Look Who’s Turning 65
Dec. 1—Treat Williams
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The actor first came to world attention in 1979, when he starred in the Miloš Forman film Hair, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Over his long career, Williams has appeared in over 75 films and several television series, including, most notably, 1941 (1979), Once Upon A Time in America (1984), Dead Heat (1988), Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) and Deep Rising (1998)
Williams got a second Golden Globe nomination for starring in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (1981) and a third for his performance as Stanley Kowalski in the television presentation of A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1996, Williams was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy Award for his work in The Late Shift, an HBO movie in which he portrayed agent Michael Ovitz. In 1996, he played villain Xander Drax in Paramount's big budget comic book adaptation The Phantom. Williams may be best known for his leading role as Dr. Andrew Brown in the WB television series Everwood, about a New York City neurosurgeon who moves his family to Colorado. Although the show's ratings were never spectacular, it won critical acclaim and had a devoted following.
Williams' career includes numerous stage roles. He won a Drama League Award for his work in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies and another for starring in the off-Broadway production of Captains Courageous. Other notable Broadway shows include Grease, the Sherman Brothers' Over Here!, Once in a Lifetime, Pirates of Penzance and Love Letters. Williams has also worked as a director, winning two festival awards for directing Texan in Showtime's Chanticleer Films series. He is also a commercial pilot and flight instructor. In 2010, he published a children’s book titled Air Show!
Dec. 3—Rick Mears
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The retired race car driver is one of three men to be 4-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991). Mears is also a 3-time Indycar series/World Series champion (1979, 1981 and 1982).
Mears began his racing career in in Bakersfield, Calif., with off-road racing, but switched to Indy Car racing in the late 1970s. In his initial appearance at Indy, Mears was the first rookie to qualify over 200 mph and won his first "500” in 1979. The 1981 and 1982 seasons saw two more championships for Mears. Despite facial burns during a pit fire in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, Mears' 10 race victories in the 2-year span were enough for another two Indycar championship titles. At the 1982 Indianapolis 500, he came within 0.16 of a second of adding a second Indy win. Mears scored his second Indy win in 1984 but suffered severe leg injuries later in the year in a crash. After that, injuries to Mears’ right foot slowed him down and affected him throughout the remainder of his career. Over the next three seasons, he won only two races. He completed a comeback from his injuries by winning the 1985 Pocono 500. In 1988, his team used a new car, the PC-17, to win the Indy 500. The last race of 1989 set Mears apart from all other Indycar racers as he broke a tie with Bobby Rahal for race wins and became the most successful Indycar racer of the 1980s. In August 1991, at Michigan, he won his last race. In 1992, at the age of 41, he announced his retirement from racing Indycars. Mears continues to work as a consultant and spotter for Helio Castroneves and Penske Racing, the team with which he won all of his Indycar races.
Dec. 4—Patricia Wettig
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Although the actress has appeared in numerous films (including City Slickers, Guilty by Suspicion and The Langoliers), Wettig is best known for her work on television. She received critical acclaim (and a number of awards) for her role as Nancy Weston on ABC's thirtysomething (1987-1991). Her portrayal of Nancy's cancer struggle attracted considerable acclaim and attention. She also portrayed Joanne McFadden on the television program St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). In addition, Wettig appeared in a numerous popular television programs during the 1980s and 1990s, including L.A. Law, Frasier, Hill Street Blues and Remington Steele.
Wettig starred in the ABC comedy-drama series Brothers & Sisters, which aired from 2006 to 2011, where she portrayed the Walker family patriarch's mistress, Holly Harper. She also had the recurring role of CIA psychotherapist Dr. Judy Barnett on Alias. Before joining Brothers & Sisters, Wettig played the fictional Vice President Caroline Reynolds on the 2005 Fox television drama Prison Break. In 2012, Wettig joined the national tour for Larry Kramer's production of The Normal Heart. She is married to actor and producer Ken Olin; they have two children.
Dec. 5—Morgan Brittany
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The actress is best known for her role as Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes, in the prime time soap opera Dallas (1978-1991). Brittany began her career as a child actress in a 1957 episode of the CBS television network anthology series Playhouse 90 and was featured in the 1962 film Gypsy, as Baby June. At age 18, Brittany appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls, as a dancer. After working as a model for several years, in 1976, Brittany portrayed Vivien Leigh in the biopic Gable and Lombard, the first of three occasions on which she would play the famous actress.
That was followed by TV movies and television shows, including The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977), The Initiation of Sarah (1978) and LBJ: The Early Years (1987). When she appeared again as Vivien Leigh in the 1980 made-for-TV movie The Scarlett O'Hara War, she caught the attention of the producers of Dallas, who were searching for an actress to play Wentworth. Brittany debuted on Dallas in the 1981-82 season, and her role as Katherine continued, on and off, until 1984.
She hosted over 100 episodes of the magazine show Photoplay, and has guest starred on other shows, including Married ... with Children; Murder, She Wrote; and The Nanny. In film, Brittany starred in the 1989 cult classic Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. In the 1990s, Brittany appeared in independent films, including Riders in the Storm (1995), Legend of the Spirit Dog (1997) and Americanizing Shelley (2007).
Currently, Brittany is a conservative political commentator and author. Her first book, which was co-authored, What Women Really Want, was released in 2014. She is a recurring guest on Hannity (Fox News) and The Rick Amato Show (One America). Brittany is a co-owner and anchor for PolitiChicks, an online news site with a conservative perspective. She now spends much of her time supporting Republican political candidates and is involved in raising funds for military/veterans organizations.
Source: Wikipedia
FAMOUS & 65 is a featured article in the Senior Spirit newsletter.
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