Sorting Celebrities Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jodie Foster

Alicia "Jodie" Foster was born on the 19th of November, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. As a prominent child star, she appeared in numerous television shows and adverts before hitting it big with a role in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" (1976), as child prostitute, Iris. Moreover unlike many other child stars, Foster continued to enjoy success as an adult, eventually earning herself two Best Actress Academy Awards, for "The Accused" (1988) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991). An intelligent individual, she also attended Yale University, where she earned herself a degree in Literature. In addition to this, her ability to speak fluent French led to her dubbing herself in numerous French language versions of her own films.

However as a direct result of her success in "Taxi Driver" (1976), Foster attracted the attention of an unstable man named John Hinckley, Jr. who hounded her relentlessly. On the 30th of March, 1981, his obsession took a turn for the worst when he attempted to assassinate then President Ronald Reagan in order to impress her. Thankfully, President Reagan recovered from his injuries, which included internal bleeding and a punctured lung.

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

Norma Jeane Mortenson, aka Marilyn Monroe, was born on the 1st of June, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Despite having had a troubled home life, and a mother who was eventually institutionalised due her declining mental health, Norma Jeane carved out an enormously successful film career for herself, under the now iconic stage name, Marilyn Monroe.

After securing several non-speaking parts in various 20th Century Fox films, Monroe was finally cast in a major role in 1948's "Ladies of the Chorus", for which she was commended by the majority of the film's reviewers. Even so, it was another two years before she secured the role in "The Asphalt Jungle" that would reignite her career, and truly set her on the path to stardom, Following this, Monroe's career went from strength to strength, and was considerably boosted by the many pin-up shots that she allowed photographers like Andre de Dienes to take of her. Meanwhile Monroe's personal life was also taking off, following her divorce from her first husband, James Dougherty, and by 1954 she was married to baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio.

However this was the not Monroe's final marriage, and some eleven years later she married American playwright, Arthur Miller. Tragically, on the 5th of August, 1962, when she was just thirty-six years old, Marilyn Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose, leading many to speculate that she had either taken her own life, or had been murdered. The sensationalism surrounding her death has never waned in the years since her passing, and many conspiracy theorists continue to insist that she was indeed murdered.

Answer: Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels was born on the 18th of February, 1974, in Los Angeles, California. A highly-successful personal trainer, Michaels has long been associated with NBC's "The Biggest Loser" (2004), in which she helps the morbidly obese to lose considerable amounts of weight. Along with friend and fellow "Biggest Loser" personal trainer, Bob Harper, Michaels has been labelled a weight loss trainer, and has also released numerous diet and exercise aids, including fitness dvds, exercise books and even meal replacement solutions. Michaels herself revealed that she was very overweight as a teenager, and despite her aggressive, drill sergeant-like on screen persona, has been shown to be a firm believer in "fixing what's broken" inside in order to change the outside.

In 2012, Michaels adopted her daughter from Haiti, and then became a mother for the second time, when her then-partner, Heidi Rhoades gave birth to their son.

Answer: Joshua Jackson

Joshua Jackson was born on the 11th of June, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Jackson and his family moved to the US when he was just a small child, and he secured his first film role at the tender age of twelve, when he appeared in "Crooked Hearts".

He then went on to star in the Disney film franchise, "The Mighty Ducks" (1992), before then moving on to star as Pacey Witter, in the television series, "Dawson's Creek" (1998). He also starred in numerous films, including 1999's "Cruel Intensions" and 2000's "The Skulls".

He also landed a lead role in J.J. Abrams' sci-fi television series, "Fringe" (2008),

Answer: Hugh Laurie

James Hugh Laurie was born on the 11th of June, 1959, in Oxford, England. During his time at the prestigious Cambridge University, he was an avid rower, even competing in the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. His interest in acting was only piqued when, after being forced to abandon rowing while ill with glandular fever, he joined the local theatre group, the Cambridge Footlights. From then on it seemed his passion for acting was ignited, and he soon became a fixture on the acting circuit, along with his comedy partner, Stephen Fry.

His stint as Gregory House, in the American series, "House, M.D." (2004), earned him international recognition, and he was also entered into the 2011 "Guinness Book of World Records" as the "highest paid actor ever in a television drama".

Answer: Betty White

Betty White was born on the 17th of January, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, in the United States. White's career spanned seven decades, and included work on television, on film and on stage, in addition to singing and writing. Moreover she was also the first woman to be nominated for an Emmy Award for hosting a game show. White's career began in earnest after she graduated from High School, and her most notable roles were as Sue Ann Nivens in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970), Rose Nylund in "The Golden Girls" (1985) and Elka Otrovsky in "Hot in Cleveland" (2010). She won numerous awards for her work, including six Emmys and one Grammy.

As an animal lover and welfare activist, Betty White was the president of the Morris Animal Foundation, in addition to being actively involved with several other animal charities.

Answer: George Clooney

George Clooney was born on the 6th of May, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, in the United States. Though he is the nephew of singer and actress, Rosemary Clooney, prior to becoming an actor he had his sights set on a career as a professional baseball player, and even secured a try-out with the Cincinnati Reds. However his try-out was not successful and so Clooney turned his sights to acting, after first trying his hand at selling suits and cutting tobacco.

After several small roles, including one appearance on "The Golden Girls" (1985), Clooney starred as Dr. Doug Ross in "ER" (1994), the role that was to catapult him to fame, and provide him with the springboard he needed to break into the film business. After leaving "ER" his began to star in films that were more commercially successful, such as 2001's remake of "Ocean's Eleven", which saw him star alongside other major Hollywood names, including Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. By 2013, Clooney had won two Academy Awards, one for Best Supporting Actor and the other as co-producer of Best Picture.

Answer: Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell was born on the 7th of October, 1959, in Lambeth, London. He was given his start in the music industry by his father, Eric, who was an executive at EMI Music publishing, and as a result, began his career in the mail room. Over time, Cowell carved out a successful career for himself, and with the advent of the music reality television show, Cowell's role as a judge propelled him into the limelight, and he quickly earned himself a reputation as the nasty judge. He also established his own music publishing house, named Syco, and frequently signed his favourite singers and bands from "The X-Factor" and "Britain's Got Talent" to his own label.

Despite his blunt and critical public persona, Simon Cowell also proved to be a charitable individual, and often used his wealth and status to bring the attention of the public to worthwhile charitable causes. An avid animal lover, he appeared in campaigns for the animal rights organisation, PETA, and has been a long-time supporter of The Association of Children's Hospices.

Answer: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando Jr. was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States, on the 3rd of April, 1924. As a small child, he proved to be an excellent mimic, and eventually made his way onto Broadway, in 1944's "I Remember Mama". Many more appearances on stage followed, until he secured a screen test for Warner Brothers, which led to him appearing on film for the first time, in 1950's "The Men". Brando's career then went from strength to strength, his performances winning him many awards, including two Oscars, three BAFTAs and two Golden Globes. In addition to these awards, Brando was also nominated for numerous others. One of his most memorable roles was as the Don, Vito Corleone, in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" (1972), which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, which he turned down, becoming only the second actor to ever do so.

Marlon Brando's personal life proved to be quite tempestuous on occasion, and he earned himself a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy, even breaking a photographer's jaw in 1973, after the man followed him. Notoriously difficult on set, he was known for making ridiculous demands and refusing to learn his lines, preferring instead to have them written down on cue cards and displayed around the set so he could read from them. Brando died at the age of eighty, from respiratory failure, on the 1st of July, 2004, in Westwood, Los Angeles.

Answer: Heath Ledger

Heath Andrew Ledger was born on the 4th of April, 1979, in Perth, Australia. Ledger's initial foray into the world of acting involved small bit parts on Australian television, for shows such as "Home and Away" (1987) and "Ship to Shore" (1993). After moving to the United States to pursue a career in acting, Ledger secured what would eventually be labelled his 'breakout' role, as Patrick in Gil Junger's modernisation of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", entitled "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999). From there his career went from strength to strength, culminating in his appearance as The Joker in Christopher Nolen's "The Dark Knight" (2008), for which he was awarded, posthumously, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Sadly, on the 22nd of January, 2008, Heath Ledger was found unconscious in his own bed in Manhattan, New York, and was later declared dead. A post-mortem revealed that he had died from an overdose of prescription medication. In addition to his many friends and family, Ledger was survived by his daughter, Matilda Rose, who was the product of his brief relationship with his "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) co-star, Michelle Williams.