Einstein, conductor inspired 'Doc' in Back to the Future
Published Monday June 15th, 2009
HELENA, Mont. - If Albert Einstein had lived long enough, he might have invented the flux capacitor -- a fact that wasn't lost on Christopher Lloyd.
The "Back to the Future" actor recalls that Einstein was a key inspiration for "Doc" Brown, the scientist who invented time travel via a souped-up DeLorean in the 1985 film. But another came from looking at an album cover of Philadelphia orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was shown in front of the cosmos with his arms raised and sporting a great white shock of hair.
"I talked to (director) Bob Zemeckis about it, and he said do it," Lloyd said. "So I did it."
Lloyd, now 70, said he's proud that "Back to the Future" has had a lasting effect on people, and enjoys the children's movies he's focused on recently.
The actor, in Montana to promote his new film, has been doing voices in animated flicks like "The Tale of Despereaux" and live-action movies aimed at younger audiences, including "Call of the Wild 3D," which opened in limited release Friday.
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Actor Stephen Baldwin's foreclosed home in the suburbs north of New York City will be publicly auctioned.
Baldwin paid US$515,000 for the home in Rockland County in 1997. In 2006, he tried unsuccessfully to sell it.
County filings show Baldwin and his wife Kennya defaulted on more than $824,000 in payments to mortgage holder Bankers Trust Co.
The auction is set for June 24.
A representative for Baldwin couldn't be reached for comment.
The actor has starred in movies such as Bio-Dome and The Usual Suspects. Recently, he's appeared on reality television shows The Celebrity Apprentice and I'm a Celebrity. . .Get Me Out of Here!
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Celebrity Birthdays
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* Actress Eileen Davidson is 50.
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* Guitarist Tony Ardoin of River Road is 45.
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* Drummer Rob Mitchell of Sixpence None The Richer is 43.
* Rock musician Jimmy McD is 41.
* Rapper-actor Ice Cube (real name O'Shea Jackson) is 40.
* Actress Leah Remini ("King of Queens") is 39.
* Actor Jake Busey is 38.
* Bluegrass singer-musician Jamie Johnson is 37.
* Trombone player T-Bone Willy of Save Ferris is 37.
* Actor Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother," "Doogie Howser, M.D.") is 36.
* Actress Elizabeth Reaser ("Twilight") is 34.
* Singer Dryden Mitchell of Alien Ant Farm is 33.
* Guitarist Billy Martin of Good Charlotte is 28.
* Actor Denzel Whitaker is 19.
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