Gene Hackman Turned to Writing after Retiring in Acting
The 90-year-old has since left his successful acting career and turned to writing. While he does not consider himself an excellent writer, he says that he enjoys the process. Gene also takes pride in the amount of time he puts in researching the facts for whatever he writes. The former actor hand writes his manuscripts and his wife does the typing for him. These days, he can also take a few online classes to help inspire and better his craft. Even the most experienced writers can learn something new, after all. With his writing partner, Daniel Lenihan, Hackman has written three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Escape from Andersonville (2008) and Justice for None (2004). He is the sole author of Payback at Morning Peak and Pursuit.
Warren Buffet Bought His First Stocks at 11 Years of Age
When we talk about investments, stocks and financial portfolios, the name Warren Buffett inevitably comes up. His name is associated with success and familiarity when it comes to the stock market. And we should rightfully expect him to be an expert. After all, he purchased his first stock at the tender age of 11. He bought shares of Cities Services for $38 per stock. Since then, his genius at investing has brought Buffet an accumulated fortune of $75 billion. The investor and entrepreneur is among the richest men in the world. Warren says that the secret to winning against the volatility of the market is to use the Buy-Hold strategy. Wait for the value to appreciate, rather than focusing on the ups and downs of the market, he said.
Mr. Bean Flew a Plane after the Pilot Fainted
Planes can usually run on autopilot, but not a Cessna 202. This aircraft needs the full attention of the pilot at all times. So imagine what happened when the pilot of a plane that Rowan Atkinson chartered suddenly fainted! The actor had rented the plane to fly his family for a holiday in Kenya back in 2001. They tried to revive the pilot, but after failing a number of times the plane began taking a nosedive from a height of 16,000 feet. The knight in him kicked in, and Sir Rowan took charge. The pilot did eventually regain consciousness and re-established control of the plane. We hope that they had paid their travel insurance premiums before leaving, because flying can be so unpredictable.
Steve Jobs Tried an Extreme Fruitarian Diet
We know that fad diets are not healthy. Losing weight in a short period of time will negatively affect the liver, the gall bladder, and the metabolism of anyone who tries them. Someone should have told Steve Jobs this before he decided to try an extreme diet, after reading a few books on vegetarianism. He survived mainly on a diet comprised of apples and carrots. While these are healthy, they do not provide the range of nutrition and electrolytes needed by the body. They also are lacking in protein, a staple macronutrient required by the body to maintain the muscles. If there’s one thing we can take away from this, it’s to practice a degree of caution when making changes to our diet!
George Lucas Donated Fire Engine to Fire Department
George Lucas once put up a fire engine from the Skywalker Ranch fleet for sale. Of course, this immediately caught the attention of fans, who are always looking to get memorabilia related to the franchise. Among them was The Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department. The initial quote given was for $55,000, which was below the market value of the engine. However, this amount would have wiped out the volunteer department’s entire annual budget, preventing them from buying other critical supplies. They would have needed a loan to meet the costs. After being informed of this, George decided to give them the engine instead. The engine they received was state-of-the-art and could send twice the volume of water when compared to their old one!
Tina Turner was Once an Action Movie Star
We know Tina Turner to be a music icon. She is rightfully called The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Her single that was released in 1984, “What’s Love got to do with It” won four Grammy Awards. Her five-decade long career has had its many ups and downs, but she has never failed to show us her many talents. Not many know, however, that Tina was once given film credit as an action movie star for the rock musical Tommy in 1975. It was based on The Who album also titled Tommy. She played the role of The Acid Queen. The satirical operetta fantasy drama was about a boy who became a religious leader and pinball champion. Tina’s performance in the movie was well-received by many movie critics.
John Travolta Impressed Princess Diana
In 1985, John Travolta met the Princess of Wales during an event at the Reagan White House. John was able to showcase his dancing skills by asking Princess Diana to dance. The flooring of the white house resounded with the movement of their feet tapping and gliding as they danced across the room. The royalty was impressed, and she even named the dress she wore to the gala as the “Travolta Dress”. It is quite remarkable that John was able to make an excellent impression on Princess Diana. His dancing skills were indeed super, proving to everyone that he can shake his hips with ease. Well, he wouldn’t have been cast in musical films if he wasn’t good at it right?
Jackson Cut Ties with the Family Business
Janet Jackson felt that her involvement with the business affairs of her family shackled her, so after the release of her second album, she decided to cut ties. Before this, she had been managed by her father and she advised him of her decision. For her third album, “Control”, she partnered with producers Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. This venture proved to be successful and the album received credit for getting the number one spot on Billboard 200. It also reached sales of over 10 million copies worldwide. Likewise, her fourth album, “Rhythm Nation 1814” also reached the number one spot and sold 20 million copies. With the family affairs out of the way, she was able to perform freely.
Betty White’s First Breakthrough Was in A Sitcom
The celebrated comedian is well into her late-90s now, but she remains one of the most respected in the industry, despite being retired now from acting and comedy. Before her success, Betty had her breakthrough on the self-produced show Life with Elizabeth. At the time, she was among the few female producers working during the early 1950’s. Betty was also the youngest, but that did not stop her from collaborating with George Tibbles to develop the show. This meant that Betty was also among the first females to have creative control in front of and behind the camera. To no one’s surprise, the show was widely successful and helped Betty win her first Emmy nomination in 1951! Her investments and effort in making the series successful paid off.
Clint Eastwood was Once a Firefighter
The Clint Eastwood we know today has been in Hollywood since 1959. At the ripe age of 90, we can say he has lived quite the prolific life. Not only is he an iconic actor, his personal life is just colorful as the movies he has been in. But what is interesting is that before he entered Hollywood, the actor had humble beginnings. Some reports suggest he might have even struggled financially and needed personal loans to survive. Before Hollywood, he worked as a grocery staff, a golf caddy and a forest firefighter. Maybe if he were younger, he would have helped put out the wildfires in California. Apart from being a firefighter, he was also a military lifeguard and projectionist when he served during the Korean War.