For a generation of filmgoers, the face of Ian McDiarmid is the face of ultimate evil. And why shouldn't he be?
It was he, after all, who manipulated the Dark Lord of the Sith -- Darth Vader -- and seduced him to the Dark Side of the Force. Under his machinations, Vader rose to power, subverting control of the galaxy from the Republic and turning it into the Galactic Empire. Shame on you, Mr. McDiarmid! Shame on you!
McDiarmid was born on this day in 1944.
It was he, after all, who manipulated the Dark Lord of the Sith -- Darth Vader -- and seduced him to the Dark Side of the Force. Under his machinations, Vader rose to power, subverting control of the galaxy from the Republic and turning it into the Galactic Empire. Shame on you, Mr. McDiarmid! Shame on you!
McDiarmid was born on this day in 1944.
Though I don't quite remember watching Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) when I was a young'un, I'm thinking that I probably did: it's definitely the kind of viewing that was part and parcel of my youth, but I've seen so many I honestly don't remember them all. Also, I suspect I'd remember seeing a vision as lovely as the great Arlene Dahl, so she'll have to pardon me if I've forgotten! Dahl was born on this day in 1925.
Take note: we Star Trek fans love our Klingons. The great Charles Cooper had the chance to play one not once but twice, first in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (pictured above center), and then again on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Though he's no longer with us, Cooper was born on this day in 1926.
There's a whole subculture to Science Fiction that principally concerns itself with the question of 'What if ...?' For example, what if we had discovered intelligent life when man first landed on the moon? What if time and space were as interchangeable as the shirt on your back? What if faster-than-light travel is possible? You get the idea. When it comes to Star Trek, perhaps the biggest 'what if' will always be, "What if the first pilot HAD been picked up by NBC?" For starters, we know that we'd have an entirely different crew, meaning that we'd all most likely be celebrity-worshipping a whole different crop of actors ... including the lovely Laurel Goodwin. In Trek's original pilot, she played Yeoman J.M. Colt. Goodwin was born on this day in 1942.
"To know Stuart Gordon's work is to love Stuart Gordon's work." This guy dabbles on the edges of Science Fiction occasionally with more of a horror bent, but it's all good. He's the storyteller behind such entertainment as Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989), Robot Jox (1989), Body Snatchers (1993), Space Truckers (1996), and much, much more. Gordon was born on this day in 1947.
Nick Holt -- pictured above from his appearance aboard the original Battlestar Galactica -- was only on our plane of existence for a brief time, but he still managed a role in one of my favorite SciFi properties. Though he's no longer with us, Holt was born on this day in 1949.
Elya Baskin -- shown above from his role as Cosmonaut Maxim Brajlovsky from 2010: The Year We Make Contact (2004) -- has played Russians in all sorts of dramas and comedies. SciFi fans may recognize him from appearances in the cult flick, DeepStar Six (1989), Quantum Leap, VR.5, The Invisible Man, and the Spider-man films. Baskin was born on this day in 1950.
Though his IMDB.com profile suggests he hasn't work professionally all that much in the past few years, Lawrence Monoson still managed to work in some terrific roles in genre entertainment while 'in the biz.' He booked appearances aboard Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Seven Days, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004). Monoson was born on this day in 1964.
Erm ... are those chicken fingers? 'Cause those look like chicken fingers to me. Now I'm hungry. Miguel A. Núñez Jr. is a great character actor who occasionally steers very near and dear to our beloved genre. Folks may remember seeing his work in Automan, The Twilight Zone (1985), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Babylon 5, Carnosaur 2 (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Leprecaun 4: In Space (1996), and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002). Núñez Jr. was born on this day in 1964.
Critical darling Embeth Davidtz has certainly come a long way from her role as Sheila in 1992's ultimate cult flick, Army of Darkness. She turned up as Dr. Unger in 2013's vastly underrated Europa Report, the professional who kinda/sorta narrates the more faux documentary pieces of the SciFi picture. Davidtz was born on this day in 1965.
Ender's Game (2013) came and went from theatres probably much more quickly than studio executives thought it would. Not quite Star Wars and not quite Star Trek, Game is about a future culture more than it is any relatable other concepts. Viola Davis had a role in the property, and Davis was born on this day in 1965.
Like most fans, I wasn't all that enamored with how The Matrix trilogy of films ended up (it is what it is), but I can always appreciate big ideas when coupled with great performances. Collin Chou (above center) played Seraph in the big budget blockbusters, and Chou was born on this day in 1967.
If IMDB.com is to be believed, then the always impressive Anna Gunn got her professional start in an episode of NBC's long-running Quantum Leap. Gunn was born on this day in 1968.
Yes, yes, and yes! I've agreed before, peeps, that properties like Power Rangers are far more 'Fantasy' than they are 'Science Fiction,' but as Fantasy is SciFi's first cousin then I'm inclined to feature it in these birthday call-outs. (So there! It's good to be the king!) That said, Carla Pérez was a major player within that franchise back in its day, bringing to life the villainous Rita Repulsa for the program's youthful audience. Pérez was born on this day in 1970.
Chalk this one up to another case of "I Know That Voice, But I Don't Know That Face": the great Will Friedle has done live action work, but he has a far more substantive resume in the realm of voice acting. SciFi fans will, no doubt, know him best as the voice of Terry McGinnis from the legendary Batman Beyond (one of my personal favorite animations ever), and he's also contributed work to Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Kim Possible, Thundercats, Transformers, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Friedle was born on this day in 1975.
Drew Nelson found genre fame with a role aboard FX Networks' The Strain adaptation from works by the visionary Guillermo del Toro. He's also appeared on Earth: Final Conflict, Smallville, and Fringe for good measure. IMDB.com reports he's also up for a role in something called People Of Earth which looks to be a SciFi-comedy. Nelson was born on this day in 1979.
Good Lord! Merritt Wever suffered a horrible death aboard AMC's The Walking Dead, didn't she? Urgh. Just gruesome. The talented lady had a role in 2002's Signs from M. Night Shyamalan, so there's that to celebrate ... instead of that gruesome, gruesome, gruesome death. Urgh. Wever was born on this day in 1980.
In the popular Marvel movie universe, Chris Hemsworth plays Thor Odinson, and he definitely yields a mighty hammer. Also, Star Trek fans know him as George Kirk, the father to legendary James Kirk, in the rebooted JJ Abrams franchise. Hemsworth was born on this day in 1983.
On this day in the year 2000, Farscape aired "Beware Of Dog," the fourteenth episode of its second season. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the hour's plot summary:
"Chiana returns from a Commerce Planet with a cute little creature called a Vorc that is said to be capable of hunting down parasites which may have inadvertently come on board with the crew's supplies. Aeryn thinks Chiana was swindled; the Vorc appears too scatterbrained and unimposing to hunt parasites even if Moya had parasites - and Aeryn doubts Moya does. But Crichton soon encounters a hostile beast eating its way through one of Moya's walls. However, when he tells the others about the sighting, they are reluctant to believe him. Crichton is having an increasingly difficult time coping with more and more frequent flashes of Scorpius. Who knows what else he's hallucinating?"
"Chiana returns from a Commerce Planet with a cute little creature called a Vorc that is said to be capable of hunting down parasites which may have inadvertently come on board with the crew's supplies. Aeryn thinks Chiana was swindled; the Vorc appears too scatterbrained and unimposing to hunt parasites even if Moya had parasites - and Aeryn doubts Moya does. But Crichton soon encounters a hostile beast eating its way through one of Moya's walls. However, when he tells the others about the sighting, they are reluctant to believe him. Crichton is having an increasingly difficult time coping with more and more frequent flashes of Scorpius. Who knows what else he's hallucinating?"
On this day in 2006, Stargate: SG-1 aired the fifth episode of its tenth and final season, an hour titled "Uninvited." According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"A mysterious creature targets members of Stargate Command one by one."
"A mysterious creature targets members of Stargate Command one by one."
On this day in 2015, Kino Lorber dipped deep into the realm of SciFi/Fantasy with their Blu ray release of the 1965 alleged underwater stinker, War Gods of the Deep. (Chalk this one up to the 'I Haven't Seen It' variety.) There's a terrific review of the disc's merits -- along with the film's shortcomings -- right here, and -- as always -- here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"In 1903, in Cornwall,a group of locals discover an underwater city, dating back to 1803, that hides a society of smugglers and aquatic creatures."
"In 1903, in Cornwall,a group of locals discover an underwater city, dating back to 1803, that hides a society of smugglers and aquatic creatures."
