Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Actors

Rami Malek, Olivia Colman, Regina King and Mahershala Ali pose with the Oscars they won for acting at the 91st Academy Awards.

Actors’ Brain Activity May Change When They Are in Character

A new study of actors’ brain activity suggests that they may ‘lose themselves’ when performing

The three-time winning Meryl Streep (above at the 2017 Academy Awards) with 21 nominations under her belt appears to be a rare exception to the Oscar Jinx.

A Smithsonian Folklorist Delves Into the Rituals and Rewards at the Academy Awards

Folk belief holds that if you have won one Oscar, your odds of ever winning a second are greatly diminished by the dreaded “Oscar Jinx”

John C. Reilly stars as Oliver Hardy, and Steve Coogan stars as Stan Laurel in the new release.

Please Extend a Laurel and Hardy Handshake to the New Film ‘Stan & Ollie’

The movie showcases the famed comedy duo at the twilight of their illustrious careers

None

Ingenious Minds

Cheech Marin Uses Humor to Find Common Ground

With the 14th Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, the actor and comedian talks about how his life has been filled with music, art and laughter

Frederic Leighton, "The Music Lesson," 1877

Connie Gilchrist Was the Shirley Temple of Victorian London

The child star captivated audiences and artists alike, served as muse for Lewis Carroll, James McNeill Whistler

To Krasinski’s relief, the audience at his film’s premiere “stood up and made the craziest noise” when the screening was over.

2018 Smithsonian Ingenuity Awards

How John Krasinski Created ‘A Quiet Place’

The actor turned director creates a genre-busting horror movie with a terrifying twist—silence

“I knew we had the work cut out for us,” says Richard Barden, the Preservation Services manager. “When you really start looking at the slippers, you see how many different materials they are."

The Return of Dorothy’s Iconic Ruby Slippers, Now Newly Preserved for the Ages

The unprecedented conservation of the Wizard of Oz shoes involved more than 200 hours, and a call from the FBI

Louise Brooks

Cool Finds

Rare Technicolor Snippets of Lost Films Discovered

The fragments from the 1920s films were found taped to the beginnings and ends of other movies

Rose Marie posing with her iconic black bow.

Rose Marie’s Sprawling Legacy as Told Through the Artifacts She Left Behind

The late actress sang for mobsters, toured New York nightclubs and wisecracked her way through a career that spanned nine decades

The Profound Loneliness of Greta Garbo

Sotheby’s is auctioning off a collection of letters that reveal Garbo’s deep dissatisfaction with her life in Hollywood

Discussion of our November Issue

Feedback from our readers

Civil War reenactors fire a salute in a public parade.

Civil War Reenactments Were a Thing Even During the Civil War

These ‘practice battles’ are the root of today’s Civil War reenactors

John Legend

American Ingenuity Awards

What Makes John Legend America’s Most Versatile Artist

Songwriter, singer, actor, producer, virtual reality maven. John Legend is an entertainment all-star

Mary Martin as Maria von Trapp in a publicity photo for The Sound of Music, the musical that debuted on Broadway on this day in 1959.

The Real-Life Story of Maria von Trapp

“The Sound of Music” was based on the true story of her life, but it took a few liberties

Members of the chorus sing their parts in a performance of Antigone in Ferguson at Normandy High School in St. Louis.

The Healing Power of Greek Tragedy

Do plays written centuries ago have the power to heal modern day traumas? A new project raises the curtain on a daring new experiment

Why Hedy Lamarr Was Hollywood’s Secret Weapon

The starlet patented an ingenious technology to help with the war effort, but it went unrecognized for decades

Rita Hayworth in 'Gilda.'

How Margarita Cansino Became Rita Hayworth

Hayworth navigated identity, ethnicity and transformation throughout her career

Marlene Dietrich by Paul Cwojdzinski on the SS Europa, 1933, Cherbourg, France, 1933

The Pioneering Androgyny of Classic Hollywood Star Marlene Dietrich

The film icon embraced bisexuality, glamorous mystique and provocation

Welles helped FDR with his famous voice—and served as a behind-the-scenes speechwriter, too.

FDR Had a Famous Ghostwriter: Orson Welles

The legendary actor stumped and even wrote speeches for the 32nd president

These early Jim Henson puppets (you might recognize the frog on the right) appeared in a local Washington, D.C. television show “Sam and Friends” that ran from 1955 to 1961. Headed by Kermit, Henson’s muppets went on to wider fame.

Why Puppets (and Puppeteers) Are Still Important

Puppets aren’t just children’s toys, as this look into the Smithsonian’s collection shows

Page 7 of 11