Two Movies with a Vet’s Day Ties; Cupertino, Free!
“Ghost Solider” opens on November 11 (Veteran’s Day). The Nov. 11 opening date makes sense because the hero of the film is a military veteran— Henry ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald (Jim Caviezel). ‘Fitz’ is a weapons system engineer and a former Green Beret. He’s ‘out there’ protecting his Wyoming rural neighbors from a ruthless corporation.
As I write this, there’s no info about the “character backgrounds” except “Fitz”. However, I am 99% sure that OLIVIA THIRLBY, 39, plays Fitz’s sweetheart or wife. Thirlby has worked steadily in films since 2006 in supporting film roles—and in a few star roles. Thirlby is the secular daughter of a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father.
“How To Rob a Bank” is an action-comedy heist film that opens on Nov. 13. Here’s the set-up: a crew of bank robbers have been using social media to document the heists they pulled off. The social media heist videos move the police to really go after these robbers.
ZOE KRAVITZ, 37, is second in every “How To” actor cast list. She plays Reagan Gardener, a robber. Just above Kravitz’s name there’s Nicolas Hoult, a Brit actor, who plays Ryan, the ‘top’ robber.
Kravitz has referred to herself as a “secular Jew.” She has been a very good and busy actress for almost 20 years now. Her mother is retired actress LISA BONET, 58 (“The Cosby Show”). Lisa’s mother was white and Jewish and her father was a (not Jewish) African-American. Bonet isn’t religious.
Zoe’s father is rock musician Lenny Kravitz, 62. His late father was SY KRAVITZ, a white, Jewish TV producer. His mother, the late Roxie Roker, was an African American (not Jewish) actress (“The Jeffersons”.) About 20 years ago, Lenny moved from being secular to being an “unaffiliated” Christian.
Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11) Note: Sy’s brother, Army Private LEONARD KRAVITZ, was given the Medal of Honor (2014) 63 years after his death in the Korean war (1951). Many said that he saved a whole platoon. In 2014, Congress found that 24 black, Hispanic, and Jewish soldiers (WWII, Korea, and Vietnam) had been discriminated against and should have got the medal long ago. There was a 2014 White House ceremony. President Obama gave a Medal of Honor to the Medal hero, or to the hero’s family members. Lenny Kravitz was at the ceremony. He told a reporter: “It’s a wonderful thing to be here
today to be a part of this and to see him get his honor, It’s part of who I am. I am Lenny Kravitz. I’m very proud to be named after him and carry his name forward. He’s a part of me.”
Next week, I plan to write-up about “Cupertino”, an acclaimed new CBS series about two lawyers who create a Silicon Valley small office and take on the Valley biggies. Be sure to read me next week. I am still building my list of where you can view Cupertino, (complete episodes). Anytime! No charge!. Totally Legal! CBS says “yes”!
WALTER KOENIG, died on Oct. 28, age 90. Koenig played Pavel Chekov, one of the six most important characters in the original “Star Trek” series. Koenig, as Chekov, also co-starred in six “Trek” movies. He was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants.
Here’s two “Jewish” facts”: one is pretty well known—three of the six most important characters were/are Jewish: WILLIAM SHATNER, who played Capt. Kirk, is 95 and he still seems very vibrant; LEONARD NIMOY (Spock) died in 2015, age 83; and Walter Koenig,
I looked up their families. Koenig married JUDY LEVIT, a Jewish woman, in 1965. They had two children. They stayed together. Judy died in 2022; In 1954, Leonard Nimoy married SUSAN ZOBER (1927-2011), a (Jewish) actress. They had two children together. They divorced in 1987. Nimoy married (Jewish) actress SUSAN BAY in1989. She’s Nimoy’s widow. She’s now 83; Willam Shatner has been married four times. Three marriages ended in a divorce. Sadly, one Shatner wife (still married) drowned in a pool (alcohol and drug use caused it).
His first wife, actress GLORIA RAND (born Rabinowitz), was Jewish. They wed in 1954 and they split in 1969. She was Shatner’s only Jewish wife and she is the only mother of Shatner’s children (three daughters). She died in 2011, age 78.
I always thought it was amazing that three Jews got three sci-fi giant roles. Be a bit happy, or even more happy, now that you know that these showbiz “Trekers” all had Jewish wives– and all their children are Jewish.
