Eric Bana

Eric Bana

Born: August 9, 1968
in Melbourne, Australia
Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper (2000). After a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Bana gained Hollywood's attention by playing the role of American Delta Force Sergeant Norm "Hoot" Hooten in Black Hawk Down (2001), the lead role as Bruce Banner in the Ang Lee directed film Hulk (2003), Prince Hector in the movie Troy (2004), the lead in Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005), and the villain Nero in the science-fiction film Star Trek (2009).

An accomplished dramatic actor and comedian, he received Australia's highest film and television awards for his performances in Chopper, Full Frontal and Romulus, My Father. Bana performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety of low-budget and major studio films, ranging from romantic comedies and drama to science fiction and action thrillers.

Eric Bana was the younger of two children; he has a brother, Anthony. He is of Croatian ancestry on his father's side. Bana's paternal grandfather, Mate Banadinović, fled to Argentina after the Second World War, and Bana's paternal grandmother emigrated to Germany and then to Australia in the 1950s with her son, Ivan (Bana's father). His father was a logistics manager for Caterpillar, Inc., and his German-born mother, Eleanor, was a hairdresser. Bana grew up in Melbourne's Tullamarine, a suburban area on the western edge of the city, near the main airport. In a cover story for The Mail on Sunday, he told author Antonella Gambotto-Burke that his family had suffered from racist taunts, and that it had distressed him. "Wog is such a terrible word," he said. He has stated: "I have always been proud of my origin, which had a big influence on my upbringing. I have always been in the company of people of European origin".

Showing acting skill early in life, Bana began doing impressions of family members at the age of six or seven, first mimicking his grandfather's walk, voice and mannerisms. In school, he mimicked his teachers as a means to get out of trouble. As a teen, he watched the Mel Gibson film Mad Max (1979), and decided he wanted to become an actor. However, he did not seriously consider a career in the performing arts until 1991 when he was persuaded to try stand-up comedy while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. His stand-up gigs in inner-city pubs did not provide him with enough income to support himself, so he continued his work as a barman and bussing tables.

Movies for Eric Bana...

Berlin Nobody
Title: Berlin Nobody
Character: Ben Monroe
Released: September 5, 2024
Type: Movie
American social psychologist Ben Monroe investigates a local cult connected to a disturbing event. While he immerses himself into his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy, gets involved with a mysterious local boy, who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As these two worlds head towards an intersection, Mazzy finds herself in great danger and Ben will need to race against the clock to save her.
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Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Title: Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Character: Aaron Falk
Released: February 8, 2024
Type: Movie
When five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat and only four come out on the other side, Federal Agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice Russell, alive.
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Blueback
Title: Blueback
Character: Mad Macka
Released: December 29, 2022
Type: Movie
Based on the best-selling novel by Tim Winton, Blueback is a timely tale about the ocean, a beautiful marine creature, and a young girl’s power to change the world.
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Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Title: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Character: Monterey Jack (voice)
Released: May 20, 2022
Type: Movie
Decades since their successful television series was canceled, Chip has succumbed to a life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale, meanwhile, has had CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his glory days. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective personas once again to save their friend’s life.
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Back to the Outback
Title: Back to the Outback
Character: Chaz (voice)
Released: December 3, 2021
Type: Movie
Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they are monsters, a ragtag group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plot an escape from their zoo to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged.
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Being James Bond
Title: Being James Bond
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: August 29, 2021
Type: Movie
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
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Envoy: Shark Cull
Title: Envoy: Shark Cull
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: July 21, 2021
Type: Movie
Envoy: Shark Cull is a fascinating, deeply moving documentary narrated by Eric Bana, which sheds light on the real story behind the coastal ‘shark safety’ programs in Queensland and New South Wales. The current methods of baited drum-lines and nets have not only been scientifically proven to be ineffective in protecting swimmers and surfers, leaving them at risk in the sea, but these outdated solutions continue to be allowed to negatively impact entire marine ecosystems—including the Great Barrier Reef. Follows some of the biggest names in ocean conservation, such as Sea Shepherd, Ocean Ramsey and Madison Stewart. We will join these experts as they explore and expose this scarcely understood topic. We will also learn the importance of sharks in our oceans while uncovering the longest marine cull in history.
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The Dry
Title: The Dry
Character: Aaron Falk
Released: January 1, 2021
Type: Movie
Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his return opens a decades-old wound - the unsolved death of a teenage girl.
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Title: Dirty John
Character: John Meehan
Released: November 25, 2018
Type: TV
Anthology series in which each season is based on a true crime story featuring an epic tale of love gone wrong.
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Finke: There & Back
Title: Finke: There & Back
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: June 30, 2018
Type: Movie
The iconic Finke Desert Race, the largest off-road motorsport event in the southern hemisphere and Australia's fastest, deadliest, toughest and certainly dustiest race. Filmed over three years, Finke explores the race from within – competitors, organisers, paramedics, and the drive to win against the desert at all costs. Finke is a visual adventure of inspiration and danger, excitement and spills.
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Great Barrier Reef 3D
Title: Great Barrier Reef 3D
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: June 29, 2018
Type: Movie
What comes to mind when you think of the largest structure built by living creatures? China's sprawling Great Wall? Or maybe the skyscrapers of New York and Dubai? The truth is, no human feat of construction can compare to the sheer size and majesty of the Great Barrier Reef--spanning more than 1,400 miles off the coast of Australia and home to countless unique species of aquatic life. Narrated by acclaimed Australian actor Eric Bana, Great Barrier Reef lets us experience the awe of this natural cityscape and introduces us to the visionaries and "citizen scientists" who are helping us better understand and protect the reef. Grab your mask and snorkel and come on an unforgettable adventure with sea turtles and manta rays, witness the birth of baby seahorses, participate in a coral watch expedition, and discover the exotic splendor of fluorescent corals at night as Great Barrier Reef captures the natural beauty and exquisite strangeness of this awesome, bizarre, and vibrant living world.
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The Forgiven
Title: The Forgiven
Character: Piet Blomfeld
Released: March 9, 2018
Type: Movie
After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.
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Title: The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale
Character: Self - Special Guest
Released: February 18, 2018
Type: TV
Trending news, pop culture, social media, original videos and more come together in host Joel McHale's weekly comedy commentary show.
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Spielberg
Title: Spielberg
Character: Self
Released: October 5, 2017
Type: Movie
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Title: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Character: Uther Pendragon
Released: May 10, 2017
Type: Movie
When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern, Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy... whether he likes it or not.
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The Secret Scripture
Title: The Secret Scripture
Character: Dr. William Grene
Released: March 23, 2017
Type: Movie
The hidden memoir of an elderly woman confined to a mental hospital reveals the history of her passionate yet tortured life, and of the religious and political upheavals in Ireland during the 1920s and 30s.
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Special Correspondents
Title: Special Correspondents
Character: Frank Bonneville
Released: April 22, 2016
Type: Movie
A radio journalist and his technician get in over their heads when they hatch a scheme to fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in South America and hide out in New York instead.
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The Finest Hours
Title: The Finest Hours
Character: Daniel Cluff
Released: January 27, 2016
Type: Movie
The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.
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Title: Stop Laughing... this is serious
Character: Self - Narrator (voice)
Released: March 25, 2015
Type: TV
Documentary series charting a course through the story of Australian comedy, featuring interviews with the men and women who make us laugh.
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Deliver Us from Evil
Title: Deliver Us from Evil
Character: Ralph Sarchie
Released: July 1, 2014
Type: Movie
When a frightening wave of violence sweeps through New York City, troubled cop Sarchie fails to find a rational explanation for the bizarre crimes. However, his eyes are opened to a frightening alternate reality when renegade Jesuit priest Mendoza convinces him that demonic possession may be to blame for the gruesome murders. Together, they wage a valiant supernatural struggle to rid the city of an otherworldly evil.
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Lone Survivor
Title: Lone Survivor
Character: Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen
Released: December 24, 2013
Type: Movie
Four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative must make an impossible moral decision in the mountains of Afghanistan that leads them into an enemy ambush. As they confront unthinkable odds, the SEALs must find reserves of strength and resilience to fight to the finish.
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Tempest at the Drop-In
Title: Tempest at the Drop-In
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: October 8, 2013
Type: Movie
Tempest at the Drop-In follows mentally ill and socially isolated members of the community as they stage a professional production of Shakespeare's The Tempest alongside professional actors.
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Closed Circuit
Title: Closed Circuit
Character: Martin Rose
Released: August 28, 2013
Type: Movie
A high-profile terrorism case unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy.
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Deadfall
Title: Deadfall
Character: Addison
Released: November 8, 2012
Type: Movie
A thriller that follows two siblings who decide to fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist, and their unlikely reunion during another family's Thanksgiving celebration.
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Hanna
Title: Hanna
Character: Erik Heller
Released: April 7, 2011
Type: Movie
Raised by her father, an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing has been geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.
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Making Mary and Max
Title: Making Mary and Max
Character: Self
Released: October 21, 2009
Type: Movie
Comedic behind-the-scenes film for the production of Mary and Max, originally released as webisodes.
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The Time Traveler's Wife
Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Character: Henry DeTamble
Released: August 14, 2009
Type: Movie
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.
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Funny People
Title: Funny People
Character: Clarke
Released: July 30, 2009
Type: Movie
Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons doesn't give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira.
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Star Trek
Title: Star Trek
Character: Captain Nero
Released: May 6, 2009
Type: Movie
The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.
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Love the Beast
Title: Love the Beast
Character: Self
Released: March 12, 2009
Type: Movie
What if you were a Hollywood movie star with an obsession for cars and racing? Eric Bana is such a star!
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Mary and Max
Title: Mary and Max
Character: Damien Popodopolous (voice)
Released: February 9, 2009
Type: Movie
A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.
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Translating History to Screen
Title: Translating History to Screen
Character: Self
Released: June 10, 2008
Type: Movie
Translating History to Screen (2008) Video Short - 10 June 2008 (USA)
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The Other Boleyn Girl
Title: The Other Boleyn Girl
Character: Henry Tudor
Released: February 28, 2008
Type: Movie
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
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Romulus, My Father
Title: Romulus, My Father
Character: Romulus
Released: May 31, 2007
Type: Movie
The story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.
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Lucky You
Title: Lucky You
Character: Huck Cheever
Released: May 1, 2007
Type: Movie
A professional poker player whose astounding luck at the table fails to translate into his lonesome love life attempts to win the World Series of Poker while simultaneously earning the affections of a beautiful Las Vegas singer.
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Title: The Graham Norton Show
Character: Himself
Released: February 22, 2007
Type: TV
Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.
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Munich
Title: Munich
Character: Avner
Released: December 23, 2005
Type: Movie
During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
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Troy
Title: Troy
Character: Hector
Released: May 13, 2004
Type: Movie
In year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. They set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy.
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The Incredible Ang Lee
Title: The Incredible Ang Lee
Character: Self
Released: October 23, 2003
Type: Movie
A look at the director Ang Lee. It examines the contributions of the director not only behind the camera, but his work in numerous other aspects of the filmmaking process to make Hulk as successful as can be.
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Hulk
Title: Hulk
Character: Bruce Banner / Hulk
Released: June 19, 2003
Type: Movie
Bruce Banner, a genetics researcher with a tragic past, suffers massive radiation exposure in his laboratory that causes him to transform into a raging green monster when he gets angry.
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Finding Nemo
Title: Finding Nemo
Character: Anchor (voice)
Released: May 30, 2003
Type: Movie
Nemo, an adventurous young clownfish, is unexpectedly taken from his Great Barrier Reef home to a dentist's office aquarium. It's up to his worrisome father Marlin and a friendly but forgetful fish Dory to bring Nemo home -- meeting vegetarian sharks, surfer dude turtles, hypnotic jellyfish, hungry seagulls, and more along the way.
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Title: Top Gear
Character: Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car
Released: October 20, 2002
Type: TV
This fast-paced and stunt-filled motor show tests whether cars, both mundane and extraordinary, live up to their manufacturers' claims. The long-running show travels to locations around the world, performing extreme stunts and challenges to see what the featured cars are capable of doing. The current hosts are Paddy Mcguinness, Chris Harris and Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.
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The Nugget
Title: The Nugget
Character: Lotto
Released: October 17, 2002
Type: Movie
'The Nugget' looks at how instant wealth suddenly changes the lives of three working class men - not necessarily for the better, but always with hilarious consequences.
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Title: Kath & Kim
Character: Eric Bana
Released: May 16, 2002
Type: TV
Kath & Kim is a character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship. The series main characters consist of Kath Day-Knight, a cheerful 50-year-old woman, her self-indulgent daughter Kim Craig, Kath's boyfriend and second husband, the metrosexual Kel Knight, as well as Kim's estranged husband Brett Craig and her lonely, overweight "second best friend" Sharon Strzelecki. The series is set in the fictional suburb of Fountain Lakes in Melbourne. It is primarily filmed in Patterson Lakes. The series was conceived by Turner and Riley in the early 1990s as a weekly segment of the Australian comedy series Fast Forward. The skit was then developed into a full-series. The first series of Kath & Kim premiered on ABC TV on 16 May 2002, with three further series following, while a television movie, entitled Da Kath and Kim Code, was broadcast nationally on 25 November 2005. Kath & Kim has garnered much critical acclaim since its debut, winning two Logie Awards, for "Outstanding Comedy Programme" and the "Best Television Drama Series" award at the Australian Film Institute Awards. In Australia, it has become a pop culture phenomenon, and is a success with audiences nationwide. Internationally, the series has spawned a cult fanbase, and in 2006 it was announced an American version of the series would be produced, to air on NBC. Riley and Turner served as executive producers on the US version. The American version was also picked up by Seven, which debuted the program on 12 October 2008, just three days after its debut in the United States.
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Black Hawk Down
Title: Black Hawk Down
Character: SFC Norm 'Hoot' Gibson
Released: December 28, 2001
Type: Movie
When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.
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Chopper
Title: Chopper
Character: Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read
Released: June 21, 2000
Type: Movie
The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.
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Title: Something in the Air
Character: Joe Sabatini
Released: January 17, 2000
Type: TV
Something in the Air was an Australian television soap opera transmitted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2002. It was one of the first programs in Australia that was filmed in widescreen. It won the AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series in 2001.
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Title: Rove
Character: Self
Released: September 22, 1999
Type: TV
Rove, formerly Rove Live, was an Australian television variety show which premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, before moving to Network Ten which aired the program from 2000 until November, 2009. The show was hosted by comedian Rove McManus, and featured an ensemble cast, who presented various segments throughout the course of the show. The show won the Logie Award for "Most Popular Light Entertainment Program" five times.
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The Castle
Title: The Castle
Character: Con Petropoulous
Released: April 10, 1997
Type: Movie
A Melbourne family is very happy living near the Melbourne airport. However, they are forced to leave their beloved home (by the Government and airport authorities) to make way for more runways. 'The Castle' is the story of how they fight to remain in their home.
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Title: Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Character: Self - Guest
Released: September 13, 1993
Type: TV
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. The second incarnation of NBC's Late Night franchise, O'Brien's debuted in 1993 after David Letterman, who hosted the first incarnation of Late Night, moved to CBS to host Late Show opposite The Tonight Show. In 2004, as part of a deal to secure a new contract, NBC announced that O'Brien would leave Late Night in 2009 to succeed Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon began hosting his version of Late Night on March 2, 2009.
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Title: Full Frontal
Released: May 13, 1993
Type: TV
Full Frontal was an Australian sketch comedy series which debuted in 1993. The show first aired on the Seven Network on 13 May 1993, and finished on 18 September 1997. In 1998 a spin-off of the show moved to Network Ten under the name Totally Full Frontal, losing most of the original cast in the process and finished in 1999. Since 2008, re-runs have begun screening on The Comedy Channel as part of the channel's "Aussie Gold" block of locally made, classic comedy programming.
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Title: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Released: May 25, 1992
Type: TV
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny Carson's retirement as host of the program. The program originates from NBC Studios in Burbank, California, and is broadcast Monday through Friday at 11:35 PM in the Eastern and Pacific time zones. Unlike Carson or his predecessor Jack Paar, Leno only once utilized a guest host, preferring to host the series by himself. On April 26, 1999, the show began broadcasting in 1080i HDTV, becoming the first American nightly talk show to be shot in high definition. The show is shot in 16:9 aspect ratio. The series, which followed the same basic format as that of his predecessors, ran until May 29, 2009, after which Leno was succeeded by Conan O'Brien. NBC signed Leno to a new deal for a nightly talk show in the 10:00 pm ET timeslot. The primetime series, titled The Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009, following a similar format to the Leno incarnation of Tonight.
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Title: Today
Character: Self
Released: January 14, 1952
Type: TV
Today is a daily American morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and is the fifth-longest running American television series. Originally a two-hour program on weekdays, it expanded to Sundays in 1987 and Saturdays in 1992. The weekday broadcast expanded to three hours in 2000, and to four hours in 2007. Today's dominance was virtually unchallenged by the other networks until the late 1980s, when it was overtaken by ABC's Good Morning America. Today retook the Nielsen ratings lead the week of December 11, 1995, and held onto that position for 852 consecutive weeks until the week of April 9, 2012, when it was beaten by Good Morning America yet again. In 2002, Today was ranked #17 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest Television Shows of All Time.
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Title: Untamed
Character: Eric Inman
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: TV
Follow Eric Inman, a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature’s vast wilderness. The investigation of a brutal death sends Inman on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his own past.
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Memoir of a Snail
Title: Memoir of a Snail
Character: James the Magistrate (voice)
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
A bittersweet remembrance of Grace Puddle; a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails living in Canberra.