World-Famous People with Belarusian Roots

Lesson 5, Ex. 2 and 3

- Oh, it’s amazing!

- What is it?

- I’ve just bought a magazine with an article about James Bond. I love these films. Here they say they’re going to start a new Bond film soon at MGM studio. Their previous “Casino Royal” was a big success.

-Yes, that’s true. Almost all films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are good. Remember “Legally Blond” or ..well “Tom and Jerry”.

- Right. Do you know what I’ve found out in this magazine? They say that Louis B. Mayer, the creator of MGM, was in fact from Belarus.

- Really?

- Yeah! He was born in Minsk, and later his parents moved to New York where he helped his father in a shop. They also say that his birthday was unknown, so he took up the 4^th of July as his official date of birth. He always understood what people wanted to see at the cinema and that’s why his studio always had "more stars than there are in the heavens".

- That’s true. And it’s interesting that he was from Belarus. Then, logically, MGM should have invited Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas to play the part of James Bond.

- Why is that?

- Haven’t you seen the new programme with Lisa Kudrow?  It’s name is…. “Who Do You Think You Are”. They invite famous people and travel with them around the world to learn the story of their ancestors.

- No. That’s the first time I hear about it.

- I see. Well, the first programme was with Michael Douglas. They showed the place in Belarus where according to the family story Michael’s ancestors had a farm.

-So, Douglas has Belarusian roots too?

-Yeah. His grandparents were quite rich, but in 1908 they decided to leave their motherland because of the war. What’s more they said that Michael Douglas has a cousin who lives in Mogilev.

- Cool! Are these grandparents on Michael’s mum side?

- No. They are parents of his father, Kirk Douglas, who was an actor as well. They say he didn’t want Michael to start acting as his own career was full of downs. But as you see Michael didn’t listen and became not only a successful actor and producer. He’s also a UN Messenger of Peace.

- I see. And did you mention Harrison Ford? Is he somehow Belarusian too?

- Surprise, surprise! Well, actually, he’s half German and half Belarusian. His mother’s parents lived in Minsk, but his father’s parents emigrated from Germany.

- Fantastic! So worldwide known Indiana Jones is half Belarusian…

- Well, he became Indiana Jones not at once. Harrison Ford has had difficult times. He even had to work as a carpenter to earn money because his acting career wasn’t very successful in the beginning.

- I really can’t believe it! Anyway, let’s go online and search the net. I’d like to know who else had ancestors from Belarus.

- I can tell you that Pavel Sukhoi, a famous military airplane constructor was born in Belarus, in Vitebsk region. He was a very talented young man and as his career started during World War II he put all his talents and skills to save his motherland. Probably that’s why his plane SU 27 is now considered to be one of the best in the world.

- And I’ve just found a website where they give the whole list of people with roots in Belarus. Louis B. Mayer, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Pavel Sukhoi…. oh, guess who else is on this list!

- Who is it?

- Marc Chagall and Larry King, and Aizek Asimov.

- Is Marc Chagall an artist from Vitebsk? I think my mum has a poster with his picture on her computer.

- Yes, he is an artist. And he was born and lived in Belarus for a while. Oh, my… Can you imagine he had nine brothers and sisters and he was the oldest. I think it’s terrible! …Oh, and he died when he was 97. That’s a long life!

- I agree! And who’s Larry King?

- Larry King? He’s a famous radio and television host. He’s a real TV star and his nightly programme Larry King Live has been number one over the years! Larry King is a king of talk shows. His parents emigrated from Belarus and when Larry was nine his father died of a heart attack. Larry himself is now suffering from a serious heart disease that he probably inherited from his dad. He always told about his Belarusian ancestors and he wants to come to Belarus one day and make a programme here.

- I see. And you also said something about Aizek Asimov. I’m keen on his sci-fi novels and stories. Is he from Belarus as well?

- They say he is. Let me read it… Aha, he was born in a place on the border between Belarus and Russia. His ancestors were millers and in 1923 they left the Soviet Union and arrived in New York City. There his father had a very successful candy store. Aizek learned to read when he was five and …. they say he was not only a science fiction writer, but also a respected scientist. That’s it. Don’t know much more about him and never read any of his books.

- That’s not it! His books are fantastic! Do you remember the film “I, Robot” with Will Smith?

- Of course, I do.

- Is based on Asimov’s story!  

- Really?

- And they say that his series of short stories influenced everything from “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” to “Star Wars” and “Futurama”.

- Now I’d better read some of his stories? Are they long?

- Oh, come on! They are…