This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973)[1][2][3] is an English actress known for her roles in period, romance, and action films. The only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe, Kate Beckinsale made her acting debut when she was only a year old,[4] as an extra on the British daytime drama Couples (1975), on which her parents also appeared. She didn't act again until she was nearly an adult, beginning in 1991 with a small voice role in an episode of the miniseries adaptation of P. D. James'Devices and Desires and a supporting role in the television movie One Against the Wind starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill. In 1992, she starred in the Blade Runner-inspired short film "Rachel's Dream" with Christopher Eccleston and debuted onstage in a production of Noël Coward'sHay Fever.
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 in the Chiswick district of London,[5][6] the only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe.[7] She has a half-sister from her father's earlier marriage, actress Samantha Beckinsale.[7] Her father was partly of Burmese descent.[8][9] Her parents did not marry until 1977, prior to Beckinsale starting nursery school,[10] when she made her first television appearance at age four, in an episode of This Is Your Life, dedicated to her father.[11] When she was five, her father died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 31. She was deeply traumatised by the loss and "started expecting bad things to happen."[12][7]
Her widowed mother moved in with director Roy Battersby when Beckinsale was nine, and she was brought up alongside his four sons and daughter.[13] She had a close relationship with her stepfather,[7] who was a member of the Workers Revolutionary Party during her youth.[14] She helped to sell The News Line, a Trotskyist newspaper, as a little girl and has said the household phone was tapped following Battersby's blacklisting by the BBC.[14] Family friends included Ken Loach and Vanessa Redgrave.[14]
Beckinsale was educated at Godolphin and Latymer School, an independent school for girls in Hammersmith, West London, and was involved with the Orange Tree Youth Theatre.[15] She was twice a winner of the WH Smith Young Writers Award for both fiction and poetry.[16] She has described herself as a "late bloomer": "All of my friends were kissing boys and drinking cider way before me. I found it really depressing that we weren't making camp fires and everyone was doing stuff like that."[17] She had a nervous breakdown and developed anorexia at age fifteen,[18] and underwent Freudianpsychoanalysis for four years.[7]
Beckinsale studied Russian at school[19] and read French and Russian literature at New College, Oxford, and was later described by her contemporary Victoria Coren Mitchell, as "whip-clever, slightly nuts, and very charming".[20] She became friends with
Roy Kinnear's daughter Kirsty.[21] She was involved with the Oxford University Dramatic Society, most notably being directed by fellow student Tom Hooper in a production of A View from the Bridge at the Oxford Playhouse.[22] As a Modern Languages student, she was required to spend her third year abroad, and studied in Paris. She then quit university to focus on her burgeoning acting career: "It was getting to the point where I wasn't enjoying either thing enough because both were very high pressure."[7] Beckinsale has stated she would like to complete her studies at Oxford University.[23][24]
Beckinsale decided at a young age she wanted to be an actress: "I grew up immersed in film. My family were in the business. I quickly realised that my parents seemed to have much more fun in their work than any of my friends' parents."[25] She was inspired by the performances of Jeanne Moreau.[26] She made her television debut in 1991 with a small part in an ITV adaptation of P. D. James' Devices and Desires.[27] In 1992, she starred alongside Christopher Eccleston in "Rachel's Dream," a 30‑minute Channel 4 short.[28] In 1993, she appeared in the pilot of the ITV detective series, Anna Lee, starring Imogen Stubbs.[29]
In 1993, Beckinsale landed the role of Hero in Kenneth Branagh's big-screen adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. It was filmed in Tuscany, Italy, during a summer holiday from Oxford University.[30] She attended the film's Cannes Film Festival premiere and remembered it as an overwhelming experience. "Nobody even told me I could bring a friend!"[17] "I had Doc Martens boots on, and I think I put the flower from the breakfast tray in my hair."[31]Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was won over by her "lovely" performance.[32]Vincent Canby of The New York Times noted that she and Robert Sean Leonard "look right and behave with a certain naive sincerity, although they often seem numb with surprise at hearing the complex locutions they speak."[33] The film grossed over $22 million at the box office.[34]
She made three other films while at university. In 1994, she appeared as Christian Bale's love interest in Prince of Jutland, a film based on the Danish legend which inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet,[35] and starred in the murder mystery Uncovered.[36] In 1995, while studying in Paris, she filmed the French languageMarie-Louise ou la permission.[37]
Shortly after leaving Oxford University in 1995, Beckinsale starred in Cold Comfort Farm, as Flora Poste, a newly orphaned 1930s socialite sent to live with distant family members in rural England. The John Schlesinger-directed film was an adaptation of Stella Gibbons's novel and also featured Joanna Lumley, Eileen Atkins, Ian McKellen, Rufus Sewell and Stephen Fry. Beckinsale was initially considered too young, but was cast after she wrote a pleading letter to the director.[38]Emanuel Levy of Variety was reminded of "the strength of a young Glenda Jackson and the charm of a young Julie Christie."[39] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times classed the actress as "yet another of those effortlessly skilled British beauties who light up the screen."[40]Janet Maslin of The New York Times felt she played the role "with the perfect snippy aplomb."[41] The film grossed over $5 million at the US box office.[42]
Also in 1995, she appeared in Haunted, a ghost story in which Derek Elley of Variety felt she "holds the screen, with both physical looks and verbal poise."[43] 1995 saw Beckinsale's first professional stage appearance, as Nina in The Seagull at Theatre Royal, Bath. She became romantically involved with co-star Michael Sheen after meeting during play rehearsals.[44] She later said: "I was all revved up to feel very intimidated. It was my first-ever play and my mother had cut out reviews of him in previous productions. And then he walked in ... It was almost like, 'God, well, I'm finished now. That's it, then.'... He's the most outrageously talented person I've ever met."[45]Irving Wardle of The Independent felt that "the casting, including Michael Sheen's volcanic Kostya and Kate Beckinsale's steadily freezing Nina, is mainly spot-on."[46] In early 1996, she starred in two further plays, Sweetheart at the Royal Court Theatre[47] and Clocks and Whistles at the Bush Theatre.[48]
Beckinsale next starred in an ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, playing Emma to Mark Strong's Mr Knightley and Samantha Morton's Harriet Smith. "You shouldn't necessarily like Emma," Beckinsale has said of her character. "You do love her, but in the way the family of a young girl could be exasperated by her outrageous behaviour and still love her."[38] The programme was aired in autumn 1996, just months after Gwyneth Paltrow had starred in a film adaptation of the same story.[38] Caryn James of The New York Times felt that while "Ms. Beckinsale's Emma is plainer looking than Ms. Paltrow's," she is "altogether more believable and funnier."[49] Jonathan Brown of The Independent has described Beckinsale's interpretation as "the most enduring modern performance" as Emma.[50]
In 1997, Beckinsale appeared opposite Stuart Townsend in the comedy Shooting Fish, one of the most commercially successful British films of that year.[51][52] "I'd just had my wisdom teeth out," Beckinsale later recalled of the initial audition. "I was also on very strong painkillers, so it was not the most conventional of meetings."[53] Elley wrote of "an incredibly laid-back performance".[54] Thomas felt she "just glows as an aristocrat facing disaster with considerable aplomb."[55] She narrated Austen's Emma for Hodder & Stoughton AudioBooks[56] and Diana Hendry's "The Proposal" for BBC Radio 4.[57][58] Also in 1997, she played Juliet to Michael Sheen's Romeo, in an audio production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Sheen.[59]
At this point in her career, Beckinsale began to seek work in the United States, something she has said wasn't "a conscious decision... My boyfriend was in a play on Broadway so that's why we ended up in New York, and my auditions happened to be for American films."[61] She starred opposite Chloë Sevigny in 1998's The Last Days of Disco. The Whit Stillman film focused on a group of mostly Ivy League and Hampshire College graduates socialising in the Manhattan disco scene of the early 1980s. Beckinsale's American accent was widely praised.[62][63][64]Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt her role as the bossy Charlotte was "beautifully played."[65]Todd McCarthy of Variety was unimpressed by the film but noted that "compensations include Beckinsale, looking incredible in a succession of black dresses, whose character can get on your nerves even if the actress doesn't."[66] Her performance earned her a London Critics' Circle Film Award.[67] The film grossed $3 million worldwide.[68]
In 1999, Beckinsale appeared opposite Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace, a drama about two young Americans forced to deal with the Thai justice system on a post-graduation trip abroad. A then 26-year-old Beckinsale played a young girl.[69] Danes had hoped to become friends with Beckinsale during the shoot but found her "complicated" and "prickly."[70] McCarthy said the leads "confirm their status as two of the young actresses on the scene today most worth watching," finding Beckinsale "very effective at getting across layered character traits and emotions."[71] "Danes and Beckinsale are exceptionally talented young actresses," said Thomas, but "unfortunately, the script's seriously underdeveloped context defeats their considerable efforts at every turn."[72] Stephen Holden of The New York Times felt that Beckinsale's character "never comes into focus."[73] The film was a box office failure.[74]
2000's The Golden Bowl marked Beckinsale's first role following the birth of her daughter. The Merchant/Ivory production was based on the novel by Henry James and also starred Uma Thurman and Jeremy Northam. Beckinsale's partner, Michael Sheen, hit Northam on the film set after he followed Beckinsale to her trailer to scold her for forgetting a line.[75] Holden noted "the most satisfying of the four-lead performances belong to the British cast members, Ms. Beckinsale and Mr. Northam, who are better than their American counterparts at layers of emotional concealment," adding each beat of Beckinsale's performance "registers precisely."[76] Thomas felt her performance would take her to "a new career level."[77]Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer asserted that she "comes close to capturing the sublimity of Maggie, despite the obvious fact that no movie can capture the elegant copiousness of James' prose."[78] The film grossed over $5 million worldwide.[79]
Beckinsale rose to fame in 2001 with a leading role in the war film Pearl Harbor, as a nurse torn between two pilots, played by Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. She was drawn to the project by the script: "It's so unusual these days to read a script that has those old-fashioned values to it. Not morals, but movie values. It's a big, sweeping epic....You just never get the chance to do that."[80] Director Michael Bay initially had doubts about casting the actress: "I wasn't sure about her at first...she wore black leather trousers in her screen test and I thought she was a little nasty...it was easy to think of this woman as a slut."[81] He eventually decided to hire her because she wasn't "too beautiful. Women feel disturbed when they see someone's too pretty."[82] He asked her to lose weight during filming.[83]
In a 2004 interview, the actress noted that his comments were "upsetting"[84] and said she wore leather trousers because "it was snowing out. It wasn't exactly like I had my nipple rings in."[85] She felt grateful that she had not had to deal with such criticism at a younger age: "If I had come on to a movie set at [a younger] age and someone had said, 'You're a bit funny-looking, can you go on a diet?' – I might have jumped off a building. I just didn't have the confidence to put that into perspective at the time."[81] However, speaking in 2011, she said she was "very fond" of Bay.[86]
Pearl Harbor received negative reviews. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised "the avid eyed, ruby lipped Kate Beckinsale, the rare actress whose intelligence gives her a sensual bloom; she's like Parker Posey without irony."[87]A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted that "Mr. Affleck and Ms. Beckinsale do what they can with their lines, and glow with the satiny shine of real movie stars."[88] However, Mike Clark of USA Today felt that the "usually appealing Kate Beckinsale" is "inexplicably submerged – like her hospital colleagues – under heaps of tarty makeup that even actresses of the era didn't wear."[89] The film was a commercial success, grossing $449 million worldwide.[90]
Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2001 was in the romantic comedy Serendipity, as the love interest of John Cusack. It was filmed directly after Pearl Harbor and Beckinsale found it "a real relief to return to something slightly more familiar."[61] Turan praised the "appealing and believable" leads, adding that Beckinsale "reinforces the strong impression she made in Cold Comfort Farm, The Golden Bowl, and The Last Days of Disco" after "recovering nicely" from her appearance in the much-maligned Pearl Harbor.[91] Claudia Puig of USA Today felt that "Beckinsale's talents haven't been mined as effectively in any other film since Cold Comfort Farm."[92] McCarthy found her "energetic and appealing".[93]Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times described her as "luminous but determined."[94] In an uncomplimentary review of the film, Roger Ebert described her as "a good actress, but not good enough to play this dumb."[95] The film has grossed over $77 million at the worldwide box office.[96]
In 2002, Beckinsale starred in Lisa Cholodenko's Laurel Canyon, as a strait-laced academic who finds herself increasingly attracted to her free-spirited future mother-in-law. The independent film was another opportunity for Beckinsale to work with Christian Bale, her Prince of Jutland co‑star. She found their sex scene awkward because she knew Bale well: "If it was a stranger, it would have been easier."[97] While Frances McDormand's performance as Bale's mother was widely praised, Beckinsale received negative reviews. Holden found the film "superbly acted, with the exception of Ms. Beckinsale, whose tense, colourless Alex conveys no inner life."[98] Critic Lisa Schwarzbaum was unimpressed by the "tedious" characters and criticised "the fussy performances of Bale and Beckinsale" in particular.[99] The film has grossed over $4 million worldwide.[100]
Beckinsale became known as an action star after playing a vampire in 2003's Underworld. The film was markedly different from her previous work, and Beckinsale has said she was grateful for the change of pace after appearing in "a bunch of period stuff and then a bunch of romantic comedies,"[101] adding that "It was quite a challenge for me to play an action heroine and pull off all that training when [in real life] I can't catch a ball if it's coming my way."[102] The film received negative to mixed reviews but was a surprise box-office hit and has gained a cult following.[103] Also in 2003, she starred in the little seen Tiptoes with Gary Oldman and Matthew McConaughey.[104]
In 2004, Beckinsale starred in the action horror filmVan Helsing. She was "so surprised" to be appearing in her second action film in two years. "It just seemed like a very good role."[105] Beckinsale had just separated from her long-term boyfriend Michael Sheen at the time of filming and appreciated the warm atmosphere created on set by director Stephen Sommers and co‑star Hugh Jackman: "I really did find that working with people like Stephen and Hugh made it possible to get through what I was going through."[106] The film grossed over $120 million at the US box office and over $300 million worldwide, but it was not well-reviewed.[107][108]Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described her as "a pretty actress doing her best to maintain dignity, vainly trying to craft a feminist statement from a filmmaker's whimsy".[109]Rex Reed of The New York Observer felt she was "desperately in need of a new agent."[110]
Also in 2004, Beckinsale portrayed Ava Gardner in Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Scorsese decided to cast Beckinsale because, "I've always liked her. I've seen all her work, and I was glad that she agreed to audition."[111] Beckinsale's performance received mixed reviews. Ken Tucker of New York Magazine said she played the part "in full va-va-voom blossom".[112] LaSalle felt that she manages "to convince us that Ava was one of the great broads of all time."[113] However, Clark described it as "the one performance that doesn't come off (though Beckinsale has the requisite beauty)".[114]Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that "Gardner's rich, voluptuous sexiness is completely absent as Beckinsale sleepwalks through the role as if she was advertising perfume."[115] The film grossed over $213 million worldwide.[116]
In 2006, Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in the successful vampire sequel Underworld: Evolution, directed by her husband, Len Wiseman.[117] It was the first time she had "been involved with a movie from the moment it's a germ of an idea right through the whole editing process."[118] Her daughter had a small role as the younger Selene.[118] The film was a box office success, grossing $111 million worldwide.[119] Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2006 was opposite Adam Sandler and Christopher Walken in Click, a comedy about an overworked family man who discovers a magical remote control that allows him to control time. The opportunity to play a mother "was one of the things that was attractive to me" about the part.[120] It was highly profitable, grossing $237 million worldwide against a production budget of $82.5 million.[121]
Beckinsale then made a return to smaller-scale projects: "My experience is that I sort of stepped away from the independent movies and did a couple of big movies. But that's not necessarily how it's perceived by everybody else, which I do understand."[122] "I enjoy an action movie as much as the next person [but] it's not something that I would like to do solely."[123] She explained that she had originally decided to appear in Underworld because she felt typecast in classical roles – it was "assumed that I use a chamber pot and wear bloomers"[124] – but that her action career "kind of took off a little too much."
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
Lucy Katherine Pinder[1] (born 20 December 1983)[1] is a British actress and model. She rose to international fame for her work as a glamour model in men's magazines, and made her film debut in the comedy horror Strippers vs Werewolves (2012), which was followed by supporting roles in several films.
2003–2010: Modeling and television appearances[edit]
Pinder began her career in 2003 after being discovered by a freelance photographer on Bournemouth beach, and has appeared in such publications as the Daily Star tabloid newspaper[2] and magazines FHM,[1]Loaded and Nuts.
Pinder first appeared topless in Nuts in 2007, and was responsible for a weekly advice column in Nuts, entitled "The Truth About Women".[3] With vital statistics of 32F-26-34,[4] the Australian magazine Ralph declared that she had the "Best Breasts in the World" in 2007.[2] Pinder has appeared on FHM's list of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World" 2007 (No. 92), 2006 (No. 35), and 2005 (No. 16),[1] and, in 2010, she was head of the Bennetts Babe Squad.[5] In addition, Pinder has appeared on the cover of several DVDs and in photo shoots for magazines, such as Loaded and Maxim.[6][7]
On 31 December 2005, Pinder appeared on Sky Sports as a celebrity soccerette on Soccer AM,[2] during which she wore a Southampton F.C. jersey.[1] She also sat on the sofa answering questions on topics such as modelling and football.[10]
In September 2007, Pinder appeared as a contestant on a special edition of The Weakest Link, entitled "Wags and Glamour Girls".[11]
On 15 January 2008, Pinder made her presenter debut for Nuts TV. She presented the Nuts TV live show on six further occasions in February and March 2008 and also presented Overexposed, which was a series on Nuts TV giving hints and tips to the aspiring amateur glamour photographer.[12] Subsequently, she has appeared on the MTV channel's TMF, presenting, in conjunction with Kayleigh Pearson, Pinder and Pearson's Late-Night Love-in – a "countdown of saucy music videos."[12] In February 2008, Pinder made a cameo appearance, along with Michelle Marsh, in Hotel Babylon on BBC One.[12]
Pinder (middle) and friends at Nuts Party in 2009
From 2 January 2009, Pinder appeared in the sixth series of Celebrity Big Brother.[1] She revealed that "thick" people irritate her. She was the first housemate to be voted out,[2] on 9 January (Day 8) with 57% of the public vote.[13] Pinder declared her wish to leave the Big Brother house after being driven to distraction by the constant rapping of housemate Coolio.[14]
In February 2010, Pinder appeared on BBC Three's The Real Hustle Undercover, in which she pulled a switch on an unsuspecting punter.[12]
Pinder has worked closely with a number of wildlife charities, getting involved in fundraising for TigerTime, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, and International Animal Rescue.[17] She was also an ambassador for Kick 4 Life, a charity that uses football to fight poverty and disease in developing countries.[18] She has also produced original works of art for sale in charity auctions for Keech Hospice Care[19] and the Sports for All campaign.[20]
Pinder has also volunteered her time at Cats Protection as part of the charity's campaign "I'm A Celebrity... Let Me Volunteer!",[21] and she was a judge for National Cat Awards in the "Hero Cat" category in 2012.[22]
Pinder has worked with Help for Heroes, a British charity launched in 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty,[23] and she has appeared in the 2011 and 2014 Hot Shots Calendar.[24]
Pinder and Rhian Sugden continue to support the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign, and they took part in the five-mile "London Strut" awareness initiative in December 2013.[25]
Pinder supported the "Stars & Stripes 2014 Celebrity Auction" by donating an original drawing of hers that was auctioned off, with the proceeds going to TigerTime.[26]
Aria Giovanni (born November 3, 1977) is an American former erotic actress and model who was Penthouse magazine's Pet for the month of September 2000. She has modelled in a range of photographic styles including amateur, artistic nude, pinup, fetish, and glamour,[3] and has also had roles in films and television shows.
Aria Giovanni was born November 3, 1977, in Long Beach, California, the middle of three children. She has an older sister and a younger brother.[1] Giovanni grew up in Orange County, California.[4] She attended a junior college in San Diego, majoring in biochemistry.[5] During an October 30, 2002 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Giovanni revealed that her father left the family at age 10, and that she got into trouble as a child because she was frequently left to her own devices.[6] At age 12, her mother sent her to drug rehabilitation[6][7] after discovering her unconscious in her own vomit. She says that she physically developed early, and was about a C cup by the age of 12, and a DD by the time she was 14.[6] Giovanni has stated that she was not popular in school. She characterizes herself as having grown up an "ugly duckling", and was never asked out on dates in high school.[5]
Giovanni was attending a junior college to major in Biology and waitressing five nights a week when she began modeling, having attained 17.5 credits by the semester when she was discovered.[5][6] She began modeling at the end of 1999, initially to pay for college. About six months into modeling, she was made Penthouse magazine's Pet for the month of September 2000. Her pictorial was shot by Suze Randall. Around this time she was accepted to University of California, San Diego as a junior transfer student with a major in biochemistry and a minor in English writing. However, she decided not to complete college.[3][5]
In 2001, Giovanni played Monica Snatch in the movie Survivors Exposed, a parody of the Survivor television series. She also appeared on the November 16, 2001, episode of the TV dating show Shipmates. The following year, she starred in Justine, which was recommended by AskMen as one of nine pornographic movies that women can enjoy.[8]
Giovanni was Playboy's Model of the Day for June 6, 2007.[9]
In October 2008, Giovanni appeared in the first episode of James Gunn's short-form web video series, James Gunn's PG Porn, playing a role opposite Nathan Fillion.[10] Giovanni stars on the 2010 Nerdcore Horror Calendar.[11]
In May 2010 Giovanni was included in Complex magazine's list of The 50 Prettiest Porn Stars of All Time.[7]
During her October 30, 2002 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Giovanni stated that on November 3, 1998, her 21st birthday, she married her boyfriend of five years. During the same appearance, she revealed that she had been living with guitarist John 5 for the past five months and that this was the first time she dated someone in the entertainment industry.[6] Giovanni and John 5 married in 2005, but they later divorced.[13]
Carmen Electra[3] (born Tara Leigh Patrick, April 20, 1972) is an American actress, model, singer, and media personality. She began her career as a singer after moving to Minneapolis where she met Prince who produced her self-titled debut studio album, released in 1993. Electra began glamour modeling in 1996 with appearances in Playboy magazine, before relocating to Los Angeles, where she had her breakthrough portraying Lani McKenzie in the action drama series Baywatch (1997–1998).
Electra is often spotlighted for her looks and has been considered a "sex symbol".[5][6] She was named No. 18 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World in 2005 and is the oldest cover girl in the publication history of FHM.[7]
Electra was born Tara Leigh Patrick on April 20, 1972, in Sharonville, Ohio (a Cincinnati suburb),[8] to Harry Patrick, a guitarist and entertainer, and his wife Patricia (d. 1998), a singer.[9] Electra attended Ann Weigel Elementary School and studied dance under Gloria J. Simpson at Dance Artists studio in Western Hills until age nine, when she enrolled in the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), a magnet arts school in the Cincinnati Public School District.[10] There, she was an older classmate of Nick Lachey, with whom she appeared in a production of Peter Pan.[11][12]
Electra, who told People in 1997 that she had "wanted to dance on Broadway," graduated from Princeton High School in Sharonville in 1990, having transferred there from SCPA two years prior.[13][14] Additionally, Electra attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Cincinnati.[15]
Electra is of Cherokee, German, and Irish descent,[16] and was very close to her family. She said of her mother, "My mom was my rock," and described her older sister Debbie as being "like a second mother to me".[17] After Debbie moved to Illinois, Electra said her life "revolved around my mom. She was my best friend, in my life 24/7 whether I wanted her there or not."[17]
Electra started her professional career in 1990 as a dancer at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, performing in the show "It's Magic", one of the more popular shows in the park's history.[18] In 1991, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she met singer and songwriter Prince.[19] Soon after, Electra signed a recording contract with Prince's Paisley Park Records and made her singing debut with her self-titled debut studio album in 1993,[20] and would be her only album release.[21] During her time at Paisley Park Records, she officially became known as Carmen Electra.
In May 1996, she was featured in a nude pictorial in Playboy magazine, the first of several. Electra was featured in Playboy four more times: June 1997, December 2000, April 2003, and the January 2009 anniversary issue. She was on the cover of the last three of these issues.[22]
Electra moved to Los Angeles, where she made her acting debut in the independentcomedy horror film American Vampire (1997). In 1997 she was cast as Lani McKenzie in the American drama series Baywatch, for which she achieved her breakthrough. The role lasted a year and helped to establish her as a sex symbol,[16] which has lasted since the late 1990s and the 2000s. In the same year, she began hosting MTV's Singled Out.
Electra doing an infomercial for the "Thigh Styler"
In 2005, Electra starred in the family comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen 2, which received negative reviews from critics, although it was a moderate box-office success and Electra's performance was praised, with Andrea Gronvall of The Chicago Reader writing that she was "the most winning performer of the bunch".[29] Also in 2005, she appeared in an episode of House in which she portrayed herself as an injured golfer and farmer. That same year, she joined the voice cast of the animated series Tripping the Rift, replacing Gina Gershon as the voice of the android "Six".
In 2007, she became a published author with the release of her book, How to Be Sexy.[30] Electra continued to appear in parody films, most notably Epic Movie in 2007, and Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie in 2008. She was featured in some video spoofs of lonelygirl15 that advertised Epic Movie.[31] Aside from Epic Movie, all of these films were commercial successes.
In 2012, Electra joined Britain's Got Talent as a guest judge for the auditions staged in London. She acted as a replacement for Amanda Holden, who was absent due to complications following child birth.
Electra organized a fundraiser for Head to Hollywood, a non-profit organization which offers support to brain tumor survivors.[36] Other charities which she supports include Elevate Hope,[37] a charity which supports abused and abandoned children, and the HollyRod Foundation, which provides medical, physical, and emotional support to those suffering from debilitating life circumstances, especially Parkinson's disease.[38]
She has modeled for the covers of the comic books Razor and the Ladies of London Night by London Night Studios.[39] In 1997, Electra appeared as the face and spokesperson for Max Factor cosmetics in their television and print ads.[40] From 2004 to 2005, she appeared in commercials for Maxim Men's Hair Color products.
In 2006, Electra signed on as the spokesmodel for Ritz Camera Centers, appearing in their television and print ads with CEO David Ritz. She is the oldest cover girl in the publication history of FHM Magazine.[44]
In 2010, she released a line of romance toys. To promote them, Electra appeared on an episode of the reality television show The Spin Crowd and enlisted the help of Command PR, the public relations firm the program followed.[45]
In 2019, The Golden Banana, a strip club which is located in Peabody, Massachusetts, used Electra's likeness on social media without her consent,[46] which led her, among other celebrities whose likenesses were also used without their permission, to launch a legal battle against the establishment.[47]
In 2020, after Electra appeared on the critically acclaimed sportsdocumentary miniseries The Last Dance,[48] where she discussed her short-lived relationship with Dennis Rodman. Pornographic video site Pornhub reported that her name was searched on the site more than 1.7 million times, much more opposed to the 150,000 average searches her name received previously.[49][50]
In 2022, Electra created an OnlyFans account, stating "I, for once, have this opportunity to be my own boss and have my own creative vision to share with my fans without someone standing over me".[51]
In August 1998, Electra's mother died of brain cancer, and two weeks later, her older sister, Debbie, died of a heart attack.[11][19]
At that time, Electra had been dating NBA sportsman Dennis Rodman. She and Rodman wed in November 1998 at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada.[52][53] Nine days later, Rodman filed for annulment, claiming he was of "unsound mind" when the pair wed.[54][55] Electra explained, "It's easy to get caught up in a moment. You think it's romantic, but then you realize, God, we did it in Vegas? It's like getting a cheeseburger at a fast-food restaurant."[13] The couple reconciled and celebrated New Year's Eve together, but four months later they mutually agreed to end their marriage in April 1999 under "amicable circumstances".[13][56] In November 1999, Electra and Rodman were arrested for misdemeanor battery after police were notified of a domestic dispute at a Miami Beach hotel.[57] They were released on $2,500 bail each and ordered to stay away from each other.[58] The charges were eventually dropped.[59]
Five years later, Electra gave an interview to Glamour in which she admitted that she married Rodman in 1998 in direct response to the numbing emotional pain of having lost both her mother and sister: "I was just going through the motions. I was completely numb. At the time, I was dating Dennis Rodman. He was such a fun person to be around, and we went out every night. I remember thinking, this is my out. I'm just going to have fun, and I'm not going to worry about anything. Right after my mom and sister died, I flew to Las Vegas and Dennis and I got married. I guess I was trying to cling to whatever I had. I'd lost my mom and my sister; I didn't want to lose anyone else."[17]
On November 22, 2003, Electra married Dave Navarro, lead guitarist for the rock band Jane's Addiction. The couple documented their courtship and marriage in an MTV reality television show called 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave.[60] On July 17, 2006, she and Navarro announced their separation, and Electra filed for divorce on August 10, 2006; it was finalized on February 20, 2007.[61][62]
In April 2008, Electra's representative confirmed that she was engaged to Rob Patterson, a member of the nu metal band Otep and hard rock band Filter.[63] Despite remaining engaged for several years,[64] the couple did not wed and in 2012, she appeared as one of the celebrity bachelorettes on the TV dating show The Choice.[65]
In February 2024, Electra's petition to change her legal name, Tara Leigh Patrick, into her stage name was granted by a Los Angeles Superior Court.[3]
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981)[3][4] is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, and actress. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in NYC's social scene and ventured into fashion modeling at age 19, signing with Trump Model Management. After David LaChapelle photographed her and her sister Nicky for the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair, Hilton was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001.[3] The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.
A polarizing and ubiquitous public figure, Hilton is said to have influenced the revival of the "famous for being famous" phenomenon throughout the 2000s.[6] Critics indeed suggest that she exemplifies the celebutante—a household name through inherited wealth and lavish lifestyle. Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and ranked her as the most "overexposed" celebrity in 2006 and 2008. Hilton has parlayed her media fame into numerous business endeavors. Under her company, she has produced content for broadcast media, launched 19 product lines, and opened 45 boutiques worldwide, as well as an urban beach club in the Philippines. Her perfume line alone has brought in over US$2.5 billion in revenue, as of 2020[update].[7][8][9]Variety named her its "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" in 2011.[10]
Hilton was born on February 17, 1981, in New York City, to Richard Hilton, a businessman, and Kathy Hilton, a socialite and former child actress.[11][12] The oldest of four children, she has one sister, Nicky Hilton (born 1983), and two brothers, Barron Hilton II (born 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton (born 1994). On her father's side, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels, and granddaughter of Barron Hilton. Her maternal aunts are television personalities Kim and Kyle Richards. Hilton has Norwegian, German, Italian, English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.[13][14][15] The family followed the Catholic faith.[16][17]
Hilton moved frequently in her youth, living in Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, and a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. Her relatives have described her as "very much a tomboy" who dreamed about becoming a veterinarian. Her mother recalled her saving money to buy monkeys, snakes, and goats, and once leaving "the snake out the cage [...] at the Waldorf".[18] Hilton was raised in a very "sheltered, conservative" atmosphere; her parents were particularly strict and she was not allowed to date, wear make-up or certain types of clothes, or go to school dances. Her mother enrolled her in etiquette classes with the idea of introducing her as a debutante, which Hilton was at first reluctant to do, as she did not find it to be "real" or "natural". She described it as "very proper, very prim, almost like a Stepford wife".[18] The family's social circle included figures such as Lionel Richie, Donald Trump, and Michael Jackson.[19][20]
In New York City, Hilton had a rebellious youth, regularly skipping classes and sneaking out to parties. On this period, Kathy remarked: "Let's put it this way—it got very out of control and I was scared for her. And my husband was very scared for her. And, you know, those nightclubs go on all night."[23] Her parents eventually sent her, then 16, to a series of boarding schools for emotionally troubled teens, including Provo Canyon School, where she says that she was mentally and physically abused by the staff. In her documentary This Is Paris, Hilton and other former students from Provo Canyon School recall the abuses they faced, including solitary confinement, forced medication, restraint, battery and strangulation. She attended Provo for 11 months and was released in early 1999, around the time she turned 18.[24][25][26][27] She then attended the Dwight School before dropping out a few months later. "She knew no one at [Dwight]", said her mother in an interview, while a classmate described her as "sort of more sophisticated. She was different from everybody else".[20] She later earned a GED certification.[28][29]
With mother Kathy and sister Nicky, Hilton modeled as a child at charity events,[30] graced the May 4, 1988, cover of the weekly magazine Beverly Hills 213,[31] and made an uncredited appearance in the fantasy film Wishman (1992).
After relocating to NYC in 1996, Hilton developed a reputation as a socialite through appearances at nightclubs and high-profile events. She has recalled getting offers to show up in nightclubs as early as she was 16,[32][33][34] when she obtained a counterfeited identity document in order to gain access to events. Her antics and late-night persona soon started attracting the spotlight from local tabloids. After becoming familiar with Paris and Nicky's social circle, Jason Binn, publisher of Hamptons magazine, stated: "They're little stars. They've become names. To them it's like a job. I believe they wake up every morning and say, 'O.K., where am I supposed to be tonight?'."[35]
That lifestyle conflicted with her family's conservative background and proved too "rebellious" for the young Paris, whose parents sent her to a series of boarding schools until she turned 18. Hilton resumed public appearances shortly afterwards, and attended the NYC premiere of Cruel Intentions in March 1999 with Nicky.[36] A New Yorker profile by Bob Morris, published in October that year, described her and her sister as "the littlest socialites in town [...] Without even a smile, they can breeze past the velvet ropes at Moomba or get a seat at Le Bilboquet".[37] Businessman George J. Maloof Jr., for instance, flew Hilton in his private jet and paid her to attend the Palms Casino Resort opening in Las Vegas in November 2001.[32][38][39][40][41]
Inspired by designers Patricia Field and Betsey Johnson, Hilton decided to pursue modeling, signing with Donald Trump's agency, T Management, at age 19.[30] She modeled for Catherine Malandrino and Marc Bouwer, and posed alongside Nicky for David LaChapelle in a shoot that was featured in the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair.[42] On her persona, LaChapelle stated: "Paris had a charisma back then that you couldn't take your eyes off. She would giggle and laugh and be effervescent and take up a room".[43] By 2001, Hilton had become "one of the biggest stars, off and on the catwalk," at New York Fashion Week, graced an advertising campaign for Italian label Iceberg, and appeared on magazines such as Vogue and FHM.[44]
In addition to modeling, Hilton ventured into screen acting, playing an ill-fated character in the independent teen thriller Sweetie Pie (2000),[20] and filming a cameo appearance as herself in the comedy Zoolander (2001), with Ben Stiller. In 2002, she appeared in Vincent Gallo's "Honey Bunny" video,[45] played a "strung-out supermodel" in the five-minute short QIK2JDG, and starred as a socialite in the straight-to-DVD horror film Nine Lives.
Hilton's breakout came in 2003, when she starred with her childhood friend and socialite counterpart Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas. The show was initially pitched to both Paris and Nicky Hilton. Paris was convinced to come on board; however, Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out.[46] The series premiered on December 2, 2003, shortly after the leak of Hilton's sex tape,[47] and was a ratings success. Its first episode attracted 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's adult 18–49 rating by 79 percent.[48] The high viewership was attributed to the exposure Hilton received for the homemade tape,[49] while she became known for her onscreen dumb blonde persona.[50][51]
Originally planned for a limited release, high demand for her first fragrance choked supplies but led to increased availability by December 2004. Its introduction was followed by a 47-percent increase in Parlux sales, primarily of the Hilton-branded perfume.[58] After this success, Parlux has released numerous perfumes under her name, including fragrances for men.[59]
In February 2005, Hilton hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, with Keane as the musical guest,[60] and in May, the slasher film House of Wax—her first major film role[61][62]—was released in theaters,[63] to mixed reviews.[64] Writing for View London, Matthew Turner remarked that Hilton "does better than you might expect",[65] while TV Guide called her "talentless".[66] Her role earned her the Teen Choice Award for Best Scream, the 2005 Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress,[67] and a nomination for Best Frightened Performance at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. House of Wax grossed over US$70 million worldwide.[68] In May 2005, Carl's Jr. aired a television advertisement, promoting its Spicy Burger product, which featured Hilton in a provocative swimsuit soaping up a Bentley automobile.[69] By November 2005, she had published her second book, Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me.[70]
The Simple Life was canceled by Fox in 2005 after three seasons following a dispute between Hilton and Richie. Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about their split, although it was speculated that they fell out after Richie showed one of Hilton's homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends.[71] They reconciled in October 2006.[72] After The Simple Life was cancelled, other networks (NBC, The WB, VH1 and MTV) were interested in obtaining the rights for new seasons of the show.[73] On November 28, 2005, E! announced that it had picked up The Simple Life, ordering the production of a fourth season and obtaining the rights to repeat the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season began on February 27, 2006.[74] The fourth-season premiere of the show was a ratings success for its new network.[75]
Hilton released her self-titled debut album, Paris, on August 22, 2006. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200, and sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.[76] Its lead single, "Stars Are Blind", found global success. It was played on more than 125 pop stations in the United States,[77][78] and reached the top ten in 17 countries.[79] Critical reception was generally mixed,[80] but AllMusic called the album "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson".[81]
In 2006, Hilton top-billed as vain, dumb blonde characters in the comedy films Bottoms Up and National Lampoon's Pledge This!, both of which received DVD releases in North America. Australia's Urban Cinefile described Bottoms Up as a "crass, low-brow comedy" with "little merit" except for "some Paris Hilton curiosity value".[82] She reportedly snubbed the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Pledge This! to protest the addition of several nude scenes,[83] which resulted in Worldwide Entertainment Group suing Hilton in August 2008, at the Miami District Court, alleging that she did not fulfill her contractual agreement to provide "reasonable promotion and publicity" for the film, despite receiving a US$1 million fee for the role.[84] Hilton licensed her name to Gameloft for their 2006 mobile video game Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest.
The Simple Life finished its run with its fifth season, which debuted on May 28, 2007, and ended on August 5, 2007. That year, Hilton introduced her DreamCatchers line of hair extensions with Hair Tech International,[85] signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a signature footwear line (Paris Hilton Footwear, featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges and a sports collection),[86] and launched a line of tops, dresses, coats and jeans at the Kitson Boutique in Los Angeles.[87] She also posed nude (covered with gold paint) to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned version of the Italian sparkling wine,[88][89] traveling to Germany to appear in advertisements for the wine,[90] and modeled for 2 B Free.[91]
Hilton starred in a MTV reality series, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, about her search for a new best friend,[101] which premiered on September 30, 2008.[102] The series was a hit and topped all other cable shows in its time slot.[103] That year, she also appeared in two viral Funny or Die videos, Paris Hilton Responds to McCain and Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen,[104][105] and inspired by her love for dogs, created a canine apparel line, Little Lily by Paris Hilton.[106]
As a result of the American version's success, Paris Hilton's British Best Friend debuted on ITV2 in England on January 29, 2009,[107] the second season of Paris Hilton's My New BFF premiered on June 2, and Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF was internationally broadcast on MTV in April 2011.[108] She guest-starred in the fifth episode of Supernatural's fifth season, which aired on October 8, 2009.[109][110] In 2009, Hilton also released a sunglasses line[111] and a range of hair products that included shampoos, conditioners and vitamins.[112] She won the Female Celebrity Fragrance of the Year Award at the 2009 Fifi Awards.[113]
On June 1, 2011, Hilton returned to reality television in Oxygen's The World According to Paris.[124] Focused on her daily life,[125] the series bought in lackluster ratings amid a controversial promotional campaign,[126] which was attributed to her then-fading popularity in North America.[127] Alessandra Stanley, for The New York Times, described her as an "attractive woman with proven talent for marketing and self-promotion, though as a reality heroine she seems a little passé [...] it's hard to see how she can recapture the kind of audience she enjoyed in her heyday—even by streaming her premiere live on Facebook".[128]
In 2011, Hilton modeled for Triton during Brazil Fashion Week and for Andre Tan during Ukraine Fashion Week, and continued her endorsement and retail endeavors,[129] introducing a mobile application, which became available for iPhone and iPod touch,[130] and footwear collections in Mexico City[131][132]
To a section: This is a redirect from a topic that does not have its own page to a section of a page on the subject. For redirects to embedded anchors on a page, use {{R to anchor}}instead.
Keira Christina Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in the London suburb of Teddington, to stage actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald.[3] She was meant to be named "Kiera", the anglicised form of "Kira", after the Soviet figure skater Kira Ivanova, whom her father admired; however, Macdonald misspelt the name when she registered her daughter's birth certificate, writing the e before the i.[4] Her father is English and her mother is of Scottish and Welsh descent.[5] Knightley has an older brother, Caleb.[6] Macdonald worked as a playwright after her acting career came to an end. Knightley's parents encountered substantial financial difficulties following the birth of her brother;[7] her father, a "middling" actor, agreed to a second child only if her mother sold a script first. However, her parents' varying degrees of success did not deter Knightley's curiosity about the profession.[8] Macdonald introduced her own children to theatre and ballet very early.[9] This inspired Knightley's interest in acting.[10]
Knightley attended Teddington School.[11] She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age six, but by the time she was eleven, with her parents' support, she says, "they deemed me to have got over it sufficiently". She is still a slow reader and cannot read out loud.[12] Knightley has said she was "single-minded about acting".[13] At age three, she requested to obtain an agent like her parents and secured one at six. This led to her taking a number of small parts in television dramas.[14] She acted in a number of local amateur productions, which included After Juliet, written by her mother, and United States, written by her drama teacher. Knightley began studying her A-Levels at Esher College, but left after a year to pursue an acting career.[15] Her mother's friends encouraged her to go to drama school, which she declined for financial and professional reasons.[16]
After obtaining an agent at age six, Knightley began working in commercials and small television roles. Her first onscreen appearance was in the 1993 Screen One television episode titled "Royal Celebration". She then played Natasha Jordan, a young girl whose mother is involved in an extramarital affair, in the romantic drama A Village Affair (1995). After appearing in a spate of television films through the mid-to-late 1990s, including Innocent Lies (1995), The Treasure Seekers (1996), Coming Home (1998), and Oliver Twist (1999),[17] Knightley landed the role of Sabé, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden and decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Her dialogue was dubbed over by Natalie Portman, who played Padmé. Knightley was cast in the role because of her close resemblance to Portman; even the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when they were in full make-up.[18]
In her first major role, the 2001 Walt Disney Productions television film Princess of Thieves, Knightley played the daughter of Robin Hood. In preparation for the part, she trained for several weeks in archery, fencing, and riding.[19] Concurrently, she appeared in The Hole, a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the US. The film's director Nick Hamm described her as "a young version of Julie Christie".[20] Knightley also took on the role of Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, to positive reviews and high ratings.[21] In the same year, Knightley starred as a pregnant drug addict in Gillies MacKinnon's drama film Pure. Co-starring Molly Parker and Harry Eden, the film had its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival.[22] In a retrospect review for AboutFilm.com, Carlo Cavagna noted Knightley's screen presence and wrote that "[although Knightley] doesn't have half of Parker's ability [...] she has spunk and grit [and] shines brightly in Pure".[23]
Knightley landed a breakthrough role when she starred in Gurinder Chadha's sports comedy film Bend It Like Beckham, which was a box office hit in the U.K and U.S.[24] Knightley portrayed Jules, a tomboy football player struggling against social norms who convinces her friend to pursue the sport.[25] The film surprised critics who were laudatory of its "charming" and "inspiring" nature, social context and the cast's performances.[26] Knightley and her co-star Parminder Nagra attracted international attention for their performances;[27] critic James Berardinelli, who was largely laudatory of the film and the "energetic and likable" cast, noted that Knightley and Nagra brought "a lot of spirit to their instantly likable characters".[28] To prepare for their roles, they underwent three months of extensive football training under the English football coach Simon Clifford. Knightley was initially sceptical of the project: in an interview with Tracy Smith she said, "I remember telling friends I was doing this girls' soccer movie [...] And nobody thought that it was gonna be any good."[29]
2003–2007: Pirates of the Caribbean and worldwide recognition[edit]
Knightley portrayed the role of Elizabeth Swann, in the 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler filmPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[30] The film, based on the Disney theme park attraction, revolves around infamous buccaneer Jack Sparrow and blacksmith Will Turner rescuing Swann, in possession of a cursed golden medallion, from 18th-century pirates.[31] The producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski cast Knightley for her "indescribable quality [...] reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood's heyday."[32] Knightley underestimated the stunt work required and believed she would primarily be sitting in carriages; at one point during filming, she stood for two days on a plank and rejected a stunt double's offer to jump off the platform for the scene.[32][33] Despite boasting the names of stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and a $135 million budget, Pirates was expected to fail at the box office.[34] Knightley herself was not optimistic about its prospects.[35] The film opened at number one on the box office, and became one of the highest-grossing releases of the year, with worldwide revenues of $654 million.[36]Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times likened Knightley's "strident and confident" physical assurance to that of Nicole Kidman, while Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club branded her and Bloom as appealing leads.[37][38]
Also in 2003, Knightley appeared in Richard Curtis's Christmas-themed romantic comedy Love Actually, featuring an ensemble cast, which included her childhood idol Emma Thompson.[39][40] Knightley played Juliet, a woman whose fiancée's best man is secretly in love with her.[41] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticised the waste of Knightley's talent in a "nothing" role,[42] while Megan Conner of The Guardian remarked that the film turned Knightley into a household name.[16]Love Actually has been referred to as a modern-day Christmas classic.[43] Knightley believes the film's trajectory to be "extraordinary", given that its popularity resurfaced a few years after the film's release.[44] Knightley's only release of 2004 was the historical film King Arthur, where she played Guinevere, a warrior queen and the wife of the titular character.[45] The part required her to learn boxing, archery, and riding.[39][46] The critic A. O. Scott praised Knightley for "throw[ing] herself bodily into every scene".[47] Although the film received unfavourable reviews, Knightley's stature as a performer grew; she was voted by the readers of Hello magazine as the industry's most promising teen star,[48] and featured in Time magazine's article, which stated that she seemed dedicated to develop herself as a serious actor rather than a film star.[49]
Knightley appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was the psychological thriller The Jacket, co-starring Adrien Brody.[50] In a mixed review for Empire, Kim Newman wrote that the role was unlike the ones she had previously taken up : "getting out of period gear and talking American, tries to broaden her range and is arguably well-cast".[51] Knightley next played the titular character in Tony Scott's French-American action film Domino, based on the life of Domino Harvey. The film's release was delayed on several occasions and, on its eventual release in November, it received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.[52]
Knightley's most successful release of the year was Pride & Prejudice, a period drama based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.[53] The director Joe Wright cast Knightley for her tomboyish nature combined with a "lively mind" and sense of humour.[54] Knightley, who had admired the book from a young age,[55] said of her character, "The beauty of Elizabeth is that every woman who ever reads the book seems to recognise herself, with all her faults and imperfections."[55] On release, the film became a huge commercial success, with total collections of around US$120million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics.[56] Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw labelled her performance of "beauty, delicacy, spirit and wit; in her growing lustre and confidence" and Derek Elley of Variety found her "luminous strength" to be reminiscent of a young Audrey Hepburn.[57][58] Knightley earned "Best Actress in a Leading Role" nominations at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for her performance at age 20, becoming the third-youngest nominee for the latter.[59] Knightley's consecutive successes came with increased media scrutiny, and she later admitted to experiencing struggles with her mental health during this period.[60]
Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among other artists in 2006.[61] In 2004, the second and third films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series were conceived, with screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio developing a story arc that would span both sequels, in which Knightley reprised her role as Elizabeth Swann. The plot of the films see Swann buck convention to seek adventure and become fierce pirate and fighter to match the skills of Sparrow and her love interest, Turner.[62] The sequel installments allowed Knightley to study sword-fighting, which she had sought to do since the first film.[32] Filming for the projects took place in 2005; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest released in July 2006, with the worldwide collections of $1.066 billion, becoming the biggest financial hit of Knightley's career.[63] The third installment in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, was released in May, the following year.[64] A. O Scott termed her performance "a vision of imperial British pluckiness, with an intriguing dash of romantic recklessness that surfaces toward the end".[65] On November 2006, it was reported that Knightley didn't want to participate in any further sequels.[66] By 2010, both Knightley and Orlando Bloom had repeatedly been quoted in saying they wanted to move on.[67][68][69]
Knightley's continued association with period dramas yielded varying results, as seen with two of her 2007 releases, François Girard's Silk, and Joe Wright's Atonement, the feature film adaptations of the novels by Alessandro Baricco and Ian McEwan respectively.[70] The former project failed at the box office, while the latter became a critical and commercial success. Knightley played Cecilia Tallis, the elder of the two Tallis sisters, who struggles with a wartime romance with her love interest, played by James McAvoy.[71] She admitted that the pacing on the smaller, more intimate film was an adjustment compared to the Pirates franchise.[72] In preparing for the film, Knightley studied the novel as well as the "naturalism" of the performance as seen in films from the 1930s and 1940s, such as In Which We Serve (1942) and Brief Encounter (1945).[73][72] She admired the multi-layered and "fascinating" nature of her character's behaviour.[74] Knightley's performance won the Empire Award for Best Actress,[75] and earned her nominations for the BAFTA and the Golden Globes awards, also in the leading actress categories.[76] The critic Richard Roeper, who thought the lead duo were "superb" in their respective roles, was puzzled by their failure to receive Academy Award nominations.[77] The green dress worn by Knightley during the film's climactic scene garnered substantive press attention, and was subsequently regarded as one of the greatest costumes in film history.[78][79][80]
Knightley appeared alongside Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys in John Maybury's 2008 wartime drama The Edge of Love. The film had her play the role of Vera Phillips, a childhood friend of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin Macnamara. Knightley wrote the script with her mother, Sharman Macdonald, with Macnamara in mind.[81] After Knightley signed on, her character's role was increased with the film focusing on her romance with a British soldier.[81] Knightley connected to Vera's quietness, and described her as "tragic and beautiful".[81] She based her performance on Marlene Dietrich, and was to mime to her prerecorded voice, before being told by Maybury to sing live. Knightley initially felt embarrassed to do so, saying she "[shook] like a leaf" but eventually went through with the plan.[81] Upon release, the film became a moderate critical and commercial success.[82] Knightley's performance and singing abilities were praised;The Independent noted that Knightley "gives Vera an independence and complexity that's aeons ahead", while the Los Angeles Times wrote "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!)".[83]
Knightley received critical acclaim for her portrayal of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008)
Knightley then starred as the 18th-century English aristocratGeorgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in Saul Dibb's period drama The Duchess (2008), based on the best-selling biographical novel, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.[84] The film tells the story of Georgiana's rise in society as a sociopolitical tastemaker after her marriage disintegrates.[85] The script Knightley was sent was covered in "huge white ostrich feathers" and a gold ribbon.[86]Gabrielle Tana, the film's producer, stated Knightley "brought an instinctive understanding" of such aspects of Georgiana's life as a celebrity from her own experiences.[87] Knightley was attracted to her character's strength and status as a political influence and fashion prowess, while being inwardly vulnerable and isolated.[86] Simon Crooke of Empire described her performance as "an enigmatic, free-spirited turn and a role she'll be remembered for, probably her best role to date in a film not directed by Joe Wright."[88] The following year, she was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.[89] A film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear set to star Knightley and Anthony Hopkins was cancelled due to recession.[90]
Knightley made her West End debut with Martin Crimp's version of Molière's comedy The Misanthrope. Starring Knightley, Damian Lewis, Tara Fitzgerald, and Dominic Rowan, the play was staged at the Comedy Theatre in December 2009. She portrayed Jennifer, a shallow, amorous, and vulnerable American film star who is courted by an analytical and veracious playwright.[91] Knightley chose the role as she felt that "if I don't do theatre right now, I think I'm going to start being too terrified to do it" and described the production as an "extraordinary and incredibly fulfilling" experience, she was sceptical of her performance.[92] Paul Taylor of The Independent remarked that Knightley was "not only strikingly convincing, but, at times, rather thrilling in its satiric aplomb".[93] However, The Guardian's Michael Billington noted that due to the nature of the role, "one could say that she is not unduly stretched".[94] In recognition of her theatre debut, Knightley was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and an Evening Standard Award.[95]
Knightley began the new decade with three films; she remarked that her work during this period helped her "empathise with people or with situations that I don't necessarily find it easy to empathise with".[96] Two of the productions, Massy Tadjedin's romantic drama Last Night and Will
To a section: This is a redirect from a topic that does not have its own page to a section of a page on the subject. For redirects to embedded anchors on a page, use {{R to anchor}}instead.
.jpg)
![[icon]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png){kind=small}
