Close Friends Get To Call Him T.C. Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Not so much Top Cat as Top Gun: Which actor with the initials T.C. played, among other roles, a navy pilot, a US Marine, a spy, and a tough guy ex-military policeman?

Answer: Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is a multi-award winning actor whose career started in 1981 when he was 19. If you followed the clues, you will know he was a navy pilot in "Top Gun" (1986); a paralysed Vietnam marine in "Born On The Fourth of July" (1989) - a true story; the spy Ethan Hunt in "Mission Impossible" (several in the franchise from 1996); and some critics said he was ludicrously cast in the title role of ex-MP "Jack Reacher" (2012).

2. Not like that, like that: which funnyman magician with the initial T.C. died - literally - during a stage performance?

Answer: Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper was a gifted magician - not that you would obviously have seen it since his stage act relied on his getting the tricks wrong, all in a hilarious way. Born in Wales in 1921, he died on the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1984. The show was also being broadcast live on TV at the time.
"Not like that - like that" was a catchphrase of Cooper's.

3. Other voices may sound in other rooms, but once you have had breakfast at Tiffany's, you are set up for a career. These are clues in cold blood to help identify a writer with the initials T.C. Who was it?

Answer: Truman Capote

Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons in New Orleans, Louisiana in September 1924 and died in Los Angeles, California in August 1984. He was a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. His most noted novels were "In Cold Blood", "Other Voices, Other Rooms" and "Breakfast At Tiffany's".

While "In Cold Blood" was based on real events, some have questioned its accuracy to historical events.

4. Which singing star with the initials T. C. might you find ducking and diving in avenues and alleyways trying to find his way to a Texas town?

Answer: Tony Christie

Tony Christie was born in England in 1943. A singer and actor, he was noted for his songs "Avenues and Alleyways" and "Is This The Way To Amarillo?". The latter hit Number 18 in the UK charts in 1971, but reached the top of the hit parade when it was released in March 2005 as a charity single. He also had a UK Number two hit with "I Did What I Did For Maria" in 1971.

5. In his era, he was regarded as the greatest in his sport and at one time held 90 records. Which T.C. said of himself: "In legend, I am a sadistic, slashing, swashbuckling despot who waged war in the guise of sport?"

Answer: Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb (December 1886-July 1961) was nicknamed "The Georgia Peach" and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Cobb's 23-year career was spent with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletes. Because such things are important to baseball fans, Cobb's MLB statistics were a batting average of .367; he made 4,191 hits; scored 118 homes runs; 1,938 runs batted in; and had 892 stolen bases. (Whatever any of that means!) He was, though, a somewhat controversial figure.

Some in the sport found him cold and aggressive.

6. You might want to ask whose life is it, anyway? Certainly an actor with the initials T.C. kept himself busy on stage, TV and the silver screen. He may have dallied with Shirley Valentine, but who earned an Academy Award nomination for "Reuben, Reuben"?

Answer: Tom Conti

Thomas Anthony Conti was born in Paisley, Scotland in November 1941 and came from mixed Scottish and Italian parentage. His career began with repertory theatre in his native land, before moving to Broadway in New York where he appeared in "Whose Life Is It Anyway" in 1979. Moving back to London's West End, he received critical acclaim for playing the title role in "Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell" (which was based on the true story of a colourful journalist of that name). Television and movie roles followed.

He received an Oscar nomination for "Reuben, Reuben" (1983). Other notable movie roles were in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (1983); "Shirley Valentine" (1989) and "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)

7. He found fame as the old man in a TV variety show, and went to sea with a man called McHale, but which actor with the initials T.C. also hammed it up in the apple dumpling gang?

Answer: Tim Conway

Born in Ohio in 1933, Tim Conway appeared in the 1960s TV show "McHale's Navy" (ironically he had served in the US Army). He came to prominence as a regular on the "Carol Burnett Show", where one of his characters was 'The Old Man'. A number of Disney movies followed, among them "The Apple Dumpling Gang" series.

8. He was a soldier who inspired a President; which military man with the initials T.C. from the streets of Belfast led his men to a hot desert--not to conquer, but to liberate?

Answer: Tim Collins

Colonel Tim Collins was born in Northern Ireland in 1960, and after university attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Signals, but subsequently transferred to the Royal Irish Rangers. In 2002, he was Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion RIR as they prepared to go to war in Iraq. On the eve of their campaign, he addressed his soldiers in a speech that was to become famous. He told them: "We go to Iraq to liberate not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others, I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory..."

It was later reported that President George W. Bush had a written copy of the speech mounted in the Oval Office. [Source: "The Guardian", May 23, 2005.]

9. He was a great persuader, and enjoyed the sweet smell of success, but which actor with the initials T.C. famously liked things hot?

Answer: Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis (birth name Bernard Schwartz) was born in New York City in June 1925 and died in Henderson, Nevada in September 2010.

The clues in the question refer to his starring role with Roger Moore in the TV series "The Persuaders"; with Burt Lancaster in "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957); and with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot" (1959.)
The five-times married Curtis appeared in around 120 movies between 1949 and 2008.

10. The clear and present danger of writing any quiz is of selecting questions that are too difficult, particularly for differing nationalities. Patriots gamely know their own countrymen and women. The sum of all my fears is that someone will gripe about the questions. Without remorse, I ask: have you had enough clues to spot this best-selling author with the initials T.C.?

Answer: Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland in April 1947 and died there in October 2013. It is reckoned he had 17 best-selling novels and sold at least 100 million copies. Several of his books, particularly those featuring his hero Jack Ryan, were made into movies.

The clues, of course, are Clancy novels: "Patriot Games" (1987); "Clear and Present Danger" (1989); "The Sum of All Fears" (1991) and "Without Remorse" (1993).

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

See if you can identify these ten famous men with the initials T.C. None relates to the cartoon character Top Cat. (Sorry, maybe in another quiz...)

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>