Logo

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE[3] (born 2 May 1975)[4] is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for Milan in Serie A,[5] on loan from Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.[6] He is also an established member of the England national team.

Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year[7] and in 2004 the world's highest-paid footballer,[8] Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.[7] He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.[9] With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.[10][11] Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000[12] until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals,[13] during which he played 58 times. Since then he has continued to represent his country and earned his much-publicised hundredth cap for England against France on 26 March 2008.[14] He is currently England's most-capped outfield player with 115 appearances.[15]

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.[7] During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.[7] He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons,[16] clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.[17]

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.[18] Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy became effective on 1 July 2007 and gave him the highest player salary in MLS history.[19] His playing contract with Galaxy in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was worth $6.5m per year.[20][21][22] He debuted for the team on 21 July 2007 in a friendly versus Chelsea at The Home Depot Center,[23] and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final.[24] His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.[25]

Beckham is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (née Adams).[26] The couple have three sons and currently reside in Beverly Hills, California.

Date of Birth
13 November 1969, Paisley, Scotland, UK

Birth Name
Gerard James Butler

Nickname
Gerry

Height
6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Born in Paisley, Scotland, to Margaret and Edward Butler, Gerard Butler was raised along with his older brother and sister in his hometown of Paisley, Scotland. He also spent some of his youth in Canada. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he and his siblings were raised primarily by their mother, who later remarried. He had no contact with his father between the ages of two and 16 years old, after which time they became close. His father passed away when Gerard was in his early 20s. Butler went on to attend Glasgow University, where he studied to be a lawyer/solicitor. He was president of the school's law society thanks to his outgoing personality and great social skills.

His acting career began when he was approached in a London coffee shop by actor Steven Berkoff, who later appeared alongside Butler in Attila (2001/I) (TV), who gave him a role in a stage production of Coriolanus. After that Butler decided to give up law for acting. He was cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of [i]Trainspotting[/i]. His film debut was as Billy Connolly's younger brother in _Mrs. Brown (1997)_. While filming the movie in Scotland, he was enjoying a picnic with his mother, near the River Tay, when they heard the shouts of a young boy who had been swimming with a friend who was in some trouble. Butler jumped in and saved the young boy from drowning. He received a Certificate of Bravery from the Royal Humane Society. He felt he only did what anyone in the situation would have done.

His film career continued with small roles, first in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and then Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, Butler was cast in two breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in the USA film Attila (2001/I) (TV). The film's producers wanted a known actor to play the part but kept coming back to Butler's screen tests and decided he was their man. He had to lose the thick Scottish accent, but managed well. Around the time Attila was being filmed, casting was in progress for Wes Craven's new take on the Dracula legacy. Also wanting a known name, Butler wasn't much of a consideration. His unending tenacity and drive drove him to hounding the producers. Eventually, he sent them a clip of his portrayal of Attila. Evidently they saw something because Dracula 2000 (2000) was cast in the form of Butler. Attila's producers, thinking that his big-screen role might help with their own film's ratings, finished shooting a little early so he could get to work on Dracula 2000 (2000). Attila ended up being the second highest-rated TV movie ever. Following these two roles, Butler developed quite a fan base, an Internet site and began appearing on lists everywhere.

Since then he has appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan, alongside Angelina Jolie. The role that garnered him most attention from both moviegoers and movie makers alike was that of Andre Marek in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003). Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague. Last year he appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004), playing the title character in the successful adaptation of the stage musical. It was a role that brought him much international attention. Other projects include Dear Frankie (2004), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005).

In 2007 he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in the Warner Bros. production 300 (2006), based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, and Butterfly on a Wheel (2007) co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello, which aired on network TV under the title Shattered. He most recently starred in P.S. I Love You (2007) with Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank .

In 2007, he appeared in Nim's Island (2008) and RocknRolla (2008), and recently completed the new Mark Neveldine / Brian Taylor film Gamer (2009). His latest film The Ugly Truth (2009) co-starring Katherine Heigl began filming in April 2008.

Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and rhythm & blues singer. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy. As a musician, he has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and had two albums chart highly on the Billboard 200: Unpredictable, which topped the chart, and Intuition.

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, (born 26 March 1981)[1][2][3][4] better known by his stage name Jay Sean, is a British recording artist and producer. Born in West London, England, he is best known for his hits "Stolen", "Eyes On You", "Ride It" and "Tonight" in UK. He has released two albums, Me Against Myself (2004) and My Own Way (2008). He was signed to Virgin Records and to Jayded Records.

He is currently signed to Cash Money Records for his United States releases. He has released his American-debut Hit single "Down" and is working on his debut U.S. album (third worldwide) All or Nothing. His first single from debut U.S. album, "Down", topped the Billboard Hot 100 replacing Black Eyed Peas.[5]

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born 2 October 1951), widely known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician and actor from Wallsend in North Tyneside. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock music band The Police. As a solo musician and member of The Police, Sting has received sixteen Grammy Awards for his work, receiving his first Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981, and receiving an Oscar nomination for best song. Sting was an influential songwiter during the 1980s and he has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. He is an outspoken advocate against rainforest destruction and for environmental protection. He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971),[2] better known by his stage name Ricky Martin, is a Grammy Award- and Latin Grammy Award- winning, Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.

His career has spanned over three decades and has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. He is the founder of Ricky Martín Foundation (in Spanish Fundación Ricky Martin) a non-profit charity organization.

In 2008, he became a single father of twin boys, Matteo and Valentino.

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969),[1] better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America,[2] having a net worth of over $150 million,[3] shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United States alone and receiving several Grammy Awards for his musical work.[4].

Jay-Z co-owns The 40/40 Club and the NBA's New Jersey Nets and is also the creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings[5], one of the three founders of Roc-A-Fella Records and recently, the founder of his new venture Roc Nation. He is also the current holder for the record of most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200.[6]

Along with his financial and musical success, Jay-Z is known for being involved in the feud between him and fellow New York rapper Nas, which was eventually settled in 2005.[7] He is also known for his relationship with Beyoncé Knowles, whom he married on April 4, 2008.[8]