title: Wilson Chebet

texts:
<mask> (born 12 July 1985 in Marakwet District) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. He has a marathon best of 2:05:27 hours. He began competing internationally in 2005 and established himself with a number of circuit wins in his first three years of competition, including the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale and America's Finest City Half Marathon. He managed podium finishes at the Granollers Half Marathon, Rotterdam Half Marathon and Delhi Half Marathon in 2008. He represented Kenya at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and helped win the team gold medal. <mask> began pacemaking in marathon races in 2009 and made his competitive debut over the distance in 2010. His clocking of two hours, 6:12 minutes to finish as runner-up at the Amsterdam Marathon was the second fastest debut run of all-time.In 2011, won both the Amsterdam and Rotterdam Marathons. He repeated as Amsterdam champion in 2012. His half marathon best of 59:15 minutes ranks among the top 15 fastest ever and he is in the top ten fastest ever over 20 km. Career

Early career
Running in Kenya, he began entering elite competitions as a teenager: he placed top-ten at the 2004 Tegla Loroupe Peace Race and he took second place in a 15K road race in January 2005 behind Clement Koech. He made his debut on the European circuit later that year, winning at the Route du Vin Half Marathon in September in 1:02:19 and then going on to finish tenth at the Paris 20K the following month. In January 2006 he returned to his native country and ran at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country and finished third in a long race won by Moses Masai. He ran a series of races in Spain from March to April, starting with a win at the Ribarroja del Turia Half Marathon, before taking third in the Azkoitia-Azpeitia race, second at the Málaga Half Marathon behind Silas Sang and ending with a podium finish at the Gran Fondo Nacional Villa de Massamagrell.His 2006 season peaked at road races in the United States: he won America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego with a time of 1:02:38 and later that month he ran at the Crim 10-Mile Race and was the runner-up Samuel Kosgei. Two months later he won the Medical Center 10K Classic in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He returned to the Route du Vin race in 2007 and took his second win, this time setting a course record of 1:00:13 (a personal best). He also won at the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale in France – his time of 59:24 was the second fastest winning time for the course. In December that year he ran at the Lagos Half Marathon and finished runner-up to Dieudonné Disi. Half marathon specialist
He ran extensively in 2008, beginning with a second-place run at the Granollers Half Marathon behind then world record holder Samuel Wanjiru. Surprisingly, he ran in the Barcelona Half Marathon only seven days later and managed to finish as runner-up to Jacob Yator.This was followed by a fourth place at the Paris Half Marathon in March and a second victory at the Ribarroja Half Marathon in April. He ran under an hour for the half marathon in September, clocking a time of 59:33 for third place behind world medallists Evans Cheruiyot and Patrick Makau at the Rotterdam Half Marathon. Looking for a title defence, he returned to the Marseille-Cassis race and managed to fend off a challenge from Disi (his rival in Lagos) to increase his winning streak. He was among the leaders at the Delhi Half Marathon in September, his last major run of the year, and he was one second off his personal best with a third-place finish. He knocked a second off his best in a quick RAK Half Marathon in February 2009, where the winner Patrick Makau set the second fastest mark ever. He gained his first major win over 20 km in the Netherlands three weeks later at the 20 van Alphen race. He was employed as the pacemaker for the Rotterdam Marathon and excelled in the role, leading and keeping the pace strong among the racers – work which resulted in Duncan Kibet completing the third fastest ever time for the marathon.Following this, he managed half marathon wins at the Pardubice Wine Half-Marathon and Rabat International Half-Marathon. He ran at the tenth edition of the Bogota International Half Marathon in August, but was beaten to the finish line by Isaac Macharia. His best run of the year came at the Rotterdam Half Marathon as he set a new best of 59:15 for the event, which was the seventh fastest time by any athlete in 2009. However, such was the quality of the race, this fast time was only enough for fifth place in Rotterdam. The performance earned him his first international selection Kenya and he took sixth place in the men's race at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, a finish which earned him the team gold medal alongside Bernard Kiprop Kipyego and <mask> Kiprotich. The Zayed International Half Marathon was his first stop of 2010, but he only managed to finish in sixth. He set his sights on completing the Prague Half Marathon unbeaten: "Although I have run better than 60 minutes four times, I have not won.I need now to win one in under one hour". He left the race with his desire unfulfilled, however, as he finished in over an hour behind fellow countryman Joel Kemboi. After doing pacemaking duties at the Lake Biwa Marathon, he was present at Haile Gebrselassie's sports resort opening in May and won the inaugural Everyone Half Marathon in Addis Ababa. He returned to Europe that month to run at the Göteborgsvarvet half marathon and he was the second runner across the line after Sammy Kirui Kiprono. Marathons
Travelling to the United States in August, he entered the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine but relinquished his lead in the final stages to end up third behind Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Alan Kiprono. <mask> and Gebre went head-to-head a week later at the Falmouth Road Race but again the Kenyan was beaten to the finish, finishing one second behind his Ethiopian counterpart. He took part in the Amsterdam Marathon in October and this time he left the pacemaking duties to Jamal Baligha as he marked his competitive debut over the full 42.195 km distance.Ethiopian Getu Feleke was running at course record pace, but <mask> was the only runner to challenge him. Although Getu eventually won the race almost half a minute ahead of him, <mask> finished the race with a time of 2:06:12 – the second fastest ever time for a marathon debut after Evans Rutto's debut winning run at the 2003 Chicago Marathon. Although victory had yet again evaded the Kenyan, he was pleased and confident with the result: "This is great making your debut with the second fastest (such time) ever. I’m happy. I know now what a marathon is and I think I can do faster." In April 2011, he won his first marathon, at Rotterdam, in the year's best time of 2:05:27 – six seconds ahead of his village mate Vincent Kipruto. He placed third in the Bogotá Half Marathon in August.He recorded a second consecutive win and sub-2:06 run at the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon, finishing just outside the course record with his time of 2:05:53 hours. His first major race of 2012 came at the Boston Marathon, where he came in fifth place. He was third at the lower profile Bogotá Half Marathon in July. In October he won the Amsterdam Marathon with a time of 2:05:41, a new course record. The following year he was fourth at the World's Best 10K and third at the Tilburg Ten Miles. He made a triumphant return at the Amsterdam Marathon, improving his own record to 2:05:36 hours. Major competition record

References

External links

1985 births
Living people
People from Elgeyo-Marakwet County
Kenyan male long-distance runners
Kenyan male marathon runners

masks:
Wilson Kwambai Chebet
Chebet
Wilson Kiang
Chebet
Chebet
Chebet


title: Frances Yeend

type: original

texts:
<mask> (; 28 January 1913 – 27 April 2008) was an American classical soprano who had an active international career as a concert and opera singer during the 1940s through the 1960s. She had a long and fruitful association with the New York City Opera (NYCO) between 1948 and 1958, after which she joined the roster of principal sopranos at the Metropolitan Opera where she sang between 1961 and 1963. She also had an extensive concert career, particularly in the United States. By 1963 she had sung in more than 200 orchestral concerts in North American with major symphonies like the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra among others. Biography
Born <mask> in Vancouver, Washington, Yeend grew up in Portland, Oregon. She had very little musical training before entering Washington State University (then Washington State College) in Pullman, Washington where she studied singing. Following several years of college,  she worked as a music teacher for a few years, during which time she also sang as a recitalist and on the radio.She also made her professional opera début during this time as Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in Spokane, Washington, although it wasn't until much later that she would appear in operas frequently. <mask>'s first New York appearances were in 1943 as a member of the ensemble in the Broadway run of The Merry Widow at the Majestic Theatre with Jan Kiepura as Danilo and Marta Eggerth as Sonia. Around this time she also sang on network radio as an uncredited soloist with Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra. She joined Columbia Artists Management (CAM) in 1944 and performed the role of Micaela in a U.S tour of Bizet's Carmen that autumn. In April 1946 Yeend made her first major concert appearance as the soprano soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Serge Koussevitzky. The following summer she performed the role of Ellen Orford in the American premiere of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Yeend went on to become one of the members of CAM's Bel Canto Trio with Mario Lanza and George London.She toured North America with the group in 1947–1948. In 1948 <mask> was invited by Laszlo Halasz, then artistic director of the New York City Opera, to join the roster of principal sopranos at the NYCO. She accepted and made her debut with the company as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata on March 20, 1948. She portrayed many other roles with the NYCO over a span of eleven consecutive seasons. Her early parts with the company were from the lyric soprano repertoire, such as Nedda, Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, and the three heroines in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. Later on in her career with the company she began portraying heavier roles from the dramatic soprano repertoire, including Amelia in Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball, Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger, the title role in Verdi's Aida, the title roles in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and Turandot among others. She also notably sang Felice in the United States premiere of Wolf Ferrari's I quattro rusteghi with the NYCO in 1951.Her last appearance with the company was in November 1958 as Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème. While busy singing with the NYCO, Yeend also sang in operas with other companies in both the United States and Europe. She made her debut with the Vienna Staatsoper in 1953 as Violetta. That same year she made her first appearance at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as Mimi. In 1956 she toured North America with the NBC Opera Theatre portraying Cio-cio-san in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Another Puccini role, the ice princess Turandot, was a part with which Yeend became particularly associated, portraying the part with the San Antonio Grand Opera Festival, Cincinnati Opera, New Orleans Opera, San Francisco Opera, Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company (1958), Vienna State Opera (1958) and at the Arena di Verona Festival (1958). In 1959 Yeend sang her first Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser with Fort Worth Opera and portrayed her first Ariadne in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Empire State Music Festival.She appeared at the Houston Grand Opera in 1960 for her first portrayal of the role of Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre and that same year sang Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco at the San Antonio Opera. In the summer of 1961 she portrayed Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Zoo Opera in Cincinnati. Some of her other notable international appearances included Mimì in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, Violetta at the Bavarian State Opera, Eva at the Liceu, and the Israeli premiere of Verdi's Requiem in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1954). Yeend made her Metropolitan Opera debut on February 13, 1961 as Chrysothemis in Strauss's Elektra in 1961 with Inge Borkh in the title role and Joseph Rosenstock conducting. She also portrayed Violetta at the Met in performances opposite both George Shirley and Charles Anthony in the role of Alfredo. Her last performance with the company was on December 4, 1963 as Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung with Birgit Nilsson as Brünnhilde, Hans Hopf as Siegfried, and Walter Cassel as Gunther. One of the last opera performances of her career was as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company opposite Mario Del Monaco in the title role in 1964.Yeend retired from the stage in 1966 when she joined the faculty of West Virginia University as Professor of Voice/Artist in Residence. She remained in that position until 1978 when she retired from teaching. She died thirty years later at the age of 95. She was married for fifty-four years to pianist James Benner who was her second husband. She had one son, <mask>, by her first marriage to <mask> which ended in divorce. Recordings
Yeend made a number of recordings during her career on the RCA Victor, Columbia, Mercury, MGM and DaVinci labels. Most of her recordings are of the concert repertoire, including of particular note her lauded recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the New York Philharmonic under Bruno Walter and her recording of Arthur Honegger's oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake) with the Philadelphia Orchestra.Among a relatively small number of opera recordings is the spectacular 1956 concert performance of scenes from Elektra with the Chicago Symphony and Chorus under Fritz Reiner, where she sang Chrysotemis to Inge Borkh's Elektra. References

King records released two 78 rpm records by <mask> on their 15000 series. Reference below:

Singles Discography for King Records - 15000 series
These Things Shall Pass: 1951: King: 15148: <mask>: The Friendship Tree
globaldogproductions.info/k/king-15000-series.html

External links

1913 births
2008 deaths
American educational theorists
Voice teachers
American operatic sopranos
People from Vancouver, Washington
Washington State University alumni
West Virginia University faculty
20th-century American women opera singers
Women music educators
American women academics
21st-century American women

masks:
Frances Yeend
Frances Leone Lynch
Yeend
Yeend
Warren Yeend
Kenneth Yeend
Frances Yeend
Frances Yeend


title: Mohammed Chhel

texts:
<mask> (, ) originally a fakir (mystic) was a renowned magician of Saurashtra, Gujarat. <mask> was born in 1850 in Ningala, a small village and a railway junction in Gadhada Taluka of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra, Gujarat (India). Basically he was a Pir of a known Dargah and was involved in benevolent works the entirety of his life. Said to have been blessed with supernatural powers, <mask> eventually turned magician but his character and nobility were those of a mystic. The message of life he wished to convey to people was that of himself serving society and helping the needy with his magnetic aura and miraculous acts, flavored by his sense of humor. <mask> had a definite sense and sensibility, a fine sense of humor and rare message of life to convey, all which mainly addressed people who were hardworking, honest, innocent villagers, peasants, countrymen and mass belonging to towns and countryside. <mask> became earnestly popular among train passengers as he frequently used to travel by train between countryside of Saurashtra and Gujarat.And eventually, his magic and acts became evident across Rail trips. People would unfailingly encounter an experience of <mask>'s magic and miracles if they were traveling by train and if their luck to strike to come across <mask> in the train or at the railway station. Ningala, yet a small town, still a railway junction became instrumental and medium for his train encounters earned him lasting fame. Due to his extraordinary persona and god gifted powers, <mask> occupied a distinct place other than the conventional and contemporary magicians, and successful tricksters may have in people's minds. He knowingly or unknowingly served as Psychiatrist and a respected mystic to be remembered for. Reason is it was more his healing than obvious amusement, shocking surprises, miracles and entertainment his acts provided. Popular incidents of <mask>

There are plenty of his acts, miracles and occasions which people still remember through their ancestors and in form of stories from locals.A few incidents such as, he could make a train ticket checker shocked by producing avalanche of tickets out of his chin! His unbelievable acts a number of times for he had decoupled a running train with only engine chugging away! Among the locals in the Gujarat, Saurashtra and Bhavnagar region, there are people whose ancestors have remained eye-witness of this act! Moneylender stuck and unstuck
One more incident, once a poor villager was in clutches of a moneylender after the peasant borrowed some money from the moneylender. Chhel freed the villager from the clutches of moneylender by casting a spell that did not allow him to get out of his own chair! The moneylender realized and confessed for his falsified account on the name of the peasant. He wrote off those debts and then Chhel let the moneylender go unstuck!Merchant's ailing wife
Another well known case, once a troubled merchant wanted to know about his ailing wife in Mumbai and it was not common to have telephones those days. Especially, telephone facility was rare in rural areas. The worried local merchant came to <mask>, knowing his miracles and powers. <mask> put his palm across the merchant's eyes and asked him if he could see his wife. The gentleman was amused and relieved to see his wife working in the kitchen, hale and hearty. Later the news of her well-being reached him, confirming the powers of <mask>. If not sweets, beware of Cobra
A sweet and cobra incident/story is also popular among the people.Once during a train ride, a rich man sitting across <mask> held a basket of sweets in his lap. Occasionally he looked around and popped a sweet into his mouth when nobody was looking. <mask> requested the man to share his goodies with fellow passengers who happened to be poor folk. But the man did not pay any heed to this. At this, <mask> told him to be careful when he picked up another round of sweets from his basket. Ignoring the warning, the man dipped his hand once moreinto the basket and pulled out a hissing cobra instead of a sweet! Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan's Staff
On December 20, 1893 Chhel came to Junagadh to meet Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan at a fairground outside Manjevdi, hoping to dazzle the Imam with his magical powers.Chhel approached the Imam’s entourage and Varas Kasam Bapoo asked what is it? Chhel asked: I’d like to meet Aga Sahib, “Main hoon jadoo Ghar <mask>, jiska agam nigamka khel, ghee ka banaau tel, aur bhe(n)s ko banaadu bel!”
Imam Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah appeared and asked, kya chaahiye toomko? (what do you want?) Chhel replied: Kuch nahi chaahihe, Janaab, kuchh nahin, mein to sirf mere jadoo ka parchha dikhaana chaahta hoon, Main hoon jadoo ghar <mask>, jiska agam nigam ka khel
(nothing Sir, nothing -- I just wish to show You my magic. I am <mask>, he who defies logic!) Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Happily said: Yes, very good, but I am a dervish, I have no interest in so-called magic
The Imam then instructed Varas Kassam Bapoo to give Chhel Rs. 200
Chhel did not accept it saying: no no Sahib, I just ask for Your blessings.The Imam asked if he wanted anything further, to that Chhel replied: I just wish to show you my magical powers -- I can penetrate a hammer in to my chest, I can make all the marine life and crustations abandon the sea, I can turn the seawater into wax, I can swallow a flame, - - Sahib, I am Jadoo Ghar <mask>! Aga Khan: okay, okay, what trick will you show me? Chhel: Aga Sahib, if I simply exhale, I can make this entire marquee fly away and disappear, or if I clap my hands, this entire mela (fairground) will disappear and the ground will become baren. Yes Sahib, Yes… no one as enchanting as me has ever been born in this universe,
Chhel continued to give a long lecture, saying what was to be said, but also saying what was not to be said. Chhel ended by saying, Aga Sahib, give me the command (hukam) of what you wish to see, and I will perform magic. At that time, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah let go of his staff and it fell to the ground, saying: okay, show me all the tricks you wish to; but first pick up my staff. Show me the magic of picking up this staff, pick it up and place it in my hand.Chhel: O Sahib, what is such a big deal about this task? This can be done simply by me hovering my left hand. Aga Khan: O really? Please pick up my staff, use both hands if you need to. Chell began reciting mantras and waving his hands, blowing vigorously, clapping, moving his fingers in choreographed motions – the staff would not move. When <mask> tried to lift it with his hands, using all his strength, dripping with perspiration, breathing heavily, he fell sideways, but the staff did not move,
The scene was reminiscent of the staff of Moses and that of the Pharaoh. Indeed Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan traces his ancestry back to Moses Himself.Chhel was totally confused and was turning red with grief! Sir <mask> Shah found great amusement in witnessing this, to his right was Varas Kassam Bapoo, to his left was Kul Kamadia Ibrahim Bhai, both of whom were astonished that this world-renowned magician could not even pick up a stick from the floor! Chhel fell to the Imams feet and begged “O Aga, O Pir Sahib, forgive me!” the Imam replied, I never tried to challenge you, I am a dervish, I do not take interest in such nonsense. He continued by saying, <mask>, why did you give up? This is such a simple task that even a child can do. In the distance there was an 8 or 9 year old boy who was seen playing, the Imam loved this child dearly, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah requested: “Beta, can you pick up my staff and hand it to Me?” right away this child picked up the staff with one hand, he wiped it clean and handed it to his Imam. Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah said to Chhel: see this is a task for a young child – but remember, I am the Imam, and without the blessing and blessing and command of God, nothing can be achieved in this world.Mischief, superiors and experiences
<mask>, because of his tricks, some times for his spontaneous acts and due to his fame, unknowingly made people cautious and at times made them frightened too. Although, his acts were purely for fun, entertainment and some message, he would not hesitate going extravagant at times. His mischievous stance and fame, while earned him reputation and admiration, it also questioned him for a few times. For example, a famous Jain Muni Shri Vijaynemisuriji Maharaj, to teach Chhel not to harass Sadhus and Saints, knowingly or otherwise if he would ever come across them. One more incidence is of one Ismaili Imam Saheb who would make <mask> wonder-struck in response to <mask>'s proposal for showing his own magic acts. Mission and message
<mask> attained, although he was already one, the honorable title of 'Pir', meaning a mystique, a fakir. He is often remembered as Pir <mask> among the people, across the region and in the provinces of Saurashtra and Gujarat.<mask>, became a name of reputation and respect in magician fraternity in Gujarat and India. Defying the routine 'magician' term, <mask>'s contribution was more than that of a magician. He would strive and spontaneously extend by his acts and tricks for the benefit of fellows and countrymen. Exact date of <mask>'s death is not known, albeit he died in 1925. Some still term a few incidents as stories that have been flowing for over a century with all authentic details and proof remaining verifiable, and many still who shared their eye-witness accounts among locals and in their families happen to attest, those were true. Reason could be those miracles and acts attained the rank of stories because <mask> and his real mystic - magical acts got woven in people heart and memory over the years and over the generations. See also
 Indian Magicians
 Magician (paranormal)
 Magician (illusion)
 Mysticism

External links
  Story of <mask> by Tara Bose
  The Disappearing Trick
  The Street Juggler
  <mask>hel: The people's magician

References

1850 births
1925 deaths
Indian magicians
People from Gujarat
People from Bhavnagar district

masks:
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Sultan Mohammed
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Ch


title: Rahul Bose

texts:
<mask> (born 27 July 1967) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, and social activist. <mask> has appeared in Bengali films such as Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Kalpurush, Anuranan, Antaheen, Laptop and The Japanese Wife. He has also appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam, Jhankaar Beats, Kucch Luv Jaisaa,  Chameli and Shaurya. He also played the antagonist in the Tamil thriller Vishwaroopam (2013) and its sequel. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" while Maxim named him "the Sean Penn of Oriental cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English, August and Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. He is also notable for his social activism: he participated in the relief efforts that followed the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and is also the founder of the anti-discrimination NGO, The Foundation. Early life

<mask> was born to father Rupen and mother <mask> on 27 July 1967.<mask>'s first acting role was at the age of six when he played the lead character in a school play, Tom, the Piper's Son. As a child he took an interest in sports after his mother introduced him to boxing and rugby union. He also played cricket and was coached by cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. He is an alumnus of the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. After being rejected by a number of American universities, <mask> attended Sydenham College. While at the college he played on the school's rugby team and competed in the Western India Championships, winning a silver medal in boxing. After his mother's death in 1987, <mask> began working as a copywriter at Rediffusion and was later promoted to advertising creative director.<mask> left the job to become a full-time actor after the release of his first film, English, August. Stage and film career

Early career: 1993–2003

<mask> started his acting career on the Mumbai stage in <mask> D'Cunha's Topsy Turvey and Are There Tigers in the Congo?. D'Cunha's aunt was the casting director for director Dev Benegal's film English, August and suggested that <mask> should play the lead role. After filming a screen test, Benegal decided to cast him as civil servant Agastya Sen. Based on the novel of the same name by Upamanyu Chatterjee, English, August was one of the first Hinglish films and gained <mask> international recognition when it became the first Indian film to be purchased by 20th Century Fox and won several awards at international film festivals. After English, <mask> found work in television; he was offered a role in India's first English-language television serial, A Mouthful of Sky and also co-hosted BBC World's Style! with Laila Rouass. In 1998 he appeared in Kaizad Gustad's Bombay Boys with Naseeruddin Shah and starred in Dev Benegal's second film, Split Wide Open.To prepare for his role as a roving water vendor, <mask> lived in Mumbai's slums and observed a drug dealer for two weeks. He later cited this time—along with the 2002 Gujarat riots—as the beginning of the awakening of his social conscience. Although Split Wide Open was controversial in India because of its depictions of sexual abuse, <mask> received the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Actor at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival for his performance. He also performed abroad in the Leicester Haymarket in England where he starred in the English version of Tim Murari's play, The Square Circle. In 1997, <mask> was cast to play the role of Saleem Sinai in the BBC adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children. The project was eventually canceled after the Indian and Sri Lankan governments refused to allow filming. After seeing <mask> in English, August, director Govind Nihalani cast him in the villain role opposite Ajay Devgan in the mainstream film Thakshak.The film was not a financial success, although <mask> received positive reviews. <mask> also appeared as "Vikal" a villain in the 1998 Science fiction TV series Captain Vyom

In 2001, <mask> made his directorial debut with Everybody Says I'm Fine!. Starring Rehaan Engineer and Koel Purie and featuring <mask> in a supporting role, Everybody received mixed reviews from critics, but won <mask> the runner-up John Schlesinger Award for best directorial debut at the 2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In 2002, <mask> starred opposite Konkona Sen Sharma in Aparna Sen's art film Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. The film, a critique of communal violence, was a critical success and won several awards at international film festivals as well as three National Film Awards. 2003–present
In 2003, <mask> entered mainstream Bollywood cinema with Jhankaar Beats in which he played one of two friends, R.D. Burman fans who are obsessed with winning a music competition.Boosted by a successful soundtrack, Jhankaar Beats was a surprise hit in urban multiplexes and went on to win several awards for its music. The same year, <mask> appeared in another Bollywood film, Mumbai Matinee which saw a UK release. He starred in Chameli opposite Kareena Kapoor, playing a wealthy chain-smoking Mumbai banker who is stranded in the monsoon rains with a prostitute. The film was not a box office success, but won several Filmfare and IIFA awards. He was the screenwriter of Hero Bhakti Hi Shakti Hai of Hungama TV in 2005. <mask>'s second film pairing with Konkona Sen Sharma, 15 Park Avenue released in January 2006. Directed by Aparna Sen and filmed in English, 15 Park Avenue won the 2006 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English.With his next effort, the romantic comedy Pyaar Ke Side Effects, <mask> moved once more into mainstream Bollywood cinema. The film follows the rocky relationship of <mask>'s commitment phobic Mumbai DJ Sid and his Punjabi girlfriend, Trisha played by Mallika Sherawat. Critics noted the freshness of <mask>'s narration style which involves breaking the fourth wall, a device not commonly used in Indian cinema. The film opened well in multiplexes and was a moderate financial success, eventually ranking among the top-grossing films of 2006. Both <mask> and Sherawat received positive reviews for their performances. Sherawat and <mask> also starred together in another Bollywood comedy, Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam (2008), which was a commercial and critical failure. In 2006, <mask> starred in the first of a trio of Bengali films, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Anuranan.Anuranan was well received on the festival circuit and ran successfully for three months in Bengal. It was then dubbed into Hindi and released nationally. Kaalpurush, <mask>'s second Bengali film, was released commercially in April 2008. Kaalpurush details a father-son relationship and earned writer-director Buddhadeb Dasgupta a National Film Award for Best Feature Film. <mask> teamed with Chowdhury again in 2009 for Antaheen which tells the story of online relationships. Like Anuranan, Antaheen was released commercially in West Bengal and was screened at various film festivals, including the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival (MIACC) and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Antaheen went on to win several National Awards including one for Best Film.<mask> continued working in a mix of mainstream and arthouse films in 2008, with the English-language film, Before the Rains. Before the Rains was released in the US and the UK and <mask>'s performance was praised by many critics, although the film received mixed reviews. <mask> also appeared in Shaurya, a military court room drama modelled on the American film A Few Good Men. <mask>'s performance was well-received; critic Taran Adarsh said his "performance easily ranks as one of his finest works". His appearance in Dil Kabaddi paired him with Konkona Sen Sharma for the third time, this time playing a husband and wife undergoing marital difficulties. The Japanese Wife, with Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku, the third Aparna Sen film in which he has appeared, released on 9 April 2010. He also appeared as a contestant in the reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi where he was eliminated in the 12th round.He hosted the second series of Bloomberg UTV reality show The Pitch. His role as a gay man harassed by the police in I Am was appreciated by critics. He appeared in Deepa Mehta's version of Midnight's Children where he played the role of General Zulfikar. He also played the villain in the 2013 Tamil film Vishwaroopam. Naren Weiss who was 19 years old at the time, acted opposite <mask> in all of his scenes for Vishwaroopam, and credited <mask> for working with him during filming. He was scheduled to begin shooting his adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's novel, Moth Smoke in early 2010, but the project was postponed after the film's financial backers pulled out. In 2013, he also played opposite Konkona Sen Sharma again in Suman Mukhopadhyay's Shesher Kabita.In 2017, he directed, produced and acted in the biopic Poorna about the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest. Filmography

Playback singing

Writer/director

Producer

Television

Stage

Awards

 2007 – "Artiste for Change" Karmaveer Puraskaar award
 2008 – IBN Eminent Citizen Journalist Award
 2009 – Youth Icon Award for Social Justice and Welfare
 2010 – Green Globe Foundation Award for Extraordinary Work by a Public Figure
2012 – Hakim Khan Sur Award for National Integration –  Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation
2012 – Lt. Governor's Commendation Award for services to Andaman & Nicobar Islands
 2020 - Filmfare OTT Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film for Bulbbul

Sports career

In 1998, <mask> was part of the first Indian national rugby team to play in an international event, the Asian Rugby Football Union Championship. He has played both scrum-half and right-winger positions. In an interview with Daily News & Analysis, <mask> announced that he would not return to the team for the 2009 season. Activism

<mask> assisted in the relief efforts in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. As a result of this work, <mask> launched the Andaman and Nicobar Scholarship Initiative through his NGO, The Foundation.The scholarship program provides for the education of underprivileged children from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. <mask> is associated with several charitable organizations such as Teach for India, Akshara Centre, Breakthrough, Citizens for Justice and Peace and the Spastics Society of India. He is closely associated with the Teach For India movement to eradicate inequity in education. In addition, he became the first Indian Oxfam global ambassador in 2007. He is the founder and chairman of The Group of Groups, an umbrella organisation for 51 Mumbai charitable organisations and NGOs. He is also an ambassador for the American India Foundation, the World Youth Peace Movement and Planet Alert. He was also a vocal proponent of Narmada Bachao Andolan and its efforts to halt the construction of the Narmada dam.He also recorded the Terre des hommes audio book Goodgoodi karna, gale lagana; Sparsh ke niyam sikhiye (English: Tickle and hugs: Learning the touching rules), which is designed to give children resources against sexual abuse. <mask> has given lectures on gender equality and human rights at Oxford and during the 2004 World Youth Peace Summit. In 2009, he toured Canada lecturing on global climate change under the auspices of Climate Action Network and demonstrated with protesters at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit. In 2011, he worked in conjunction with Bhaichung Bhutia to raise funds for victims of the Sikkim earthquake. At the 8th convocation of BRAC University Bangladesh on 17 February 2013, <mask> delivered the convocation speech. Personal life

<mask> has one elder sister, Anuradha, who is married to Tariq Ansari, the owner and director of Mid-Day Multimedia. She had a cameo role in Everybody Says I'm Fine!.<mask> is single. In July 2019, <mask> complained of having been charged ₹442 for two bananas at JW Marriott, Chandigarh, and provoked an outcry on Twitter and other social media, where he gained much attention. References

External links

 <mask> <mask> environmental blog

1967 births
Living people
Indian rugby union players
Indian male journalists
Male actors from Mumbai
Activists from Maharashtra
Bengali people
Punjabi people
Marathi people
Male actors in Hindi cinema
University of Mumbai alumni
Rugby union wings
Cathedral and John Connon School alumni
Indian atheists
20th-century Indian male actors
Journalists from Maharashtra
Rugby players from Mumbai

masks:
Rahul Bose
Bose
Rahul Bose
Kumud Bose
Bose
Bose
Bose
Bose
Bose
Rahul
Bose
Bose
August Bose
Bose
Bose
Bose
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Bose
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Bose
Bose
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Bose
Bose
Bose
Bose
Rahul
Bose


title: Melissa Benoist

texts:
<mask> ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy-drama Glee (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. She rose to widespread prominence for portraying the title character on the CBS / CW superhero series Supergirl (2015–2021), along with related media in the Arrowverse franchise. Benoist's film appearances include the psychological drama Whiplash (2014), the comedy-drama Danny Collins (2015), the romantic Western The Longest Ride (2015), the action thriller Patriots Day (2016), the drama Lowriders (2016), and the comedy-drama Sun Dogs (2017). She also portrayed the wife of cult leader David Koresh on the Paramount Network miniseries Waco (2018). On stage, Benoist made her Broadway debut in 2018 as Carole King in the jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Early life and education
Benoist was born in Houston, Texas, to Julie and <mask>, a physician.They divorced when she was thirteen years old. Her paternal great-grandfather was of French descent. She has two sisters: Jessica, a novelist, and Kristina, an ecological scientist, and five half-siblings from her father's remarriage. She was raised mostly by her mother in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, after her parents' separation. Growing up in Colorado, a large part of her childhood was spent exploring national parks and immersing herself in nature. She started dance classes at the age of three, focusing on jazz, ballet, and tap. When she was four years old, her aunt put her in a church play she was directing; after that, she began doing community children's theatre in her hometown.As a teenager, Benoist performed anonymously at Disneyland in various medleys of musical songs for three summers with the Academy of Theatre Arts, a musical theatre school she was attending, located in Littleton, Colorado, run by Paul Dwyer and Alann Worley. She performed locally in a number of theatrical productions, including A Month in the Country, Cinderella, A Chorus Line, and Bye Bye Birdie at the Town Hall Arts Center, a professional theatre located in the Denver metro area. Instead of attending high school graduation parties, she performed the play Evita with other cast members at the former Country Dinner Playhouse. In 2006, The Denver Post named Benoist one of Colorado's five "Can't Miss Kids". She graduated from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, in 2007, and then moved to New York City to pursue a career in musical theatre. She initially attended Marymount Manhattan College for the BFA musical theatre program but in her sophomore year, she switched majors to theatre, due to her admiration for 19th-century Russian plays. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts in 2011.While attending college, she played Millie Dilmount in an urban off-off-Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Rosalind in As You Like It at the Theresa Lang Theatre. Career

2008–2011: Early work
Benoist's first film was Tennessee in 2008 along with singer Mariah Carey. Afterwards, she made guest appearances on shows like Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Blue Bloods, Homeland, and The Good Wife, while attending college. She played Kelly in the 2011 Goodspeed Musicals theatrical production of The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown by Bree Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan at the Norma Terris Theatre. 2012–2014: Rise to prominence with Glee and film roles

In May 2012, she auditioned for the musical comedy-drama series Glee in New York at the Roundabout Theatre Company, singing a different song for each of her five auditions including: "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor, "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles, a Colbie Caillat song, and several musical theatre pieces. In July, she had two screen tests in California for series creator/writer, Ryan Murphy, the casting directors, and executive producers. She portrayed Marley Rose on the fourth and fifth seasons of Glee.Her first appearance as Marley Rose was in the first episode of season four, titled "The New Rachel". Because the creators had been looking for Marley for a long time, she started working the day she found out she got the job. Benoist's first performance was a duet of "New York State of Mind" with Lea Michele, during the first episode of season 4. The cover of the song reached twenty-four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. She and Glee co-star Darren Criss appeared with Josh Duhamel in the opening of the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards. That same year, she was selected as an ambassador for Coca-Cola's new product, P10 300 mL Coke Mismo. In June 2013, they were flown to Manila, Philippines, to endorse the product by visiting various malls and meeting with fans.She, along with several other actors, was not called back for Glee in early 2014. In mid-2013, Benoist and Blake Jenner held a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production of their feature film Billy Boy. The project reached its $100,000 goal. Benoist played Nicole in  Damien Chazelle's 2014 independent drama film Whiplash, which won top prizes (Grand Jury and Audience awards) at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In June 2014, she joined Nicholas Sparks' film adaption The Longest Ride as Marcia. She had a role in the 2015 film Danny Collins. She played the part of Jamie, a desk clerk at a hotel frequented by one of Jamie's all-time favorite rock stars.That same year, Benoist also played Becky Thatcher in Band of Robbers, a modern-day retelling of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In May 2015, it was announced that Benoist would be playing Lorelai in the film Low Riders, replacing Lily Collins and Nicola Peltz, who were in talks for the role previously. In August of that year, she landed the leading role in the Screen Gems drama feature film Oxford. 2015–present: Supergirl and Broadway debut
In October 2015, the superhero adventure series Supergirl, with Benoist in the lead role of Kara Zor-El, premiered on CBS. She became the first woman to lead a prime time superhero TV series since Wonder Woman went off the air in 1979 and Lindsay Wagner’s The Bionic Woman in 1978. The premiere was watched by 12.96million viewers and received a full season order by CBS on November 30, 2015. She was reportedly the first actress looked at for the role.Benoist generally received positive reviews for her portrayal of Kara Zor-El.The series later moved to The CW before its second-season premiere. She reprised her role in The CW's Arrowverse crossovers "Invasion! ", "Crisis on Earth-X", "Elseworlds", and "Crisis on Infinite Earths" as well as The Flash musical episode "Duet". She reprised her role as Earth-X's Supergirl doppelgänger Overgirl in the CW Seed animated series Freedom Fighters: The Ray. The actress made her directorial debut for one episode during season five. For her portrayal of Supergirl, she received the Breakthrough Performance Award at The 42nd Saturn Awards and two Best Actress on a Television Series Award at the 44th and 45th Saturn Awards respectively. The series concluded on November 9, 2021, after six seasons and 126 episodes.In May 2016, Benoist was cast as Katherine Russell, the widow of deceased Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in Peter Berg's drama film Patriots Day. In June, it was announced that she was set to star in the comedy-drama film Sun Dogs. Also in that month, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Benoist and others told the stories of the people killed there. In April 2017, Benoist was cast as Rachel Koresh, the legal wife of Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh in Paramount Network's miniseries Waco. Benoist was featured in "The Super Duper Minecraft Musical!" which was made for Minecraft's Super Duper Graphics Pack in November. On May 7, 2018, it was announced that Benoist would be playing the titular character in the Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, which marked her Broadway debut for a limited run from June 7 through August 4, 2018.Benoist stated that the run felt like “coming home” to her theater roots and a “manifestation of a lot of her childhood dreams,” as theater was her first passion. In February 2021, she started a production company, Three Things Productions, with an overall deal at Warner Bros. On October 26, 2021, she published her first book, Haven’s Secret, the first installment of The Powers series from Abrams Kids. The series is a middle grade fantasy and was co-written by Benoist with her sister Jessica Benoist and author Mariko Tamaki. Personal life
During her first semester in college, when she was learning to ride a bike, a cab backed into her and left a visible scar above her eyebrows. She also has a tattoo of a bicycle on her left foot. In 2015, it was announced that she and her Glee co-star Blake Jenner were married. Benoist commented that they had been married "longer than anybody knows", with some sources claiming that the couple actually wed the same year of their engagement in 2013.In late December 2016, she filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized in December 2017. Also in 2015, Benoist suffered an injury that tore her iris. The incident caused one pupil to be enlarged. In November 2019, Benoist shared an Instagram video chronicling her experience as a survivor of domestic violence in order to raise awareness. She revealed that the injury to her iris was due to an iPhone being thrown at her during a domestic dispute, in a relationship marked by repeated abuse. Jenner and Benoist were married at the time.Previously, the injury had been said to have been caused when she tripped down stairs and fell into a potted plant. Benoist also stated in her video that she had experienced extreme control, manipulation, and cycles of severe violence including being slapped, punched, shoved into a wall, dragged by her hair, and choked during the relationship. In October 2020, Jenner wrote a lengthy Instagram post in which he admitted to causing the eye injury and confirmed the infliction of abuse throughout the relationship. He also stated that she had physically assaulted him at other times, resulting in injury. Benoist previously stated in her original video that she began fighting back in defense against Jenner's attacks during the relationship. Despite the implications of Jenner's post, as of February 2022, no proof or backing has been given that Benoist was an aggressor in the tumultuous relationship. In 2016, Benoist met Chris Wood when he was cast as Mon-El in season 2 of Supergirl and their romantic relationship was confirmed in 2017.On the relationship she recalls, “we met each other at the perfect time in our lives.” In October 2017, Benoist helped with Wood's launch of his campaign "IDONTMIND" which works to decrease stigma around mental health and provide resources and education. She discussed her own struggle with depression and anxiety attacks since she was 13 years old. She said that Wood's words encouraged her to share her own issues with depression with others. <mask> and Wood announced their engagement on February 10, 2019, and married in September 2019. On March 4, 2020, the couple announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child. They announced the birth of their son on September 25, 2020. Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Theatre

Soundtrack performances

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

1988 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American women singers
Actresses from Colorado
Actresses from Houston
American child actresses
American expatriates in Canada
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Living people
Marymount Manhattan College alumni
People from Littleton, Colorado
21st-century American singers
American people of French descent

masks:
Melissa Marie Benoist
Jim Benoist
Benoist


title: Joseph Kearns

texts:
<mask> (February 12, 1907 – February 17, 1962) was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson ("Mr. Wilson") on the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962, and for providing the voice of the Doorknob in the 1951 animated Disney film, Alice in Wonderland. Early life
<mask> was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the only child of <mask>, a wool buyer, and Cordelia Marie Peterson, a concert pianist, from whom he derived his love of music. Kearns was 19 years old when his father died, at which time he and his mother moved to California. He and his family were devout Mormons, whose ancestors were Mormon pioneers. His first acting experience was in 1916 when he joined "The Rising Generation", a vaudeville troupe of eleven children that toured for 14 months. He studied at the University of Utah, teaching a course in theatrical make-up to fund his tuition. After graduating from college, he briefly tried his hand at wool buying and worked for his father for a year.<mask> traveled the West as a representative of Howell, Jones and Donnell of Boston. His wool-buying career came to an abrupt end when Kearns purchased five boxcars full of black wool from a breed called Karakul for $8,000. The problem was that black wool could not be dyed and no one knew how to use it in those days. After this fiasco, Kearns gladly gave up the wool business and pursued a show business career. Career

Radio
Kearns joined the staff of radio station KSL in Salt Lake City in 1930 remaining there until 1936 when he moved to Los Angeles. He began his acting career in radio in the 1930s (playing the Crazyquilt Dragon in the serial The Cinnamon Bear), becoming active during the 1940s, with appearances on the shows The Adventures of Sam Spade, Burns and Allen, The Whistler, and dozens of other shows. On Suspense, he was almost a mainstay, heard regularly as the host "The Man in Black" in the early years, announcing many episodes in the later run, and playing supporting and occasional lead roles in hundreds of shows throughout the series' tenure in Hollywood, from judges to kindly old-timers to cowards.He also appeared on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, playing various different characters including Professor Moriarty and even Dr. Watson. <mask> played Ed, the security guard for Jack Benny's underground money vault, on The Jack Benny Program. The running gag was that Benny had kept Ed on duty at the vault's door so long that the guard was not conversant with current events. When Benny informed him that "The War" (World War II) had ended, Ed asked whether the "North" or the "South" had won, assuming that the American Civil War was the war to which Benny had referred. He played numerous parts on the Benny show, including an IRS Agent ("NO ONE yells at a tax collector, Mr. Benny!"). He appeared in regular roles on The Mel Blanc Show (as the cantankerous father of Mel's on-air girl friend, Betty, played by Mary Jane Croft) and The Harold Peary Show as Old Doc Yak-Yak.He also played numerous comedic parts on Judy Canova's radio show, including her "dumb boyfriend", Lukey. Film career
<mask> made his film debut in Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951). He was the voice of the Doorknob in Disney's animated film, Alice in Wonderland (1951). <mask> appeared in other movies, making his final film appearance as the crime photographer in Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Television

On television, <mask> reprised his radio roles on The Jack Benny Program and also appeared with Eve Arden and Richard Crenna in Our Miss Brooks (1953–55), first as Assistant Superintendent Michaels and later (in eight episodes) as Superintendent Stone, a role that he had played on radio. He appeared on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show a total of 11 times, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet a total of 16 times, I Love Lucy, My Little Margie, Perry Mason, I Married Joan, Willy, December Bride, It's a Great Life, Angel, Gunsmoke, and General Electric Theater. In 1959, he appeared as criminologist Edward Langley in the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Perjured Parrot".Dennis the Menace
<mask>' final role was as George Wilson, the grouchy, cantankerous neighbor on CBS's Dennis the Menace based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham. After his death, <mask> was replaced in the cast by Gale Gordon, who played George Wilson's brother John. <mask> and Gordon had worked together prior to Dennis the Menace, on the old radio show The Cinnamon Bear and in the 1956 film Our Miss Brooks. In the last episode that aired before <mask>' death, episode 89 entitled "Where There's a Will", the story dealt with Mr. Wilson making out a will and explaining that Dennis would inherit his gold watch when he dies. The last episode Kearns filmed was titled "The Man Next Door", episode 100, and shown on May 6, 1962, three months after his death. There were references to George being 'back east' in subsequent shows. Personal life
Kearns never married nor had any children.Describing himself as a night owl who hated to get up early in the morning, <mask> enjoyed cooking, reading novels, writing, traveling, going to the movies, and playing cards in his spare time. He was a member of the exclusive Société des Gentilhommes Chefs de Cuisine, a club for gentlemen chefs. The members traded original recipes with other club members. <mask> also wrote plays and scripts for his various radio shows. His favorite hobby was playing the organ. <mask>, who was musically trained by his mother, had played the pipe organ for a Los Angeles theatre in the 1930s. He purchased a Hammond organ and installed it in a studio apartment that he designed and built in the 1940s.He later purchased a larger 18-rank Wurlitzer organ that had been designed for Warner Brothers in 1929. He then designed and built a soundproof -story home around the organ. <mask> delighted in playing the organ for his guests. A Republican, he supported Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election. Death
<mask> suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on February 11, 1962, during the third season of Dennis the Menace, after being on the Metrecal diet for six weeks, forcing him to retire from his role. <mask> was hospitalized, but never regained consciousness and died on February 17, 1962, five days after his 55th birthday. He was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.Selected filmography
The Hucksters (1947) – Radio Voice (uncredited)
Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) – J.R. Carpenter
Alice in Wonderland (1951) – Doorknob (voice)
Daddy Long Legs (1955) – Guide (uncredited)
Our Miss Brooks (1956) – Mr. Stone
Storm Center (1956) – Mr. Morrisey
The Girl Most Likely (1958) – Mr. Schlom, Bank Manager (uncredited)
The Gift of Love (1958) – Mr. Rynicker
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) – Lloyd Burke
How to Marry a Millionaire (1957–1959, TV series) –  Mr. Augustus P. Tobey

References

External links

External video links

1907 births
1962 deaths
Male actors from California
American male film actors
American male radio actors
American male voice actors
Male actors from Salt Lake City
University of Utah alumni
20th-century American male actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Latter Day Saints from California
California Republicans
Utah Republicans

masks:
Joseph Sherrard Kearns
Joseph Sherrard Kearns
Joseph Albert Kearns
Kearns
Kearns
Kearns
Kearns
Kearns
Kearns
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Kearns
Kearns
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Kearns
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Kearns
Kearns
Kearns


title: Fénix (wrestler)

texts:
<mask> (born December 30, 1990) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler) signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA); he and his brother Pentagon Jr. / Penta El Zero Miedo, with whom he forms the tag team Lucha Brothers, are one-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. In addition to his <mask> ring name, he uses the name Rey Fenix in the United States, and King Phoenix when working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. He is also known for his work with Impact Wrestling, where the Lucha Bros are former Impact World Tag Team Champions. He also works on the side for various American and Mexican independent promotions, most notably Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in the U.S., where he is a one-time PWG World Tag Team Champion with his brother, and The Crash Lucha Libre in Mexico. After originally starting his career on the Mexican independent circuit in 2007, <mask> signed with AAA in January 2011, where he became the inaugural AAA Fusión Champion in March 2013. Through AAA, Fénix where he became the AAA Mega Champion, and also began working for Lucha Underground in late 2014, becoming the inaugural Gift of the Gods Champion in April 2015 and winning the promotion's top title, the Lucha Underground Championship, the following November. <mask> has also held the Lucha Underground Trios Championship, making him the first wrestler in Lucha Underground to have won all three championships.He has also wrestled in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Wave. After leaving AAA in September 2016, <mask> changed his ring name first to <mask>, then <mask> el Rey and finally to its current form of Rey Fenix. His ring names are Spanish for "Phoenix", "King Phoenix" and "Phoenix the King". His real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico, where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans. Professional wrestling career
<mask> started his professional wrestling career in 2007, working as Máscara Oriental ("Oriental Mask") on the Mexican independent circuit in places like Puebla, Pachuca and Querétaro. He was eventually also invited by Blue Demon Jr. to work for his NWA Mexico and by Crazy Boy to work for his Desastre Total Ultraviolento (DTU) promotion, before getting the opportunity to work for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), one of the top two promotions in the country. Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2011–2016)
Prior to his AAA debut, Máscara Oriental was renamed Fénix, after the mythological bird, and given a new mask.He wrestled his debut match on January 27, 2011, when he, Atomic Boy and Gato Eveready defeated his real-life brother Dark Dragon, Tigre Cota and Tito Santana in a six-man tag team match. <mask> was instantly booked in a storyline rivalry with his brother. On June 18 at Triplemanía XIX, <mask> teamed with Aero Star, Argos and Sugi San in an eight-person tag team dark match, where they were defeated by La Milicia Extrema (Dark Dragon, Decnnis, Tigre Cota and Tito Santana). Later in the year, <mask> formed a partnership with Jack Evans and, as a result, got involved in his rivalry with Los Perros del Mal leader El Hijo del Perro Aguayo. On December 16 at Guerra de Titanes, Fénix and Evans teamed with Drago, the former Gato Eveready, in a six-man tag team match, where they were defeated by Aguayo and his Perros del Mal stablemates Halloween and Héctor Garza. On October 7, 2012, at Héroes Inmortales, Fénix received his first title opportunity in AAA, when he and Lolita unsuccessfully challenged Alan Stone and Jennifer Blake for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship in a four-way match, which also included the teams of Atomic Boy and Faby Apache and Halloween and Mari Apache, who went on to win the match. On November 3, <mask> entered a tournament to determine the inaugural AAA Fusión Champion, defeating Dark Dragon, Drago and Toscano in his first round four-way match.Before the finals of the tournament, <mask> also received a shot at the AAA Cruiserweight Championship in a six-way ladder match at Guerra de Titanes on December 2, but was defeated by Los Perros del Mal member Daga. On March 17, 2013, at Rey de Reyes, <mask> gained a measure of revenge on Daga, when he defeated not only him, but also Crazy Boy and Juventud Guerrera in a four-way elimination finals of the tournament to become the first-ever AAA Fusión Champion. On June 16 at Triplemanía XXI, Fénix teamed with Drago in a five-way tag team match for the vacant AAA World Tag Team Championship, from which the two were the last team eliminated by the Mexican Powers (Crazy Boy and Joe Líder). On August 18 at Héroes Inmortales VII, Fénix entered the 2013 Copa Antonio Peña, defeating El Mesías, Monster Clown and Silver King in his first round match. Later that same event, <mask> was defeated by La Parka in the finals, a four-way match, which also included Chessman and El Hijo del Fantasma. On March 16, 2014, at Rey de Reyes, Fénix won his first Lucha de Apuestas, when he won an eight-man Domo de la Muerte, saving his own mask and forcing Steve Pain to have his head shaved. On August 17 at Triplemanía XXII, <mask> put his AAA Fusión Championship on the line in a ten-way championship unification match contested also for the AAA Cruiserweight Championship.The match was eventually won by El Hijo del Fantasma. <mask> received another shot at the title on March 18, 2015, at Rey de Reyes, but was again defeated by El Hijo del Fantasma. On September 24, 2016, <mask> announced his departure from AAA. Japan (2012, 2013, 2016)
On November 27, 2012, <mask> made his Japanese debut in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall, when he took part in an event held by women's wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Wave, which featured participation from several AAA workers. <mask> teamed with Lolita and Pimpinela Escarlata in a six-person tag team match, where they were defeated by Ayako Hamada, Bachiko and Cima. On September 2, 2013, <mask> announced that he would be returning to Japan on September 7 to work a tour with Pro Wrestling Noah, announcing his intention of going for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. The following day, the title match between <mask> and the reigning champion, Taiji Ishimori, was made official for September 22.<mask> started his tour with a win over Peruvian wrestler Kaiser. On September 12, <mask> pinned Ishimori in a tag team match, where he and Yoshinari Ogawa defeated Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge. En route to the title match, Fénix scored two more pinfall victories over Ishimori, but on September 22 was defeated by the champion in the match for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. The match also marked the end of <mask>'s first tour with Noah. On April 20, 2016, Fénix returned to Japan to take part in the inaugural event of Akebono's Ōdō promotion. At the event, <mask> was defeated by Pentagón Jr.

Lucha Underground (2014–2018)
In August 2014, <mask> was announced as one of five AAA wrestlers to star in Lucha Underground, a new American television series on El Rey. <mask> debuted on the third episode on November 12, defeating Drago and Pentagón Jr. in a three-way main event by pinning Pentagón Jr., the former Dark Dragon.Over the next weeks, the two real-life brothers developed a storyline rivalry between them. On the January 14, 2015, episode, <mask> unsuccessfully challenged Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship. <mask> then entered a new rivalry with Mil Muertes, becoming the first wrestler to defeat him in a singles match. As part of the storyline, Muertes' valet Catrina started coming on to <mask>, which eventually led to Muertes turning on her. <mask>, however, saved Catrina and took her as his own valet. The rivalry culminated on the March 18 episode, where <mask> defeated Muertes in a "Grave Consequences" casket match. On April 19 at Ultima Lucha, Lucha Underground's season one finale, <mask> defeated six other winners of Azteca Medallions to become the inaugural Gift of the Gods Champion, earning a future shot at the Lucha Underground Championship.On November 14 at the second season premiere, <mask> lost the Gift of the Gods Championship to King Cuerno. On November 21, <mask> regained the title from King Cuerno in a ladder match. The following day, <mask> defeated Mil Muertes to win the Lucha Underground Championship. He lost the title to Matanza in a 20-man Aztec Warfare match on December 12. At Ultima Lucha Dos on January 31, 2016, <mask> won the Lucha Underground Trios Championship, when he teamed with Aero Star and Drago to defeat Jack Evans, Johnny Mundo and PJ Black, becoming Lucha Underground's first Triple Crown Champion. They lost the title on May 7, when Drago turned on Fénix and Aero Star during a defense against Kobra Moon, Pindar and Vibora. At Ultima Lucha Tres, Fénix culminated a rivalry with Marty "the Moth" Martinez by defeating him in a Lucha de Apuestas Mask vs.Hair match. The serie was discontinued after season finale, Ultima Lucha Cuatro. American independent circuit (2015–2019)

On August 28, 2015, <mask> made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) by entering the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, losing to Matt Sydal in his first round match. On September 4, <mask> made his debut for another American promotion, Chikara, when he, Aero Star and Drago entered the 2015 King of Trios tournament as "Team AAA". They defeated the Gentleman's Club (Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak and The Swamp Monster) in their first round match. The following day, Team AAA defeated the Nightmare Warriors (Frightmare, Hallowicked and Silver Ant) to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. On September 6, Team AAA first defeated reigning King of Trios winners, the Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive, Flex Rumblecrunch and Max Smashmaster), in the semifinals and then Bullet Club (A.J.Styles and The Young Bucks [Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson]) in the finals to win the 2015 King of Trios. On May 6, 2016, <mask> made his debut for AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined, losing to Pentagón Jr. In July 2016, it was reported that <mask> had moved to San Diego in order to start working full-time in the United States. On

masks:
Fénix
Fénix
Fénix
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Rey Fénix
Fénix
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title: Fénix (wrestler)

texts:
 September 2, <mask> returned to PWG, entering the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles, from which he was eliminated in the first round by Will Ospreay. Two days later, <mask> and Pentagón Jr. unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Team Championship. On October 12, <mask> defeated Jeff Cobb, Jonathan Gresham and Sonjay Dutt at Lucha Ilimitado's inaugural event to become the first-ever Corazón de Oro Champion. On March 18, 2017, <mask> and Penta el Zero M defeated The Young Bucks and the team of Matt Sydal and Ricochet in a three-way match to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship.On September 1, <mask> entered the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Rey Horus in his first round match. Two days later, <mask> defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to advance to the semifinals of the tournament, where he was eliminated by Keith Lee. On October 20, Fénix and Penta lost the PWG World Tag Team Championship to Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle. Mexican independent circuit (2016–2019)
Following his departure from AAA, <mask> began working under the new ring name "Rey Fénix" (King Phoenix). Even though <mask> came up with the new name after his departure from the promotion, AAA trademarked the name Rey Fénix, which led to him changing his name to "Fénix el Rey" (Phoenix the King). He, however, continued using both <mask> and Rey Fénix while working in the United States. On January 27, Fénix formed a new stable named La Rebelión ("The Rebellion") with three other wrestlers who had recently quit AAA; Daga, Garza Jr. and his brother Pentagón Jr., now known as Penta 0M.The following month, with AAA also registering the <mask> el Rey name, <mask> announced that he would now be known as Rey Fenix (without the accent and stylized in all capital letters). Impact Wrestling (2018–2019)
<mask> debuted with Impact Wrestling in an Impact Wrestling vs Lucha Underground co-promotional event at WrestleCon in April 2018. <mask> and his brother Pentagón Jr. fought in a triple threat match with Impact Wrestling World Champion Austin Aries. <mask> and Pentagón Jr. were then announced to face each other in a match at the Impact Wrestling Redemption event. The match was subsequently changed to a triple threat match with Austin Aries defending the Impact World Championship instead. The match saw Pentagón Jr. take the victory and the championship. On the August 30 episode of Impact, <mask> unsuccessfully challenged Brian Cage for the Impact X Division Championship.On January 12, 2019, Pentagón and Fénix defeated LAX during the TV tapings in Mexico to win the Impact World Tag team Championship. At Impact Wrestling Rebellion. They lost the titles back to LAX in a Full Metal Mayhem match. Major League Wrestling (2018–2019)
Rey Fénix made his debut for the U.S. based Major League Wrestling (MLW) on January 11, 2018, where he lost to his brother Pentagón as part of MLW's "Zero Hour" show. The following month Los Lucha Bros (Pentagon and Fenix) defeated "Team TBD" (Jason Cade and Jimmy Yuta) and The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien and Mike Patrick) to become the first holders of the MLW World Tag Team Championship in the restarted MLW. At MLW Fightland, held on November 8, 2018 Los Lucha Bros successfully defended the MLW World Tag Team Championship against the father/son team of L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park. The team would hold the titles until SuperFight on February 2, 2019, when they lost the MLW Tag Team Championship to The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr.).Fenix and Penta appeared at MLW's next event, Intimidation Games, which took place on March 2, 2019. Return to AAA (2018-present)
After the main event of AAA's Verano de Escándalo show <mask> made his AAA return, attacking the rudos, including newly crowned AAA Mega Champion Jeff Jarrett. After the show <mask> stated that he was not signed with AAA full time, but worked as an independent wrestler and could work where he wanted to. While working for AAA he would be billed as "Fénix". On August 2, <mask> defeated Flamita and Bandido to be the number one contender and face Jarrett for the title in Triplemanía XXVI. At Triplemanía XXVI Fénix pinned Jeff Jarrett to become the AAA Mega Champion for the first time in his career. <mask> was originally announced as defending the AAA Mega Championship at Guerra de Titanes against Brian Cage, but due to an injury suffered in the weeks before the show, Fénix was unable to defend the championship.Because of the injury he also was unable to compete in the Lucha Capital tournament as originally planned. Laredo Kid won the tournament and was positioned as the next challenger for the Mega Championship. On August 10, 2019, after almost a year without defending the AAA Mega Championship, <mask> defeated Laredo Kid, Puma King and Taurus in Saltillo to retain the championship. Fenix's reign would come to an end on October 19, 2019, losing to Kenny Omega at Héroes Inmortales XIII. Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2018-2019)
On June 8, 2018, <mask> made his Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) debut, working for AAA's biggest rival only 5 days after returning to AAA. For his debut, <mask> teamed up with two of CMLL's top tecnicos, Carístico and Místico to defeat La Peste Negra ("The Black Plague"; Bárbaro Cavernario and Negro Casas) and Último Guerrero. The following week he was billed as "King Phoenix" for his CMLL appearance.After the show he explained that he used that name until he had full legal rights to the name "Rey Fénix". King Phoenix continued to work for CMLL, even after he won the AAA Mega Championship. King Phoenix and Bárbaro Cavernario outlasted 16 other wrestlers in the first stage of the 2018 Leyenda de Plata tournament, with Bárbaro Cavernario defeating King Phoenix the following week to win the tournament. After the match it was revealed that King Phoenix suffered a hip or pelvic injury as a result of a mistimed dive out of the ring, and would be unable to compete for a least five weeks. He returned to CMLL on January 1, 2019, in the semi-main event of Sin Piedad, after recovering from his injury. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)
During an independent circuit show in Georgia, The Young Bucks came to the ring to offer the Lucha Brothers an All Elite Wrestling (AEW) contract in a confrontation that ended with a verbal agreement and a handshake. It was subsequently revealed that Pentagón Jr. and <mask> had agreed to a non-exclusive deal with AEW, due to their legal obligations to Lucha Underground.On February 7, 2019, at the All Elite Wrestling Ticket Announcement held at the MGM Grand Pool Splash, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Young Bucks were leaving the stage as The Lucha Brothers music played seeing Pentagón Jr., and <mask> making their first appearance with the company. The two teams faced off before a brawl ensued seeing Pentagón striking Matt Jackson first, while Fénix took out Nick Jackson with a super-kick. Pentagón then proceeded to package-piledrive Matt Jackson on the stage, before cutting promos and advertising themselves for the upcoming debut Pay-Per-View for the company, Double Or Nothing before exiting the stage. At Double Or Nothing, Fénix and his partner Pentagón Jr lost their AAA World Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks. They won back the titles in a rematch organized by AAA at Verano de Escándalo. This led to a 6-man tag match at AEW Fyter Fest, where the Lucha Brothers teamed with Laredo Kid in another losing effort against The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.On March 4, 2020, the Lucha Brothers formed a trio along with Pac known as The Death Triangle, confirming their heel turn in the process. They made their debut as a team against Joey Janela and the Private Party, defeating them. However with Pac stuck in the U.K., due to travel restrictions, they then formed an alliance with Eddie Kingston as well as The Butcher and The Blade. On the November 18, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, Fenix and Penta turned face again and revived their Death Triangle alliance with Pac after saving him during a beatdown from Kingston, Butcher and Blade. On January 6, 2021 AEW Dynamite New Years’s Smash Night 1, Fénix failed to win the AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega. At All Out the Lucha Brothers defeated The Young Bucks in a tornado tag steel cage match to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship. On the October 16, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Lucha Brothers lost their AAA World Tag Team Championship to FTR, who were disguised as a luchador team called Las Super Ranas.On the January 5th, 2022 episode of Dynamite, Fenix was chokeslammed off the apron through a table by Luchasaurus which dislocated his left elbow upon landing. This match was also for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, which Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus would proceed to win shortly after Fenix's injury. Personal life
<mask> has two brothers who are also professional wrestlers, his elder brother Pentagón Jr.as well as a younger brother who has worked under the ring name Ikaro. He currently resides in San Diego, California. 22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2019
 Ranked No. 2 of the top 50 tag teams in the PWI Tag Team 50 in 2021
 Pro Wrestling Revolver
 American Luchacore Championship (1 time, last)
 PWR Catalina Wrestling Mixer Championship (1 time)
 PWR Catalina Wrestling Mixer Championship Tournament (2017)
 Wrestling Alliance Revolution
 WAR World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Penta el 0M
 Xtrem Mexican Wrestling
 XMW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dark Dragon
 Other titles
 Mexico State Lightweight Championship (1 time)
 Wrestling Observer Newsletter
 Tag Team of The Year (2019) – with Pentagón Jr.
 Mexico MVP (2019, 2020)
Best Flying Wrestler (2020, 2021)
 Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2021) - with Pentagón Jr

Luchas de Apuestas record

Footnotes

References

External links

1990 births
All Elite Wrestling personnel
Expatriate professional wrestlers
Living people
Mexican expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Mexican male professional wrestlers
Masked wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from Mexico City
Unidentified wrestlers
AAA Mega Champions
AEW World Tag Team Champions
TNA/Impact World Tag Team

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title: Roni Size

texts:
Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name <mask>, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. That year they won the Mercury Prize for their debut studio album New Forms. Biography

Early life
Williams, son of Jamaican immigrants, grew up in the Bristol suburb of St. Andrews. He cites reggae as one of his early influences. He was expelled from school at the age of 16 and started attending house parties run by Bristol soundsystem The Wild Bunch (a predecessor of Massive Attack). He learned the basics about music production at his local youth club, the Sefton Park basement project, which provided record players, a mixing desk, drum machines and samplers.He worked with his brother's comprehensive collection of Studio One records and later set up a home studio, buying a sampler. Full Cycle Records and WTP
His future musical partner, Krust, had been a member of the Fresh 4, whose "Wishing on a Star" reached the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in late 1989. Williams, Krust, Suv and DJ Die founded Full Cycle Records. Aided by Chris Lewis, <mask> <mask> founded the record label WTP ("Where's The Party At?") as part of Circus Warp. With Dave Cridge who also DJed for Circus Warp and ran Replay Records Bristol, the two would visit The Record Basement in Reading and in 1993, Full Cycle and Dope Dragon were established. RCA Records employee Bryan Gee was an early admirer.In 1994, when Gee founded V Recordings, the first releases were Krust's Deceivers EP as catalogue number V001 and Agility, the debut release of <mask> Size and DJ Die, as V002. Collaborations and solo 1997 - 2007

In April 1997, Roni Size & Reprazent had their live debut at Tribal Gathering. Williams created the group to perform live tracks he had been working on in the studio. The group included Full Cycle members Williams (Roni Size), Krust and Die, operating 'banks of equipment'; as well as Dynamite MC (vocals), Onallee (vocals), Si John (bass) and Clive Deamer (drums) taking centre centre stage. The group's debut studio album, New Forms, was released on 23 June 1997, with singles featuring the vocals of Onallee including "Brown Paper Bag", "Heroes", "Share the Fall" and "Watching Windows". The album went five times platinum, won the Mercury Prize, and Williams returned to the studio to concentrate on his output for V and Full Cycle and Dope Dragon. Following their mainstream breakthrough, Reprazent had a series of festival appearances in the summer of 1997.Their New Forms LP won the Mercury Music Prize. The singles from the album all featured singer Onallee, whose call for the music in "Brown Paper Bag" is a signal ravers still respond to. The album went platinum, and <mask> <mask> and his collaborators returned to the studio. Williams subsequently teamed up with DJ Die and Leonie Laws in Breakbeat Era, before returning to Reprazent to record the second album, October 2000's In the Mode, which included guest vocals from Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine and Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan. In 2001, he returned to the studio and started working with Tali, who had recently arrived from New Zealand on her album Lyric on My Lip. In this time, he also produced Touching Down – released in October 2002. This, his first truly solo album, included 16 tracks segued into one hour's set.He remixed the Zero 7 song "End Theme" the next year. He came back to V Recordings in 2005 with the release of Return To V, which included vocal collaborations with artists such as Beverly Knight, Jocelyn Brown, Vikter Duplaix and Rodney P.

2008 - present
Williams resurrected Reprazent in 2008 with the release of a deluxe edition of New Forms on Universal. The reformed band included original members Dynamite MC, Onallee and bass player Si John alongside Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing), D Product, Jay Wilcox and Pete Josef. Roni <mask> and Reprazent toured in some of the biggest festivals in Europe, including Bestival, Glastonbury, Lovebox, EXIT and Rock Herk. As a result, they were among the nominees for Best Dance Act from the UK Festival Awards. The band started 2009 with a tour of Australia as part of the Good Vibrations Festival. Following on from this, Roni <mask> and Reprazent returned to North America for the first time in seven years as one of the headliners at the 2009 Ultra Music Festival in Miami.They then went on to perform at Coachella, appearing as the final act of the festival. In September 2009, Roni Size and Reprazent played a gig with an orchestra and choir to mark the re-opening of Bristol’s Colston Hall, collaborating with the BBC’s Nature's Great Events composer, William Goodchild. In addition to older material, the band played material from a forthcoming Reprazent album. Personal life
Williams is an avid Bristol Rovers fan and turned out for them in the charity match vs rivals Bristol City on May Bank Holiday Monday, 2013. Musical style
Much acclaim has centred on Williams's melding of the propulsive jungle beats accompanied by live drums and double bass. The group Roni Size & Reprazent's drum and bass is equally blended from hip hop, funk, soul and house. Discography

Studio albums
Touching Down (2002)
Return to V (2004)
Take Kontrol (2014)

Collaborative albums
New Forms (1997) with <mask> Size & Reprazent
Ultra-Obscene (1999) with Breakbeat Era
In the Møde (2000) with <mask> <mask> & Reprazent
New Forms² (2008) with <mask> <mask> & Reprazent
Past & Present (2016) with Krust

Singles and EPs

"Witchcraft" (1994) featuring Krust
"Fashion" (1995)
"Square Off" (1996)
"Snapshot" (1999)
"26 Bass" (1999)
"Sound Advice" (2002)
"Playtime" (2002)
"Freshen up the Budgie" (2003)
"Snapshot 3" (2003)
"Out of Breath" (2004)
"No More" (featuring Beverley Knight & Dynamite MC) (2005)
"Touching Down, Vol.2" (2005)
"Friends" (2006)
"Kops & Robbers" (2009)
"Out of Order" (2010)
"Size Matters" (2014)
”Edition 1 (Vintage)” (2021)

Compilations and DJ mixes
Music Box (1993)
Through the Eyes (2000)

References

External links

<mask> <mask> interview on ilikemusic.com, 2008
Roni Size interview on The Student Pocket Guide
Roni Size interview with BBC Bristol
Roni Size interview with Remixmag

1969 births
Living people
English electronic musicians
English people of Jamaican descent
Breakbeat musicians
English drum and bass musicians
Black British DJs
English DJs
Musicians from Bristol
Electronic dance music DJs

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title: Francis Reginald Statham

texts:
<mask>  (1844–1908) was a writer, composer and newspaper editor of Great Britain and southern Africa. He was notable for his radical anti-imperialist writings and for the controversy that was attached to him throughout his life. The Bishop and political leader John Colenso famously summed him up as "a keen knife, liable to shut upon the hand that used it, and therefore to be used with caution". Early life and jail
<mask> was born on 6 February 1844, in Everton, Liverpool. He was a sickly child and was mostly home-schooled. He then entered Liverpool's cotton industry, at a time when the American Civil War was causing cotton speculation. He stole a large amount of his company's money in 1865, claiming he was affected by an "over-balanced mind".He then fled to continental Europe, disguised as a Catholic priest, but nonetheless suspiciously accompanied by a female "dancer" companion. He was soon caught and sentenced to 18 months hard labour. Unstable and hypersensitive, <mask> wrote The Fiery Furnace (1895) about his mental state, and underwent a brief religious conversion during his time in jail. After a few months as a lay preacher, he gave it up to write poetry, and then became a newspaper editor to the Liverpool Albion. Writer and editor in South Africa

Natal Witness (1877-1879)
In 1877, he was invited to serve as editor to the Natal Witness, in southern Africa. He was fiercely independent and highly controversial as editor. A radical liberal anti-imperialist, who sided with the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War and with the Zulus in the Anglo-Zulu War, he was deeply unpopular and even made enemies of some people who shared his liberal views.The imperial policy under Lord Carnarvon was to enforce a system of confederation onto the various states of southern Africa, including both colonies and independent states and preempting a feared "general and simultaneous rising of Kaffirdom against white civilization". <mask> famously summed up the local perception of Carnarvon's plan for the region:

He (Carnarvon) thought it no harm to adopt this machinery (Canadian Confederation System) just as it stood, even down to the numbering and arrangement of the sections and sub-sections, and present it to the astonished South Africans as a god to go before them. It was as if your tailor should say — "Here is a coat; I did not make it, but I stole it ready-made out of a railway cloak-room, I don't know whether you want a coat or not; but you will be kind enough to put this on, and fit yourself to it. If it should happen to be too long in the sleeves, or ridiculously short in the back, I may be able to shift a button a few inches, and I am at least unalterably determined that my name shall be stamped on the loop you hang it up by." <mask>'s attacks on the imperial policy became so severe that they brought on fears for the owner of the newspaper, which led him eventually to clash with Statham. Cape Post (1879-1880)
In December 1879, he resigned and moved to the Cape Colony, to become editor to the newly founded radically liberal Cape Post newspaper of Patrick McLoughlin. This newspaper had been founded, with the support of leaders such as John X. Merriman, John Molteno and Charles Fairbridge, in order to counter the belligerent and expansionist mood of the time, and to encourage spontaneous unity in southern Africa (as opposed to an enforced confederation under outside control).His paper quickly became controversial during the notorious "Koegas affair" (1879–80). This concerned the murder of five San people (Bushmen) by farmers, near the northern frontier. In the subsequent murder trial, the farmers were acquitted, and the resulting outrage focused on Attorney General Thomas Upington. The Cape Argus and Cape Post accused Upington of deliberately allowing the trial to take place in a racist and hostile town that would be expected to acquit the murderers, due to prejudice and local influence. The culmination of the outrage was a public campaign, led by Saul Solomon, McLoughlin, <mask> and others, accusing Upington and his colleagues of allowing white juries to acquit white murderers from murdering blacks. Upington then launched a series of libel suits against the protest leaders, which were partially successful. His friendship with some of the leading liberal figures of the Cape, such as Saul Solomon of the Cape Argus, and support from powerful anti-imperialist leaders like Merriman and Molteno, altogether could not save the Cape Post from its own financial difficulties, and it was forced to close the following year in 1880.<mask> bitterly blamed his Cape benefactors for having persuaded him to relinquish his Natal position without providing his editorship in the Cape with sufficient financial backing. Natal Witness (1881-1887)
Returning to England briefly, he moderated his radical views and wrote Blacks, Boers and British: a Three-Cornered Problem (1881), attempting to appeal to the mainstream in advocating a compromise coming together of the three population groups. The same year he was back in Natal again, where, once again, he assumed the editorship of the Natal Witness in 1881. Once again his writings were controversial, attacking the colonial establishment including the powerful Shepstone family, Sir Henry Bulwer, and Garnet Wolseley's settlement in Zululand. His writings caught the attention of the London Colonial Office which found itself repeatedly embarrassed by Statham's reports. Evelyn Ashley, the under-Secretary for colonies, resolved to dispose of the man his office dubbed "that pestilent journalist". In 1887, Statham's criminal past was revealed and made public by the Colonial Office, which even presented it in the House of Commons, causing Statham severe repercussions and immense difficulties.These were compounded by a libel suit that was filed against him by the Colonial Office, for his writings. He then lost a libel suit from J.W. Shepstone. He resigned as editor on 31 August 1887 intending to go to England to clear his name. Natal Advertiser (1888-1890)
After another brief spell in England and a failed attempt to reinstate himself and his reputation there, he returned again to southern Africa and served as editor to the Natal Advertiser, which was based in Durban. Here he attacked the new "British South Africa company" which he saw as simply a new vehicle of imperialism in southern Africa. In 1889, Statham's predictions of the situation in that year - printed a decade earlier in 1879 - were unearthed and reprinted verbatim, due to their extraordinary accuracy.The North (1890-1895)
<mask> briefly moved to the Transvaal Republic where he edited the Transvaal Observer (1890-1891), and afterwards The Independent in Kimberley (1891–93). He had in fact been attracted to The Independent due to its name, but he quickly found out that it was in fact committed to a pro-Rhodes policy. The Star in Johannesburg offered him an editorship position, but he refused due to its pro-Rhodes agenda, preferring unemployment to endorsing an ideology he hated. For the next few years he subsisted on occasional income from articles he wrote, and lived in poverty. Writings in Europe (1895-1899)
<mask> returned to Europe in 1895, as representative of the Transvaal Republic, and served as the republic's press attaché in London. His writings were intent on refuting the propaganda which was filling the British press at the time with regards to the South African situation. He prophesied that the Jameson Raid would be followed by a renewed imperial attempt to incorporate the Boer republics.His propaganda work during the Boer war led to trouble with the police again, this time as a spy, as he was followed and his mail watched. At this time, he wrote the fiery political books Mr Magnus (1896), In South Africa as It Is (1897), Paul Kruger and his Times (1898) and The South African Crisis: the Truth about the Transvaal (1899), in which he attacked Cecil Rhodes, De Beers, and the chartered British South Africa Company (BSAC). The British government's granting of the BSAC's royal charter to occupy and administer what became Rhodesia was, <mask> wrote, "the most extraordinary usurpation of power ever perpetrated, since the Popes gave over the Peruvians into the hands of Pizarro". Later life
In later life he tried to work as a music professor and composed several music pieces, such as South African National Songs, While Table Mountain Stands (his proposed national anthem for the Cape Colony), Volkslied (anthem for the Transvaal). In addition to his anthems for the various states of southern Africa, he composed Komt broeders komt! as a proposed anthem for a united South Africa. He died of kidney failure in Surrey in March 1908.References

 F. R. Statham, My life's record: A fight for justice. Gibbings & Co., 1901. 1844 births
1908 deaths
19th century in Africa
19th-century South African people
People from Everton
People from Natal
British newspaper editors
Writers from Liverpool
South African newspaper editors

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