Simply Streep.com | Special | Theater of the New Ear

"THEATER OF THE NEW EAR" SPECIAL

STEVE BUSCEMI
Born: Dezember 13, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York City, NY
One of the most important character actors of the 1990s, Steve Buscemi is unmatched in his ability to combine lowlife posturing with weasely charisma. Although active in the cinema since the mid-'80s, it was not until Quentin Tarantino cast Buscemi as Mr. Pink in the 1992 Reservoir Dogs that the actor became known to most audience members. He would subsequently appear to great effect in other Tarantino films, as well as those of the Coen Brothers, where his attributes blended... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1992 - Reservoir Dogs

1996 - Fargo

1998 - The Big Lebowski

2000 - Ghost World (Golden Globe Nomination)

2003 - Big Fish

HOPE DAVIS
Born: Januar 1, 1967
Displaying a sort of weary Botticelli beauty and a crisp brand of intelligence, Hope Davis has made a name for herself portraying good women wronged by bad men. Playing such characters in her two breakthrough films, The Daytrippers and Next Stop Wonderland, Davis displayed a remarkable blend of lovable bitterness and cynical charm, endearing herself to legions of art house filmgoers who recognized an unmistakable ring of truth in her performances... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1996 - The Daytrippers

1999 - Mumford

1999 - Arlington Road

2002 - About Schmidt

2003 - American Splendor (Golden Globe Nomination)

PETER DINKLAGE
Standing four feet five inches tall, actor Peter Dinklage has had a prolific career both on-stage and in film. After graduated from college in Vermont, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and the Welsh School of Music and Drama in Wales. He worked in several productions off-Broadway and wrote his own play entitled Frog. He made his film debut in Tom DiCillo's 1995 independent comedy Living in Oblivion as the dwarf in the dream sequence. He then appeared... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1996 - Living in Oblivion

2001 - Human Nature

2003 - The Station Agent (SAG Nomination)

JOHN GOODMAN
Born: Juni 20, 1952 in St. Louis, MO
With a talent as large as his girth, John Goodman proved himself both a distinguished character actor and engaging leading man. A native of St. Louis, MO, Goodman went to Southwestern Missouri State University on a football scholarship, but an injury compelled him to seek out a less strenuous major. He chose the university Drama Department, attending classes with such stars-to-be as Tess Harper and Kathleen Turner. Moving to New York in 1975, he supported himself by performing... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1987 - Raising Arizona

1991 - Barton Fink

1991 - King Ralph

1998 - The Big Lebowski

2002 - Dirty Deeds

MARCIA GAY HARDEN
Born: Januar 1, 1959 in La Jolla, CA
Often noted for her striking feature debut as a gun-toting seductress in the Coen brothers' noirish gangster crime thriller Miller's Crossing (1990), Marcia Gay Harden has since bounced between disparaging disappointment and critical prosperity, and is commonly praised for her chameleon-like ability to immerse herself in characters that are often the polar opposite of the cheerfully optimistic actress. Born in La Jolla, CA, Harden studied drama in college, earning a B.A. in theater... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1990 - Miller's Crossing

1996 - The Spitfire Grill

1998 - Meet Joe Black

2000 - Pollock (Oscar as Best Supporting Actress)

2003 - Mystic River (Oscar nomination)

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
Born: Juli 23, 1967 in Fairport, NY
One of the most original, versatile, and steadily employed actors in Hollywood, Philip Seymour Hoffman has made a name for himself playing some of the most dysfunctional characters in movie history. Although he had been acting for years, most audiences were first introduced to the actor in the award-winning Boogie Nights, where he played a nebbishy soundman with a jones for Mark Wahlberg's Dirk Diggler. Imbuing his character with both humor and poignant complexity, Hoffman was... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1992 - Scent of a Woman

1997 - Boogie Nights (SAG Nomination)

1998 - The Big Lebowski

1999 - Magnolia (SAG Nomination)

2002 - Punch Drunk Love

BROOKE SMITH
The actress whose convincing portrayal of one of Buffalo Bill's potential victims in The Silence of the Lambs had audiences squirming in their seats, Brooke Smith has subsequently built an enduring career with memorable roles in such efforts as Robert Altman's Kansas City (1996) and the searing reality television satire Series 7: The Contenders (2001). Born the daughter of renowned publicist Lois Smith and raised in New York City, Brooke was immersed in show business from the... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1990 - The Silence of the Lambs

1994 - Vanya on 42nd Street

1996 - Kansas City

1999 - Random Hearts

2004 - Iron Jawed Angels

MERYL STREEP
Born: Juni 22, 1949 in Summit, NJ
Like her longtime acting cohort Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep is known for her ability to disappear inside her characters, transforming herself physically to meet the demands of her roles. A luminous blonde with nearly translucent pale skin, intelligent blue eyes, and a lovely facial bone structure, Streep possesses a fragile, fleeting beauty that allows her to be as earthy and plain as she can be glamorous and radiant... Read full biography

Memorable Movie Appearances

1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer (Oscar)

1982 - Sophie's Choice (Oscar)

1985 - Out Of Africa

1995 - The Bridges of Madison County

2004 - The Manchurian Candidate