It is hard
to throw a
stick (with your left hand!) and not come across a zillion left handed
actors. Okay, that may be a stretch, but we are known for our dramatic
flair! Let's look at some of the famous southpaws who
definitely
know how to put on a good show.
Sir Charles Chaplin, one of the most talented comedic actors ever
filmed, was knighted by the Queen of England at age 85.
Charlie Chaplin came
a long way from growing up in poverty on the streets of London, to
becoming the most creative entertainer of silent films. With his
slapstick comedy routines, and trademark mustache, Chaplain still
wields the power to leave the audience in stitches. Charlie, the son of
entertainers, broke into show business at the young age of eight. He
overcame many obstacles, evenrebuilding a
violin to make playing it left handed easier.
A larger than life character, both on stage and off, Chaplin married
four times, and was Father to ten children.
Robert Redford,
half of the Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
movie fame, has recently
been in the news, mourning the passing of his friend, Paul Newman. Paul
was Redford’s partner in the film, and married to another in
the
list of celebrated lefties, Joanne Woodward. Robert was an
art student (Left Handed Artists)
before becoming one of the most popular stars of the 1970’s.
He is also the founder of the Sundance
Film Festival.
The film festival showcases independent filmmakers, and has become
“a place to be seen” in the entertainment
industry.
In 2008, over a hundred feature films were shown at Sundance, to the
50,000 people in attendance.
Pretty woman, Julia
Roberts,
walking down the street…Sorry, I got a little sidetracked.
Julia
starred in the hit, Pretty
Woman, which
grossed a record $463 million
in the 1990’s. Roberts earns one of the biggest paychecks of
any
actress in the world. Her net worth is estimated to be $140 million. If
that is not enough to make her flash one of her legendary smiles, she
has also been named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World,
eleven times. Not bad, for a girl from a small town in
Georgia.
Thomas
Cruise Mapother
IV, did not set out to become #3 of the top 100 movie stars of all
time, his first calling was to be a priest. TomCruise
joins our list of southpaw actors, ranked among the highest paid in
screen history. Tom changed schools fifteen times by the time he was
fourteen years old. Can you imagine dealing with the awkwardness of
being a teenager, having dyslexia, and always be the new kid in town?
Cruise faced these challenges and showed us sometimes 'Risky
Business' lands you
in a pot of gold! Tom Cruise
was once
married to Nicole Kidman, another talented lefty actor.
Other
notable Left handed Actors (RIP) include; Steve McQueen,
Richard Pryor, Jim Henson - creator of the Muppets. (Kermit the Frog is
also left handed.), Michael Landon and George Burns to name a very few.
Current
living legend lefty actors include; Robert DeNiro,
Mark Hamill, Goldie Hawn, Angelina Jolie and Bruce Willis. Again a very
short list.
This
star-studded list of
left handed actors reads like a Who’s Who of All Time
Hollywood
Legends. And we are just getting started! This goes to show
you
what highly creative and motivated left handed individuals can
accomplish, even when others would throw their hands up in defeat.
Lefties show unusual grace under pressure, with an uncanny ability to
multi-task. We can master a range of activities, with our right hand
tied behind our back!
If you are interested in an acting career I recommend you get Knock
'Em Dead Acting by Holly Venable or Acting
Outby Stuart Stone. These are two excellent
online resources to get you started.