The Movie That Changed My Life
50. Downtown Julie Brown (hostess, El's "The Gossip Show"). "The movie that made a big difference to me was The World According to Garp. It was a story about a woman who did what she wanted to do, no matter what. The story led you through a man's view of this strong and remarkable woman. He felt she was interesting instead of intimidating--and I thought that was inspiring."
51. Suzzanne Douglas (actress, The Inkwell, Tap). "The Sound of Music has always been a great inspiration to me. Looking at the movie, I still feel as though as I am looking in a mirror--the same way I did as a child--especially when Maria and her family flee the Nazis' persecution. I remember feeling so proud of my own mother because she was just like Maria; she would do any-thing to save her family. Our family liter-ally fled the projects of Chicago. Like Maria, my mother was determined to hold fast to her courage and strength, to raise her family with hope, and pass on her inspired ability to dream."
52. Dennis Haysbert (actor, Love Field, Waiting to Exhale). "The Young Lions was the first time I had ever seen a movie where a Nazi was portrayed as a human being. Marlon Brando created a character of such depth. I saw the film for the first time when I was a kid, and I've seen it many times since then. It had a lot to do with awakening my interest in acting. Then I would have to say Clint Eastwood's films also had a big impact on me because we were exactly the same height, and I realized a tall actor had a shot."
53. Sheryl Lee Ralph (actress, Bogus, "Moesha"). "The color and the beauty of Black Orpheus gave me great joy as a child. The music was so uplift-ing and the film had these beautiful black Brazilian dancers. I can't tell you what it meant to me seeing a film about black people who were so powerful. No other movie gave me so much hope in such a positive way."
54. Loretha C. Jones (producer, The Five Heartbeats, The Meteor Man). "A film that made a great impression on me was Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors. The performances were so raw and realistic that I felt as if I were peeking into the window of my neighbor's house. The film was a very powerful reminder that the problems of poverty, racism and oppression cross all cultural and ethnic boundaries."
55. Kim Coles (actress, "Living Single," "In Living Color"). "The movie that influenced me most was All About Eve. Bette Davis was an actress, 40-ish, beautiful, glamorous--and still working. Her character, Margo Channing, was a tough cookie with a vulnerable side. She made me want to be fabulous! I didn't want to be anything like Anne Baxter's character, Eve, who was a power-hungry backstabber. I had all these wonderful people in my family who were strong, and that influenced me to be more like Margo Channing."
56. Malcolm-Jamal Warner (actor, "Malcolm and Eddie," Drop Zone). "The film that had the greatest impact on me was one I saw when I was five years old: Cornbread, Earl and Me starring Laurence Fishburne at the age of 14. It was the first film I ever saw in a movie theater, and there was a scene that has haunted me ever since. The scene was a guy running down the street carrying a basketball who gets shot in the back. The whole thing was done in slow motion, and it was the first time I had ever seen that technique used. The image has stayed with me all this time."
57. Ken Norton Jr. (linebacker, San Francisco 49ers; actor, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr."). "Two films have changed I my life. The first is the TV miniseries Roots, because it shows the heritage of black families, and it's important to know where you came from. The second is Rocky, because it tells a story of a man who rises from nothing to something."
58. Dr. Mayme Agnew Clayton (founder/executive director, Black American Cinema Society). "One that comes immediately to mind is Nothing but a Man with Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln. That was a very strong film, especially for that period of time. The lead character was an exceptionally strong man who, when pushed, decided to stand up For his rights, which really impressed me. After that film, a lot of people who had never really openly expressed themselves came forward and demonstrated that they were willing to stand up for their rights, too."
59. Sherman Hemsley (actor, "The Jeffersons," "Goode Behavior"). "The one film that changed my life was the musical Carmen Jones--the updated version of Bizet's opera with Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge. I saw that film seven times and bought the album. All of us kids from the neighborhood would pick a part and mimic the actors. So there we were, a bunch of kids from South Philly in one another's homes singing, dancing and carrying on. We had a blast. I always knew I wanted to be an actor, but that film clinched it for me."
60. Malinda Williams (actress, High School High, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate), "Lady Sings the Blues is the movie that made me get serious about acting. My girlfriend and I would have what we called 'LSB parties' every week, where we watched that movie over and over again. If took us on an emotional roller coaster. It dealt with racism, the blues and drugs. Diana Ross really did it for me. I wish she had done more acting. She truly inspired me."
61. Duane Boutté (actor, Stonewall). "Two movies, Priest and Dead Man Walking, played powerful roles in teaching me the value of a life devoted to service. They reaffirmed my desire to deeply affect people through my work and maybe to provoke some positive change in their lives. I don't mean just sending a positive message, but really reaching someone. That's not easy to do. But Priest and Dead Man Walking certainly reached me--so there's proof it can be done."
62. Rocky Carroll (actor, "Chicago Hope," Crimson Tide). "I was in college studying theater when I first saw The Deer Hunter. From the stars to the production itself, I found the movie absolutely riveting. That was the first movie that made me realize the magnitude of what I wanted to do as a career; it opened my eyes to the effect an actor can have on an audience. Before that film, I had never realized that acting can impact a person in such a way that it can actually change a person's perspective on life."
63. Jazzmun (actor, "The John Larroquette Show," Cay TV: The Movie). "The film that affected me most was my all-time favorite movie, Pinky. It's a '40s film about a black woman who raises her granddaughter (Pinky), puts her through nursing school, and then is slapped in the face by the granddaughter when she--a very light-skinned black woman--passes for white. The granddaughter falls in love with a rich while doctor but, when he finds out she's black, their relationship falls apart. Pinky taught me several things: that spirit knows spirit; strive for what you want no matter what", and that although you will not be loved by everyone, you will be loved. The truth will always prevail."
64. Leslie Uggams (actress, Roots, Sugar Hill). "Blackboard Jungle was the movie that changed my life. I grew up in Washington Heights where there were gangs, so I could relate to everything in the movie. And it had Bill Haley and the Comets singing 'Rock Around the Clock.' This wasn't a movie; it jumped off the screen. It was also the first time my girlfriends and I saw Sidney Poitier, and he had such a presence. Before that we had seen Lena Home singing in black movies. But Sidney had a different kind of impact. When I saw him, I thought maybe someday I could have a career as a performer."
65. Lydia Nicole (comic, Indecent Proposal, Stand and Deliver). "I would have to say my choice is This Property Is Condemned. Here was Natalie Wood as woman who, like me, came from the wrong side of the tracks. Robert Redford was the man she loved, and he gave her the chance of a lifetime by offering her an opportunity to make a break for it But all she knew was to lie, cheat and steal, so she didn't tell him the truth--and lost him and her life. After that, I never lied again, and I got out."
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Stephen Farber wrote about Daniel Day-Lewis for the October issue of Movieline.
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