In 1984, he showed us what the future might look like as The Terminator. In 1987, he fought the Predator in order to save the rest of us from it. That same year, he ran for his own life in The Running Man. In 1990, he went to Mars and joined the Resistance in Total Recall. And in 1991, he joined up with James Cameron once again to show us what sci-fi action movies should strive to be in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Granted, I could go on and on with examples, but methinks you get the point: you can't think about science fiction movies in this generation and not think about all of the ways Arnold Schwarzenegger has done for them. He continues to work in our genre, as well as continuing to turn out action films when his schedule permits; and I for one am happy he found a place to build such a lasting contribution to film.
Schwarzenegger was born on this day in 1947.
Granted, I could go on and on with examples, but methinks you get the point: you can't think about science fiction movies in this generation and not think about all of the ways Arnold Schwarzenegger has done for them. He continues to work in our genre, as well as continuing to turn out action films when his schedule permits; and I for one am happy he found a place to build such a lasting contribution to film.
Schwarzenegger was born on this day in 1947.
On Space:1999, Richard Johnson played Lee Russell, a space explorer who -- long feared dead -- suddenly found himself on the other side of the galaxy back in the arms of his loving wife ... all with no explanation! Though he's no longer with us, Johnson was born on this day in 1927.
With nearly 100 different credits to his name, William Wintersole (above right) has managed to visit many genres across the entertainment spectrum. Genre fans probably know him best from appearances aboard The Outer Limits, The Wild Wild West, The Invaders, Star Trek, Coma (1978), Voyagers, and Airwolf. Wintersole was born on this day in 1931.
Michael Bell played the duplicitous Groppler Zorn (pictured above right) when Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered with "Encounter at Farpoint" back in 1987. The actor has an amazing resume of voice acting work, including roles in such projects as Voltron: Defender of the Universe, The Transformers, as well as the Star Trek video games. Bell was born on this day in 1938.
The venerable Frances de la Tour (above right) played one of the creepy cannibal survivors who briefly befriended (with ulterior motives, I might add) Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli (2010). De la Tour was born on this day in 1944.
Actor William Atherton has a long and distinguished career starring in many conventional dramas, but he has flirted with the world of Science Fiction. His Professor Jerry Hathaway in the Sci-Fi comedy Real Genius (alongside Val Kilmer) was a delight; and he's also appeared in Ghostbusters, The Outer Limits, and Stargate: SG-1. Atherton was born on this day in 1947.
Critical darling Jean Reno took a chance on Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich by agreeing to appear in their 1998 reboot of the classic Godzilla. Unfortunately, that film was awful. Reno was born on this day in 1948.
Carel Struycken has some pretty distinguished features that make him perfect for many unique roles, not the least of which has been some rather interesting work in Men in Black, Twin Peaks, the Addams Family big screen flicks, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Struycken was born on this day in 1948.
Going face-to-face with any version of the quintessential aliens of our time deserves a mention, and Phil Davis (pictured from the oft-maligned Alien 3) definitely wins a shout-out. In 2008, the actor also turned up in an episode of the BBC's Doctor Who. Davis was born on this day in 1953.
Ken Olin dipped his feet into SciFi's influence with a prominent role in the telefilm, Evolution's Child (1999). The actor tends to keep busy these days with producing and directing efforts. Olin was born on this day in 1954.
Delta Burke's isn't a name that springs to mind when one considers the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy. However, the talented comedienne has crossed into the light, making appearances on such properties as Automan and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Burke was born on this day in 1956.
Richard Burgi served up some military justice -- Space Marine style -- to some menacing alien bugs in Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004). The actor has also appeared aboard The Flash (CBS), Viper, The Sentinel, and Firefly. Burgi was born on this day in 1958.
In The Matrix Trilogy of films, actor Laurence Fishburne played Morpheus, the man who helps bring Neo into the fold of what's truly happened to Earth and its inhabitants. Can you imagine anyone else performing in the role? I certainly can't. Fishburne was born on this day in 1961.
Actress Vivica A. Fox put her best foot (ahem!) forward in helping to save the planet from certain doom in 1996's Independence Day. She stood by her man; she found the First Lady and tried to help her out; and she did a faux strip job to raise money to raise her kid. Not too shabby. Fox was born on this day in 1964.
Kevin Blatch continues to turn up in some quality screen projects. He's been a part of such entities as Strange Luck, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Millennium, The Sentinel, Seven Days, The Outer Limits, The Dead Zone, Stargate: SG-1, and Flash Gordon (TV). Blatch was born on this day in 1965.
Jason Watkins dabbled in the realm of Doctor Who with a guest spot aboard "Nightmare In Silver" back in 2013. Watkins was born on this day in 1966.
Early in his acting career, tough guy Terry Crews (above right) tried Science Fiction on for size with a role in the Arnold Schwarzenegger picture, The 6th Day. Crews was born on this day in 1968.
Well before he wowwed CBS weekly audiences in the crime procedural better known as The Mentalist, actor Simon Baker took a trip to Mars itself in 2000's Red Planet. Baker was born on this day in 1969.
Yes, yes, yes. I get that everyone these days seems to be head-over-heels in love with the collective works of Christopher Nolan (his most recent -- Interstellar -- coming to mind), but -- again -- I find myself in the minority as I find much of what he's done to be visually incomprehensible. Still, kudos for bringing more people to the theatres, especially at a time when home video tends to keep everyone at home. Nolan was born on this day in 1970.
Certainly Hilary Swank's claim-to-fame will always be her Academy Award winning performance in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. But that star turn doesn't take anything away from her role as Major Rebecca Childs, one member of a team sent to save the planet to set the Earth's core spinning again in 2003's The Core. Swank was born on this day in 1974.
John Reardon saw the future at the heart of Syfy's time travel procedural, Continuum, with the always lovely Rachel Nichols. He's also booked roles on The Twilight Zone, Andromeda, Tru Calling, Painkiller Jane, Eureka, TRON: Legacy (2010), and The Philadelphia Experiment (2012). Reardon was born on this day in 1975.
Are you kidding me? Any chance I get to showcase the talents of the lovely Jaime Pressly I'm gonna take! While she's arguably best known for her Playboy pictorial and her delightful comic work on NBC's My Name Is Earl, Pressly took charge as a delicious virtual reality program as part of an episode of that newfangled The Twilight Zone. She was born on this day in 1977.
Fandom knows Yvonne Strahovski best for her stint on the charming Chuck, but she's also done some terrific genre work. She recently appeared as part of 24: Live Another Day as well as appearing alongside Aaron Eckhart in 2014's I, Frankenstein. Strahovski was born on this day in 1982.
Fan-friendly Martin Starr had a brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it role in 2008's under-appreciated The Incredible Hulk. Here's hoping he finds his way back into SciFi soon! Starr was born on this day in 1982.
Young Aml Ameen enjoyed a big screen role as part of the ensemble at the heart of The Maze Runner. Since then, he's found a home on Netflix as part of the Wachowski's curiously meaningless Sense8 program. Ameen was born on this day in 1985.
The resume of young Molly McCook is mostly mainstream fare, but she managed to squeeze in a guest spot aboard Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so that we can mention her here. McCook was born on this day in 1990.
After a breakout performance in FX's crime drama Justified, newcomer Jacob Lofland made a SciFi splash by joining Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials in 2015. Lofland was born on this day in 1996.
As one of the new additions to the ID4 franchise, Joey King brought some needed youthful energy to Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) in the role of Sam, a young lass trying to keep her family together after those pesky aliens blast the Earth nearly into Kingdom Come. King was born on this day in 1999.
Walt Disney's Flight of the Navigator (1986) is another one of those films where I diverge from the majority opinion of sci-fi fans. Many remember it fondly -- a story of a young boy who suddenly finds himself in charge of an alien spacecraft -- but I found it largely forgettable. Loved the premise, but it just didn't feel all that complete to me.
On this day in 1988 (in Portugal), Death Street USA premiered. The SciFi/Horror hybrid starred George Kennedy and Wings Hauser, and here's the plot summary compliments of IMDB.com:
"Scientists poison the water supply of a small town, turning the residents into homicidal maniacs who kill each other and anybody who passes through."
"Scientists poison the water supply of a small town, turning the residents into homicidal maniacs who kill each other and anybody who passes through."
On this day in 1988 (in Japan), Journey To The Center Of The Earth took another theatrical swing at showing audiences what lies beneath. It starred Nicola Cowper and Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Young people exploring a cave in Hawaii fall into a hole, wind up in the lost city of Atlantis."
"Young people exploring a cave in Hawaii fall into a hole, wind up in the lost city of Atlantis."
On this day in 1979, Battle Of The Planets aired "The Sky Is Falling! (Part 1)" This served as the forty-fourth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TV.com:
"Tom, Mark's old friend from the academy, tells him that he has seen Mark's father on Odin, and Mark goes to Riga without telling Chief Anderson. Meanwhile the rest of G-Force is sent to Odin to try and stop the X-3, a doomsday weapon created by Spectra."
"Tom, Mark's old friend from the academy, tells him that he has seen Mark's father on Odin, and Mark goes to Riga without telling Chief Anderson. Meanwhile the rest of G-Force is sent to Odin to try and stop the X-3, a doomsday weapon created by Spectra."
On this day in 1995, The Outer Limits aired "If These Walls Could Talk." This served as the nineteenth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Physicist and professional debunker Leviticus Mitchell agrees to help professional psychic Lynda Tillman investigate the abandoned mansion where her son and his girlfriend have mysteriously disappeared."
"Physicist and professional debunker Leviticus Mitchell agrees to help professional psychic Lynda Tillman investigate the abandoned mansion where her son and his girlfriend have mysteriously disappeared."
On this day in 1999, Farscape aired the fourteenth episode of its first season. The hour was (aptly) titled "Jeremiah Crichton," and here's the plot summary from our friends at IMDB.com:
"Crichton is getting frustrated in his new environment. He takes his ship out for a quick jaunt, but Moya's pregnancy is causing some changes in the Leviathan, she starbursts suddenly without little warning stranding Crichton. He finally settles on a planet, and adjusts to life amongst the natives. Moya's crew comes after him to explain the situation, but does he want to go back?"
"Crichton is getting frustrated in his new environment. He takes his ship out for a quick jaunt, but Moya's pregnancy is causing some changes in the Leviathan, she starbursts suddenly without little warning stranding Crichton. He finally settles on a planet, and adjusts to life amongst the natives. Moya's crew comes after him to explain the situation, but does he want to go back?"
On this day in 1999, Stargate: SG-1 aired "Point of View." This served as the sixth episode of the long-running program's third season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"The quantum mirror Daniel found in "There But for the Grace of God" brings to Area 51 an alternate Kawalsky and Dr. Carter from another reality, this time one where Sam never joined the military but became Jack's wife and the Goa'uld just overran earth. Dr. Carter begins suffering from temporal entropic cascade failure, a paradoxical effect of having two versions of the same person in the same reality and realises that she must return to her own reality or both Sams will eventually perish."
"The quantum mirror Daniel found in "There But for the Grace of God" brings to Area 51 an alternate Kawalsky and Dr. Carter from another reality, this time one where Sam never joined the military but became Jack's wife and the Goa'uld just overran earth. Dr. Carter begins suffering from temporal entropic cascade failure, a paradoxical effect of having two versions of the same person in the same reality and realises that she must return to her own reality or both Sams will eventually perish."
On this day in 1999, The Outer Limits aired "Stranded." This served as the nineteenth episode of the program's fifth season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"A lonely high school boy finds friendship in an alien that crash lands on earth."
"A lonely high school boy finds friendship in an alien that crash lands on earth."
On this day in 2000, Code Name: Eternity aired "Thief." This served as the eleventh episode of the program's first (and only) season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TV.com:
"Banning and his people discover a way to regenerate their bodies, stopping them from reverting back to their true form for a longer length of time. Tawrens discovers the location of this equipment and breaks in to sabotage their experiments. Inside Banning's laboratories he comes across a thief who has beaten him to the prototype, a human female, who gets away from him and Banning's security. Knowing that she doesn't realize what trouble she has got herself into Tawrens, Ethaniel and Laura try to find her before Gant does."
"Banning and his people discover a way to regenerate their bodies, stopping them from reverting back to their true form for a longer length of time. Tawrens discovers the location of this equipment and breaks in to sabotage their experiments. Inside Banning's laboratories he comes across a thief who has beaten him to the prototype, a human female, who gets away from him and Banning's security. Knowing that she doesn't realize what trouble she has got herself into Tawrens, Ethaniel and Laura try to find her before Gant does."
Things were a'changin' as part of Stargate Command! On this day in 2004, "Zero Hour" aired as part of Stargate: SG-1's eighth season. Here's the episode's summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"As the new head of the SGC, General O'Neill is beginning to feel the weight of his load, and he starts to have second thoughts about the whole idea, questioning his own competency."
"As the new head of the SGC, General O'Neill is beginning to feel the weight of his load, and he starts to have second thoughts about the whole idea, questioning his own competency."
On this day in 2006, reigning Sci-Fi vixen Summer Glau guest-starred on a special episode of the USA Network's The 4400 called "The Ballad Of Kevin and Tess." This was the eighth episode of the third season, and here's what I've been able to find on the story as listed on IMDB.com:
"Dr. Burkhoff continues his experiments on himself and forces them on another person and Maia has a nightmare where Diana looks like a monster. A rock star tries to involve Shawn in his health that demands almost all of his time."
"Dr. Burkhoff continues his experiments on himself and forces them on another person and Maia has a nightmare where Diana looks like a monster. A rock star tries to involve Shawn in his health that demands almost all of his time."
On this day in 2010, A Good Knight's Quest aired the twenty-third episode of its only season. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Dorian finally meets The Creator."
"Dorian finally meets The Creator."
On this day in 2012, Alphas aired "The Quick and The Dead." This served as the second episode of their second (and final) season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"On the hunt for a killer with super-speed, our team realizes his search has lead him directly to them, with deadly consequences."
"On the hunt for a killer with super-speed, our team realizes his search has lead him directly to them, with deadly consequences."
