Hail to the Chief Trivia Quiz

Answer: James Cromwell

James Cromwell's dad was director John Cromwell, and his mother was an actress named Kay Johnson. He started acting in theatre before beginning his television career in 1974. Nominated for many awards, Cromwell won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Dr. Arthur Arden in "American Horror Story: Asylum".

Cromwell played President J. Robert Fowler in "The Sum of All Fears" (2002), a movie based on a Tom Clancy novel and part of the Jack Ryan series of movies. In this spy thriller, the part of main character Jack Ryan was played by Ben Affleck. Jack Ryan had to try and stop a nuclear war from breaking out between the US and Russia.

Answer: Michael Douglas

Son of actors Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill, Michael Douglas was born in 1944. His extensive list of awards includes an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, both for his role in "Wall Street". For his role in "The American President" he was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical. In "The American President", he played the role of President Shepard, a widower who was running for re-election. During the course of the movie, he fell in love with a lobbyist named Sydney Ellen Wade, played by Annette Bening.

Answer: Bill Pullman

Born in 1953, William James Pullman began acting in theatre in the 1980s before debuting in the film "Ruthless People". He played the role of President Whitmore in "Independence Day" and reprised the role in the 2016 movie "Independence Day: Resurgence".

In both movies, his character had to lead the country in the fight against alien invasions. In "1600 Penn", he played the role of President Gilcrest, who lived in the White House with his trophy wife and complicated family.

Answer: Roy Scheider

Roy Scheider was born in 1932 and died in 2008 after battling a plasma cell cancer called multiple myeloma. He began acting after being an amateur boxer and serving in the Air Force. Some of his more well-known roles include that of Police Chief Martin Brody in "Jaws" and "Jaws 2" and Detective Cloudy Russo in "The French Connection".

He played the role of President Carlson in "Executive Target" (1997), President Baker in "The Peacekeeper" (1997), and President Cahill in "Chain of Command" (2000). In "The Peacekeeper", his character had to be protected from being assassinated, and in "Executive Target", his character was the victim of a kidnapping plot. In "Chain of Command", his character managed to survive an assassination attempt, only to later be knocked unconscious during a meeting with Taiwan's president in order to get his thumbprint and retina scan to activate the computer that would launch ICBMs.

Answer: Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton started acting in the 1980s, but he started gaining more fame in 1992 with "One False Move" which he starred in and co-write. He gained even more international acclaim after he wrote, directed, and starred in the 1996 movie "Sling Blade", which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Apart from his acting and filmmaking career, Billy Bob Thornton also began singing in bands at the age of ten. In 2007, he formed the rock band The Boxmasters along with J.D. Andrew.

His appearance as president in "Love Actually" was a brief one during Natalie's and David's storyline. The president said some inappropriate things about Natalie to David.

Answer: Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston earned his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, and won awards for his roles on "Law & Order" and "I'll Fly Away". In 2012, he was also inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Not only did Waterston play the part of Lincoln in film and on stage, but he also served on the Lincoln Bicentennial Advisory Committee.

In "Shadow Conspiracy", he played the part of an unnamed president who was the target of an assassination plot, and in "The Enemy Within", he played President William Foster who had to collect evidence to prevent a coup that would take him out of power.

Answer: James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones began acting at the Ramsdell Theatre after working as a stage carpenter. HIs list of awards is extensive, and includes an Honorary Doctor of Arts given to him by Harvard in 2017. In 1990, he became the first actor to win two Emmys in the same year for his performances in "Heat Wave" and "Gabriel's Fire".

In his role in "The Man" (1972), he played Douglass Dilman, who became the first African-American to become president after a series of tragedies made him next in line to succeed to the post without being elected.

Answer: Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford was born in 1942 and began his acting career in the 1960s by taking roles as extras and some other uncredited small parts in a few films which led him to work as a carpenter to support his family during the time. His work on "American Graffiti" gave him a relationship with George Lucas that would lead to his casting as Han Solo in "Star Wars".

In "Air Force One", he played the role of the President James Marshall, who attempted to take his plane back from the people that hijacked it instead of escaping in the escape pod with his family.

Answer: Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon (1925-2001) was a musician and actor, known for such movies as "Some Like It Hot", "Mister Roberts", "The Odd Couple", and "Save the Tiger". He and Walter Matthau collaborated on many movies together, and Matthau was originally slated to be his partner in "My Fellow Americans" but health problems kept him from doing so.

In "My Fellow Americans", Jack Lemmon played alongside James Garner as two ex-presidents who were constantly bickering. They survived an assassination attempt, and worked together to confront President Haney (played by Dan Aykroyd).

Answer: Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman joined the Pasadena Playhouse in 1956 when he started pursuing his acting career. His first big role came in 1967 in "Bonnie and Clyde", which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In addition to his acting career, Hackman began work as a novelist in the 1990s. His first three novels were written in collaboration with Daniel Lenihan, but Hackman's first solo novel "Payback at Morning Creek" came out in 2011.

In "Absolute Power" (1997), Hackman played the role of President Allen Richmond who assaulted a woman who was then killed after Richmond yelled for help when she defended herself. Hackman also played the role of a former US President in the romantic comedy "Welcome to Mooseport" in 2004.