscar for Best Supporting Role), 'The Quick and the Dead'. Robert Wagner did his share with 'The Broken Lance' or 'The Silver Whip'. Although an outstanding actor, Sean Connery didn't show much interest in westerns, 'Shalako' being the only one he has stared in.

The other choices: Sydney Poitiers (1924), Marlon Brando (1924), John Wayne (1917).

Answer: Jack Nicholson

1937 was a golden year regarding the exceptional talented actors born then. These are some of Hollywood's greatest, each of them winners of at least one Oscar (not counting their numerous Academy Award nominations and other awards and prizes).

Winning the Best Actor Award: Jack Nicholson, for 'As Good as it Gets', 'Terms of Endearment' (supporting role) and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', Dustin Hoffman, for 'Rain Man' and 'Kramer vs Kramer' and Anthony Hopkins, for 'Silence of the Lambs'; and winning the Best Director Award: Warren Beatty for 'Reds' and Robert Redford for 'Ordinary People' (he also won the Honorary Award in 2002).

The other three greats: Michael Caine (1933), Al Pacino (1940), Michael Douglas (1944).

Answer: Robert de Niro

They were all born in 1943 and they starred in a lot of mob movies:
Robert de Niro in the 'Godfather' trilogy (Oscar - 'Best Supporting Role' for part II), 'Casino', 'The Untouchables', 'Goodfellas', 'Analyze This', 'Analyze That'; Joe Pesci in 'Goodfellas', 'Casino', '8 Heads in a Duffel Bag'; Ben Kingsley in 'Bugsy', 'Sexy Beast'; Christopher Walken in 'Last Man Standing'; Malcolm McDowell in 'Gangster No. 1'.

Not born in 1943 but equally talented as the previous: Alan Alda (1936), Ed Harris (1950), John Malkovich (1953).

Answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger

They were born in 1947. Here are some facts you probably didn't know about them:

Sam Neill was one of the candidates to portray James Bond, but lost the role to Timothy Dalton and later Pierce Brosnan; James Woods has an IQ of 180, is a reserve L.A. police officer and is ambidextrous (can write with both hands); Kevin Kline turned down the role of Batman (1989); Richard Dreyfuss can't stand rock music; Arnold Schwarzenegger received the U.S. citizenship in 1983 and was the first private U.S. citizen to own a Humvee.

Arnold's rivals for most popular action-movie star: Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960), Sylvester Stallone (1946), Rutger Hauer (1944).

Answer: Liam Neeson

All of these outstanding actors were born in 1952. They also share in common the fact they've each played at some point the role of a scientist:

Liam Neeson in Darkman; Christopher Reeve in a guest appearance for 'Smallville'; Dan Aykroyd in 'Ghostbusters' and 'My step Mom is an Alien'; and of course Jeff Goldblum - who looks like is best fit for the role - in
'Independence Day', 'The Fly', 'Jurassic Park', ' Jurassic Park II', 'Cats & Dogs' and 'Life Story'.

Wrong choices: Denzel Washington (1954), Kevin Spacey (1959) and
Kenneth Branagh (1960).

Answer: Kevin Costner

They were born in 1955. And by the way, you might want to read these curious facts about them:

Bruce Willis wears his watch upside down, Willem Dafoe is a vegetarian, Billy Bob Thornton claims having a phobia of antique furniture, Gary Sinise received an Emmy award for portraying George Wallace, who later died that very night and Kevin Costner stated he would never star in a sequel.

This is for choosing it wrong: Val Kilmer (1959), Tim Robbins (1958), Jeff Bridges (1949).

Answer: Tom Hanks

These major Hollywood stars came to this world in 1956. Looking back to their prolific film careers we can find out that they've all played characters linked to the Vietnam War.

The most famous is of course Tom Hank's Forrest Gump who needs no comments. Next in line comes Mel Gibson's Lt. Col. Hal Moore in the recent 'We Were Soldiers'. Then there is Eric Roberts fine performance in 'To Heal a Nation' staring as Jan Scruggs. We can also highlight Mickey Rourke playing the Vietnam veteran Stanley White in 'Year of the Dragon'. Even Andy Garcia has an appearance as a Vietnam vet in 'Hero', portraying John Bubber.

Not born in 1956: Richard Gere (1949), Michael Keaton (1951), Sean Penn (1960).

Answer: George Clooney

They were born in 1961. You could have also used the following 'degrees of separation' which led you to the correct answer:

Eric Stoltz stared with Tim Roth in 'Bodies, Rest & Motion'; Tim Roth's co-star in 'Pulp Fiction' was Ving Rhames; Ving Rhames appeared alongside Michael J.Fox and Woody Harrelson in 'Casualties of War'; Woody Harrelson stared in 'The Thin Red Line', with George Clooney as his war comrade. Easy wasn't it? (just kidding about the whole thing)

In case you messed things up: Brad Pitt (1963), Johnny Depp (1963), Tom Cruise (1962).

Answer: Russell Crowe

Except the fact they were born in 1964, it was hard to find something in common for these four actors, but here it is:

They have all won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for favorite actor. Matt Dillon won it in 1998 for 'There's Something about Mary', Keanu Reeves won it one year later for 'The Matrix', while Russel Crowe and Nicolas Cage won it in 2000 for 'Gladiator' (favorite action actor) and 'The Family Man' (favorite comedy actor) respectively.

The other three Aussie birth years: Hugh Jackman (1968), Guy Pearce (1967) and Heath Ladger (1979).