Hollywood Icons: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation

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I FELT MOST PROUD TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY LAST YEAR WHEN"I interviewed Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union on my show and they talked about their love for their daughter." The beginning of the Old Hollywood era is marked by the introduction of sound films. Changing from silent films to “the talkies” was a changing point in Hollywood and with it came a rise to global cinema.In 1927, “The Jazz Singer” was the first film to use synchronized dialogue and it marked the beginning of the end for silent films. The Academy Awards also began that same year and Warner Bros. received an Honorary Award for their pioneering on “The Jazz Singer”. The movie was not nominated as Best Picture as it was deemed unfair to put a “talkie” up against silent movies.

The life of Old Hollywood star James Dean is that of a tragic and thrilling one. James Dean was one of the most swoon worthy stars in Hollywood. Dean had an incredible future ahead of him in the film industry, however he only got to act in three films before his devastating death in 1955 resulting from a car accident. James Dean was the first actor to receive Academy Award nomination posthumously and remains still today the only actor to receive two. Katharine Hepburn was an American film actress who cemented her name in Old Hollywood by earning twelve Academy nominations and achieving a record of four Academy awards for her outstanding performances. This is an achievement no other actor has been able to match since. Over her 60 year career, she starred alongside her love Spencer Tracy in nine films. Books : “Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis” by David Wills, “Marilyn: Norma Jeane” by Gloria Steinem, “Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon” by Charles Casillo Elizabeth Taylor

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015)

I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN"The characters are three-dimensional human beings and not simply just clownin’ as the archetype, the magical queen sprinkling fairy dust all over the world."

Paul Newman was not only loved because of his good looks and charisma but because of his compelling performances that caught the attention of so many on the screen. In 1953, Newman made his debut appearance and also met Joanne Woodward, an understudy at the time. The two feel in love and married in 1958, remaining married until Paul’s death in 2008. Their relationships was one of the most sweetest and endearing relationships in Hollywood, where commitment and loyalty was few and far found. The two were Hollywood’s unshakable and favourite couple. Although many of Newman’s performance were nominated for Academy Awards it wasn’t until later in his career that he would finally win the prestigious Oscar. MY MENTOR IS"James Anderson, who held down the fort at SNL by writing so many queer sketches over the years that shaped my sensibility. He’s gone out of his way to be a good friend, and the same goes for B.D. Wong after I worked with him. It’s all crazy wish fulfillment." Movies : Cleopatra, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, A Place in The Sun, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Giant When you hear Old Hollywood your mind automatically goes to the glamour and the glitz of the Golden Age of Hollywood.LGBTQ STORY I'D LOVE TO SEE ONSCREEN"One that makes my blood boil with confusion and rage that I wasn't able to come up with it first, something completely unexpected and impolite." MY MENTOR IS "I'm not sure I have a mentor, but Mike Leigh is a good friend and a constant source of inspiration." I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN"Movies and shows stop queer-baiting and just start writing more queer characters and storylines."

THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"[Activist] Sir Lady Java. Her self-advocacy in the 1960s, years before the Stonewall uprising, set a blueprint for us to fight for our right to show up in spaces unapologetic and proud." Books : “Steve McQueen: A Biography” by Marc Eliot, “McQueen: The Biography” by Christopher Sandford, “Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon” by Greg Laurie Richard Burton With a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding comedy series and a Rising Star nod from the Outfest Legacy Awards, Saracho has been praised for creating opportunities for Latinx and LGBTQ voices and for showcasing them on camera on the Starz series Vida.

Billy Eichner

The French writer-director found global visibility with her 2019 period lesbian romance, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which won best screenplay and the Queer Palm at Cannes. But Sciamma has been exploring queer identity in her work for years, notably in 2011's Tomboy. Behind the scenes, Sciamma is a staunch advocate for female directors and was a key organizer of the 2018 women's protest at Cannes. Audrey Hepburn was a Belgian-born actress who rose to stardom after her outstanding performance as Gigi in Broadway’s “Gigi”. Hepburn trained as a ballet dancer in her youth, the elegance, posture and determination she learnt from her lessons never left her. Her first film role was Roman Holiday (1953) in which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Audrey Hepburn is one of the most recognisable faces from the Golden Age of Hollywood.