Actress Halle Berry turned down the role of Annie, and Stephen Baldwin turned down the role of Jack in the 1994 Speed. The blockbuster film catapulted Sandra Bullock as a major film actress, and greatly improved upon Keanu Reeve's box office appeal.
Actress Jane Leeves of TV's Frasier was one of Benny Hill's "Angels" on his British syndicated television show, and was uncredited as an extra in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) before she was noticed in a small recurring role on Murphy Brown in the early 1990s. Among other small roles, Leeves was cast as a tourist in David Lee Roth's 1985 "California Girls" music video.
Actress Judy Garland was 16 years old when she filmed The Wizard of Oz in 1939.
Actress Julie Andrews recalled that, during the filming of the majestic opening musical sequence of The Sound of Music (1965), the strong downdraft from the helicopter with the cameraman kept knocking her down as she ran up and down the mountain. Additionally, even though this was the first scene in the film, it was actually the final sequence shot in Europe before the cast and crew returned to the United States.
Actress Katharine Hepburn and Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner have something unusual in common: both hold college degrees in psychology. Hepburn's was earned at Bryn Mawr and Hefner's was from University of Illinois.
Actress Meg Tilly was cast as Mozart's young wife, Constanze, in the acclaimed film Amadeus (1984). Soon after filming began, she broke her ankle playing soccer. Elizabeth Berridge replaced her.
Actress Reese Witherspoon was asked to play the female lead in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), but she turned down the part. She also refused the lead roles in two other horror movies, Scream (1996) and Urban Legend (1998).
Actress Rita Moreno, listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the first performer to win the four major awards of film, music, TV, and theater (i.e., Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony), was born Rosita Dolores Alverio. In addition to the major four awards, Moreno also earned a Golden Globe for West Side Story. One of her earliest acting jobs was a guest appearance on TV's "Father Knows Best" as a high school exchange student from India. While Moreno was born in Puerto Rico, she was cast in film and TV roles as varying nationalities, such as Tuptim, a Burman in The King and I (1956).
Actress Veronica Hamel was the first choice to play Kelly Garrett on TV's Charlie's Angels. Hamel rejected the part, and Breck shampoo model Jaclyn Smith was ultimately hired.
Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like A Lady," was written about Vince Neil of Motley Crue.
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Jessica Lange, Adrienne Barbeau, Teri Hatcher, and Valerie Perrine worked as professional dancers before they became famous in TV and/or films.
Bette Midler’s first big album "The Divine Miss M" was produced in 1971 by Barry Manilow. The album was released by Atlantic Records, and reportedly sold 100,000 copies in the first month. It contained songs she featured in her stage act, such as the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," the Dixie Cups' "'The Chapel Of Love," and the Shangri-Las' "The Leader Of The Pack." Manilow was the pianist on most of the tracks, and he was Midler's accompanist and musical director for three years in the early 1970s
Between 1939 and 1949, Milton Berle attempted radio six times, but "The Milton Berle Show” was one of radio’s dismal failures. When he finally gave up on radio and tried the infant media of television, Berle was an instant success and soon became a household name. His prominence in television set a benchmark for visual comedy. This would prove that some comedians must be seen as well as heard to be appreciated.
Bill Cosby became the first black leading actor in a TV drama series when he starred opposite Robert Culp on I Spy. He won three Best Actor in a Drama Series Emmys for his role as Alexander "Scotty" Scott.
Bing Crosby recorded more than 1,700 songs for commercial release between 1926 and 1977. Bing's real name was Harry Lillis Crosby. The nickname was given to him by a childhood friend who thought the young Harry resembled "Bingo," the lead character in their favorite comic book, "The Bingville Bugle."
Bob Denver wasn't the first choice, nor even in the running, for the lead part of television's "Gilligan's Island." Jerry Van Dyke was the original choice, but he turned it down. The William Morris Agency then recommended Denver for the part, but "Gilligan's Island" creator Sherwood Schwartz couldn't imagine him in the role because Denver had been so convincing as the bearded, not-too-bright beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Schwartz and Denver finally had a meeting, and Schwartz was surprised that Denver was actually a well-read, quiet professional. Before his success in "Dobie Gillis," Denver had been a school teacher. Denver became Gilligan, and the show ran for three seasons. Even 25 years after its last episode was filmed, it is still one of the most-widely syndicated TV shows in television history.
Boris Karloff's elaborate makeup for the 1931 horror flick Frankenstein was copyrighted.
Both Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were understudies in the William Inge play "Picnic" in 1960. From this less than romantic beginning, they were soon married and both went to film stardom, collaborating on many projects. They are regarded as one of Hollywood's few truly happy couples.
After 11 years of living together, Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman were married during a Taxi lunchbreak
After a tragic fall on "The Andy Williams Show" in 1965, comedian Jerry Lewis suffered a skull fracture that led to an addiction to the painkiller Percodan. His surprise reunion with former partner Dean Martin on the 1976 Muscular Dystrophy telethon made entertainment history, but Lewis said he was in such a drug fog, he didn't remember it and had to watch it on videotape.
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