Mmmmmmmm Bop!

[choirfiend]

So, guess what?


The Hanson Brothers, of mid 90s teen pop fame, are Orthodox!!!

Their aunt is a nun in Greece, and I'm kinda assuming that her conversion introduced Orthodoxy to the family. The brothers were baptised in January in Thebes, and from what Sister Emiliani said, their parents are on the path to conversion, God willing.

Isn't that sweet that three brothers could enter the Church together? I love hearing of practicing Orthodox celebs---it bodes well for us.
Wouldn't it be interesting to go meet the Hansons at like an OCF convention or something? Haha, it's too funny.

(this new announcement is from the mouth of the aunt, Sister Emiliani, who visited and spoke at St. Vlad's Seminary on Monday)

[repentant]

Well I guess I could get to like them...;)

[Gnisios]

Friends, can you please tell me some Orthodox celebrities in the United States? I may use them from time to time when introducing Orthodoxy to American visitors at our monastery. :)

[choirfiend]

Well, these people are probably mostly non-practicing, but here goes:


John Stamos, actor
Jennifer Aniston, actress
Tom Hanks (http://www.ldsfilm.com/actors/TomHanks.html) - actor, movie star (and wife, Rita Wilson)
Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live TV series writer and on-screen co-host of "Weekend Update" segment
John Belushi (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/John_Belushi.html) - comedian; Saturday Night Live star; film actor (raised Albanian Orthodox
John Cassavetes (http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/John_Cassavetes.html) - influential film director (marginal Greek Orthodox)
Michael Dukakis - Massachusetts governor; unsuccessful Democratic nominee for President (1988)
Olympia Dukakis - Academy Award-winning actress
Elia Kazan (http://www.adherents.com/people/pk/Elia_Kazan.html) - film director; On the Waterfront; Gentleman's Agreement; etc. (lapsed Greek Orthodox)
Frank Schaeffer (http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/Frank_Schaeffer.html) - acclaimed author (convert to Greek Orthodoxy)
Vladimir Nabokov (http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Vladimir_Nabokov.html) - influential Russian-American writer best known for Lolita (1955) and Pale Fire (1962)
Igor Stravinsky (http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/Igor_Stravinsky.html) - celebrated Russian-American composer of modern classical music (Russian Orthodox)
Christopher Orr - actor, The Mighty Ducks, etc. (convert from Lutheran to Orthodox)
Spencer Abraham - U.S. Secretary of Energy for Pres. George W. Bush
George Stephanopoulos - communication director for Pres. Clinton; news show host
Darrell Issa - U.S. Representative from California; wealthy businessman; personally financed 2003 recall election that ended Gov. Gray Davis's term early
George Tenet - CIA director from 1997 to 2004
Paul Weyrich - powerful conservative American activist; founder of the Heritage Foundation
Terry Mattingly (http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Terry_Mattingly.html) - nationally prominent syndicated religion journalist
Jaroslav Jan Pelikan - religious scholar, Yale professor, co-editor of 55-volume Luther's Works (convert from Lutheran to Orthodox)
Rod Blagojevich (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Rod_Blagojevich.html) - U.S. Representative, governor of Illinois
Paul Sarbanes - U.S. Senator from Maryland
Olympia Snowe - U.S. Senator from Maine
Michael Huffington - U.S. Representative from California
Melissa Bean - U.S. Representative from Illinois
Michael Bilirakis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Michael_Bilirakis.html) - U.S. Representative from Florida
George W. Gekas (http://www.adherents.com/people/pg/George_Gekas.html) - U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania (Repub.)
Dick Lane (http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/Dick_Lane.html) - California politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1998
Steven Corodemus (http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Steven_Corodemus.html) - New Jersey politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Anthony Zevgolis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pz/Anthony_Zevgolis.html) - Virginia politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
John Pappageorge (http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/John_Pappageorge.html) - Michigan politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Kerry Katsorhis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pk/Kerry_Katsorhis.html) - New York City sheriff; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Chris Evangel (http://www.adherents.com/people/pe/Chris_Evangel.html) - candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey in 1996
Michael Petyo (http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Michael_Petyo.html) - candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana in 1996

[choirfiend]

I just spent the last 45 minutes trying to remember this one!!! WOoooo, I finally found it after googling all the related terms I could think of...I thought of tully and sully and savas b/c I knew his name was something like that, and bald, and tv character, and 1970s, and so on....FINALLY!!!

Telly Savalas, actor, played Kojak in the 1970s.

[Gnisios]

Wow! Thanks :thumbsup:

[repentant]

Don't forget Anthony Quinn, actor. Many movies including "Zorba the Greek". Some other big movies he was in are "Lawrence of Arabia", "Last Action Hero", "Gotti" and played the High Priest Caiaphas in the movie "Jesus of Nazareth". I believe he was an artist as well. Fell in love with and converted to Orthodox.

[choirfiend]

I've never heard that--do you have anything that talks about it?
His life doesn't seem to have too Orthodox of an ending, though it's not to judge, just note that taking on a mistress at the age of 79 seems a bit much!

[repentant]

And Melina Kanakaredes from "CSI:New York".

[repentant]

I've never heard that--do you have anything that talks about it?
His life doesn't seem to have too Orthodox of an ending, though it's not to judge, just note that taking on a mistress at the age of 79 seems a bit much!

Maybe it was that he loved the Greek culture I was thinking of....I can't find anything. It says he was raised Catholic, but doesn't mention about what he died as. Maybe I was mixed up..

BTW, What is an Orthodox ending to life?

[choirfiend]

same as the rest of living one's life, I suppose, continual repentence and struggle! Generally, when one sees people who choose to be practicing Orthodox, either through conversion or the active adherence to the faith of their youth, one sees a desire to follow the Orthodox Way...avoiding adultery would be one of those ways, so when you see someone rounding out their life with an affair with one's secretary, it does cast a little doubt onto whether or not said person was actively Orthodox--at least when it is not completely certain if the person was Orthodox....otherwise, there's certainly no measure by which to classify one's actions...

[Monica, child of God]

John Ratzenberger who played Cliff Claven the mailman on Cheers. He actually donated the plot of land and money for construction of this monastery. (http://vashonmonks.com/vashon.htm) They pray for him at every Divine service.

M.

[Matrona]

The Hanson Brothers, of mid 90s teen pop fame, are Orthodox!!!

Their aunt is a nun in Greece, and I'm kinda assuming that her conversion introduced Orthodoxy to the family. The brothers were baptised in January in Thebes, and from what Sister Emiliani said, their parents are on the path to conversion, God willing.

That's fabulous! :clap:

One of my classmates was utterly obsessed with Hanson. I wonder if she knows about this.

[Oblio]

BTW, What is an Orthodox ending to life?


Painless and unashamed before the dread judgement seat of Christ ...

[moses916]

St. Solomon had hundreds of wives and mistresses... Anthony Quinn with one mistress... i dunno, lets leave this one to God. :)

[HandmaidenOfGod]

George Stephanopoulos' father, grandfather, and uncle, are all Orthodox priests. :)

[Mary of Bethany]

George Stephanopoulos' father, grandfather, and uncle, are all Orthodox priests. :)

And his sister is a nun. :thumbsup:

Mary

[Petronius]

Well, these people are probably mostly non-practicing, but here goes:

John Stamos, actor
Jennifer Aniston, actress
Tom Hanks (http://www.ldsfilm.com/actors/TomHanks.html) - actor, movie star (and wife, Rita Wilson)
Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live TV series writer and on-screen co-host of "Weekend Update" segment
John Belushi (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/John_Belushi.html) - comedian; Saturday Night Live star; film actor (raised Albanian Orthodox
John Cassavetes (http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/John_Cassavetes.html) - influential film director (marginal Greek Orthodox)
Michael Dukakis - Massachusetts governor; unsuccessful Democratic nominee for President (1988)
Olympia Dukakis - Academy Award-winning actress
Elia Kazan (http://www.adherents.com/people/pk/Elia_Kazan.html) - film director; On the Waterfront; Gentleman's Agreement; etc. (lapsed Greek Orthodox)
Frank Schaeffer (http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/Frank_Schaeffer.html) - acclaimed author (convert to Greek Orthodoxy)
Vladimir Nabokov (http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Vladimir_Nabokov.html) - influential Russian-American writer best known for Lolita (1955) and Pale Fire (1962)
Igor Stravinsky (http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/Igor_Stravinsky.html) - celebrated Russian-American composer of modern classical music (Russian Orthodox)
Christopher Orr - actor, The Mighty Ducks, etc. (convert from Lutheran to Orthodox)
Spencer Abraham - U.S. Secretary of Energy for Pres. George W. Bush
George Stephanopoulos - communication director for Pres. Clinton; news show host
Darrell Issa - U.S. Representative from California; wealthy businessman; personally financed 2003 recall election that ended Gov. Gray Davis's term early
George Tenet - CIA director from 1997 to 2004
Paul Weyrich - powerful conservative American activist; founder of the Heritage Foundation
Terry Mattingly (http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Terry_Mattingly.html) - nationally prominent syndicated religion journalist
Jaroslav Jan Pelikan - religious scholar, Yale professor, co-editor of 55-volume Luther's Works (convert from Lutheran to Orthodox)
Rod Blagojevich (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Rod_Blagojevich.html) - U.S. Representative, governor of Illinois
Paul Sarbanes - U.S. Senator from Maryland
Olympia Snowe - U.S. Senator from Maine
Michael Huffington - U.S. Representative from California
Melissa Bean - U.S. Representative from Illinois
Michael Bilirakis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Michael_Bilirakis.html) - U.S. Representative from Florida
George W. Gekas (http://www.adherents.com/people/pg/George_Gekas.html) - U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania (Repub.)
Dick Lane (http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/Dick_Lane.html) - California politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1998
Steven Corodemus (http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Steven_Corodemus.html) - New Jersey politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Anthony Zevgolis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pz/Anthony_Zevgolis.html) - Virginia politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
John Pappageorge (http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/John_Pappageorge.html) - Michigan politician; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Kerry Katsorhis (http://www.adherents.com/people/pk/Kerry_Katsorhis.html) - New York City sheriff; candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1996
Chris Evangel (http://www.adherents.com/people/pe/Chris_Evangel.html) - candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey in 1996
Michael Petyo (http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Michael_Petyo.html) - candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana in 1996

George Emil Palde Romanian-American Nobel prize winner, I think in chemistry

Mircea Eliade, Romanian-American writer, religionist , philosopher...

[Tsarina]

Pretty cool news, where did you hear that from?

LoL, i had to think for a second about who were the 'hanson brothers'... i always considered them as the Hanson Sisters, since all three of them looked like little girls in their early days.

[Greg the byzantine]

Somebody forgot Nia Vardalos, and Michael Constantine ;)

[Veritas_et_Puritas]

This is so funny! I hope this conversion will bring them many blessings.

I was a fan when I was a teen. They used to be very evangelical (protestant). How interesting.