title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol's first film appearance was in the 1961 film "I Like Mike", followed by the 1963 Israeli film "El Dorado". His breakthrough role came as the lead character in the 1964 film "Sallah Shabati". Adapted for the screen by Ephraim Kishon from his original play, the social satire depicts the hardships of a Sephardic immigrant family in the rough conditions of ma'abarot, immigrant absorption camps in Israel in the 1950s, satirizing "just about every pillar of Israeli society: the Ashkenazi establishment, the pedantic bureaucracy, corrupt political parties, rigid kibbutz ideologues and ... the Jewish National Fund's tree-planting program". Topol, who was 29 during the filming, was familiar playing the role of the family patriarch, having performed skits from the play with his Nahal entertainment troupe during his army years. He contributed his own ideas for the part, playing the character as a more universal Mizrahi Jew instead of specifically a Yemenite, Iraqi, or Moroccan Jew, and asking Kishon to change the character's first name from Saadia (a recognizably Yemenite name) to Sallah (a more general Mizrahi name).


title: Chaim Topol

text: The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Topol won the 1964 Golden Gate Award for Best Actor at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the 1965 Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male, alongside Harve Presnell and George Segal. "Sallah Shabati" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, losing to the Italian-language "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow".


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 1966, Topol made his English-language film debut as Abou Ibn Kaqden in the Mickey Marcus biopic "Cast a Giant Shadow".


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol came to greatest prominence in his portrayal of Tevye the Dairyman on stage and screen. He first played the lead role in the Israeli production of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1966, replacing Shmuel Rodensky for 10 weeks when Rodensky fell ill. Harold Prince, producer of the original "Fiddler on the Roof" that opened on Broadway in 1964, had seen Topol in "Sallah Shabati" and called him to audition for the role of the fifty-something Tevye in a new production scheduled to open at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on February 16, 1967. Not yet fluent in English, Topol memorized the score from listening to the original Broadway cast album and practiced the lyrics with a British native. When Topol arrived at the audition, Prince was surprised that this 30-year-old man had played Shabati, a character in his sixties. Topol explained, "A good actor can play an old man, a sad face, a happy man. Makeup is not an obstacle". Topol also surprised the producers with his familiarity with the staging, since he had already acted in the Israeli production, and was hired. He spent six months in London learning his part phonetically with vocal coach Cicely Berry. Jerome Robbins, director and choreographer of the 1964 Broadway show who came over to direct the London production, "re-directed" the character of Tevye for Topol and helped the actor deliver a less caricatured performance. Topol's performance received positive reviews.


title: Chaim Topol

text: A few months after the opening, Topol was called up for reserve duty in the Six-Day War and returned to Israel. He was assigned to an army entertainment troupe on the Golan Heights. Afterward he returned to the London production, appearing in a total of 430 performances.


title: Chaim Topol

text: It was during the London run that he began being known by his last name only, as the English producers were unable to pronounce the voiceless uvular fricative consonant Ḥet at the beginning of his first name, Chaim, instead calling him "Shame".


title: Chaim Topol

text: In casting the 1971 film version of "Fiddler on the Roof", director Norman Jewison and his production team sought an actor other than Zero Mostel for the lead role. This decision was a controversial one, as Mostel had made the role famous in the long-running Broadway musical and wanted to star in the film. But Jewison and his team felt Mostel would eclipse the character with his larger-than-life personality. Jewison flew to London in February 1968 to see Topol perform as Tevye during his last week with the London production, and chose him over Danny Kaye, Herschel Bernardi, Rod Steiger, Danny Thomas, Walter Matthau, Richard Burton, and Frank Sinatra, who had also expressed interest in the part.


title: Chaim Topol

text: Then 36 years old, Topol was made to look 20 years older and heavier with makeup and costuming. As in his role as Shabati, Topol used the technique of "locking his muscles" to convincingly play an older character. He later explained:


title: Chaim Topol

text: As a young man, I had to make sure that I didn't break the illusion for the audience. You have to tame yourself. I'm now someone who is supposed to be 50, 60 years old. I cannot jump. I cannot suddenly be young. You produce a certain sound [in your voice] that is not young.


title: Chaim Topol

text: For his performance, Topol won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, the Sant Jordi Award for Best Performance in a Foreign Film, and the 1972 David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor, sharing the latter with Elizabeth Taylor. He was also nominated for the 1971 Academy Award for Best Actor, losing to Gene Hackman in "The French Connection".


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 1983 Topol reprised the role of Tevye in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof" in West End theatre. In 1989, he played the role in a 30-city U.S. touring production. As he was by then the approximate age of the character, he commented, "I didn't have to spend the energy playing the age". In 1990–1991, he again starred as Tevye in a Broadway revival of "Fiddler" at the Gershwin Theatre. In 1991, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, losing to Jonathan Pryce in "Miss Saigon". Topol again played Tevye in a 1994 London revival, which became a touring production. In that production, the role of one of his daughters was played by his own daughter, Adi Topol Margalith.


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol reprised the role of Tevye for a 1997–1998 touring production in Israel, as well as a 1998 show at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne. In September 2005 he returned to Australia for a "Fiddler on the Roof" revival at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, followed by an April 2006 production at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane and a June 2006 production at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. In May 2007, he starred in a production in the Auckland Civic Theatre.


title: Chaim Topol

text: On January 20, 2009, Topol began a farewell tour of "Fiddler on the Roof" as Tevye, opening in Wilmington, Delaware. He was forced to withdraw from the tour in Boston owing to a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Theodore Bikel and Harvey Fierstein, both of whom had portrayed Tevye on Broadway. Topol estimated that he performed the role more than 3,500 times.


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 2014, he appeared in "Raising the Roof", a 50th anniversary tribute to "Fiddler" at New York City's Town Hall produced by National Yiddish Theatre. The evening featured Chita Rivera, Joshua Bell, Sheldon Harnick, Andrea Martin, Jerry Zaks, and more, and was co-directed by Gary John La Rosa and Erik Liberman.


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 1976, Topol played the lead role of the baker, Amiable, in the new musical "The Baker's Wife", but was fired after eight months by producer David Merrick. In her autobiography, Patti LuPone, his co-star in the production, claimed that Topol had behaved unprofessionally on stage and had a strained relationship with her off-stage. The show's composer, Stephen Schwartz, claimed that Topol's behavior greatly disturbed the cast and directors and resulted in the production not reaching Broadway as planned. In 1988, Topol starred in the title role in "Ziegfeld" at the London Palladium. He returned to the London stage in 2008 in the role of Honoré, played by Maurice Chevalier in the 1958 film "Gigi".


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol appeared in more than 30 films in Israel and abroad. Among his notable English-language appearances are the title role in "Galileo" (1975), Dr. Hans Zarkov in "Flash Gordon" (1980), and Milos Columbo in the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). He was said to be Israel's "only internationally-recognized entertainer" in the 1960s through 1980s.


title: Chaim Topol

text: In Israel, Topol acted in and produced dozens of films and television series. As a voice artist, he dubbed the voice of Bagheera in the Hebrew-language versions of "The Jungle Book" and the 2003 sequel as well as Rubeus Hagrid in the first two films of the "Harry Potter" film series. He is also a playwright and screenwriter.


title: Chaim Topol

text: He was featured on two BBC One programs, the six-part series "Topol's Israel" (1985) and earlier "It's Topol" (1968). A Hebrew-language documentary of his life, "Chaim Topol – Life as a Film", aired on Israel's Channel 1 in 2011, featuring interviews with his longtime actor friends in Israel and abroad.


title: Chaim Topol

text: A baritone, Topol recorded several singles and albums, including film soundtracks, children's songs, and Israeli war songs. His albums include "Topol With Roger Webb And His Orchestra - Topol '68" (1967), "Topol Sings Israeli Freedom Songs" (1967), "War Songs By Topol" (1968), and "Topol's Israel" (1984). He appeared on the soundtrack album for the film production of "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971), the London cast album (1967); and the television production of "The Going Up Of David Lev" (2010).


title: Chaim Topol

text: His autobiography, "Topol by Topol", was published in London by Weindenfel and Nicholson (1981). He also authored "To Life!" (1994) and "Topol's Treasury of Jewish Humor, Wit and Wisdom" (1995).


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol has illustrated approximately 25 books in both Hebrew and English. He has also produced drawings of Israeli national figures. His sketches of Israeli presidents were reproduced in a 2013 stamp series issued by the Israel Philatelic Federation, as was his self-portrait as Tevye for a 2014 commemorative stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Broadway debut of "Fiddler on the Roof".


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 1967, Topol founded Variety Israel, an organization serving children with special needs. He is also a co-founder and chairman of the board of Jordan River Village, a year-round camp for Arab and Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses, which opened in 2012.


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol was a recipient of Israel's Kinor David award in arts and entertainment in 1964. He received a Best Actor award from the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his performance in the 1972 film "Follow Me!" In 2008, he was named an Outstanding Member of the Israel Festival for his contribution to Israeli culture.


title: Chaim Topol

text: In 2014, the University of Haifa conferred upon Topol an honorary degree in recognition of his 50 years of activity in Israel's cultural and public life. In 2015, he received the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement.


title: Chaim Topol

text: Topol married Galia Finkelstein in October 1956. They have one son and two daughters. The couple resides in Galia's childhood home in Tel Aviv. Topol's hobbies include sketching and sculpting. In June 2022, Topol's son, Omer, revealed that his father suffers from Alzheimer's disease.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, (; ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusaynī (March 23, 1078February 21, 1166), was a Sunni Muslim preacher, ascetic, mystic, jurist, and theologian belonging to the Hanbali school, and the eponymous founder of the Qadiriyya tariqa (Sufi order) of Sufism. The Qadiriyya tariqa is named after him.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: He was born on March 23, 1078 (1 Ramdhan 470 AH) in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Iran, and died on February 21, 1166 (11 Rabi' al-Thani 561 AH), in Baghdad.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: The honorific "Muhiyudin" denotes his status with many Sufis as a "reviver of religion". Gilani (Arabic "al-Jilani") refers to his place of birth, Gilan. However, Gilani also carried the epithet "Baghdadi", referring to his residence and burial in Baghdad.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: Gilani's father, Abu Saleh, was from a Hasanid Sayyid lineage, tracing his descent from Hasan ibn Ali, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Abu Saleh was respected as a saint by the people of his day, and was known as "Jangi Dost" (lit. "fight-lover" in Farsi) in the Iranic-speaking world, which was originally his father's sobriquet. Gilani's mother, Ummul Khair Fatima, was also a Sayyid, but of the Husaynid branch having been a descendant of Muhammad al-Jawad, who was said to be descended from Husayn ibn Ali, the younger brother of Hasan.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: Gilani spent his early life in Gilan, the province of his birth. In 1095, he went to Baghdad. There, he pursued the study of Hanbali law under Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi and ibn Aqil. He studied Hadith with Abu Muhammad Ja'far al-Sarraj. His Sufi spiritual instructor was Abu'l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas. After completing his education, Gilani left Baghdad. He spent twenty-five years wandering in the deserts of Iraq.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: Gilani belonged to the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools of law. He placed Shafi'i jurisprudence (fiqh) on an equal footing with the Hanbali school (madhhab), and used to give fatwa according to both of them simultaneously. This is why al-Nawawi praised him in his book entitled "Bustan al-'Arifin" (Garden of the Spiritual Masters), saying: "We have never known anyone more dignified than Baghdad's Sheikh Muhyi al-Din 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him, the Sheikh of Shafi'is and Hanbalis in Baghdad".


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: In 1127, Gilani returned to Baghdad and began to preach to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the school belonging to his teacher, al-Mazkhzoomi, and was popular with students. In the morning he taught hadith and tafsir, and in the afternoon he discoursed on the science of the heart and the virtues of the Quran. He was said to have been a convincing preacher and converted numerous Jews and Christians. He was able to reconcile the mystical nature of Sufism with the sober demands of Islamic Law.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: Gilani died on February 21, 1166 (11 Rabi' al-Thani 561 AH). His body was entombed in a shrine within his madrasa in Babul-Sheikh, Rusafa on the east bank of the Tigris in Baghdad, Iraq.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: During the reign of the Safavid Shah Ismail I, Gilani's shrine was destroyed. However, in 1535, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent had a dome built over the shrine, which still exists.


title: Abdul Qadir Gilani

text: 11 Rabi' al-Thani is celebrated as Gilani's death anniversary. Some scholars give 29 Sha'ban and 17 Rabi' al-Thani as his birth and death days respectively. In the Indian subcontinent, his ‘urs, or death anniversary, is called Giyarwee Sharif, or Honoured Day.


title: Beast Boy

text: Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who possesses the ability to metamorph into any animal he chooses. The character first appeared in "The Doom Patrol" #99 (November 1965) and is usually depicted as a member of the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy has appeared in numerous cartoon television shows and films, including as one of the Teen Titans in Cartoon Network's eponymous series, voiced by Greg Cipes. Gar Logan makes his live adaptation debut in the DC Universe and HBO Max series "Titans", played by Ryan Potter.


title: Beast Boy

text: The first DC Comics shapeshifter named Beast Boy, unrelated to Garfield Logan, first appeared in the "Legion of Super-Heroes" feature in "Adventure Comics" #324 (September 1964). He was one of the young super-heroes of the planet Lallor, who turned villain and was killed off in #339 (December 1965), just after Garfield Logan's first appearance in the November 1965 issue of "Doom Patrol". This Beast Boy was allowed a last-minute reformation and heroic death.


title: Beast Boy

text: Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, the Garfield Logan with whom readers would become more familiar made his first appearance in "Doom Patrol" #99 (November 1965).


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy started out as an impolite teen who spoke his mind and wouldn't do what he was told. Drake explained that "we wanted to have a character who could assume many different animal forms, and also wanted a kid in the strip, someone the kids could relate to. They were starting to talk back to their elders. They were starting to make their elders "earn" their respect. So Beast Boy was an attempt to picture what I thought was happening among some of the young people."


title: Beast Boy

text: As a young child, Garfield Logan lived with his scientist parents in Africa, who were developing "reverse evolution" to bring back extinct creatures. He received a certain amount of abuse from his parents, consequently becoming increasingly reclusive. Garfield contracted a rare illness called Sakutia, which is lethal to every species except the West African green monkey. To save his life, his father used an untested science experiment to change him into a West African green monkey for 24 hours so that the virus could die out. The serum had the unintended effect of permanently turning his skin, eyes, and hair green and granting him the ability to metamorph into any animal of his choice, which also shared his pigmentation. His parents later died in a boating accident; to this day, Garfield believes he could have prevented their deaths. After he is rescued from two kidnappers who forced him to use his powers to help them in their crimes, Garfield is left under the care of a court-appointed guardian, the despicable Nicholas Galtry. Galtry realizes that his embezzlement from the Logan estate will be exposed when Garfield reaches maturity and receives his inheritance, and thus plots to kill Garfield. The villains he hires to kill Garfield are stopped by the Doom Patrol; Elasti-Girl and her husband Steve Dayton expose Galtry's embezzlement and adopt Garfield. Garfield later joins the Doom Patrol. His uniform includes a purple cowl, and he takes the code name Beast Boy. During his tenure with the Doom Patrol, Garfield has a romantic relationship with a girl from his high school named Jillian Jackson. After he saves her from Galtry (then using the alias "Arsenal"), the relationship dissolves. Later, Beast Boy is deeply affected by the deaths of the Doom Patrol.


title: Beast Boy

text: He later uses both his lime green skin and shape-shifting powers to play an extraterrestrial character on a science-fiction television series, "Space Trek: 2020", but it is soon cancelled due to lawsuits from both "Star Trek" and "". During its run, Garfield joins the West Coast team of the Teen Titans (known as Titans West) and is later part of the New Teen Titans assembled by Dick Grayson (Robin) and Raven. By this time, Garfield has taken the name Changeling. This name change is not explained until a later flashback revealed that a new version of an old Doom Patrol enemy, the Arsenal (from "DP" #113, August 1967), the identity this time assumed by Gar's ex-guardian Nicholas Galtry, mocked the name "Beast Boy" so much that he ruined it for him. He remains with various incarnations of the team and forms a close friendship with Cyborg.


title: Beast Boy

text: Garfield's character is often used as comic relief through his joking and "wise cracking". However, this is only a facade, as he uses humour to hide a deep inner pain. Logan has suffered many hardships in his life, some described previously. Other notable incidents include; during his time with the New Teen Titans, Garfield's stepfather was discovered to have been driven mad by the helmet which was central to his powers, and when Garfield fell in love with Terra, a girl with earth-manipulating powers and fellow Teen Titans member, who turned out to be a spy working for the assassin Deathstroke the Terminator and who is eventually killed. Despite all his struggles, Garfield is friendly, humorous and upbeat. Like most of the other founding members of the New Teen Titans (including Nightwing), he considers the group to be his family and the people to whom he will always be closest. Though he often grapples with being taken seriously and an inferiority complex, Garfield loves and trusts his former teammates completely.


title: Beast Boy

text: Seeking to resume his acting career, Changeling leaves the Titans and moves to Los Angeles in order to live with his screenwriter cousin Matt. Failing to find any serious work, Gar attempts to clear his name after having been framed for a series of murders around the city. He eventually discovers that the real culprit is Gemini, the daughter of his old Doom Patrol foe Madame Rouge. Blaming Gar for her mother's death, Gemini reveals that she has hired a pair of mercenaries known as Fear and Loathing to kidnap Tim Bender and Vicky Valiant, Gar's former "Space Trek: 2020" co-stars. With the bound and gagged actors in tow, Gemini attempts to flee, only to be defeated by the combined might of Beast Boy (who had decided to return to this code name at this time) and his former Titans West teammate Bette Kane. Once again in the public eye, Gar decides to ignore his newfound celebrity status and resume his superhero career. Along with Bette and Matt, Gar purchases a new apartment. While accompanying Bette to Tokyo for a tennis match, Gar is possessed by a Tengu, but is freed by Japanese superhero Bushido. Following a failed attempt to recreate "Titans West" as "Titans L.A.", as recounted in "Titans Secret Files" #2 (October 2000), Garfield rejoins the main team.


title: Beast Boy

text: Following the apparent death of Donna Troy, the Titans and Young Justice both disband. Moving back to San Francisco, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy decide to form a new team of Teen Titans, acting as mentors to the former members of Young Justice. During the events of the Infinite Crisis, Beast Boy assembles a team of past and present Titans to battle Superboy-Prime. Despite a valiant effort, the Titans are easily defeated by the impossibly powerful Superboy-Prime.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy is present as a member of the team during the events of the 2005–2006 storyline "Infinite Crisis".


title: Beast Boy

text: In the 2006 - 2007 weekly series "52", following the death of Superboy, Wonder Girl and Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire leave the team, and Beast Boy takes the role of leader. Beast Boy recruits new Titan members, but the new teenage superheroes are more interested in their fame than seeking true justice. When Steel calls the Titans for help, most of the Titans abandons the team, leaving only Beast Boy, Raven, and Zatara. Beast Boy manages to recruit Aquagirl, and Offspring, and the new team aid Steel on a raid on Lexcorp. Beast Boy also participated in World War III. Due to Beast Boy's effort, the Teen Titans returns to its normal state after Wonder Girl and Robin's return.


title: Beast Boy

text: While the events of "Infinite Crisis" unfold, details of Beast Boy's life "One Year Later" are revealed in the current Teen Titans comic book. "Teen Titans" vol. 3 #34 (May 2006) shows scenes from the year between the conclusion of Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, from the damaged Cyborg's POV. Garfield leads the Teen Titans, before quitting the team following his breakup with Raven. He then rejoins his original team, the Doom Patrol, saying that the team doesn't need his help and that Robin can handle leadership. He is also feeling uneasy about remaining in a team without Cyborg. After Cyborg awakens, Beast Boy and the rest of the Doom Patrol help the Titans fight off the Brotherhood of Evil, who have managed to clone the Brain. The clone is a failure, however, and Monsieur Mallah ends up tearing his head off so that he can preserve his master's brain.


title: Beast Boy

text: After returning, Beast Boy is infuriated to discover that the Chief has been manipulating them and trying to do the same to Kid Devil. Garfield and his partners stand up to the Chief and make him step down as the Doom Patrol's leader. Beast Boy stays with his old team, saying that they still need him; however, he does answer a call from Raven to help the Titans combat Titans East. Raven later hints that she still loves Garfield and offers to help him heal after the battle with Deathstroke, but Garfield remains uncertain.


title: Beast Boy

text: In "Titans" vol. 2 #1 (2008), Gar is attacked by Trigon, who floods his room with fire and brimstone. In retaliation, Gar joins the new Titans team, wearing a costume similar to his old Changeling uniform. In later issues, the group is attacked by the Children of Trigon, who use Garfield's suppressed anger and rage against Raven, who is also affected in the same manner. The two attack the other, but the fight is eventually broken up when the Titans begin to recover from the attack.


title: Beast Boy

text: Raven's three half-brothers then use her and Gar, transforming him into a demonic beast, to act as keys to open a portal to Trigon's realm. Raven uses her own power to influence greed in others to make her half-brothers steal what little power Trigon had left. The portal is closed, and Trigon's sons, believing they have gained great power, leave the scene, returning Gar to normal.


title: Beast Boy

text: Following this, the team has settled themselves down at Titans Tower (supposedly the New York base), where they attempt to recover from recent events. Raven and Beast Boy go out together on a "not-a-date". During this, Raven reveals that since she faced her brothers, she has begun to feel as if she is losing control and slipping back under the thrall of her father's powers. Although Beast Boy rejects the idea, he is blind-sided as Raven gives in to her darker side, under the influence of her half-brothers' coaxing. Using her teleporting powers, she and the Sons of Trigon vanish, leaving a distraught Beast Boy behind to warn the others.


title: Beast Boy

text: The Titans are later able to save Raven, using a gem that she had entrusted to Donna Troy. The gem carried a piece of her pure-soul self, which then cleansed the evil of Raven. Afterwards, Raven gave Beast Boy and the rest of the team similar magical items in case she should ever be corrupted again. Raven later turns down Beast Boy's attempts to reconcile completely as a couple, although there are hints that she deeply regrets this but views it as a necessity for Beast Boy's safety.


title: Beast Boy

text: After Beast Boy is once again rejected by Raven, Cyborg gives him a talk about his need to act like a clown while around his old friends, telling him that if he ever wants to get on with his life, he needs to forget about the past and move forward. Still depressed, Gar goes to San Francisco after being asked to fill in for Owlman at a superhero convention. After causing a scene by attacking a man dressed in a Deathstroke mask, Gar leaves the convention in a huff, only to stumble upon a massive battle between the Teen Titans and Cinderblock. Despite protests from the team's struggling leader Wonder Girl, Beast Boy shows true leadership by saving the life of Bombshell and stopping Static from making a suicidal charge against the seemingly unbreakable villain. With Beast Boy's help, the Teen Titans defeat Cinderblock, with Gar leaving and telling them to take all the credit. Upon returning home, Beast Boy decides to take Cyborg's advice about moving forward, resolving to move to San Francisco and take over the leadership of the Teen Titans.


title: Beast Boy

text: During the events of the 2009–2010 storyline "Blackest Night", Beast Boy faces Terra again after she is reanimated as a Black Lantern. She attempts to lull him into a false sense of security, but Gar ultimately attacks her and severs her arm after her fellow Lanterns attack the other Titans.


title: Beast Boy

text: After the Blackest Night ends, Beast Boy and Wonder Girl lead the Titans to the city of Dakota after Static is kidnapped by a metahuman crime lord named Holocaust. Throughout the rescue mission, Beast Boy and Wonder Girl clash over who is actually running the team, with Gar even going so far as to call Cyborg (who is now a member of the Justice League) for help behind Cassie's back. During the final battle with Holocaust, Cyborg arrives with Superboy and Kid Flash in tow, and, close to defeat, Holocaust desperately tries to kill all of the Titans by using his pyrokinetic abilities to burn the building they are in to the ground. Beast Boy ultimately rescues his teammates by transforming into a mythical phoenix, with Cyborg later telling him how proud he is of him.


title: Beast Boy

text: In the final issue of this incarnation of the Titans, Superboy-Prime and his Legion of Doom attack Titan's Tower. Raven stops Kid Flash just before he can kill Inertia. Then she reveals her soul-self to Headcase, terrifying and defeating him. After the Legion of Doom is defeated and Superboy-Prime is bound to the Source Wall, Beast Boy and Raven have a talk about her difficulty in reading Solstice's emotions, and their encounter with Headcase. Eventually, Raven starts to open up about her true feelings. While it was her inner darkness that scarred her entire life, she was even more frightened of what her love for Beast Boy might cause her to do. Beast Boy makes it clear he doesn't want to escape from any part of her. Touched, Raven decides that she needs to embrace the positive feelings inside her rather than just her negative ones. Beast Boy assures her this is part of being human, and points out, "I think you've worried enough about the bad...so why don't we focus on the good for a change?" With that, they share a heartfelt kiss to renew their relationship and ultimately embrace their love for each other.


title: Beast Boy

text: In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Garfield is first reintroduced through a passing reference in "Red Hood and the Outlaws" #1. The reference includes Cyborg, Garth, Nightwing, Lilith and a new unseen character named Dustin, who are established to be members of a team that Starfire seemingly no longer remembers.


title: Beast Boy

text: The first appearance of Beast Boy in The New 52 shows him as a member of the new superhero team The Ravagers, led by Caitlin Fairchild. Beast Boy is red instead of his traditional color green. The decision to change Beast Boy to the color red was because of a relation to "The Red", the extradimensional power source of Animal Man's abilities, and while it wasn't revealed how the change occurred, it can be assumed it was due to the experiments done to Beast Boy and the hundreds of young metahumans held captive by the shadowy organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E.. Also in the Ravagers team are Terra, Thunder and Lightning and a new character Ridge. In The New 52, the Ravagers are a group of super-powered teens who have escaped the plans of Harvest in The Culling. The team was formed after the Teen Titans and the Legionnaires stuck in the present day were abducted by Harvest, and then later stopped the villain and escaped.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy and Terra develop a strong bond with each other during imprisonment in a place named The Colony, where Harvest forces super-powered teenagers to fight each other and undergo experiments in order to find the strongest among them. The selected few are intended as a team to serve the organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. in perfidy. It was in one of their experiments that Gar revealed his powers for the first time in The New 52 continuity. In this place Beast Boy is defended by Terra from being attacked by other super-powered prisoners, returning the favor later when Terra is in danger.


title: Beast Boy

text: Once free of the Colony, Terra and Beast Boy separated from the rest of their fellow Ravagers, hiding together in a cave. Later Beast Boy started having nightmares with the remaining Ravagers all covered with blood. It was later revealed that the one causing his nightmares was Brother Blood as he was targeting the one who could be used as a key to his master gain access to The Red. Due to his connection with The Red, Beast Boy was the only one who could sense the evil intents of Brother Blood and therefore the key Blood was looking for. After sensing his presence, Beast Boy convinced Terra to help the remaining Ravagers who were captured by Blood to be used as a sacrifice in his ritual and they eventually manage to stop and defeat Blood.


title: Beast Boy

text: After those events Fairchild led the team to a place in Los Angeles. There the team is confronted by Superboy and Niles Caulder. Caulder is introduced as a long time known of Fairchild and is also implied that Caulder has known Beast Boy although their connection has not been explored. Later Fairchild and Caulder introduces the team to a deep underground science & engineering facility, which provides headquarters and combat training for the team in their campaign against the organization of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. as meanwhile Harvest has sent Rose Wilson and Warblade to recapture them.


title: Beast Boy

text: As the series progresses Beast Boy and Terra start developing romantic feelings for each other as Beast Boy finally finds someone who cared for him in the middle of the countless tortures and painful experiments he has suffered back in the Colony. Later Terra opens up her feelings for Gar teasing him: "Why in the world haven't you tried to kiss me yet?" as they share a passionate kiss. After the kiss they become a couple.


title: Beast Boy

text: With Rose and Warblade having difficulties in capturing the Ravagers, Harvest makes a deal with Deathstroke to hunt down the Ravagers and attack each one using a special weapon called the Abeo Blade. Succeeding in invading Caulder's place, Deathstroke manages to "kill" Ridge (in his human form - a child), Caulder himself, Thunder and Lightning using the weapon, and also cuts Warblade's head off. As Deathstroke chooses an already injured Beast Boy as his next victim, a desperate Terra tries to stop him in fear of losing Gar. But her attempt falls short as she is stabbed and burned by Deathstroke's Abeo Blade. As a horrified Garfield sees Terra burning right before his eyes, pure rage takes command of him as he transforms into a werewolf and delivers Deathstroke a hard blow in the face which tears off his mask and bloodies his nose and mouth. Still in berserk state Beast Boy turns into a dinosaur and lashes at Deathstroke, causing the support beam to collapse and bury him in a pile of rubble. After that Deathstroke leaves an unconscious and bloodied Beast Boy on the ground believing that he is dead. After the battle with Beast Boy, Deathstroke proceeds and stabs Rose and then Fairchild with the Abeo Blade finishing his job. Later it is revealed that the Abeo Blade was not a weapon meant to but instead a teleportation device, sending Terra, Rose and the other Ravagers except Beast Boy back to the Colony once again. As part of the deal Harvest gives Rose and Terra to Deathstroke.


title: Beast Boy

text: As an almost dead Beast Boy is left on the remains of the facility he is approached by Raven. After being touched by her, Beast Boy awakens and when he asks if Harvest has sent her she apologizes stating that she brought him into the fray much sooner than she expected and completes: "Hush. We are birds of a feather now... You are mine to control" as Raven mind-controls him and teleports them to New York, where she uses him as her minion in the battle of her father Trigon and the Teen Titans. Beast Boy, under Raven's influence, pulls the Titans and Psimon away from the fight. When Psimon kills the police reinforcements, Beast Boy sees it and squeezes him, resulting the both of them to cancel out each other's powers and rendering them unconscious.


title: Beast Boy

text: After regaining consciousness Beast Boy sides with the Titans in their fight against Trigon and his sons in New York City.


title: Beast Boy

text: Succeeding their first encounter and battle against Trigon, Beast Boy decides to leave the group to assist Bunker who decides to see his recently awaken boyfriend who was in coma.


title: Beast Boy

text: After the departure of the two, the Titans confront Johnny Quick, a member of the Crime Syndicate to arrive from Earth-3 at the conclusion of the "Trinity War" event. As a result, the Titans got separated and tossed in the time stream. Due to this, Red Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy were sent 20 years in the future and Red Robin decides to lead the rest to the Batcave of the future to get answers. They get there only to see that almost everything in there is destroyed, including the deaths of Batman and Alfred. Then the group is suddenly teleported to the Justice League Watchtower where Garfield, now labeled as Beast Man (and green), confronts them and informs that he is the last Justice Leaguer standing. He also shows the others that he along with Rose Wilson, are training superpowered teenagers to become a team themselves. In a private conversation with Red Robin, Gar reveals the events that led to the situation of this future is Jon Lane Kent (the son of Superman and Lois Lane of this timeline) went on rampage killing all metahumans, also states that Superboy is the clone of Jon Lane Kent, and finally tells Red Robin that his future self entrusted on him as Garfield was able to know his name, a thing that no other Titan knew, and that was all part of future Tim's plan to use Garfield as the source of this information for his past self, so he might be able to change the course of the future. After that Garfield with Rose's help, rescue an injured and unconscious Jon Lane, due to a clash with Kon. Now with Jon Lane treated but still unconscious, even though Gar and Rose express their desire to kill him for all the things he has done, they put in action a plan that involves changing the places of Kon and Jon Lane as the Superboy, dressing the latter in a copy of Kon's costume as another attempt to avoid those terrible events from happening again. With the return of Red Robin and Wonder Girl, now with Raven at their side, the plan is fulfilled as the three Titans departed with Jon Lane instead of Kon. Right after they leave, Rose questions Garfield if it was the right thing to do, after stating that he puts "way too much faith in the Titans", like he has always been which Gar responds: "I damn well hope so Rose. I damn well hope so". It is also revealed that in this timeline Rose and Garfield are wife and husband and their daughter named Red, is one of the teens in training.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy once again joins the Teen Titans led by Damian Wayne along with Starfire, Raven, and Kid Flash.


title: Beast Boy

text: Following and Justice League: No Justice, the breaching of the Source Wall causes the powers of many of Earth's metahuman population to become erratic. In Beast Boy's case, he occasionally transforms into a monstrous, hulking version of himself, often going on rampages until he can regain his senses. Wanting to assist other metahumans affected by the Source Wall like himself, he joins Nightwing's new incarnation of the Titan's, joining with Raven, Miss Martian, Donna Troy, and Steel. Following a confrontation between the Titans and Mother Blood, Beast Boy gains control over his new transformation.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy has the ability to morph and transform into "any" animal that he has seen himself or has seen in an illustration (as is the case when he shapeshifts into an animal such as an extinct dinosaur). These transformations take only 1 second and Beast Boy has demonstrated that he is capable of rapidly changing his form with little or no effort expended. As a corollary to this power, he can transform back into his default form if an external force, like magic, transforms him into an animal. His power enables him to completely alter his body mass, being able to take the shape of animals far larger and heavier than himself, such as an elephant, a hippopotamus, or a "Tyrannosaurus rex" (though until recent stories, such larger forms would physically exhaust him), or smaller and lighter animals such as mice, arachnids and insects. As a result of his rapidly changing genetic structure and mass, Beast Boy has an increased healing factor comparable to that of the Creeper and Deathstroke, allowing him to heal from bullet wounds, burns, and broken bones in a matter of seconds, and in some story lines regrow entire limbs. He cannot change or return to a form if the space he occupies is too small and he cannot normally break through confines (as seen when he attempts to transform into a Tyrannosaurus Rex underneath a bridge and hits his head, instantly aborting the transformation). His power also enables him to radically alter his body structure and take forms of animals without limbs, like snakes, or those without skeletons like a jellyfish. In two notable instances, he has even taken the form of multiple individuals simultaneously (once as a swarm of fireflies, and again as a mass of barnacles). In another comic he was seen to take on the form of what appeared to be a green version of Beast from X-Men.


title: Beast Boy

text: Beast Boy's transformations have not been limited to Earth life forms. When on a rescue mission in the Vegan system to free Starfire, he easily transformed into a Gordanian, one of the green-skinned alien warriors native to the system, in order to sneak Robin and Cyborg onto a warship. In the "Who is Wonder Girl?" story arc, he was able to infiltrate another alien world after being shown a green-skinned creature native to the planet; he had some difficulty with this change, claiming that Earth-animal forms he knew instinctively, but was successful in the transformation. When he pursued Madame Rouge in revenge for her role in killing his foster mother, Rita Farr, he began transforming into creatures that do not even exist, products of his subconscious rage against the villainess.


title: Beast Boy

text: While an animal, he gains all of the physical abilities, attributes, and characteristics of said animal, such as greatly enhanced superhuman strength (a gorilla), superhuman speed (a cheetah), and enhanced durability (a turtle), and abilities such as flight (various birds), and aquatic breathing (various fish). He can even gain the specific poisons and toxins produced by specific snakes. He also gains the ability to survive or otherwise live in the same hostile environments some animals can, as seen in one comic where he morphs into a parasitic worm to become resistant to the stomach acid and immune system of Brother Blood when he dived into the villain's intestinal tract to retrieve Raven's chakra. While in animal form, Beast Boy retains his human intellect, memories, and the ability to speak. No matter what form he takes, his skin, hair, and eyes remain green, making most of his animal forms easy to distinguish from real animals of that species. (In the DC-Marvel crossover with the X-Men, his attempt to infiltrate Darkseid's forces and stop him from recreating Dark Phoenix, was frustrated by the fact that Darkseid's minions are not green.) In the early comics, his coloration would change to that appropriate to the animal form he had taken, with only his head remaining green.


title: Beast Boy

text: When Raven implanted Garfield with an evil seed of her father Trigon, he began to transform into more demon-like creatures. Eventually, he found himself more comfortable in these horrific shapes than as a human, and stayed shifted. After becoming completely corrupted by the evil seed, he was used by Raven and Trigon, but eventually returned to normal. "Titans" vol. 4 #4 reveals that a small part of that seed still remains within him, which Trigon's sons manipulate, using the demonic energies to open the portal to Trigon's realm.


title: Beast Boy

text: According to Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the reason Garfield is never seen shapeshifting into other humans, although his powers should allow it, is because any human he turns into would be green and there would be no point for him to use that ability unless he was turning into someone like the Hulk.


title: Beast Boy

text: In the series "Tales of the Teen Titans", it's implied that Garfield also has unexplored psionic abilities. Although Mento's psionic helmet is only capable of amplifying its user's psionic abilities, Garfield was shown to successfully use it to trick the Teen Titans into perceiving him as Slade.


title: Beast Boy

text: He maintains great proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, and is capable of defeating well-trained hand-to-hand fighters, though he's not considered to be at a level comparable to Batman or Deathstroke.


title: Beast Boy

text: At one point, he has displayed an ability to read lips, which he used to discover an assassination plot that Galtry devised against him.


title: Lewis Arquette

text: Lewis Michael Arquette (December 14, 1935 – February 10, 2001) was an American film actor, writer, and producer. Arquette was known for playing J.D. Pickett on the television series "The Waltons", on which he worked from 1978 to 1981.


title: Lewis Arquette

text: Arquette was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mildred Nesbitt Le May and actor Cliff Arquette. He was related to explorer Meriwether Lewis, for whom he was named. His family's surname was originally "Arcouet", coming from his partial French-Canadian ancestry. His children are actors Patricia, Alexis, Rosanna, David, and Richmond Arquette. He is the former father-in-law of actress Courteney Cox, film composer James Newton Howard, and actors Thomas Jane and Nicolas Cage. Arquette frequently appeared in movies with his sons.


title: Lewis Arquette

text: While living in Chicago, Arquette managed The Second City theater for several years. In 1970, the family moved to a Subud commune (described by Patricia as a "hippie commune") in Front Royal, Virginia. His wife, Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Nowak), died in 1997 from breast cancer. She was Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust refugee from Poland, while Lewis Arquette, raised a Catholic, was a convert to Islam.


title: Lewis Arquette

text: Arquette died in Los Angeles, California on February 10, 2001 at the age of 65, due to congestive heart failure.


title: Anu Emmanuel

text: Anu Emmanuel (; born 28 March 1996) is an Indian actress born in the United States who appears in Telugu films alongside a few Tamil films.


title: Anu Emmanuel

text: She debuted as a heroine in the 2016 Malayalam film "Action Hero Biju". She made her Telugu debut with "Majnu" (2016), and went on to act in other Telugu films, like "Kittu Unnadu Jagratha" (2017), "Oxygen", and "Agnyaathavaasi" (2018). Emmanuel has also worked in Tamil films, making her debut with the suspense thriller "Thupparivaalan" (2017).


title: Anu Emmanuel

text: Anu Emmanuel was born on 28 March 1996 to a Malayali Christian Catholic family in Chicago, Illinois, United States. She is the daughter of Thankachan Emmanuel, a noted Malayalam film producer. Her family is settled in Dallas, Texas. She lived throughout the US and later moved to India to pursue acting. Malayali actress Reba Monica John is her cousin.


title: Anu Emmanuel

text: Emmanuel made her acting debut as lead in Nivin Pauly starrer "Action Hero Biju", directed by Abrid Shine. She made her Telugu debut with "Majnu" opposite to Nani. The film went on become a hit at box-office. During that time she was announced as the female lead in "Oxygen", alongside actor Gopichand in the lead. In 2017, She made her Tamil debut with "Thupparivaalan" alongside Vishal.


title: Anu Emmanuel

text: In 2018, she paired opposite to Pawan Kalyan in "Agnyaathavaasi". She played the lead role in "Shailaja Reddy Alludu" along with Naga Chaitanya and Ramya Krishna. She made a cameo appearance in "Geetha Govindam". She appeared in her second Tamil film "Namma Veetu Pillai" opposite to Sivakarthikeyan which became successful at the box-office.


title: Ben Elton

text: Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms "The Young Ones" and "Blackadder", as well as continuing as a stand-up comedian on stage and television. His style in the 1980s was left-wing political satire. Since then he has published 17 novels and written the musicals "The Beautiful Game" (2000), "We Will Rock You" (2002), "Tonight's the Night" (2003), and "Love Never Dies" (2010), the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera". His novels cover the dystopian, comedy, and crime genres.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton was born on 3 May 1959 at University College Hospital in Fitzrovia, London, the son of Mary (née Foster), an English teacher from Cheshire, and physicist and educational researcher Professor Lewis Elton. He is a nephew of the historian Sir Geoffrey Elton and a third cousin of singer Olivia Newton-John. Elton's father is from a German-Jewish family and Elton's mother, who was raised in the Church of England, is of English background.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton grew up in Catford, south London, before moving with his family to Guildford, Surrey in 1968, where he became involved in amateur dramatics groups. Reflecting on those times at an event in Guildford in 2013, Elton said:


title: Ben Elton

text: Raised in a loving non-religious home, he is an atheist. Elton studied at Stillness Junior School and Godalming Grammar School in Surrey, before leaving home at age 16 to study theatre at South Warwickshire College in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he took and passed A-levels in English, History and Theatre Studies. In 1977 he went to study Drama at the University of Manchester, where he met Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, and in 1980 he graduated with upper second-class honours.


title: Ben Elton

text: Upon university graduation in 1980, Elton joined the BBC and became their youngest ever scriptwriter.


title: Ben Elton

text: His first television appearance came in 1981 as a stand-up performer on the BBC1 youth and music programme "Oxford Road Show". His first TV success, at 23, came as co-writer of the television sitcom "The Young Ones", in which he occasionally appeared.


title: Ben Elton

text: In 1983/84 he wrote and appeared in Granada Television's sketch show "Alfresco", which was also notable for early appearances by Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane. In 1985, Elton produced his first solo script for the BBC with his comedy-drama series "Happy Families", starring Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson. Elton appeared in the fifth episode as a liberal prison governor. Shortly afterwards, he reunited Rik Mayall and Edmondson with their "Young Ones" co-star Nigel Planer for the showbiz send-up sitcom "Filthy, Rich and Catflap".


title: Ben Elton

text: In 1985 Elton began his writing partnership with Richard Curtis. Together they wrote "Blackadder II", "Blackadder the Third" (in one episode, Elton appeared as a bomb-wielding anarchist), "Blackadder Goes Forth" and a failed sitcom pilot for Madness. "Blackadder", starring Rowan Atkinson, was a worldwide hit, winning four BAFTAs and an Emmy.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton and Curtis were inspired to write "Blackadder Goes Forth" upon finding World War I to be apt for a situation comedy. This series, which dealt with greater, darker themes than prior "Blackadder" episodes, was praised for Curtis's and Elton's scripts, in particular the final episode. Before writing the series, the pair read about the war and found that:


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton and Curtis also wrote Atkinson's 1986 stage show "The New Revue", and Mr. Bean's "exam" episode.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton became a stand-up comedian primarily to showcase his own writing, but became one of Britain's biggest live comedy acts. After a regular slot on "Saturday Live" – later moved and renamed "Friday Night Live " – which was seen as a UK version of the US's "Saturday Night Live", he became the host of the programme.


title: Ben Elton

text: In 1990 he starred in his own stand-up comedy and sketch series, "", which had a second series in 1994. (The title plays on "The Man from UNCLE": "Auntie" is a nickname for the BBC.) In 1989 Elton won the Royal Television Society Writers' Award.


title: Ben Elton

text: "The Ben Elton Show" (1998) followed a format similar to "The Man from Auntie" and featured Ronnie Corbett, a comedian of the old guard that the "alternative comedians" of the 1980s were the direct alternative to, as a regular guest. It was Elton's last high-profile network programme in the UK as a stand-up comedian.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton wrote the six-part sitcom "Blessed", starring Ardal O'Hanlon as a record producer, first broadcast on BBC1 in 2005. No further series was commissioned.


title: Ben Elton

text: In April 2007, "Get a Grip", a new show, began on ITV1. Featuring comic sketches similar to those on "The Ben Elton Show" and staged studio discussion between Elton and 23-year-old Alexa Chung, the show's aim was to "contrast Elton's middle-aged viewpoint with Chung's younger perspective" (although Elton was responsible for the scripts).


title: Ben Elton

text: In "Third Way Magazine", Elton accused the BBC of allowing jokes about vicars but not imams. "And I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the communities have about provoking the radical elements of Islam".


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton worked on "Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth", a live one-hour comedy show which debuted on 8 February 2011 on the Nine Network in Australia. Live from Planet Earth was axed by the Nine Network on Wednesday 23 February 2011 after three episodes, despite having six commissioned. The show's final airing rated 200,000 viewers.


title: Ben Elton

text: In 2016 Elton wrote the sitcom "Upstart Crow", parodying the writing and family life of William Shakespeare, and starring David Mitchell as Shakespeare. This programme ran for a second series in 2017, and a third series in 2018.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton wrote and produced "The Thin Blue Line", a studio-based sitcom set in a police station, also starring Rowan Atkinson, which ran for two series in 1995 and 1996. A prime-time family show, its traditional format and characters won it the 1995 British Comedy Award and both the public and professional Jury Awards at Reims.


title: Ben Elton

text: In 2012 a new sitcom for BBC1 was commissioned, written and produced by Elton starring David Haig. Filming for a full six-part series of the sitcom "The Wright Way" (formerly known as "Slings and Arrows") was completed in late February 2013. It debuted in April 2013 to negative reviews.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton returned to live British television on Channel 4 on 21 October 2022 as "Ringmaster" Host to a satirical 90 minute stand up comedy night, celebrating the channel’s 40th anniversary of the founding of Channel 4 (as a free to air broadcaster in the UK) and as part of their Truth and Dare season. Speaking to Adrian Chiles on BBC Radio 5 on broadcast day, Elton readily admitted that because of the fluid UK political situation, "I honestly haven't written the first five minutes yet!"


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton starred with Adrian Edmondson in a sitcom based on the song "Teenage Kicks" for BBC Radio 2. A television version of "Teenage Kicks" for ITV has been made; Elton appeared in the pilot but was replaced by Mark Arden when it went to series production.


title: Ben Elton

text: He has authored 16 novels since 1989, the first four published by Simon and Schuster, and the rest by Transworld.


title: Ben Elton

text: On a publicity tour for "Past Mortem" in 2004, Elton mused on the high school reunion theme and his own drama college reunion: We'd had a very happy time all together, so there were no old scores to be settled really, we'd been a pretty happy bunch. And yet one person, who'd been a bit of a golden boy – he certainly went out with a girl I was besotted and unrequitedly in love with – he came up and he said, 'Why did you come? Was it to show off?' That really surprised me, that anyone would think that ... he came kind of carrying my agenda. It was weird. I hasten to add I didn't think my life to be more successful than anybody else's. If you're happy and honest and fulfilled in what you do, then you're having a successful life.


title: Ben Elton

text: Ben Elton appeared in amateur dramatic productions as a youth, notably as The Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver!"


title: Ben Elton

text: While in bit parts in his own TV series, he began professional film acting as CD in "Stark", the Australian/BBC TV series adaptation of his novel, in 1993. This was directed by Nadia Tass and filmed in Australia.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton played Verges in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", also in 1993.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton wrote and directed the film adaptation of his novel "Inconceivable", under the title "Maybe Baby" (2000) starring Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson. It was a moderate UK success and distributed globally. The film was also nominated for a prize at Germany's Emden Film Festival.


title: Ben Elton

text: In September 2016, filming began in Western Australia on "Three Summers", a romantic comedy film written and directed by Elton, which was released in 2017.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton wrote "All is True", released 2018, a speculative story of William Shakespeare's years in Stratford-upon-Avon after his retirement from the theatre and move from London. Along with the filmcraft and acting, returning collaboration with Kenneth Branagh, "All is True" shows Elton giving a more serious and biographical perspective to some of the same characters who appear in "Upstart Crow".


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on "The Beautiful Game" in 2000, writing the book and lyrics (Lloyd Webber wrote the music). "The Beautiful Game" won the London Critics Circle Award for best new musical.


title: Ben Elton

text: He went on to write compilation shows featuring popular songs from the catalogues of pop/rock artists. The first was the musical "We Will Rock You" with music by Queen. Despite unfavourable early reaction, this was successful in the West End and won the 2003 Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best New Musical. It has since opened in the US, Australia, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, and The Netherlands. Elton also directed the 10th Anniversary Arena tour, in 2013. The musical ran for 12 years in London.


title: Ben Elton

text: His second compilation musical was "Tonight's the Night", based on the songs of Rod Stewart, which opened in London's West End in November 2003.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the musical "Love Never Dies", which opened in London's West End in 2010. It was the sequel to Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" (1986).


title: Ben Elton

text: It has been announced that Ben Elton will direct a new 20th anniversary tour of "We Will Rock You", opening in February 2022 and visiting over 25 cities in the United Kingdom.


title: Ben Elton

text: In 2005 Elton toured for the first time since 1997, touring the UK with "Get a Grip". He toured Australia and New Zealand with the same show in 2006.


title: Ben Elton

text: The New Zealand leg of the tour was interrupted in February 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. He resumed it over a year later once trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel was launched.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton received an honorary doctorate in 2004, from The University of Manchester. In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Rose for lifetime achievement at the Rose d'Or festival, and was also made a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, in recognition of his work with students. He has won 3 BAFTAs for Best Comedy Series for "The Young Ones", "Blackadder the Third" and "Blackadder Goes Forth". "Popcorn" and "We Will Rock You" each won an Olivier Award and "The Beautiful Game" was awarded the Best Musical at the Critics' Circle Awards. "The Man From Auntie" won him a Royal Television Society Writer's Award and "The Thin Blue Line" won a British Comedy Award as well as Jury Award at Reims.


title: Ben Elton

text: His books have won the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger Award for Crime Fiction ("Popcorn"), the Swedish Kaliber Award ("Popcorn"), WH Smiths People's Choice Fiction Award ("High Society") and Prix Polar International Crime Writer Award ("Amitiès Mortelles" for "Past Mortem", French edition).


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton first met 18 year old Australian saxophone player, Sophie Gare, in 1986 while working in Melbourne (he had a girlfriend called Kate at the time); a year later in Edinburgh, a newly-single Elton rekindled their friendship and they became a couple. The two married in 1994 and have three children (including twins). They decided to settle in North Fremantle, Western Australia and they also maintain a home in East Sussex, England. Elton holds dual British/Australian citizenship, the latter since 2004. He has speculated on a future move back to London when their children have completed their schooling.


title: Ben Elton

text: He has the distinction of being nominated twice for TV's Room 101, firstly by broadcaster Anne Robinson in 2001 and also by comedian Stewart Lee who compared Elton, "as ranking lower ethically than Osama bin Laden".


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton champions left-wing political positions. Prior to the 1987 UK general election, Elton supported Red Wedge by participating in a comedy tour organised by the campaign.


title: Ben Elton

text: He was a Labour Party supporter and was one of the biggest private financial donors to the party. However, Elton distanced himself for over 20 years from the Party under Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and New Labour in the mid-1990s, instead donating to and voting for the Green Party, although in April 2015, he stated that he was "back with Labour" for the 2015 general election. Describing his brand of satire in 2022, as a criticism of those in power, he encouraged the Channel 4, viewing audience to elect Labour, that way you can see my focus of attention change away from the Tories.


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton has been criticised for writing a musical with Conservative Party supporter Andrew Lloyd Webber. In his defence, Elton said: "If I were to refuse to talk to Tories, I would narrow my social and professional scope considerably. If you judge all your relationships on a person's voting intentions, I think you miss out on the varieties of life."


title: Ben Elton

text: Elton says of his criticism: "I would have loved a honeymoon period, but I've been irritating journos from the beginning. Originally I was knocked for being too left-wing, and now apparently I've sold out and I'm too right-wing, but all the time I've been being me, and that certainly isn't the person I recognise in anything that's written about me." He has denied being anti-establishment. He also said he was a socialist at a time when "the media was "(sic)" on the whole slavishly worshipping of Thatcher". He said of his political views "I believe in the politics of Clement Attlee. I'm a Welfare State Labour voter."


title: Ben Elton

text: He parodied himself in the sketch "Benny Elton" for "Harry Enfield and Chums" in 1994, using the style of Benny Hill to send up his (Elton's) "right on" socialist image as a politically correct spoilsport, chasing Page 3 models around a park to chastise them and tricking heterosexual couples into becoming gay.


title: Duke of Windsor

text: Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the time of Henry I, following the Norman Conquest, is situated. Windsor has been the house name of the royal family since 1917.


title: Duke of Windsor

text: King Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, so that he could marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson.


title: Duke of Windsor

text: At the time of the abdication, there was controversy as to how the former King should be titled. The new King George VI apparently brought up the idea of a title just after the abdication instrument was signed, and suggested using "the family name".


title: Duke of Windsor

text: Neither the Instrument of Abdication signed by Edward VIII on 10 December 1936 nor its enabling legislation, His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, indicated whether the king was renouncing the privileges of royal birth as well as relinquishing the throne.


title: Duke of Windsor

text: On 12 December 1936, at the Accession Council of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, George VI announced he was to make his brother the "Duke of Windsor" with the style of "Royal Highness". That declaration is recorded in the "London Gazette". The Dukedom was formalised by Letters Patent on 8 March 1937. Edward, as a royal duke, could neither stand for election to the House of Commons nor speak on political subjects in the House of Lords. On 3 June 1937, Edward married Wallis Simpson, who upon their marriage became the Duchess of Windsor. Following his abdication, Edward and Wallis lived in exile in Paris, France, except while he was Governor of the Bahamas. When Germany invaded France in May 1940, the duke and duchess moved to Spain and then Portugal until August when they set sail for the Bahamas. After the war, they became members of cafe society often splitting their time between Paris and the United States, which they visited frequently. During their stays in New York, they were fond of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The Duke suffered from ill health in his later years and died of cancer on May 28, 1972 in Paris. As the Duke died without issue, the title became extinct on his death. Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth II banned the title from ever being recreated.


title: Duke of Windsor

text: As the royal arms go hand-in-hand with the crown, the undifferentiated royal arms passed to George VI. It was and is common heraldic practice for the eldest son to differentiate his arms in his father's lifetime, but the Duke of Windsor was left in the unusual position of the eldest son needing to difference his arms after his father's death. This was done by means of a label argent of three points, bearing on the middle point an imperial crown proper.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971) is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United, and Nantes. At international level, he represented the France national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, representing his nation at a total of three editions of both the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship; he also reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, after which he retired from international football.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Nicknamed "Le Divin Chauve" ("The Divine Bald One"), due to his trademark shaved head, Barthez was France's most capped player in the FIFA World Cup, with 17 appearances at the finals and shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets with Peter Shilton, with ten. In club football, he won the UEFA Champions League with Olympique Marseille in 1993 as well as several Ligue 1 and Premier League titles. After retiring from football in 2007, Barthez began a career in motorsport in 2008.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Barthez made his first division debut for Toulouse on 21 September 1991, against Nancy. He joined Marseille in 1992, and won both the French championship and the Champions League at the end of his first season in Marseille, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over A.C. Milan in final of the latter competition. The 1993 victory made him the youngest goalkeeper to win a Champions League title until Iker Casillas did so in 2000.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Marseille, however, would be stripped of their domestic title, though not of the Champions League crown, due to their involvement in a domestic match fixing scandal, and a year later (1994) would suffer a forced relegation to the second division due to a related financial bankruptcy. He stayed with the club in Division 2 for the 1994–95 season, despite many offers from elite French clubs, helping Marseille to the title and to earn promotion to the first division.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In 1995, Barthez joined AS Monaco and won Ligue 1 titles in 1997 and 2000. He also played in Jean Tigana's talented Monaco side which famously put his future club Manchester United out of the Champions League in 1998 on away goals after a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: As a result of Barthez's success in the World Cup and the Euros, he caught the attention of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was searching for a star goalkeeper to replace the recently departed Peter Schmeichel, as Ferguson did not think that the previous season's goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, was a long-term replacement. Barthez joined United for £7.8 million in 2000. He was later reunited with national teammate Laurent Blanc, who joined United in 2001. The Barthez–Blanc head-kissing ritual was performed at the start of Champions League matches.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Well known for being eccentric, Barthez started out well for Manchester United. His first season was a triumph as he answered all the questions about how he would handle rainy Manchester compared to sunny Monaco. Barthez performed brilliantly throughout the season and became a crowd favourite. The fans loved his eccentric behaviour, his taunting dribbles and step-overs past opposing strikers, and most importantly, his remarkable reaction saves. Very often, it was critical saves that kept United from defeat or dropping valuable points, helping United to the 2000–01 FA Premier League title, their third in a row.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: A memorable incident happened when Manchester United faced Leeds United in March 2001. After dropping a cross from Robbie Keane, Barthez deliberately kicked out with his foot at Ian Harte, who fell to the ground on the edge of six yard box, and the referee awarded a penalty to Leeds. Harte stepped up but Barthez made a low, one-handed save to his right. The only blemish in his first season was his failed attempt at "psyching out" West Ham United's Paolo Di Canio in the FA Cup Fourth Round; Di Canio beat the offside trap, while Barthez stood still with his hand up expecting the referee to blow his whistle, or Di Canio to stop. Di Canio continued and scored the only goal of the game, and later said it was "better to score and then see whether the goalkeeper is right or wrong".


title: Fabien Barthez

text: The 2001–02 season was split into two parts for him. The first half was tumultuous. The Frenchman seemed to be taking some unnecessary risks outside his penalty area, and his antics began to have consequences that allowed unneeded goals for opposing teams. He was at fault for two goals in a 3–2 home defeat by Deportivo de La Coruña in October 2001. Ferguson said how "eventually he will get caught out" and it wouldn't happen again. But another couple of late errors against Arsenal in a 3–1 defeat at Highbury the following month put much pressure on Barthez, with two goals gifted to Thierry Henry, one of which came from a mis-hit clearance. Barthez was at the centre of further controversy when, after already being on a yellow card following an argument with Matthew Upson, he was caught by television cameras raising his middle fingers behind his back towards the Arsenal supporters, who had been taunting him for his errors towards the end of the match; the incident was missed by the referee Peter Jones, however. There was much speculation as to what was the source of Barthez's decline, and critics such as the BBC's Phil McNulty urged him to be dropped. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, had faith in his goalkeeper and stuck by him. Consequently, in the second half of the season, Barthez repaired his reputation with consistent, solid performances and the spectacular saves that he was famous for. His turn in fortunes was shown in a 2–2 draw with Derby County at Pride Park. Derby forward Malcolm Christie looked to have sealed his hat-trick, but referee Steve Dunn controversially disallowed the goal, ruling that Christie kicked the ball out of Barthez's hands.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: He was also noted for playing mind games before opposition players took a penalty. The first time this occurred was in November 2001 when Leicester City came to Old Trafford. As Muzzy Izzet prepared to take a penalty, Barthez stood aside from the goal, with his hands behind him on the post. Izzet, tired of waiting, slotted the ball in the bottom corner, but referee Andy D'Urso made him retake the penalty, this time with Barthez in goal. Izzet went the same way, but Barthez denied him with a fine save to his right. An almost identical incident happened less than a year later in October 2002, when Barthez was unhappy about the awarding of a penalty to Fulham, and so went from post to post banging his boots, and refused to be in goal for the penalty. This time he was booked for his antics by referee Mike Dean, and so he then took his place between the posts and made it work again by saving Steed Malbranque's spot kick.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: The 2002–03 season ended with another Premier League crown for United. The season was a mixed bag for Barthez. One highlight was a fabulous save to deny Dietmar Hamann's 30-yard rocket at Anfield against Liverpool, as United held on to win 2–1. In other games, he let goals go past him that he would have been expected to save, and suffered from a run of poor form towards the end of the season. Barthez was also widely criticized in United's exit to Real Madrid in the Champions League, especially for Ronaldo's opener which beat him at the near post. It would prove to be his last ever game with United as Sir Alex Ferguson's patience had finally run out. Barthez was dropped for the final three games of the season, with Roy Carroll taking his place.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Barthez's poor form at the end of the previous season and the arrival of American newcomer Tim Howard in summer of 2003, saw the Frenchman face competition for a starting spot at United. As Barthez had only returned from international duty in August, Howard played during the club's American tour of the summer, and his performances led Ferguson to choose him to start over Barthez in the Community Shield in August. By October, Howard had won the starting goalkeeper's job from Barthez; as a result, United agreed to release Barthez from his contract at Old Trafford after the 2003–04 season, and also agreed to loan Barthez out to his former club Marseille for the remainder of that season. Barthez began training with Marseille, who took on a portion of his wages, but FIFA initially blocked the loan deal on the grounds that it was not agreed upon within the international transfer window. The two clubs agreed on a loan deal after the transfer window reopened on 1 January 2004, and Barthez joined Marseille soon afterwards. On 27 April, Marseille and Barthez agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract which would keep him at the club until spring 2006.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Barthez was involved in a controversy during a friendly match between Marseille and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on 12 February 2005. With ten minutes left, a Marseille player was sent off and a brawl erupted between players on the pitch. Barthez was reported for spitting on the Moroccan referee. On 21 April, Barthez was summoned to a hearing before the disciplinary committee of the French Football Federation (FFF); the following day, he received a six-month suspension, with the last three months being suspended. In an unusual move, the federal council of the FFF appealed the suspension, arguing that the punishment should have been for a minimum of six full months. Eventually, his suspension was extended to six full months due to political pressures.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: On 8 August 2006, Barthez announced he was still hoping to play professional football for another two years, insisting he was also looking to continue his career in the French international setup. His ideal scenario would have been a return to first club Toulouse, where he could be close enough to allow him to take care of his sick mother. But he said if he did not have a club by 31 August he would not carry on with football. On 5 October 2006, it was confirmed that he had retired from football, having failed to agree a return to Toulouse. Barthez commented, "The only club I wanted to go to was not so happy to have me. It happens and you have to live with it."


title: Fabien Barthez

text: On 17 December 2006, Barthez announced his return to football by signing a contract with Ligue 1 side Nantes, who were lacking an experienced goalkeeper following Mickaël Landreau's move to Paris Saint-Germain the previous summer. Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojković, originally recruited to replace Landreau, failed to impress and left Nantes at the winter break following a rift within the squad.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: On 29 April, Nantes chairman Rudi Roussillon announced that following an altercation with a Nantes fan, Barthez had left the city with his family. The next day, Barthez confirmed that he had quit the team, and the club terminated his contract. Barthez denied that he was planning to retire, and in an article for French daily "L'Équipe", he said that he was looking for another contract for at least two years. Barthez was linked with numerous clubs but nothing ever materialised and he had to face never playing professional football again.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In 2012, Barthez became the honorary president of Championnat National team Luzenac, where he personally picked Quentin Westberg and Nicolas Dieuze to sign for the club.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: On 26 May 1994, Barthez won his first cap for France in a 1–0 victory against Australia. Barthez was understudy to Bernard Lama at UEFA Euro 1996 – at which France reached the semi-finals – after testing positive for cannabis earlier that year; he was suspended for two months as a result. Following a later suspension to Lama instead, however, Barthez subsequently gained the number one goalkeeping position shortly after the tournament and would not relinquish it for a decade.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by his home country, Barthez conceded only two goals in seven games and won the Yashin Award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, also placing second in the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award that year, behind José Luis Chilavert. Barthez was also well known during the tournament for letting teammate and good friend Laurent Blanc kiss his shaved head before the start of every match, supposedly for good luck. Barthez was an integral part of his national team's inaugural triumph which also made it the first time in 20 years that a host had won the World Cup. He kept five clean sheets throughout the tournament, with the only goals he conceded being a penalty in the group stage against Denmark, and another goal against Croatia in the semi-final. In the quarter-final shootout defeat of rivals Italy, he kept a clean sheet, and also saved Demetrio Albertini's penalty kick. He kept another clean sheet in the final, which ended in a 3–0 win over defending champions Brazil. During the game, Barthez was also at the centre of a notable controversial incident when he made a spectacular save while rushing out and attempting to anticipate Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, doing his trademark leap/step-over the attacking striker to grab the ball, which injured Ronaldo in the process; Barthez later commented that he never intended to hurt the striker. Following France's World Cup victory, Barthez was one of the most popular national players in France, after Zinedine Zidane.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Two years later, Barthez was again the starter as his country won Euro 2000. It was the first time in 26 years that a national team held both the World Cup and Euro titles, a feat last accomplished by West Germany in 1974. After that triumph, France held the top position in the FIFA World Rankings system from 2001 to 2002.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Barthez played on France's World Cup team again in 2002 in which they exited in the first round without winning a game or scoring a goal; he kept his only clean sheet of the tournament in his nation's second group match, a 0–0 draw against Uruguay. He was also his nation's starting keeper throughout their victorious Confederations Cup campaign in 2003, and at Euro 2004; in the latter tournament, he saved David Beckham's penalty shot in the opening round robin match, but France went out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Greece.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: His place as starting goalkeeper in France's 2006 World Cup campaign, in the face of a substantial public campaign in support of Grégory Coupet, was surprising to many, even more so given Coupet's flawless performance in the remainder of the World Cup qualifying campaign after Barthez's suspension. The decision was met with derision in the French press and also led to Coupet's walking out of the national squad before the tournament, though he was to return one day later. The move was viewed by some as a desire to keep the veterans of France's 1998 World Cup victory on the team. "L'Equipe" reported after the World Cup that Barthez would have walked out of the squad had he not been named the starter.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: France had a slow start in the group stage, drawing their first two games and putting their chances of reaching the knock-out stages at risk. Fortunately, Barthez's team found their form and won their final round robin match 2–0 to advance to the next stage, where they upset heavily favoured Spain 3–1 in the round of 16.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In defeating Brazil, 1–0 on 1 July 2006, Barthez, having made only one save in the game (on an injury time shot from Ronaldo), became the first keeper to blank the Brazilian team in consecutive World Cup finals matches, the first being the 1998 final (3–0). France is now one of only four nations (along with Italy, Argentina and the Netherlands) to have shut Brazil out twice in the World Cup finals, and the first to have done it in consecutive matches, both times with Barthez in goal.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Barthez again kept another clean sheet – his fourth of the tournament – in the semi-final against Portugal (with Zinedine Zidane's penalty shot the winning goal), though he appeared in questionable form. A few minutes from time, he spectacularly spilled a free-kick which Luís Figo recovered, heading over the bar although unchallenged. He did, however, redeem himself in injury time when a French defender fumbled the ball, enabling a Portuguese player to mount a last-moment attack. Barthez scrambled out of the net and blocked the first shot.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: During the final against Italy, he briefly captained his team for the remainder of the second period of extra time after Zidane was sent off. During the penalty shootout, neither he nor his Italian counterpart Gianluigi Buffon made a save, and France striker David Trezeguet's missed shot ultimately proved decisive. This proved to be Barthez's 87th and final international appearance, as he retired from international football following the tournament.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: After retiring from football in 2007, Barthez began a career in motorsport in 2008. He began competing at selected events in the Porsche Carrera Cup France that year with the team SOFREV Auto Sport Promotion. He also competed at two events in the THP Spider Cup. In 2009, he raced in a number of various motorsport series such as the French GT Championship, Bioracing Series and the Caterham Sigma Cup France as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup France. He continued to race in the FFSA GT Championship in 2010 and picked up his first podium in race 1 at Dijon-Prenois. In the 2012 season, he won his first race in the FFSA series at the Circuito de Navarra in race two and finished seventh in the championship. In 2013, he was crowned French GT Champion alongside Morgan Moullin-Traffort, driving a Ferrari.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In 2013, he also competed in the newly re-branded FIA GT Series alongside Gérard Tonelli in the Gentleman Trophy class with SOFREV ASP driving a GT3-spec Ferrari 458 Italia.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: In February 2014, it was announced that Barthez would enter the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans race, driving Sofrev ASP's Ferrari 458. Barthez and his co-drivers finished 29th overall and ninth in LMGTE Am class.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: On 2 July 2010, following Laurent Blanc's appointment as the new manager of the French national team, Barthez was named among the team's technical staff as a goalkeeping coach.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Rated by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, in his prime, Barthez was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and is regarded as one of the best French players ever in his position, being named the fourth greatest French goalkeeper of all time in IFFHS' Century elections, behind Bernard Lama, Pierre Chayriguès, and Julien Darui. Standing at , he was not particularly tall for a goalkeeper, although he was extremely athletic, and was known for his elevation, as well as his decision-making, bravery, ability to read the game, and commitment when coming out to collect the ball, which made him effective in the air and enabled him to command his area effectively in spite of his short stature; however, at times he was still caught out on high balls due to his lack of height and poor handling, and he also came under criticism on occasion for his indecisiveness when struggling to deal with crosses. A flamboyant and instinctive keeper, he was also extremely agile, and possessed excellent reflexes, which enabled him to produce spectacular, acrobatic, and decisive reaction saves; he also possessed a good positional sense. In addition to his shot-stopping abilities, Barthez was also known to be a passionate, popular, and highly recognisable footballing figure, who stood out for his outgoing personality, self-assurance, and composure under pressure, as well as his leadership from the back and authoritative presence in goal. Furthermore, Barthez was highly regarded for his exceptional skills with the ball at his feet, as well as his accurate distribution with his left foot, which enabled him to play the ball out from the back or launch an attack with his quick throws or long goal kicks; his confidence in possession often led him to be involved in the build-up of plays, and he often operated outside the penalty area, and would even occasionally attempt to dribble with the ball past opposing strikers with feints such as nutmegs or stepovers. He was also very quick off his line, and often acted as a sweeper-keeper, thus contributing to the evolution of the role. While he received plaudits for his goalkeeping ability in the media, throughout his career Barthez also frequently came under criticism from pundits for his stubbornness, and his aggressive, unorthodox, and eccentric style of play, as well as for taking unnecessary risks, and was also deemed to be inconsistent, unreliable, and prone to errors and lapses in concentration.


title: Fabien Barthez

text: Through his career, Barthez was known for his active romantic life, and dated Canadian model Linda Evangelista. She became pregnant but miscarried, six months into the pregnancy. The couple broke up in 2000, reunited in 2001, and then officially ended their relationship in 2002. Barthez is a smoker. Known for his eccentric and superstitious personality, Barthez often wore red briefs underneath his goalkeeping shorts, and usually cut off the sleeves of his goalkeeping jersey. Although most starting goalkeepers are usually assigned the number 1 shirt, he instead chose to wear the number 16 shirt.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Although originally broadcast by TV Tokyo in Japan, follow-up seasons ("" and "") premiered in Canada and the US before Japan. The fourth and final season, "Mechtanium Surge", was never broadcast in Japan and instead aired in North American markets. However, a Japan-exclusive manga series, "Baku Tech! Bakugan", ran from August 15, 2010 to January 15, 2014. This received an anime adaption aired on TV Tokyo from April 7, 2012 to March 30, 2013, followed by a second season called "Baku Tech! Bakugan Gachi" which ran from April 6, 2013 to December 28, 2013.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: In 2015, Spin Master revealed plans to relaunch "Bakugan". The relaunch was later announced on November 30, 2017 to occur in the first quarter of 2019, with the series title announced as "". The new series premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on December 23, 2018, while Canada's Teletoon premiered the series on December 31, 2018.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Dan Kuso's life changes one day when strange cards fall out of the sky and he grabs one, which he and his friend Shun use to invent a game they call "Bakugan." With other friends, they formed a group called the "Bakugan Battle Brawlers." They are then accidentally dragged into fighting for the fate of Vestroia (the home dimension of the Bakugans).


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Vestroia loses its natural balance and merges with the Earth and many other worlds. A rogue Bakugan called "Naga" has been tempted to capture the power of the Infinity and Silent Cores, which together formed the Perfect Core that balanced Vestroia, but Naga has absorbed too much negative energy and thus has been trapped within the Silent Core, destabilizing Vestroia. Naga now seeks the mighty Infinity Core so that he can complete the all-powerful Perfect Core and have almighty power and absolute control over the Earth and Vestroia.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Two of the six Battle Brawlers (Dan and Marucho) return to New Vestroia and discover that it has been colonized by an alien race called the Vestals, who are unaware that the Bakugan are intelligent beings. However, three Vestals--Mira, Ace and Baron--encounter Shun, an old friend of Dan and Marucho. In this way, Dan learns the truth about Bakugan, and as a result, he forms the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: While battling against the evil Vexos, the top Vestal brawlers, who follow the rules of their Prince. The Brawlers destroy each of the three Dimension Controllers that keep the Bakugan in their ball form, liberating New Vestroia. The Resistance splits up, but reassembles six months later when they learn that King Zenoheld of Vestal has attacked the Six Ancient Warriors in an attempt to steal the Attribute Energies. The Six Ancient Warriors engage in a 6-on-1 battle with Zenoheld, but are unable to defeat Zenoheld's Mechanical Bakugan, Farbros.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: In desperation, the Ancient Warriors give the Resistance Bakugan their attribute energies to protect them from Zenoheld, who has the Bakugan Termination System, a machine built to wipe out all Bakugan but needs the Attribute Energies to power it. These energies result in the six Bakugan evolving. After losing half the energies, the Brawlers decided to attack instead, engaging in a temporary alliance with Spectra Phantom, the former leader of the Vexos, along with his sidekick Gus Grav. However, the remaining energies are taken and the Brawlers rush to New Vestroia to evacuate all the Bakugan. Drago, however, refuses to give up, manages to destroy the BT System by absorbing all 6 Attribute Energies and evolves again into a Helix Dragonoid.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Things quiet down until Spectra resurfaces again to battle Dan; when he loses, he concedes that Dan is number one and joins the Brawlers, returning to his original self, Keith Clay. Keith reveals that Zenoheld is working on a powerful weapon called the Alternative System and helps construct Battle Gear for Drago. Meanwhile, the Vexos begin crumbling from within as both Volt and Lync decide to leave, feeling that Zenoheld and his son Hydron have finally gone too far, but they quickly disposed of by Prince Hydron. In the final battle, the Brawlers with Gus, who joins as their newest member, manage to destroy the Alternative System and the Resistance go their separate ways.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: After defeating Zenoheld, the Brawlers return to Earth and with the help of newcomer Ren, they set up Bakugan Interspace. However, Ren is not all that he seems to be and reveals that he is a Gundalian in need of help, saying that his planet Gundalia, is under attack by Neathia. Shun is not convinced and discovers, that Ren is lying once Princess Fabia showed and proved Ren's story wrong. The Brawlers agree to help Fabia and head to Neathia to help fight off the Gundalians. Meanwhile, Ren begins showing signs of distrust for Barodius (Gundalia's Tyrannical Emperor) and eventually defects to rejoin the Brawlers. Unfortunately, Jake is captured by Kazarina (Gundalia's leading Bakugan biologist) and brainwashed, so the Brawlers head to Gundalia to rescue him along with Ren's imprisoned teammates (who were imprisoned for failure), joined by Nurzak (a former advisor to Barodious, who turned against him when he saw he would lead Gundalia to ruin) and Mason Brown (a teammate who had escaped imprisonment, and who had also sided with Neathia). Once they do, the Twelve Orders mount a final attack on Neathia. The Brawlers rush back in time to defend the planet while Dan and Barodius engage in their final battle. Ren and Mason's teammates Jesse Glenn, Lena Isis and Zenet Surrow are freed from their brainwashed state after Kazarina's demise. Linehalt uses his Forbidden Powers to restore the war-torn Neathia, while Barodius and Dharak are destroyed by an overload of vast energy and power from the Sacred Orb (which they tried to take anyway, despite Dan and Drago defeating them), which grants Drago new strength and abilities, allows him to evolve into Titanium Dragonoid and granting him the status of ruler over "all" Bakugan.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: The Brawlers' reign as number one in Bakugan Interspace is ended by two new powerful teams: Team Anubias and Team Sellon. To make matters worse, Dan and Drago continuously suffer from visions sent to them by Mag Mel and Razenoid. These cause them to lose fans rapidly when Drago loses control in battle several times, threatening the lives of all the children in Interspace. Shun and Marucho find themselves unable to help as Dan is keeping everything to himself. When Dan loses control once again and nearly kills Anubias in battle, all of Dan's fans abandon him and he leaves for New Vestroia to train. Shun, meanwhile, takes the reins of leader of the Battle Brawlers and charges himself with the task of returning the Brawlers to their former glory. He becomes more and more uncaring and brushes off all opinions but his own while Marucho tries to help him be a better leader. Paige and Rafe show up to learn from them, but find them in disarray. Meanwhile, Dan and Drago fix their problem and prepare to come back. Eventually, Dan controls Drago's powers as Marucho and Shun reunite and join up with Paige and Rafe. When the Chaos Bakugan start destroying Interspace, Spectra appears out of nowhere to help the Brawlers out and destroys many of the Chaos Bakugan. Afterwards, Dan returns, but is out of sync and accidentally defeats his fellow brawlers with Zenthon. He tells them later about Mag Mel (Spectra left beforehand, disappointed in Dan having changed). Shun walks out and dismisses Taylean's words. Dan later has a vision (which is true) about Gundalia being attacked by Mag Mel (who is now free). Dan arrives and tells them about Gundalia, which Paige confirms unexpectedly. The Brawlers dismiss Dan and don't let him go, but Dan says somewhat angrily that he's not asking; he's telling them that he is an original brawler and isn't gonna be cut from this fight. They let him come along and save Ren's home world.


title: Bakugan Battle Brawlers

text: Then they face Mag Mel and discover Interspace being destroyed, so they go back to Earth to save it but they are trapped and must figure a way to save the gate, the key, the battlers and Interspace. Just then, Anubias and Sellon reveal themselves as artificial life forms created by Mag Mel to assure his resurrection and succeeded in taking Dan's Key. In a new battle, Dan finds out that Mag Mel is actually Barodius, who survived his last encounter on Neathia after being transported to the dark reversed dimension created by Code Eve. He later plans to destroy Earth, Gundalia, Neathia, Vestal and New Vestroia by sending every civilization to the dark reversed dimension. Dan and Drago have a final brawl against Mag Mel and Razenoid with Drago evolving one more time into the legendary Fusion Dragonoid. They manage to win, but before "disappearing", Mag Mel says that his final demise will cause another disaster to befall on Dan and Drago.