Celebrities on First Name Basis - S & T Quiz

Answer: Tonya

Tonya Harding rose through the ranks in the amateur figure skating world throughout the 1980s and 1990s though the career was cut short when her ex-husband attacked one of her competitors. Since the 1990s, Harding has instead found renewed fame in other ventures, notably celebrity boxing, reality television, and breaking the land-speed record for a vintage gas coupe on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

She also appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018. Her life would be seen under the microscope once again in the 2018 film "I, Tonya" where Margot Robbie played the title role; Robbie was nominated for an Oscar for the portrayal.

Answer: Shawn

Born just outside of Toronto, Canada, Shawn Mendes was a creation of an online generation, rising to popularity via the now-defunct video service known as Vine by releasing songs to the public. He was quickly picked up by a studio in his teen years and unleashed a series of popular full albums, becoming somewhat of a teen sensation.

By the time he turned 21, he had four Billboard number one records and countless sold-out stadium shows.

Answer: Selma

Though one would initially assume Selma was the daughter of "Exorcist" actress Linda Blair, they would be wrong. Selma first gained popularity from teen films like "Cruel Intentions" and "Can't Hardly Wait" in the 1990s, but she was elevated to higher profile roles in "Legally Blonde" (opposite Reese Witherspoon) and the "Hellboy" series in the 2000s.

She later had starring roles in the U.S. TV series "Kath & Kim", FX's "Anger Management" opposite Charlie Sheen, and the Netflix sci-fi series "Another Life".

Answer: Tommy

Although Tommy Hilfiger started in the fashion industry with clothing stores in the 1970s, his fashion line truly developed in the 1980s, becoming a high-profile brand overnight with tons of celebrity endorsements over the years due to a prominent rock-and-roll vibe in his styles. Hilfiger sold the brand in 2010 (to Calvin Klein), walking away with billions of dollars as a result.

He remained on-hand as the lead designer well after and continued his reign in the market, winning lifetime achievement awards from numerous media outlets.

Answer: Tessa

Starting her career in theatre, Tessa Thompson became a prominent film and television star in the 2010s, scoring roles in the "Rocky" spin-offs "Creed" and "Creed II" before hitting the big time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Valkyrie opposite Chris Hemsworth in "Thor: Ragnarok" (and, subsequently, "Avengers: Endgame").

She joined the cast of the enigmatic HBO sci-fi show "Westworld" as opposition to Anthony Hopkins and, eventually, Evan Rachel Wood, while also acting in the Alex Garland sci-fi film "Annihilation" in 2018.

Answer: Sacha

Sacha Baron Cohen starred in "Da Ali G Show", originally, but his talents soon exploded on the big screen with "Borat" and "Bruno", both of which featured the actor immersed in larger-than-life roles designed to infiltrate society and distill satire. Although he played a series of dramatic and comedic scripted roles over the years, his fame truly came from his improvised work (he won the Golden Globe for "Borat"), and Showtime brought him back to prod at American politics with "Who is America?" in 2018.

His most notable character this time, Erran Morad, required significant prosthetics to make him look like an imposing former member of the Israeli military.

Answer: Sofia

Sofia Coppola has been celebrated for a number of her films, notably "The Virgin Suicides" and "Lost in Translation", but this daughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola has taken her often melancholic works far past that. After releasing "Marie Antoinette" in 2006, she started working on her ennui-driven movie "Somewhere", including a number of songs created by the French alternative band Phoenix. Coppola would marry their lead singer, Thomas Mars, a year after the film debuted in Venice.

Answer: Tyler

Tyler Perry started onstage in the late 1990s but, with a boost from Oprah Winfrey, he grew to become a powerhouse in cinema, creating several movies and stage shows annually to the point where he was, at one time, the highest-paid entertainer in Hollywood. Madea is one of his many creations in which he dresses as an elderly black woman and exacts a certain type of revenge when necessary.

He retired the character in 2020 in both venues. Perry has also been featured in "Alex Cross" and "Gone Girl".

Answer: Tegan

Tegan and Sara Quin, identical twin sisters from Canada, started making music together in high school. Despite being born from the burgeoning indie scene in the 2010s, then quickly latched onto pop sensibilities and became forces to be reckoned with across North America, collaborating with famous artists and being asked to join "The Lonely Island" for "Everything is Awesome", one of the biggest earworms of the decade.

They are also known for hits like "Closer" and "Boyfriend".

Answer: Simon

Simon Cowell, love him or hate him, has been extremely influential in both the music and television industries, paving the way for talent competitions the world over alongside another Simon (Fuller). Debuting on "Pop Idol" in 2001 in the UK, he spent nine seasons on the judge's panel (alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson) in the U.S. while leading the charge on "The X Factor" (starting in 2004 in the UK).

It was Cowell's own production company, SyCo, that created the "Got Talent" series-- he started judging it in the UK in 2007 and in the U.S. in 2016.