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  • Melanie Griffith Defended By Daughter Dakota Johnson For Hollywood’s ‘Cut Throat’ Treatment of Older Actresses

    Melanie Griffith was defended by daughter Dakota Johnson this month for Hollywood’s “cut-throat” treatment of older actresses.

    Johnson, 26, lashed out over the lack of roles for older women, citing Melanie Griffith and her grandmother, Tippi Hedren.

    “This industry is f—ing brutal,” Johnson said in the February issue of British Vogue.

    “Why isn’t my mother in movies? She’s an extraordinary actress! Why isn’t my grandmother in movies?”

    Griffith, who is 58, is best known for her iconic turn in Working Girl. Johnson’s 85-year-old grandmother Tippi Hedren made a name for herself after her turn in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

    Johnson says the brutal treatment by the movie industry has an affect on her own self-esteem.

    “No matter how tough you are, sometimes there’s the feeling of not being wanted,” she said. “It’s absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, I’m unsure that I will ever work again. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a definite thing that happens to me.”

    On the other hand, the 50 Shades of Grey actress is not afraid to ditch the glam to take on a rougher look for her role as the wife of criminal Whitey Bulger in her new film Black Mass.

    “In my real life, I don’t look pretty all the time,” Johnson conceded. “Nobody does. I love films that are honest… That’s the thing that turns me on.”

    Do you think Dakota Johnson has a point about roles for older women like her mom Melanie Griffith?

  • Rod Taylor Of “The Birds”, “Time Machine” Dies at 84

    Rod Taylor fans around the world continue to mourn Hollywood’s loss today.

    Taylor suffered a heart attack on Wednesday after a dinner party and is survived by his wife, Carol, and his daughter, Felicia, who is a former CNN anchor.

    Felicia said of her father’s life in Hollywood, “My dad loved his work. Being an actor was his passion – calling it an honorable art and something he couldn’t live without.”

    She added, “He once said, ‘I am a poor student sitting at the feet of giants, yearning for their wisdom and begging for lessons that might one day make me a complete artist, so that if all goes well, I may one day sit beside them.’”

    Rod Taylor was born in Australia, but came to Hollywood to realize a dream. He worked his way up the Hollywood ladder and starred in over 50 films during his career, many of them classics like The Birds, The Time Machine, and The V.I.P.s.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi7EMeZUv9I

    “To a large degree, those early lean days were self-imposed,” he told Screenland magazine in 1961.

    “I would only do the good things. I wouldn’t do anything I didn’t consider prestige. I’d much rather turn down a starring role in a bad picture and do a small role in a very good picture.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw4XQWzW0L8

    Rod Taylor’s The Birds co-star, Tippi Hedren said of him, “There are so many incredible feelings I have for him. Rod was a great pal to me and a real strength, we were very, very good friends.”

    She added, “He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy, there was everything good in that man.”

    Rod Taylor was privileged enough to be part of a great age in Hollywood history. His absence will surely be felt by his colleagues, present and former.

  • Tippi Hedren Mourns Passing of ‘The Birds’ Costar Rod Taylor

    Tippi Hedren starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film The Birds alongside critically acclaimed actor Rod Taylor. Taylor died on Wednesday evening of a heart attack. He was 84.

    In addition to The Birds, Rod Taylor starred in more than 50 Hollywood films throughout his career. In addition to starring with Tippi Hedren, he appeared on the big screen opposite a number of other Hollywood icons, including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Jane Fonda.

    In a statement to People magazine, Tippi Hedren made it quite clear that Rod Taylor was more than just a costar. He was her dear friend.

    “There are so many incredible feelings I have for him. Rod was a great pal to me and a real strength, we were very, very good friends,” Hedren, who is 84, said.

    “He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy, there was everything good in that man,” she added.

    Rod Taylor’s family is mourning their loss. He was married to wife Carol for 35 years. He is also survived by his daughter Felicia.

    “My dad loved his work. Being an actor was his passion–calling it an honorable art and something he couldn’t live without,” she told People. “He once said, ‘I am a poor student sitting at the feet of giants, yearning for their wisdom and begging for lessons that might one day make me a complete artist, so that if all goes well, I may one day sit beside them.’”

    Tippi Hedren, the mother of actress Melanie Griffith, is no doubt just one of many in Hollywood who join Rod Taylor’s family in mourning his passing.

  • Tippi Hedren Mourns “The Birds” Actor Rod Taylor

    Tippi Hedren joins the rest of Hollywood in mourning the passing of legendary actor Rod Taylor.

    Rod Taylor suffered a heart attack and passed away on Wednesday evening after a dinner party.

    He was 84.

    Tippi Hedren starred with Taylor in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, The Birds. This was one of his most notable roles, but Rod Taylor was no Hollywood slouch.

    Taylor, born in Australia, was in over 50 Hollywood films during his long and enduring career.

    Tippi Hedren had nothing but praise for her former co-star.

    “There are so many incredible feelings I have for him. Rod was a great pal to me and a real strength, we were very, very good friends,” Hedren said in a statement.

    She added, “He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy, there was everything good in that man.”

    Besides having the honor of starring opposite of Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor enjoyed rising to fame with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars over the course of his lifetime. Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jane Fonda are among those who shared the screen with Taylor.

    Rod Taylor is survived by his wife of 35 years, Carol, and his daughter, Felicia, who is a former anchor for CNN.

    In a statement, Felicia gave the rest of us a peek into her father’s life in Hollywood.

    She said, “My dad loved his work. Being an actor was his passion – calling it an honorable art and something he couldn’t live without.”

    She added, “He once said, ‘I am a poor student sitting at the feet of giants, yearning for their wisdom and begging for lessons that might one day make me a complete artist, so that if all goes well, I may one day sit beside them.’”

    What beautiful insight from a great actor.

  • Tippi Hedren Wins $1.5 Million Lawsuit

    Tippi Hedren Wins $1.5 Million Lawsuit

    You may remember Hollywood actress Tippi Hedren for her iconic role in Alfred Hitchcock’s frightening film The Birds. Now you may wind up remembering her for winning almost $1.5 million for a gallon of water falling on her head.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, a California appeals court ruled today that the 83 year old actress’ former lawyer, Joseph Allen, must pay Hedren the money she would have most likely received had her case gone to trial. Hedron sued Allen because he did not file the proper paperwork for the case in time.

    In 2006, Hedren had spinal fusion surgery in order to relieve severe headaches. The surgery was a success, so she went back to work on the set of Fashion House. Hedren was subsequently injured while rehearsing for the show when a gallon of water fell from a sound stage ceiling and onto her head. Her headaches returned after the accident. She tried various remedies in an attempt to find relief, however, none alleviated her pain.

    Allen is ordered to pay Hedron a reported $1,483,708. The actress’ pain and suffering was taken into account as well as lost wages. Allen’s motion for a retrial was denied.

    Hedren has worked steadily in both television and film over the years. She made appearances in both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Family Hope. She is currently filming the family comedy Lizzie’s World: The Secret of the Magic Trunk.

    Here’s one of the famous scenes from The Birds. Hitchcock used real ravens and crows for the attack on Hedren. The actress would later accuse Hitchcock of being evil and deviant.

    Image Via You Tube

  • Tippi Hedren: Alfred Hitchcock Was “Evil” And “Dangerous”

    It’s no secret to those who take an interest in Hitchcock film lore that his leading ladies didn’t always think very highly of him; rumors have churned for years that he was mentally abusive to those who refused his advances and took his frustrations out the only way he could: by punishing the beautiful stars of his movies with extra-long hours on set and cruel stunts. And while some directors show tough love to their actors in order to get the very best performance out of them–I’m talking to you, Stanley Kubrick–actress Tippi Hedren insists that Hitchcock was deliberately evil to her and anyone else who went against him.

    Now, Hedren–who starred in “The Birds” and is also Melanie Griffith’s mother–is speaking out about the odd practices of the iconic director against the backdrop of a newly-finished HBO movie, “The Girl”, which tells the behind-the-scenes stories of some of his most famous films.

    “I think he was an extremely sad character,” she said. “We are dealing with a brain here that was an unusual genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of dangerous, because of the effect that he could have on people that were totally unsuspecting.”

    Although she says there were good times in those days–such as being under his tutelage–sometimes the bad outweighed the good, especially when he used his long arm of influence to keep her from getting another job once she refused to work with him after their second film together. Back then, women had about as many rights in Hollywood as they did anywhere else; which is to say, not many.

    Still, Hedren says she didn’t let his tyranny cast a shadow on the rest of her life.

    “He ruined my career but he didn’t ruin my life,” she said. “If this had happened today I would be a very rich woman.”

    “The Girl” airs on HBO this October.