The Guide for Education

FAMOUS AMERICANS BORN ON FEBRUARY 19TH
 
 
LEE MARVIN was born in 1924, in New York City.   He attended St. Leo Preparatory College in St. Leo, Florida.  He left school to join the Marines, serving as a Scout Sniper, 4th Marine Division.  He was wounded in action during World War II Battle of Saipan. Most of the platoon was killed; Marvin was wounded in the buttocks from machine gun fire, severing the sciatic nerve.  He was awarded a Purple Heart medal and a medical discharge.    While working as a plumber’s assistant at a theatre in New York, he was asked to replace an actor who had become sick.  This began an amateur off-Broadway acting career.  He moved to Hollywood in 1950 and found work in supporting roles mostly in war films.  His film debut was in You’re in the Navy Now in 1951.  He appeared in several films the following year including Duel at Silver Creek, Hangman’s Knot, and Eight Iron Men.  Marvin gradually got bigger roles, starring in the 1956 film, Attack and The Missouri Traveler in 1958.  He was Frank Balinger in the TV series M Squad (1957-1960).  His performance in Cat Ballou (1965) won  an Academy Award for Best Actor for him.   Two other biggies for him were in the movies The Professionals (1966) and The Dirty Dozen (1967).   Marvin died of a heart attack on August 29, 1987.  He was 63.
 WILLIAM “SMOKEY” ROBINSON was born in 1940 in Detroit, Michigan.  He is an R & B and soul singer-songwriter and record producer.  He is a major figure associated with Motown Records-second only behind founder Berry Gordy.  Robinson was an original member of The Miracles.  From 1960 through 1987 he had 37 Top 40 hits for Motown.  He was also the company’s vice president 1961-1988.  Robinson was the main songwriter for The Temptations (1963-1966), with hits such as “The Way You Do the Thins You Do”, “My Girl”, “Since I Lost My Baby”, and “Get Ready.”  He’s also written for The Four Tops.  Altogether he has over 4,000 songs to his credit.   Smokey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist – though there’s been some controversy over the fact that the other members of the original Miracles group were not inducted.
 BOBBY ROGERS (born ROBERT E. ROGERS) was born in 1940, in Detroit, Michigan.  He has been a member of Motown Records’ group The Miracles since 1956.  He was born on the same day and same hospital as Smokey Robinson; however the two would not meet for 15 years.  Rogers was also a sometime songwriter and with Smokey Robinson wrote the Temptations’ hit single “The Way You Do the Things You Do”.  He also wrote Mary Wells’ hit, “My Baby”, “One More Heartache”, a Marvin Gaye Top 40 hit, and in 1964 he wrote The Miracles Top 40 hit, “That’s What Love Is Made Of,” Rogers also did co-lead vocals for the 1962 hit, “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”.  He still performs in the United States, Canada and Europe with members of The Miracles – the longest serving member of the group.  The Miracles has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
 AMY TAN was born in 1942, in Oakland, California.   Tan is an American writer of Chinese descent.  She received her bachelor’s and master’s at San Jose State University and doctoral studies at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley.Her works explore mother-daughter relationships.  One of her novels, The Joy Luck Club, was adapted to the movies.  She has written several other books such as The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter.  Her most recent book is Saving Fish From Drowning.  She also has two children’s books to her credit, The Moon Lady published in 1992, and Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat in 1994.  The later was made into a cartoon series on PBS.  At present she lives in Sausalito, California.
 JUSTINE TANYA BATEMAN was born in 1966, in Rye, New York.  She is a film, television actress and singer, active from 1982 till the present time.  She is best known for her role of Mallory Keaton on the television series Family Ties from 1982-1989.  She also guest-starred in some episodes of Lois & Clark; The New Adventures of Superman.  Bateman is a founder and partner of FM78.tv., a production company dedicated to creating professional content for Internet distribution.  She has also founded her own fashion design company and has served on the Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors until 2009. 
 ELLEN NAOMI COHEN (“Mama” Cass Eliot) was born in 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland.  She was an American singer best known as Mama Cass of the group The Mamas & the Papas.   After the breakup of the group she was successful as a solo singer and released five albums.  She was found in her London room, dead of an apparent heart attack, on July 29, 1974.  She was 32 years old.