Barry Sonnenfeld, 69, is an acclaimed cinematographer and movie director. His directorial credits include The Addams Family; Addams Family Values; the three Men in Black films; Wild, Wild West; and Get Shorty. Sonnenfeld’s credits as a cinematographer include Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Throw Momma from the Train, and When Harry Met Sally. …
Actor, producer, director, philanthropist, and writer Kirk Douglas (Dec. 9, 1916 – Feb. 5, 2020) was an iconic superstar during Hollywood’s Golden Age, from the 1940s through the 1950s and early 1960s. He appeared in more than 90 movies — usually in “tough guy” roles — including the following: Champion (1949), Young Man with a…
Actor Harvey Keitel, 80, has had major roles in numerous feature films, including the following: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), The Duellists (1977), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Bugsy (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Bad Lieutenant (1992), The Piano (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Cop Land…
Robert “Bob” Evans, a giant figure in Hollywood moviemaking, died on October 26, 2019 at age 89. In 1967 he became head of Paramount Pictures; during his tenure, Paramount released many iconic and highly successful films, including Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Rosemary’s Baby, The Italian Job, True Grit, Love Story, Harold and…
Mayim Bialik has been a featured actress in two long-running sitcoms: Blossom and The Big Bang Theory. She also played the young C.C. in the 1988 movie Beaches. Recently, it was revealed that she and her Big Bang co-star Jim Parsons are executive-producing Carla, a new sitcom in which Bialik will star. Equally impressive, the…
Although he is best known for his signature role as George Costanza on the long-running television sitcom Seinfeld, Jason Alexander has appeared on many other television shows, in 40 motion pictures, and in a dozen theatrical productions. Onstage, he’s been an acclaimed singer and dancer. The multi-talented Alexander, who is about to turn 60, has…
David Geffen, 76, is a powerful player in both Hollywood and the music industry: He was instrumental in founding Asylum Records, Geffen Records, DGC Records, and DreamWorks SKG. Additionally, Geffen is a prodigious philanthropist to various causes. A multibillionaire, his contributions — adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars — have included to the…
Andy Cohen is a prominent TV and radio personality who hosts Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a late-night television talk show on Bravo. The 41-year-old Cohen also is executive producer of the show. He has a number of other media involvements — one of which is Radio Andy, a pop culture channel on…
David Copperfield has been a superstar entertainer on the Las Vegas Strip for many years. According to Forbes, the 62-year-old illusionist is “the most commercially successful magician in history.” Over his decades-long career, Copperfield has won 21 Emmy Awards for his many television specials. In addition, he holds 11 Guinness World Records and has a…
Peter Sagal (pronounced SAY-gahl) is best known as the witty host of the long-running National Public Radio news quiz program Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! He, the show’s staff, and celebrity (and quasi celeb) panelists take the program on the road, recording episodes before large and enthusiastic live audiences around the county. In addition, the…
WOW! FACTS
Inventor of the mobile phone, “Father of the Internet,” inventor of the video game cosole, inventor fo the laser, inventor of the gramophone, creator of the Barbie Doll, creator of the cruise ship, “Father of Immunology,” inventor fo the modern condom (!), a prime minister of the U.K., a three-time prime minister of France, a president of Switzerland and the primary financier of the American Revolution?
We knew you could guess… all of them are (or were) Jews!
To learn about these and many more AmazingJews, watch a compilation put together by JewOfTheWeek.net in 2015 and posted on YouTube. >>
Nobel Prizes
Although Jews are less than two-tenths of one percent of the world’s population, more than 20% of Nobel Prize winners have been Jewish. Source: Google
Polio Vaccine
Millions and millions of people worldwide have been spared the ravages of poliomyelitis — including paralysis and even death — thanks to research conducted by Jewish scientist Dr. Jonas Salk and his team. The Salk vaccine entered widespread use in the U.S. in 1955. Source: Wikipedia
Miss Liberty
The words “…give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” on the Statue of Liberty were written by Emma Lazarus, a Jew. Source: BuzzFeed
Blue Jeans
Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Germany, invented his blue jeans in 1873. Source: BuzzFeed
Start-Up Nation
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world. It has the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women and people over 55 in the world. Source: BuzzFeed