Blazing Stars from Greater Manchester Quiz

Answer: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Roy Kinnear was born in Wigan, in 1934. He was a good friend of director Richard Lester, who directed the 1966 film "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". Buster Keaton played the role of Erronius. Roy is best known for his role as Mr Salt in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". Kinnear was injured in a riding accident, which occurred on the set of the film "The Return of the Three Musketeers" (1988).

Whilst he was rushed to hospital, he suffered a heart attack the following day and passed away.

Answer: Holliday Grainger

Born in 1988, Holliday Grainger was six years old when she appeared in the BBC comedy drama "All Quiet on the Preston Front". She has appeared in a number of popular TV shows in the UK including "Where the Heart Is", "Waterloo Road" and "Merlin". However, these pale alongside her breakout role in "The Borgias" (2011) where she shared the screen with the enigmatic Jeremy Irons.

In 2012 she scored the role of Baroness Shilton in the movie "Anna Karenina".

Answer: Atlas Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider

Professor Brian Cox was born in Chadderton, Oldham in 1968. While studying physics at the University of Manchester he joined the band D:Ream. Their song "Things Can Only Get Better", which reached number one on the UK charts, was used as an anthem in 1997 by the Labour political party for their election campaign. Brian is a popular host of science programmes for the BBC as well as appearing as a special guest on the 700th episode of the long-running show "The Sky At Night".

He works on the Atlas Experiment, which is part of the Large Hadron Collider based near Geneva.

Answer: Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie, who was born in Rochdale in 1941, was a member of "The Goodies" for all nine of its seasons that ran from the late 1970's to the mid 1980's. Their song "Funky Gibbon", which was one of five hit singles for them in 1975, was re-released in 2010 to benefit a primate charity.

As stated, Bill is a keen bird watcher and this has opened the door for him to host a number of BBC wildlife programmes such as "Springwatch", "Autumnwatch" and "Birding with Bill Oddie". He was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his efforts in wildlife conservation.

Answer: Gone in Sixty Seconds

Born in 1964 Ecclestone has appeared in all the films listed above. In addition to playing the Time Lord in "Dr Who" (2005), Christopher also had the prominent role of DCI David Bilborough in the highly successful ITV series "Cracker". A classically trained actor, he has appeared on stage in several productions including "A Streetcar Named Desire" and the title role in "Hamlet".

Answer: The Coogans

All brothers can claim their fair share of success, though Steve seems to have gained the lion's share of fame with his appearances in several high profile movies including "Hot Fuzz" (2007), "Tropic Thunder" (2008) and "The Other Guys" (2010). The Mock Turtles had joy with their song "Can You Dig It" reaching number 18 on the UK charts and being used in a successful advertising campaign by telecom provider Vodafone. Brendan Coogan gained some notoriety by having to resign from the highly rated "Top Gear" programme when he received a drink driving conviction.

Answer: Pygmalion

Wendy Hiller was one of George Bernard Shaw's favourite actresses and she appeared in "Pygmalion" on stage and screen at his request. She was nominated on three occasions for Academy Awards, winning with her second nomination as Pat Cooper in the 1958 film "Separate Tables".

Her final nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Alice More in the 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons".

Answer: Frank Finlay

Frank Finlay was born in 1926. He won a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1974 for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the television film "The Death of Adolf Hitler" and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Iago in the 1965 film "Othello". Following on from his role as Amafi in "Shaft in Africa" (1973) he won the right to play Porthos in the 1973 version of "The Three Musketeers", a character he was to reprise in "The Four Musketeers" (1974) and "The Return of the Musketeers" (1989).

Answer: Cry Freedom

John Thaw was born in Longsight, Manchester in 1942. His role of South African politician Jimmy Kruger in the 1987 movie "Cry Freedom" was only a small one, however, it earned the more substantial part as Fred Karno in the 1992 movie "Chaplin" alongside Robert Downey, Jr. Thaw made his name on British television, first as the no nonsense detective Jack Regan in "The Sweeney", which was followed by the charismatic Chief Inspector Morse in 33 episodes of the series. John Thaw passed away on February 21, 2002 after losing his battle against cancer. Such was his fame that his memorial service was attended by Prince Charles and the then Prime Minister's wife, Cherie Blair.

Answer: Joanne Whalley

Joanne Whalley was born in Salford in 1961 before moving to the Stockport area of Greater Manchester. Her role of Fan Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol", which starred George C. Scott, was her first major casting following a bit-part in "Pink Floyd-The Wall" in 1982.

She also scored a role in the historical drama "The Borgias" playing the pope's mistress, Vannozza dei Cattanei. Whalley married Val Kilmer in 1988. They divorced in 1996 after having two children together.