Jamie Lee Curtis - Hollywood's Free Spirit Quiz

Answer: Choate Rosemary Hall

Jamie Lee graduated from Choate in 1976, and has served as a member of the Choate Rosemary Hall Arts Alumni Board. Other Choate graduates from the entertainment field include actor Michael Douglas ("Falling Down", "Basic Instinct", Class of '63), actress Ali MacGraw ("Love Story", "Convoy", Class of '56), and playwright Edward Albee ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?", "A Delicate Balance", Class of '46).

Answer: Christopher Guest

Jamie Lee saw Christopher's photograph in "Rolling Stone" magazine, and it was literally love at first sight. Months later, they accidentally met for the first time at a restaurant, began dating, and were married shortly thereafter. Jamie and Christopher have two adopted children, Annie and Thomas.

Christopher's father was an English lord, Peter Haden-Guest, the Fourth Baron of Saling in Essex. Christopher inherited the Barony in 1996, becoming the Fifth Baron Haden-Guest of Saling, making Jamie Lee a Baroness, Lady Haden-Guest.

Answer: Yes

Kelly Lee Curtis had a bit part as Muffy (her first professional acting credit) in Jamie's 1983 starring vehicle "Trading Places". Kelly's acting career has consisted primarily of minor television roles and a few "straight to video" films.

Answer: Operation Petticoat

Jamie Lee's first regular television role was as Lt. Barbara Duran on "Operation Petticoat", a CBS sitcom based on the classic 1959 motion picture starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis (Jamie's father). Dina Merrill played Jamie's character Lt. Duran in the original film. "Operation Petticoat" chronicled the misadventures of a co-ed crew serving aboard a pink submarine during WWII. The series filmed 34 episodes (including a 2-hour TV movie/pilot), and was canceled midway through its second season. Most of the original first season cast (including Jamie Lee) did not return for the second season.

"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" was a family show based on the popular "Hardy Boys" and "Nancy Drew" mystery books. The series debuted on ABC in 1977, and lasted through portions of three seasons, filming 41 episodes including the pilot. Although Jamie Lee was never a regular cast member, she did make one guest appearance during the first season of the show, playing the role of Mary in the episode "The Mystery of the Fallen Angel".

"Logan's Run" was a 1977 CBS sci-fi drama starring Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies, based on the popular motion picture of the same name. The series was somewhat less successful than its namesake; it filmed only 14 episodes (the final three of which never aired). "On Our Own" was a 1977 CBS comedy starring Bess Armstrong and Lynnie Greene as two secretaries employed at a New York advertising agency; the series was canceled after one season. Jamie Lee Curtis never appeared on either program.

Answer: Trading Places

In "Trading Places", Jamie Lee portrayed Ophelia, a prostitute who helped Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) turn the tables on Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche), two wealthy commodities brokers who had destroyed Winthorpe's life. Several of the film's funniest scenes took place during a train trip, when Ophelia, Louis and Billy Ray went into disguise to chase the Dukes' hired henchman, Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason).

Jamie's performance in "Trading Places" has often been credited with preventing her from becoming permanently typecast for slasher roles, and also earned her the 1984 BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Answer: My Girl

Jamie Lee and Dan Aykroyd starred in the 1991 romance comedy/drama "My Girl", and later reprised their roles in the 1994 sequel, "My Girl 2". Dan portrayed Harry Sultenfuss, a mortician, and Jamie Lee played Shelly DeVoto, a make-up artist hired by Harry to work at his funeral parlor. Harry and Shelly eventually fell in love and married. Amy Chlumsky co-starred as Harry's daughter Vada Sultenfuss in both films.

Answer: Nurse

As "Forever Young" unfolded in 1939, Daniel was grief-stricken over the imminent death of his girlfriend, and volunteered to participate in a scientific experiment during which he was cryogenically frozen. He awoke 53 years later in 1992. Aside from being confounded by modern technology (and the fact he was aging at a frightening pace), Daniel still pined for his lost girlfriend Helen. He was befriended by Claire, an emergency room nurse, and her young son Nat (played by Elijah Wood). George Wendt (Norm Peterson of "Cheers" fame) had a supporting role as Harry Finley, Daniel's best friend (and the inventor of the cryogenic freezing process).

"Forever Young" was directed by Steve Miner, who would later direct Jamie Lee again in "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later", her 1998 return to the slasher film genre.

Answer: Black

Harry's a secret agent, but Helen thinks he's a computer salesman. Seeking a little excitement in her otherwise boring life, Helen became entangled with a sleazy car salesman (Simon, played by Bill Paxton), who was pretending to be a secret agent himself. Things became a bit too complicated for Helen once Harry got involved in the situation. When she stripped down to her black bra and panties, Helen had no idea she was actually strutting for her own husband, hidden in the shadows. To avoid any dreaded spoilers, that's all we'll say here about the rest of the story line!

"True Lies" enjoyed phenomenal commercial success. A sequel has been rumored for years in movie fan circles, but director James Cameron has repeatedly stated he has no interest in such a project. Any faint hope for a sequel was probably dashed forever on October 7, 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of the State of California... this appears to be one time when Ah-nuld "won't be back".

Answer: A Fish Called Wanda

Released in 1988, "A Fish Called Wanda" was one of Jamie Lee's most popular and successful films. Set in London, Jamie portrayed Wanda Gershwitz, a jewel thief plotting to outwit the other members of her gang and take all of the stolen jewels for herself. Shakespearean-trained actor Kevin Kline played Otto West, Wanda's lover and partner in crime. Michael Palin rounded-out the gang as Ken Pile, a stuttering, bumbling hit man who could only manage to kill a little old lady's pet dogs, one by one. John Cleese portrayed Archie Leach, an English barrister defending another member of the gang (and the only one who knew where the stolen jewels were hidden). Wanda seduced Archie as part of her plot, leading to inevitable complications. Jamie Lee has described "A Fish Called Wanda" and her collaboration with John Cleese as, "... one of the greatest movie experiences I've ever been part of."

Kevin Kline's performance as Otto earned him the 1989 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. John Cleese and Michael Palin (both "Monty Python" alumni) won 1989 BAFTA Awards, for Best Actor and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, respectively. In addition to starring, Cleese was also the film's writer and executive producer.

Answer: The Fog

Jamie's role as Elizabeth Solley in the 1980 thriller "The Fog" marked her second collaboration with writer/director John Carpenter. Carpenter also created the character Laurie Strode, which Jamie Lee played in four films: "Halloween" (1978), "Halloween II" (1981), "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1998), and "Halloween: Resurrection" (2002).

As for the other three characters, Jamie Lee starred as Kit Foster in the 1999 sci-fi thriller "Virus", and as Louisa Pendel in the 2001 drama "The Tailor of Panama". She also played the supporting role of Elaine Bowen in the 2001 comedy "Daddy and Them". And just for the record, John Carpenter was not involved in any of those projects.

Answer: True Lies

Jamie Lee received Golden Globe nominations for all four projects. Her performance in "True Lies" earned Jamie the 1995 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical.

Five years earlier, Jamie Lee won her first Golden Globe Award (the 1990 award for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Comedy/Musical), for her performance as Hannah Miller on the ABC sitcom "Anything But Love". In addition to her starring role, Jamie also directed one 1992 episode of the series ("The Call of the Mild", late in the final season), her first foray as a director.

Answer: Saturn Award

Sandra and Jamie Lee shared the 1995 Saturn Award for Best Actress, awarded by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. In addition to the Saturn, Jamie Lee won both an American Comedy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance in "True Lies". She was also nominated for an MTV Movie Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Answer: Kotex tampons

No tampon ads for Jamie Lee. She made television commercials for Hitachi in 1995, and for Equal in 1996; she also appeared in print advertisements for L'Eggs hosiery in 1996. In addition, Jamie Lee was the advertising spokesperson for VoiceStream Wireless from 1998-2002. Following a 2002 corporate merger, VoiceStream Wireless became T-Mobile, and the resulting new corporation hired actress Catherine Zeta-Jones to replace Jamie as their spokesperson.

Answer: Children's book author

Jamie Lee Curtis is the author of several popular books for children. Her titles include "When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth" (1992), "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born" (1996), "Today I Feel Silly" (1998), "Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery" (2000), and "I'm Gonna Like Me" (2002), all illustrated by Laura Cornell.

Answer: More

The intentionally unflattering photo appeared in the September 2002 issue of "More" magazine. Posing for the shot was Jamie Lee's idea; in fact, she herself wanted the article to be titled "True Thighs". Quoting Jamie Lee from the article itself, "There's a reality to the way I look without my clothes on. I don't have great thighs. I have very big breasts and a soft, fatty little tummy. And I've got back fat. People assume that I'm walking around in little spaghetti-strap dresses. It's insidious - Glam Jamie, the Perfect Jamie, the great figure, blah, blah, blah. And I don't want the unsuspecting 40-year-old women of the world to think that I've got it going on. It's such a fraud. And I'm the one perpetuating it."

In the article, Jamie also exposed the truth about the folly of cosmetic surgery, admitting that she'd had fat removed from under her eyes, in addition to undergoing liposuction and Botox injections. Her final word on the subject of cosmetic surgery? "I've done it all. None of it works."