Brit of the Week

Samantha Morton (May 13, 1977) was born in Nottingham, England as one of three children in the Morton family. At age seven, Samantha was made a ward of the state and was shuffled in and out of foster homes for several years after. Under the influence of drugs, she threatened a bully and had to serve time in a juvenile facility. After a troubled childhood, Morton decided to make a change in her life. She focused her efforts on drama. She landed parts in several British series, but it was her role in 1999's "Sweet and Lowdown" which garnered her the attention of Hollywood (and an Oscar nomination). Since then she has had starring roles in "Minority Report", "In America" (her 2nd Oscar nom), "The Libertine", and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". Up next: "John Carter of Mars" (with Mark Strong and Willem Dafoe) and "Banking on Mr. Toad" (with Ioan Gruffudd).

You Say It's Your Birthday!

Happy 54th Birthday, Steven Spielberg!!!!!

on the set of "Jaws", 1975

with Henry Thomas on the set of "E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial", 1982

with Harrison Ford in India filming

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", 1984

with Whoopi Goldberg on the set of "The Color Purple", 1985

with a very young Christian Bale on the

set of "Empire of the Sun", 1987

dealing with one of the smaller dinosaurs, "Jurassic Park", 1993

with Liam Neeson on, one of his best

films, "Schindler's List", 1993

winning two Oscars for "Schindler's List", 1994

with Tom Cruise and Samantha Morton

on the set of "Minority Report", 2002

Along with Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, Spielberg presented

Martin Scorsese with a long-deserved Best Director Oscar, 2007