Michigan's Famous Folk Trivia Quiz

Answer: Byron Allen

Born on April 22, 1961, Allen moved to Los Angeles as a teenager where he gained recognition as a stand-up comedian. His discovery by Jimmy Walker led to the "Entertainers With Byron Allen" show in 1993. Since then, Allen's Entertainment Studios production company has produced and distributed many syndicated lifestyle-related and interview programs.

He currently hosts "Comics Unleashed".

Answer: Gillian Anderson

An Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Award-winning actress, Anderson caught the acting bug in community theater and high school productions (her class voted her "Most Likely to be Arrested" and "Most Bizarre"). She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from De Paul University, Chicago. At age 22, she moved to New York and supported herself waitressing while also appearing in a number of stage productions. She moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and, in 1993, won the part of Dana Scully in "The X-Files".

Anderson has appeared in many feature films, including "The House of Mirth" (2000) and "The Last King of Scotland" (2006), as well as in several BBC productions, notably "Bleak House" (2005). In 2007, she became the host of PBS' "Masterpiece Theater". She also in involved in philanthropic work for the UK-based Neurofibromitosis Association, serves on the board of directors for Action for Southern Africa and is a vegan and PETA supporter.

Answer: Sonny Bono

Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was born in Detroit on February 16, 1935. He started in the music business working with Phil Spector in the early 1960s. He then married Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere (Cher), with whom he recorded such hits as "I Got You Babe" and "And the Beat Goes On".

Sonny and Cher also had their own variety show in the 1970s, that continued even after their divorce. Sonny went into politics, eventually becoming mayor of Palm Springs, California, but losing a bid for the state senate as a Republican in 1992.

Bono died January 5, 1998, of injuries received in a skiing accident. He was 62.

Answer: Derek Jeter

Born June 26, 1974, Derek Jeter was a star player at Kalamazoo Central High School, garnering many awards and accolades, including the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, 1992 High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and USA Today's High School Player of the Year. He was inducted into the Kalamazoo Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

As a pro, Jeter has won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, a Silver Slugger Award and three Golden Glove Awards. He became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year (2000). As of 2007, his .317 career batting average ties him at fifth highest-ranking batting average among active Major League players.

Other listed choices are all active (as of 2008) New York Yankees.

Answer: Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) graduated last in his class at West Point, but was heavily involved in many vital Civil War battles, including the first Battle of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign and Gettysburg. He was also present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.

As the cavalry commander for the Michigan Brigade, Custer's established a reputation as reckless and too willing to take personal risks. Throughout his military career his rank rose and fell (including several brevet promotions that were usually temporary), and was even once court martialed for being AWOL.

In 1867, he became a Lt. Col. commanding the newly formed 7th Cavalry Regiment in Kansas and took part in many skirmishes in the Indian Wars. His luck ran out on June 25, 1876, when his force was completely wiped out by Native American forces led by Crazy Horse and White Bull at Little Big Horn, commonly known as "Custer's Last Stand".

For a very romanticized account of Custer's last battle see "They Died With Their Boots On" (1941), starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Not particularly historically accurate, but a good way to spend slightly over 90 minutes!

Custer married Elizabeth Clift Bacon (1842-1933), a native of Monroe, Michigan. They had no children. Several cities and townships in Michigan are named after Custer.

Answer: Bob Eubanks

Robert Leland Eubanks (b. 1938) got his start as a popular disc jockey in California in 1955. In fact, he mortgaged his house so that he could get the Beatles to perform their first West Coast concert in 1964 at the Hollywood Bowl.

While hosting game shows, Eubanks worked in the country music business managing artists like Dolly Parton and Barbara Mandrell.

Eubank's producing credits include "The Toni Tennille Show", "Buddy Hackett's You Bet Your Life", "The Guinness Game" and "Infatuation". He also was involved in the production of the films "Payback" (1999) and "Forced To Kill" (1993). Recently, he has started a new career as a motivational speaker.

Chuck Barris created/produced "The Newlywed Game", "The Dating Game" and "The Gong Show". Alex Trebek currently hosts "Jeopardy"; Bill Cullen was a familiar game show figure who's hosted many show, including the original (1960s) "The Price is Right", "Hot Potato" and "Password Plus".

Answer: Terry O'Quinn

Terrence O'Quinn, (born: Quinn), (b. July 15, 1952) began his acting career while attending Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI, where he also was a standout playwright and director.

His early TV appearances included "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "JAG", "Moonlighting", "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "The X-Files". His recurring role on "Alias" caught the attention of producer J. J. Abrams, who later offered him the role of John Locke on "Lost"--without an audition.

O'Quinn has also appeared in the films "Tombstone" (1993) and "The Stepfather" (1987) and "Rocketeer" (1991).

Answer: Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams (b. September 21, 1981) won her first tennis tournament at the age of four and a half. By age 10, she'd won 46 of 49 tournaments in which she competed. She won her first Grand Slam tournament by winning the U.S. Open on September 11, 1999--the first African American woman to accomplish that feat since Althea Gibson in 1958.

Her equally talented sister, Venus, was born in Lynwood, California in 1980.

Answer: Jerry Bruckheimer

Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (b. September 21, 1945) attended Detroit's Mumford High School and received a degree in psychology from the University of Arizona. His first job was in the mail room of a New York advertising agency.

In the 1970s, Bruckheimer produced three movies with director Dick Richards, including "Farewell, My Lovely" (1975), and with Paul Schrader on "American Gigolo" (1980) and "Cat People" (1982).

Before Simpson's untimely death in 1996, he and Bruckheimer co-produced several hit movies including "Flashdance", "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and "Top Gun". Since then, many other movie hits followed, including "Armageddon" (1998), the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series (2003-2007) and "National Treasure" (2004).

Bruckheimer has been an equally successful television producer and is responsible for such hits as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "CSI: Miami", "Without a Trace", "Cold Case" and "The Amazing Race". At one point three of his series ranked in ratings top 10--a singular television achievement!

Answer: James Earl Jones

The man with the deep, resonant voice and myriad acting talents, James Earl Jones, was born January 17, 1931 and moved to Michigan at age 5, when his stutter first developed. He credits his high school teacher, Donald Crouse, for helping him overcome his speech impediment by making him recite a poem every day.

Jones graduated from the University of Michigan, originally intending to become a doctor, but switched to studying drama. After several years in the military, he began his acting career with the Manistee (Michigan) Ramsdell Theater from 1955-57. It was here that Jones first played Othello. His first movie role was as Lt. Zogg in 1964's "Doctor Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb". He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for "The Great White Hope" (1970), which ultimately went to George C. Scott for "Patton" (1970).

Although, for some, he is best remembered as the voice of Darth Vader in the first three "Star Wars" movies, Jones' list of acting credits is impressive and includes "The Hunt for Red October" (1980), "Patriot Games" (1992), "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), "Field of Dreams" (1989), "Cry the Beloved Country" (1995) and as the voice of Mustafa in "The Lion King" (1994) and "The Lion King: Simba's Pride" (1998). His television credits include portraying Alex Haley in "Roots: The Next Generation" (1979), "Frasier", "Will & Grace" and the children's show "Long Ago and Far Away".

In addition, his Broadway performance of Othello is considered one of the best in stage history. In February 2008, he portrayed Big Daddy in a limited-run Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".

Jones has won three Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and a Commonwealth Award.

Many thanks to outdoor-michigan.com, factmonster.com and us.imdb.com for help researching this quiz.