Then and Now

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The guidelines I set out for this hub were "artistes who'd been stars during the 60's or 70's and were still active stars today." The candidates were seemingly infinite: If I'd chosen to include, say, music, I was bombarded with options: Ozzy Osbourne, who started with Black Sabbath (remember "Iron Man"?); Steve Winwood who, at the age of 15, joined a band called Spencer Davis Group and provided them with two classic hits, "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm A Man;" Tina Turner - need I say more?; Eric Clapton. And the possibilities went on...

The same was true if I'd chosen to include movie stars: Haley Joel Osment (OK, not a star during the 60's or 70's, but an incredible talent), Goldie Hawn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster. Simply listing them all would be an entire hub in itself. So I stuck with the original guide lines which inspired this hub in the first place, and proved to be more challenging - (especially where female actors are concerned): "Television stars of the 60's or 70's whom also had a current popular TV series." I had to exclude Ted Levine, who portrays Capt. Stottlemeyer in the crime drama series Monk (I recognized this guy the second I heard his unique voice), and who portrayed Jame "Buffalo Bob" Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs: "It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again..." Wow! Scary, creepy, brilliant... but not a TV series of the 60's or 70's.

Anyway, the first entry is the actor who inspired this hub. Do you recognize him?

(Hubbers: Finding actors, and especially actresses, who fit this category has been difficult. If you know of any not included in this hub, please let me know. Remember: Popular TV series of the 60's or 70's and a current - recurring roles, talk show host and animation counts - popular TV series).

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David McCallum

Because I watched The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (created by Ian Fleming and starring Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo) when I was a kid I recognized this guy immediately. He was the U.N.C.L.E. secret agent/spy Ilya Kuryakin, but he currently plays Donald "Ducky" Mallard (did they really name the character "Donald Duck"?) on N.C.I.S., the classy, brilliant, old-school Chief Medical Examiner, and long-time BFF to main character Jethro Leroy Gibbs. Although I like all the characters on this show (a rarity for me), I especially enjoy watching Ducky and Abby, the incredibly cute, Goth Forensic Specialist portrayed by Pauley Perrette. They're the interesting ones.

McCallum's other projects include appearances in Sci-Fi's Sapphire & Steel, The invisible Man, seaQuest DSV and Babylon 5 (this show had some of the best writing and acting I've ever seen in a sci-fi series). He narrated two acclaimed documentaries about the Titanic; "Death of a Dream" and "The Legend Lives On" for A&E Television Networks.

David McCallum was born David Keith McCallum Jr. in Glasgow, Scotland in 1933. He was married to Jill Ireland from 1957 to 1967, and has been married to Katherine Carpenter ever since. They have a son, Peter, and a daughter, Sophie.

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Sally Field

Superstar Sally Field had two - count 'em, two! - hit TV shows during the 60's: Gidget 1965-1966; and The Flying Nun 1967-1970. I don't remember ever watching Gidget, but I do remember The Flying Nun. Her current TV success also includes two (I won't do it again, promise) hit TV shows: the critically acclaimed drama Brothers & Sisters, in which she plays matriarch Nora Walker to a younger ensemble cast which includes Rob Lowe and Calista Flockhart, and a recurring role as Maggie Wyczenski on the Medical drama ER.

Field's show business resume is long, impressive and spans television and movies:

• Sybil
• Norma Rae
• Home for the Holidays
• Smokey & the Bandit
• Places in the Heart
• Homeward Bound (1 and 2)
• Mrs. Doubtfire
• Forrest Gump
• From the Earth to the Moon
• Steel Magnolias

I could go on... and on, but you get the picture. Not only does the woman never seem to age, she never seems to stop, either.

Sally Field was born in 1946 in Pasadena, California, has two ex-husbands, a  long list of at least thirteen awards ("You like me, you really like me!" sorry, Sally, couldn't resist), including awards for performances in both of her current TV shows, AND (whew!) is not only an actress, but a producer, director and screenwriter as well. Way to over-achieve, Ms. Field!

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Adam West

I was so young when I was watching the surprise mega-hit Batman, the original TV series, that I didn't realize it was a cheesy, campy, tongue-in-cheek send-up of a DC comics character. With a theme song based around a guitar hook reminiscent of early spy flicks and surf music, Batman featured some of the funnest and most imaginative "villians" ever to lurk across the TV screen. And Mr. West played it up for all it was worth.

West currently gives voice to Mayor West in the animated series Family Guy, a role in which he plays an exaggerated and demented version of himself... ("Or does he?"). Mayor West is Mayor of the fictional city Quahog, a town which is home to some of the most outrageous characters television has ever allowed on prime time. TIP: Characters Stewie (the evil baby) and Brian (the intellectual talking dog) are the best reasons for watching this twisted cartoon.

(Check out Stewie and Brian, in the video at the end of this hub, in a performance at the 2007 Emmys. Good stuff!)

Adam West seems like he would be a fun guy to hang-out with: Warped sense of humor, never takes himself too seriously, pretty much up for anything (his movie resume is long and reads like the "What's Weird" list of cinema), the more outrageous the better. He was born in 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington and has been married to Marcelle Tagand Lear since 1971.

West has an impressive resume... except that it could easily double for a "name all the cheesy, B-movies" list. The man stays busy!  Rather than try to list them all, I'll just provide this link. Enjoy!

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Holland Taylor

From 1978 to 1979 Ms. Taylor portrayed the purely evil Denise Cananaugh on the daytime soap, The Edge of Night. Currently she is Evelyn Harper, the self-centered, well-to-do mother of Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and Alan (Jon Cryer) and grandmother to Jake (angus T. Jones) on the sitcom Two and a Half Men.

In between, Holland Taylor kept herself very busy doing Broadway, television and movies. She has five Outstanding Supporting and Guest Actress nominations, and an Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series Emmy for her guest work in The Practice in 1999.

Some of Holland Taylor's movie and television credits include:

• Romancing the Stone
• Kojak
• George of the Jungle
• Saved by the Bell
• The Truman Show
• Veronica's Closet
• Legally Blonde
• ER
• Spy Kids
• Monk

Holland Taylor was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Judd Hirsch

In 1978 a sitcom called Taxi made stars of its entire cast; Danny De Vito, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, and became household "must see" television. Taxi won eleven Emmys (including one for Ruth Gordon for Best Guest Actress in a Series) and two Golden Globes, and even more nominations,

Since portraying Alex Rieger on Taxi, Judd Hirsch has gone on to numerous television and movie projects, including:

• Ordinary People
• Dear John
• Independence Day
• Without a Trace
• A Beautiful Mind

Hirsch currrently portrays Alan Eppes, father to FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and mathematics genius Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) in the crime drama series Numb3rs. In its five seasons on the air, the series boasts the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science among its numerous awards.

Judd Hirsch was born in 1935 and is married to Bonnie Chalkin.

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William Shatner

In 1966, Gene Roddenberry gave us a groundbreaking TV series called Star Trek. In the three short years it was on television it made cultural icons of the entire cast and forever changed the world. Don't believe me? Watch History Channel's "How William Shatner Changed the World" and you'll hear the inventors of many of or techno gadgets, toys and "must haves" tell how their designs were inspired by Star Trek.

The most enduring member of the original Star Trek cast has been William Shatner. He keeps constantly busy with movies, television, commercials, music, Star Trek conventions, comic books, video games, Star Trek and Sci-fi books and an upcoming talk show, "Raw Nerve." This is a talk show I plan to check out! His current series is Boston Legal (possibly wrapping up this month), in which he plays Denny Crane with dark humor and shares the screen with the likes of James Spader and Candice Bergen.

Shatner was born in 1931 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and has been married to Elizabeth Anderson Martin since 2001. He has numerous awards (including Outstanding Supporting Actor for his current work), both good and bad, and a star on the Walk of Fame.

Shatner's resume is truly staggering: Check it out!

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Frances Fisher

Fisher made a name for herself in 1976 playing detective Deborah Saxon on The Edge of Night, but she now resides over Sci-Fi Channel's hi-tech fictional town Eureka, as Eva Thorne, a corporate fixer hired to make genius-rich more profitable.

Fisher's resume includes:

• The Guiding Light
• L.A. Story
• Striptease
• Titanic
• The Audrey Hepburn Story
• Laws of Attraction
• The Shield

Frances was the first choice to play Jill Taylor on the sitcom "Home Improvement," but was replaced by Patricia Richardson due to a lack of chemistry between her and Star Tim Allen.

She was born in 1952 in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England and was married to Billy Mack Hamilton from 1970 to 1972.

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Story and layout: LemonadeMultimedia