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- Charles Stuart was born on 31 December 1720 in Santi Apostoli, Rome, Papal State [now Lazio, Italy]. Charles was a writer, known for The Queen's Palaces (2011). Charles was married to Louise zu Stolberg-Gedern. Charles died on 31 January 1788 in Santi Apostoli, Rome, Papal State [now Lazio, Italy].
- Gottfried August Bürger was born on 31 December 1747 in Molmerswende, Halberstadt, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire [now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany]. He was a writer, known for The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962), Monsieur de Crac (1912) and The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen (1911). He died on 8 June 1794 in Göttingen, Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire [now Lower Saxony, Germany].
- Charles Cornwallis was born into one of the most-distinguished families in the United Kingdom: his father was created Earl Cornwallis by George II; his uncles were the Governor of Nova Scotia and the Archbishop of Canterbury, respectively; his maternal grandfather was the 2nd Viscount Townshend; his paternal great-grandfather was First Lord of the Admiralty; and his maternal great-uncle was the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Upon his father's death, he became 6th Baron Cornwallis, 2nd Viscount Brome, 2nd Earl Cornwallis, and took his seat in the House of Lords. He surprised many by marrying beneath his station, as Jemima Jones was the daughter of an army colonel.
His status afforded him a life of general wantonness, yet he was determined to be of service and pursued a military career. He obtained his first commission as Ensign in the 1st Foot Guards in 1757, then gained permission to enroll at the Military Academy (Turin, Italy). Literally missing the boat which was taking his regiment to fight in the Seven Years' War, Cornwallis secured an appointment as an aide-de-camp to Lord Granby.
Although opposed to policies which antagonized the Colonies (he voted against the Stamp Act), when hostilities broke out, he volunteered for what is now known as the Revolutionary War. He scored victories at Brandywine, and Monmouth, often risking his life leading his men on the battlefield. However, he found himself continually outmaneuvered by George Washington, whom he chased from one theater of engagement to another.
Receiving news that his wife was gravely ill, he returned home and was at Jemima's beside when she died. Now a widower with two young children, no one would have held it against Cornwallis had he remained in England. Instead, he returned to America, determined to defeat Washington, who had become the bane of his existence. He captured Charleston, won at Camden, and at Guilford Court House; of this battle, he remarked: "I never saw such fighting since God made me. The Americans fought like demons". However, due to the ineptitude of his superiors, chiefly, Sir Henry Clinton, his plan to invade Virginia was stymied. Trapped by French and American forces at Yorktown, he was forced to surrender on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War.
Despite this humiliation, he retained the confidence of George III, who invested him as a Knight of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Governor-General of India in 1786. His defeat of the Sultan of Mysore, ending the Third Anglo-Mysore War, did much to restore his reputation. He was created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.
Shortly after being appointed Governor-General of Bengal, he died of fever in Ghazipur. As his son Charles had no sons, the marquessate became extinct upon Charles's death in 1823. The rest of Cornwallis's titles passed to his brother, James. - Giovanni Pascoli was born on 31 December 1855 in San Mauro Pascoli, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer, known for Cavallina storna (1953), Quest'atomo opaco del male (2015) and Tutto un bel giardino (2015). He died on 6 April 1912 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- William T. Rock was born on 31 December 1853 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1905), National Red Cross Pageant (1917) and A Vitagraph Romance (1912). He died on 27 July 1916 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
John H. Collins was born on 31 December 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Children of Eve (1915), The Girl Without a Soul (1917) and Riders of the Night (1918). He was married to Viola Dana. He died on 23 October 1918 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
Peggy Davis was born Mary Margaret Laird on December 31, 1899 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her father, James Laird, was a traveling salesman and her family moved around a lot. She started singing and dancing when she was a child. Peggy was discovered by actress Theda Bara who gave her a role in the film Under Two Flags. In November of 1918 she married Joseph Davis but the marriage was annulled because he had never divorced his first wife. She was offered a contract at Christie studios and appeared in several comedies. Then she joined the Ziegfeld Follies as a featured dancer. She was known in the theatrical world as "America's premier vampire". Peggy claimed she never drank or smoked cigarettes. On December 10, 1921 she married Joseph Donald Grafton, a Pennsylvania millionaire. She was shocked to learn he was a bigamist who had married another woman three weeks before he married her. Grafton was arrested for bigamy and their marriage was annulled.
She suffered a nervous breakdown in April of 1922 and entered a sanitarium. Peggy worked as a cabaret dancer and costarred in the 1923 film The Net. She was engaged to a stockbroker named Napoleon Worthington but broke it off because her mother didn't approve. In 1925 she married David Townsend, a wealthy wall street banker. The couple had a daughter named Margaret and moved to Paris, France. Peggy appeared to have a happy life but she suffered from mood swings. On the night of March 28, 1931 she wrote a note to her husband that said "I don't want to go back on the stage. I am tired of living and prefer to did. Look after my baby." Then she committed suicide by driving her car off a six hundred foot cliff. Peggy was only thirty-one years old. She was buried at Eze cemetery in France. Her husband David said she had no reason to kill her self and didn't believe her death was a suicide.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Viktor Dyk was born on 31 December 1877 in Psovka u Melníka, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. Viktor was a writer, known for Krysar (2003), Actor Jesenius' Strange Friendship (1985) and The Pied Piper (1986). Viktor was married to Zdenka Hásková. Viktor died on 14 May 1931 in Lopud Island, Yugoslavia [now Croatia].- Vasily Luzhski was born on 31 December 1869 in Shuya, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ivanovo oblast, Russia]. He died on 2 July 1931 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Sylvester Schäffer was born on 31 December 1859 in Léva, Hungary, Austrian Empire [now Levice, Slovak Republic]. He was an actor, known for Der Jongleur (1895). He died on 26 August 1931 in Starnberg, Germany.
- Paula Batzer was born on 31 December 1900 in Hamburg, Germany. She was an actress, known for Die Meisterspringer von Kürnberg (1923), Wege der Liebe (1924) and Op hoop van zegen (1924). She died on 10 October 1931 in Schulenburg Germany.
- Alois Charvát was born on 31 December 1857 in Príbram, Bohemia, Austria [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Bogra (1919), Loretánské zvonky (1929) and Príbeh jednoho dne (1926). He died on 4 January 1933 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- Paul Bilhaud was born on 31 December 1854 in Allichamps, Haute-Marne, France. He was a writer, known for Seine Kammerjungfer (1913), Le paradis (1914) and La belle de Montparnasse (1937). He died on 8 January 1933 in Avon, Seine-et-Marne, France.
- Josip Pavic was a stage actor, primarily performing at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Croatia, where his bronze bust is featured in the grand hall. While he was a renowned actor in many roles, his most famous role was as Hamlet. With other actors, he helped to build the 2nd installment of the National Theatre, located in Split, Croatia.
He had two children - a son, Miroslav Vilhar, and a daughter, Zora Vincar (nee Repar). He did not marry either of the women who produced these children. Miroslav lived in Zagreb until his death, Zora emigrated with her mother (Antonia) to Welland, Ontario, Canada in 1903, where Zora lived until her death in 1959. Her father continued to write to her until his death.
Pavic died in Zagreb from cirrhosis of the liver and heart failure, in 1936. He was married at the time of his death. His distraught wife shot herself after his death, but did not die from her injuries. She lived for 4 to 5 years beyond Pavic.
Pavic's funeral was attended by hundreds of his fans. He was buried in Miragoj Cemetery, Zagreb. - Richard Powell was born on 31 December 1896 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for If You Could Only Cook (1935), Another Dawn (1937) and Treasure Island (1934). He died on 1 January 1937 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Quiroga was born in Uruguay, but he went to Argentina in 1901, to live and work. His life was marked by a series of tragic events : his father had died in an accident with a rifle, briefly after that he lost his eldest brother and his stepfather in another accident. In 1900 he lost his best friend in an accident with a pistol ànd his wife committed suicide. In 1937, Quiroga learned that he was seriously ill and committed suicide.
- Lucile Brokaw was born on 31 December 1877 in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA. She died on 11 September 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- Albert von Kersten was born on 31 December 1889 in Rijeka, Croatia. He was an actor, known for Das Schicksal derer von Habsburg - Die Tragödie eines Kaiserreiches (1928), Serge Panine (1922) and Das Lied der Schwarzen Berge (1933). He died on 18 December 1937 in Berlin, Germany.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Oscar Byström was born on 31 December 1857 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He was an actor, known for The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924), Janssons frestelse (1928) and Spökbaronen (1927). He was married to Constance Byström. He died on 4 June 1938 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.- Alfredo Panzini was born on 31 December 1863 in Senigallia, Marche, Italy. He was a writer, known for The Last Days of Pompeii (1926), Il padrone sono me (1955) and Ahi giovinezza giovinezza (1982). He died on 10 April 1939 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
- Geneviève Vix was born on 31 December 1879 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, France. She was an actress, known for Désiré (1937). She died on 25 August 1939 in Paris, France.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Silvestre Revueltas was born on 31 December 1899 in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico. He was a composer and actor, known for Sin City (2005), The Black Beast (1939) and El indio (1939). He was married to Ángela Acevedo and Jule Klarecy. He died on 5 October 1940 in Mexico City, Mexico.- Albert Lambert was born on 31 December 1865 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France. He was an actor, known for The Kiss of Judas (1908), The Return of Ulysses (1909) and The Assassination of the Duke de Guise (1908). He died on 1 March 1941 in Paris, France.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Jack Barty was born on 31 December 1888 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Sea Fiend (1935), Oliver the Eighth (1934) and Take a Chance (1937). He died on 25 November 1942 in Streatham, London, England, UK.- Alfonso Parra was born on 31 December 1885 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico. He was an actor, known for Beautiful Sky (1936), Conspiración (1927) and Monja casada, virgen y mártir (1935). He was married to María Concepción Garcia Maldonado. He died on 30 November 1944 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Yakov Leybov was born on 31 December 1902 in Osveya, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vitebsk oblast, Belarus]. Yakov was a cinematographer, known for Boksyory (1941), Lyagavyy (1930) and Geroi Markhoty (1931). Yakov died on 12 January 1945 in Hungary.- Cinematographer
Harry McGuire Stanley was born on 31 December 1888 in New York, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for The Broken Coin (1915), The Phantom's Secret (1917) and The Sign of the Poppy (1916). He died on 27 April 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Heinz Salfner was born on 31 December 1877 in Munich, Germany. He was an actor, known for Peer Gynt (1919), Lady Windermeres Fächer (1935) and Donogoo Tonka (1936). He died on 13 October 1945.
- José A. Saldías was born on 31 December 1891 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a writer, known for Cadets of St. Martin (1937) and Turbión (1938). He died on 14 March 1946 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hella Thornegg was born on 31 December 1878 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress and assistant director, known for Die Kassette (1917), Das Geheimnis der leeren Wasserflasche (1917) and Lehmanns Brautfahrt (1916). She died on 26 May 1946 in Berlin, Germany.- Writer
- Editor
John Colton was born on 31 December 1887 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and editor, known for The Invisible Ray (1935), The Wind (1928) and Two Lovers (1928). He died on 26 December 1946 in Gainesville, Texas, USA.- Actor
Roy Crane was born on 31 December 1906 in Twin Falls, Idaho, USA. He was an actor. He died on 10 April 1947 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.- Maria Reisenhofer was born on 31 December 1865 in Graz, Austria. She was an actress, known for Deception (1920), Marie Antoinette - Das Leben einer Königin (1922) and Der alte Fritz - 2. Ausklang (1928). She died on 18 April 1947 in Berlin, Germany.
- Writer
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Viggo Barfoed was born on 31 December 1895. He was a writer and composer, known for Champagnegaloppen (1938), Trötte Teodor (1945) and Mit navn er ... (1963). He died on 14 December 1948.- Script and Continuity Department
Max Larey was born on 31 December 1889 in South Carolina, USA. Max died on 7 July 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Otto Brefin was born on 31 December 1894 in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for Matto regiert (1947), Freed Hands (1939) and Das Fräulein von Barnhelm (1940). He died on 22 May 1950 in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Inge van der Straaten was born on 31 December 1897 in Dresden, Germany. She was an actress, known for Reise in die Vergangenheit (1943), Die Buntkarierten (1949) and Robert und Bertram (1939). She died on 20 October 1950 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Marcelle Marnay was born on 31 December 1919 in France. She was an actress, known for Vengeance of the Deep (1938) and Uncivilized (1937). She was married to Christie William Fletcher and Stuart Eugene Mallon. She died on 4 February 1951 in San Mateo, California, USA.
- Corbet Morris was born on 31 December 1881 in Canon City, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Making the Headlines (1938), The Luckiest Girl in the World (1936) and Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939). He died on 10 March 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Roger Dumas was born on 31 December 1897 in Salindres, Gard, France. He was a composer and writer, known for Ignace (1937), Ne le criez pas sur les toits (1943) and Cendrillon de Paris (1930). He died on 15 June 1951 in Paris, France.- Born 1904, daughter of a poor peddler. Went to school and did all sorts of trades to earn a living. Having lived in a continuous state of poverty, she attempted suicide on various occasions. Her first book was the autobiography _Horoki_ but it wasn't until the end of the war that she became widely known as a writer. By the time of her death, she had become the most popular writer in Japan.
- Georgette Harvey was born on 31 December 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934), The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) and Back Door to Heaven (1939). She died on 17 February 1952 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Liva Weel was born on 31 December 1897 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was an actress, known for Frk. Møllers jubilæum (1937), Cocktail (1937) and De blaa drenge (1933). She was married to Arne Weel. She died on 22 May 1952 in Denmark.- John Kirby was born on 31 December 1908 in Winchester, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Sepia Cinderella (1947). He died on 14 June 1952 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Gladys Blue was born on 31 December 1889 in Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Ablaze on the Rails (1916) and The Lone Point Feud (1917). She was married to Monte Blue. She died on 17 September 1952 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Paul Curry was born on 31 December 1894 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. He was married to Lula Edith Shaw. He died on 7 October 1952 in Stroud, Oklahoma, USA.
- Francesco Pastonchi was born on 31 December 1874 in Riva Ligure, Porto Maurizio, Liguria, Italy [now Riva Ligure, Imperia, Liguria, Italy]. Francesco was a writer, known for Gli emigranti (1915). Francesco died on 29 December 1953 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy.
- Leon Golebiowski was born on 31 December 1914 in Kielce, Swietokrzyskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Pierwsze dni (1952). He died on 15 February 1954 in Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland.
- Hans Sanden was born on 31 December 1887 in Danzig, West Prussia, Germany [now Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for The Merry Wives of Windsor (1950), Geliebter Schatz (1943) and Kein Hüsung (1954). He died on 12 April 1954 in Berlin, Germany.
- Art Department
Henri Emile Benoit Matisse was born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambresis, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. His father, named Emile Hippolyte Matisse, was a merchant, whose family were weavers. His mother, named Anna Heloise Matisse (nee Gerard), was a daughter of a tanner; she made hats and painted china. Young Matisse was a pensive child penchant to observe pigeons, a habit which he would reproduce in his later years. From1887-1889 he studied law in Paris, then worked as a law office clerk back in Le Cateau-Cambresis.
Art was brought into Matisse's world by his loving mother. She bought him art supplies during his lengthy convalescence from an operation of appendectomy. Bedridden for several months Matisse began to copy paintings. After he was recovered from his illness, Matisse abandoned law in favor of art. In 1891 he again went to Paris; this time he studied art at the Academie Julian. There his teachers were W.-A. Bouguereau, an Academist, and Gustave Moreau, a Symbolist. He also copied masterworks at Paris museums and broadened his mind with such influences as Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, and Vincent van Gogh, whose paintings he bought in 1899. "In modern art, it is undoubtedly to Cezanne that I owe the most"- wrote Matisse. He was inspired by the impressionist's use of color as an element of composition.
From 1896 Matisse was sending his paintings to various exhibitions in Paris, and in 1904 he had his first solo show. His style developed through experiments with separating elements of the artwork into color, line, form, and composition - and then integrating those elements untraditional. Matisse's artistic evolution from classical Academism to Fauvism took about 10 years of experiments. He introduced more expressive and bright colors during his 1905 work on the French Riviera. After an exhibition in 1905, Matisse and his followers Derain, Vlaminc, Van Dongen, and Vuillard were given the name Les Fauves (Wild Ones). Then Matisse went to Spain and Northern Africa, where he was inspired by the bright colours of the sun. He studied Spanish and Moorish cultures and was fascinated with the traditions and art. His impressions of national dances inspired his Le Dance I (The Dance I 1907), a composition of five pink dancers. It was acquired from Matisse by Gertrude Stein and later donated to the Museum of Modern Art.
Matisse was generously patronized by two Russian collectors: Savva Morozov and Sergei Shchukin. He further developed the dance theme in a more dynamic composition of Le dance II (The Dance II 1910). In the second dance he used a bolder interplay of colors and stronger lines to create a sense of moving figures. He made three monumental canvasses: The Red Room, The Dance II, and The Music on commissions from the Russian businessman Sergei Shchukin, who was buying Matisse from 1908-1914 for his mansion. In 1911 Matisse traveled to Russia on Shchukin's invitation. In Moscow he advised Shchukin on the display of his vast art collection, which also included the works of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and many other artists. In Russia Matisse saw collections of ancient Russian icons and his high praise of them was widely reported.
From 1906-1917 Matisse lived in Paris. He established his home, studio, and school at Hotel Biron. There his neighbors were sculptor Auguste Rodin, writer Jean Cocteau, and dancer Isadora Duncan. Marisse was in touch with the artistic community of Montparnasse. In 1906 he met Pablo Picasso and they became friends and exchanged paintings. In 1907 he visited Italy and Algeria, and in 1908 he published a book "The Notes of a Painter." In 1910 he visited Munich to see exhibitions of Oriental art. He spent winters of 1912 and 1913 in Marocco perfecting his color scheme under Mediterranian sun. By that time Matisse along with Picasso was seen as the leading new painter in Paris. In 1918 Guillaume Apollinaire organized and cataloged the first Matisse-Picasso exhibition. Matisse's life-long extraordinary artistic dialogue with Pablo Picasso took a form of a "visual conversation" and exchange of their paintings with mutual respect. The two artists often inspired each other and paralleled each other's artistic experiments.
From 1917 Matisse lived in the South of France, mainly at Hotel Regina in Cimiez, a suburb of Nice. There his techniques and color scheme undergone a series of transformations. In 1920 Matisse designed the stage set and decorations for ballet The Nightingale by Igor Stravinsky produced by Sergei Diaghilev. In 1930 he made a trip to Tahiti, then visited New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. There Matisse was commissioned to make a triptych on the theme of dance for the Barnes Foundation. From 1931-1933 he painted his largest works, a mural Le Dance III (The Dance III 1931), a triptych, for the Museum of the City of Paris, and a variant of Le Dance III (The Dance III 1933), also a triptych, for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. For this gigantic task Matisse hired the 22-year-old Russian émigré Lidia Delektorskaya, who tirelessly supported all his efforts as an art assistant and factotum. Matisse's ailing wife Amelie Parayre demanded that the golden-haired Russian manager be fired, "It's me or her", and the help was fired. Then Madame Matisse demanded divorce anyway and walked out on Matisse after 31 years of marriage. Matisse fell seriously ill and rehired Delektorskaya. In 1940, he was diagnosed with duodenal cancer and undergone a radical surgery at Clinique du Parc, Lyon, in January 1941. Delektorskaya was with Matisse all the time; she comforted him through his illness and recovery, and prolonged his artistic activity for another two decades.
He designed the stage decoration and costumes for ballet "Rouge at Noir" by choreographer Léonide Massine to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. He also illustrated works by Stéphane Mallarmé, Charles Baudelaire, Mariana Alcoforado, and Henry de Montherlant, among many others. Being physically handicapped in his later years Matisse was spurred by Pablo Picasso and developed a variety of methods and techniques that allowed him to make art from a wheelchair or from his bed. At that time he made such outstanding works as Jazz, The Snail, a series of Blue Nudes, and Memories of Oceania. In 1944-1947 he worked on a unique art book "Jazz" with 20 cut-outs and hand-written text. A documentary film on Matisse was made in Nice in 1946. Matisse triumphed over his disability and produced remarkable works of art, contributing to the avant-garde and abstract art of the day.
Matisse created an art-world of a highest aesthetic value and artistic quality. During 60 years of his artistic journey Matisse founded the style of Fauvism and touched many other artistic movements of the 20th Century. He at times paralleled the work of Pablo Picasso by interpreting similar subjects in his own way. Among his last works were designs of interior decorations and stained-glass panels for churches, notably his design of Vence chapel, which Matisse donated and considered his masterpiece. Henri Matisse died on November 3, 1954, and was laid to rest in the cemetery on the hilltop at Cimiez. Matisse museum was opened in Nice.