Megyn Kelly (1970-)
Megyn Marie Kelly is an American journalist, political commentator and former corporate defense attorney. She is well-known as a bold anchor and an interviewer, unafraid of asking difficult questions. She worked for Fox News for 13 long years, and departed it to join NBC News. On several occasions, she drew media attention for her bold comments and daring stands. Her fame reached a new level when she challenged the then presidential candidate Donald Trump at a debate to explain his sexist comments made about women. Trump, who was outraged by her question, called her “crazy,” “angry” and “a bimbo.” In her autobiography, she revealed that Trump had approached her on multiple occasions for positive coverage of his campaign.
Owen Wilson (1968-)
Owen Wilson is an actor cum screenwriter who is famous for his collaboration with the film maker Wes Anderson with whom he has worked on several projects. Wilson and Anderson had met while they both attended the University of Texas and began their career by writing the screenplay for ‘Bottle Rocket’. The movie was directed by Anderson and starred Owen and his brother Luke. The movie bombed at the box office but drew the attention of critics and got positive reviews which helped launch the duo’s careers. As a youngster he was a big troublemaker at school and was expelled for stealing a teacher’s notebook.
Damon Wayans Jr. (1982-)
Damon Kyle Wayans Jr. is an American actor, comedian, and writer, best recognised for his roles in television series ‘Happy Endings’ and ‘New Girl.’ Coming from the noted ‘Wayans Family’ and being the son of American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer Damon Wayans, Wayans Jr. forayed into acting as a child. He made his film debut in his father’s superhero comedy-parody film ‘Blankman.’ He featured in and also served as staff writer in the sitcom ‘My Wife and Kids.’ He appeared in the musical comedy film ‘Dance Flick’ and in the sketch comedy TV series ‘The Underground.’ Moving on, he gained widespread recognition and acclaim for portraying the role of ‘Brad Williams’ in the ABC sitcom series ‘Happy Endings.’
Nayanthara (1984-)
Nayanthara is an Indian actress who predominantly appears and works in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema. She was the only South Indian female actor to have made it to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 2018 list, with her total earning credited at ₹ 15.17 crores. She made her acting debut in the 2003 Malayalam film Manassinakkare with Jayaram. She made her debut in Tamil cinema with Ayya (2005) and Telugu with Lakshmi (2006). Both were successful. In 2010, she also made her Kannada film debut through the film Super, her only appearance in a Kannada film to date. Her portrayal of Goddess Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress and the Nandi Award for Best Actress.
Chloë Sevigny (1974-)
Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American model and actress who first came into the limelight after novelist Jay McInerney published a seven-page article on her for ‘The New Yorker’ and referred to her as one of the “coolest girls in the world”. She was working as a seamstress at that time! The popularity she earned after the article was published motivated her to enter the entertainment industry. She made her motion picture debut in the 1995 controversial film ‘Kids,’ appearing in a lead role and earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the performance. She also embarked on a successful modelling career in the 1990s. As an actress, she made a name for herself for her roles in contemporary independent cinema.
Alan Shepard (1923-1998)
Alan Shepard was the first American to travel into space. He became the second human to travel into space, after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He started his career in the navy, on the destroyer ‘USS Cogswell,’ which was on active service in the Pacific Ocean. After his flying training, he joined the ‘Fighter Squadron 42’ (VF-42) to fly the ‘Vought F4U Corsair.’ He attended the ‘United States Naval Test Pilot School’ and subsequently conducted high-altitude flying tests. Shepard was one of the seven test pilots selected to be part of ‘NASA’s space initiative and became a national hero after his maiden flight into space. He commanded the first manned ‘Gemini’ mission that was the next level of the US space program after the ‘Mercury’ series.
Margaret Atwood (1939-)
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian writer, best known for her novels, short stories and poems. She decided to pursue writing as a career in the early years of her life. She is a feminist by nature and her fiction revolves around a woman character in most of her novels. Her writing has an impact on the reader’s mind and one is forced to think about the connection between reality and fiction after reading her stories and poems. Her fictional work consists of historical as well as scientific backdrops with a strong and independent woman as its central character. Her stories have realistic yet imaginative textures which converge thoughtfully with open endings that tend to make a greater impact on the society.
