Today
is August 11, 2015, and it happens to be the date for the next installment of
the Tuesday Timeline.
And,
I'll be honest with you. I had a tough
time picking a subject today. A couple
of the big topics that I could have talked about, I already did an entry
on. And, I really try not to repeat
topics, though in four years of doing this, I suppose it will become inevitable
one of these days.
So,
for this edition of the Tuesday Timeline, I thought I would make the subject of
this blog one of the biggest stars of modern-day film.
(He's
actually in a movie that is currently at the box office. How's that for a first?)
So,
let's get started, shall we? Here's
what happened in the world on August 11...
3114 BC - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar begins
1786 - Captain Francis Light establishes the British
colony of Penang in Malaysia
1919 - The constitution of the Weimar Republic is
adopted
1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first major league baseball
player to hit 500 home runs in his career
1933 - Controversial American minister Jerry Falwell (d.
2007) is born in Lynchburg, Virginia
1934 - The first civilian prisoners arrive in Alcatraz
Prison
1942 - Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil receive a patent
for a frequency-hopping spread spectrum - the precursor for modern day Wi-Fi
technology
1960 - The nation of Chad declares its independence
1965 - The Watts Riots begin in Los Angeles, California
1972 - The last United States ground combat unit leaves
South Vietnam during the Vietnam War
1982 - A bomb explodes aboard Pan Am Flight 830, killing
one and injuring fifteen
1999 - One person dies when a tornado strikes the
downtown core of Salt Lake City, Utah
2006 - Talk show host/singer Mike Douglas dies at the
age of 86
2009 - American activist Eunice Kennedy Shriver passes
away, aged 88
2011 - Warrant lead singer Jani Lane dies of acute
alcohol poisoning, at just age 47
2014 - Actor/comedian Robin Williams dies of suicide,
aged 63
And
celebrating a birthday today are the following people; Arlene Dahl, Claus von Bulow, Paul Soles, Jim Kale, John Conlee, Eric Carmen, Elya Baskin, Steve Wozniak, Bob Mothersbaugh, Hulk Hogan, Joe Jackson, Richie Ramone, Rob Minkoff, Embeth Davidtz, Viola Davis, Duane Martin, Joe Rogan, Anna Gunn, Charlie Sexton, Ashley Jensen, Nigel Harman, Chris Messina, Chris Cummings, Will Friedle, Alan Halsall, and J-Boog.
So,
what date are we going back in time to?
Well,
since I chose 1983 as the date for the Sunday Jukebox earlier this week, why
don't we continue on with that year for the Tuesday Timeline. August 11, 1983 it is!
I've
already revealed that today's subject is an actor, so right off the bat you
know that this date is likely a celebrity birthday. And secondly, I've revealed that this actor is in a film that is
currently screening at the box office.
Interestingly
enough, the film this actor appears in is a sequel to the original
"National Lampoon's Vacation" movie - which was released the same
year our Tuesday Timeline subject was born.
And, here's the trailer for the 2015 film "Vacation", directed
by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
Now,
you might have seen a blonde haired guy edited into a couple of scenes in that
trailer, but it was one particular scene in the film that had people talking.
Ladies,
you're welcome.
Of
course, this guy has done a lot more than walk around in his underwear on a
film. In fact, this blog post will
reveal everything that this now 32-year-old actor has done in his career up to
"Vacation".
Chris Hemsworth, this is his life...so far.
Now,
Chris is not the only actor in his family.
His brothers Liam and Luke are both actors as well. And though he was born in Melbourne,
Australia, he spent a lot of his time growing up in the Australian Outback,
where crocodiles, buffaloes, and spiders as big as a flat screen television.
All
right, all right. I was kidding about
the spiders. At least, I think I'm
kidding.
His
career began in 2002, when he was cast as King Arthur in the Australian
television series "Guinevere Jones", and has worked steadily ever
since. But how did he go from
Australian Outback kid to one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood today?
Well,
let's trace the timeline of Chris Hemsworth, shall we?
2004: He lands a job on a soap opera.
Most
big named stars get their start on daytime dramas. Julianne Moore was on "As The World Turns". Shemar Moore was on "The Young and the
Restless". And Ricky Martin took a
turn on "General Hospital" long before he shook his bon bon. And Chris Hemsworth also got his big break
on a soap opera - only it's one most Americans have never heard of.
The
show was "Home and Away", and Chris played the role of Kim Hyde from
2004 to 2007. He initially auditioned
for the part of Robbie Hunter, but another actor won the part instead. But his audition was good enough for him to
have another part written for him. Some
of the storylines his character was involved in included trying to build a
relationship with his father, ending up in a love triangle over a woman,
thinking he was the father of someone else's child, and falling in love with
his grief counselor.
But
it seems as though Hemsworth took a page out of Julianne Moore's playbook. Moore returned to the soap that made her
famous in "As The World Turns'" final months to pay tribute to the
genre. And in 2014, Hemsworth also
returned to the show that helped catapult his career...as an uncredited extra!
2006: He appeared on Dancing With The Stars
Okay,
so it was the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars. He still did fairly good, making it to the
halfway point of the competition before being voted out. Have a look at him in action in the clip
above.
2009: He played Captain Kirk's father
In
2007, Hemsworth moved to the United States to begin his film career believing
that he had more opportunities in America than Australia, and although it took
him a couple of years to get noticed by casting directors, he won the role of
George Kirk - father of Captain Kirk - in the 2009 film "Star Trek". Of course, he only appeared in the film's
first few minutes, but still...every Hollywood actor has to start somewhere.
2011: He played Thor
Now,
this was the movie that helped get Hemsworth noticed, and many Americans would
say that this movie was his first big break.
"Thor" was a huge summer blockbuster, making over $449 million
at the box office, and in preparation for the role, Chris packed on twenty
pounds of muscle and let his hair grow long.
What's interesting about the film was that Hemsworth was initially NOT
given the part, and won the role back in a second chance audition. He reprised the role in the 2012 Avengers
film.
2012: He played the Huntsman
Yes,
shortly after filming "Thor", he was involved in the film "Snow
White and The Huntsman, starring alongside "Twilight" star Kristen
Stewart. But Hemsworth wasn't the first
choice for the role. Would you believe
that the part was also offered to Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, Michael
Fassbender, and Hugh Jackman before Hemsworth was even considered?
2013: He played a real-life race car driver
In
2013's "Rush", directed by Ron Howard, Hemsworth played James Hunt,
the 1976 Formula 1 World Champion. The
film focused on Hunt's rivalry with Niki Lauda, played by Daniel Bruhl, and I
have to say that I totally recommend this movie. It's well acted, and for what it's worth, it is mostly
accurate.
And,
it is here where we reach the final entry in Hemsworth's career for now - his
role in "Vacation". But don't
think that he's stopping there. He'll
be reprising his role as the Huntsman in the 2016 film "The
Huntsman", and he'll also be making an appearance in the
"Ghostbusters" reboot next year.
But
perhaps his greatest role in life is being a husband to Elsa Pataky, and
raising his three children India, Tristan, and Sasha. You have to admire a family man!
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