Success 2013: Hristo Stoichkov, nicknamed 'El Pistolero'. He was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' and helped Barcelona to one of the most successful eras of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row

Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (Bulgarian: Христо Стоичков Стоичков), sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer.

He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв).

At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup, of which he was the top scorer with 6 goals.

Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. His awards include the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup Bronze Ball.

Stoichkov began his career in his hometown, moving to Hebros in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia. There, he was involved in a fight during the final of the 1985 Bulgarian Cup which resulted in an original lifelong ban, which was eventually reduced to a month suspension.

After he was brought back to football, he managed to win the European Golden Boot with CSKA by scoring 38 goals in 30 games. He then moved on to FC Barcelona, where he was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', Stoichkov helped Barcelona to one of the most successful eras of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 and the European Cup after defeating Sampdoria in 1992. During his stay in Barcelona, he had become an idol for the club's fans, and was Barça's most popular player at the time, having earned a place in the supporters' hearts much like Johan Neeskens and Diego Maradona in the past. In Barcelona Stoichkov played in tandem with Romário.

In his first season with the club Stoichkov was suspended for two months for stomping on a referee's foot, but he still netted 14 league goals and six more in the Cup Winners' Cup. Stoichkov then had short spells with Parma, Al-Nassr, and finally finishing his career in Japan with Kashiwa Reysol and the United States with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United.

Stoichkov played as a left winger who was known for his explosive acceleration and speed dribbling, and for taking unpredictable shots on goal. He was also notable at taking free kicks and penalties as well as being among the best crossers in the world at his prime. He gained infamy because of his aggressive temper on the pitch.

He could often be seen arguing with the referee, or with his opponents. In 2006, he was sued by a former American University college student whose leg he broke in a violent tackle during a match against D.C. United in 2003.

The case was settled out of court in 2007 for undisclosed financial terms. The student's coach called Stoichkov's challenge "criminal". Ray Hudson, who coached D.C. United for whom Stoichkov played at the time, called it a "rash tackle". Following an investigation by MLS, Stoichkov was suspended two games and fined $2,000.


Honours at  Barcelona

• Spanish League: 5

1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98

• Spanish Super Cup: 3

1992, 1994, 1996

• European Cup (now called: Champions League): 1

1991–92, Runner-Up 1993–94

• European Super Cup: 2

1992, 1997

• Copa del Rey: 1

1996–97

• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1

1996–97

Success 2013: Hristo Stoichkov, retired Bulgarian footballer that was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot (1994). He retired from internationals in 1999 with 37 goals in 83 appearances

Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov, sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв). At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup, of which he was the top scorer with 6 goals. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. His awards include the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup Bronze Ball.

At the 1994 World Cup, Stoichkov was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer of the tournament (with Oleg Salenko), with six goals, as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria past Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost 2–1 to Italy. They subsequently lost the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

Bulgaria finished second in the qualifying group for Euro 1996 after the first place was taken by the eventual winners, Germany. Stoichkov scored 10 goals for his team during the qualifiers, as Bulgaria qualified as one of the best 6 runners-up. In the first match against Germany in Sofia, Bulgaria were 2–0 down at half-time. Stoichkov equalized with two goals from penalties and Emil Kostadinov also scored for a 3–2 win. Bulgaria lost the second match in Germany 3–1.
During the finals, Bulgaria lost 3–1 in the decisive group match against a very strong France side (the future World Champions); at the same time, in the other match, Spain won 2–1 late on against Romania and so the Bulgarians went out. In that tournament, Stoichkov scored 3 goals in 3 matches, and another goal against Spain was disallowed for offside, though action replays show that he was actually on-side. Stoitchkov was the only player to score from a free kick (against France) in this tournament.
He was also part of the squad that was eliminated in the first round of the 1998 World Cup. Bulgaria was not nearly as strong as in previous years, earning only one point in a 0–0 draw against Paraguay and scoring only one goal through Kostadinov in a 6–1 defeat by Spain in the so-called "Group of Death".
Stoichkov retired from internationals in 1999 with 37 goals in 83 appearances. Subsequently he was the coach of the Bulgarian national team from 2004 to April 2007.

Success 2013: Hristo Stoichkov, the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. His awards include the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup Bronze Ball

Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov, sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв). At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'.

He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup, of which he was the top scorer with 6 goals. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. His awards include the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup Bronze Ball.

At the 1994 World Cup, Stoichkov was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer of the tournament (with Oleg Salenko), with six goals, as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria past Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost 2–1 to Italy. They subsequently lost the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

 In 1994, he was named European Footballer of the Year after leading his national side to the 1994 World Cup semi-finals.


Stoichkov retired from internationals in 1999 with 37 goals in 83 appearances. Subsequently he was the coach of the Bulgarian national team from 2004 to April 2007.

Manolo Santana, spanish former tennis player who was ranked World No. 1 in 1966. Before winning Wimbledon he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows"

Manuel Martínez Santana, best known as Manolo Santana, (born 10 May 1938 in Madrid) is a former amateur tennis champion from Spain who was ranked World No. 1 in 1966. He was born in Madrid.

Wimbledon he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows."^{[citation needed]} He thought that tennis should be played on artificial surfaces as opposed to lawn tennis courts like the ones at Wimbledon. This statement has been repeated throughout the years by numerous players including Ivan Lendl, Marat Safin, Marcelo Ríos, and Jan Kodeš (despite his 1973 victory at Wimbledon.

Before winning Wimbledon he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows." He thought that tennis should be played on artificial surfaces as opposed to lawn tennis courts like the ones at Wimbledon. This statement has been repeated throughout the years by numerous players including Ivan Lendl, Marat Safin, Marcelo Ríos, and Jan Kodeš (despite his 1973 victory at Wimbledon).

In 1965, Santana, who had begun his career as a ball boy and "picked up" the game, led Spain to unexpected victory over the US in the Davis Cup, and he became a national hero.

Despite his previous Grand Slam successes in the French Championships (1961, 1964) and the U.S. Championships (1965), Santana's win at the 1966 Wimbledon lawn tennis championships was a surprise, where he defeated the sixth seed Dennis Ralston 6–4, 11–9, 6–4. This was his last Grand slam title. His last big tournament win was in 1970 by winning Barcelona where he defeated Rod Laver 6–4 6–3 6–4. He also captured the doubles title in Barcelona that year when he teamed with Lew Hoad to defeat Laver/Andrés Gimeno 6–4 9–7 7–5. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1984.
At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Santana won the Gold medal in Singles, though tennis was only a demonstration sport at that time. It became a medal sport in 1988 (after another demonstration event in 1984).
He later was captain of the Spanish Copa Davis Team twice, once in the '80s and again for four and a half years in the mid-'90s, until he was dismissed in 1999. Currently, he is the organizer of the Madrid Masters.

He manages the Manolo Santana Racquets club, a tennis club in Marbella, and the Sport Center Manolo Santana, in Madrid.
Santana and Lleyton Hewitt are the only Wimbledon Men's Singles champions to lose in the first round in the following year; Hewitt's loss was during the Open Era, while Santana's was before the Open Era.
He appeared at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships in London, England in the Royal Box to watch the Men's Final which was between his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (who had just become World No. 1 after winning his semi-final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).

Grand Slam record

French championships

• Singles champion: 1961, 1964
• Doubles champion: 1963

Wimbledon championships

• Singles champion: 1966

U.S. championships

• Singles champion: 1965

Jan Kodeš, a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early 1970s

Jan Kodeš (Czech: Jan Kodeš; born March 1, 1946, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early 1970s.

Kodeš's greatest success was on the clay courts of the French Open. He won the title there in 1970, beating Željko Franulović in the final, and in 1971, defeating Ilie Năstase in the final.

He also won Wimbledon on grass in 1973, although 13 of the top 16 players, and 81 players in total, did not play the tournament that year because of a boycott over the ILTF banning Nikola Pilić from that Wimbledon. Kodeš beat home favorite Roger Taylor in the semifinals 8–9, 9–7, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5 and Alex Metreveli in the final 6–1, 9–8, 6–3.

Kodeš never played the Australian Open but he was twice the runner-up at the US Open, in 1971 and 1973.

Kodeš reached his highest tour ranking of World No. 4 in September 1973. During his career, he won a total of 8 top-level singles titles and 17 doubles titles.

He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990, in 2013 he received Czech fair play award from Czech Olympic Commitee.

We spoke at the First Czech Lawn Tennis Club on Prague’s Štvanice island, which he joined at the age of 13. When had his talent first come to attention?
“I started when I was 8 years old in a club near here. It was called Čechie Karlín. But I mainly played soccer as a teenager. I played both. And when I became number three in the Prague under 12s championship somebody said, maybe he could play tennis.”
Tell me a bit about your background. I was reading that your father was a lawyer who was forced to work in a factory and also worked at the Čechie tennis courts.
“Yes, that was in 1951, 1952. It was a period which was very, very difficult for my parents.”
Was it an advantage to you that your dad was working at those courts?
“I don’t think so. I was there just because of his job. But then when I got my first prize, when I became number three in Prague in the under 12s, then my father decided I should go to this club here, to get a coach. Because at that time there weren’t good coaches at the other small clubs.”
Was it the case in those days that sports people had to have some kind of formal employment? So, for example, a soccer player would have to go in the morning to a factory and then clock in and leave again? Did you have to do something like that?
“You’re talking about the guys who were no longer juniors, but I was in school. And later on I was lucky and I got into the University of Economics. So actually it was not like that, because I studied till I was 26.
 “It was true that some sportsmen had to go to work in the morning and they could practise in the afternoon. They were released, for example three or four hours early, to go for practice.”
Your greatest successes were your three Grand Slam titles. What are your strongest memories of your first Grand Slam title, the French Open in 1970?
“Well, the first Grand Slam title is always the most difficult one, because you feel that you’ve achieved something that’s going to be in history, because for a person who wins a Grand Slam title their name goes down in history.
“Of course, I was very nervous. I remember I had gruelling, tough matches in the third and fourth rounds, which were of five sets and took almost four hours. One was against the Romanian Ion Tiriac, the other was against the clay courter and very good Davis Cup player Francois Jauffret from France.
“The final I actually won quite easily, against Zeljko Franulovic. But I always remember the tough matches before the final.”

For many people around the world, perhaps in particular those who aren’t so interested in tennis, Wimbledon, which you won in 1973, is THE tennis competition. Do players consider Wimbledon to be a greater tournament than the other Grand Slams?

“Wimbledon has some kind of historical…thing because of the surface, grass. In my time, three Grand Slams were played on grass: the US Open in Forest Hills, the Australian Open in Kooyong and Wimbledon. The only event played on clay was the French Open.
“So until today, the players have a feeling that Wimbledon is, historically, something different from the other tournaments – because it’s on grass.” (radio.cz)

Succes 2013: Raymond Kopa, a former French football attacking midfielder. Winner of The Golden Ball in 1958. First footballer that was decorated with Légion d'honneur

Raymond Kopa ( born Kopaszewski, on 13 October 1931 in Nœux-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais) is a former French football attacking midfielder, integral to the French national team of the 1950s.
Often considered one of leading players of his generation, Kopa was a free-role playmaker who was quick, agile and known for his love of dribbling. He was also a renowned playmaker, as well as a prolific scorer.

Born into a family of Polish immigrants, Kopa began his professional career at the age of 17 with SCO Angers in Ligue 2 and was transferred two years later to Stade de Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955. He helped Reims reach the first European Cup final in 1956, which the team lost to Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid, 4–3.
Kopa was transferred to Real Madrid the subsequent season, where he was soon joined by Ferenc Puskás. At Real Madrid, Kopa won the Spanish league in 1957 and 1958. Kopa also became the first French player to win the European Cup when Madrid defeated Fiorentina 2–0 in the 1957 final. He would go on to be European champion again in 1958 and 1959, the last against former side Stade de Reims, where Just Fontaine played.
In the 1959–60 season, Kopa returned to France to finish his career with Reims, where he won further Championnats in 1960 and 1962. In total, he scored 75 goals in 346 matches in France's top flight, and was given the Ballon d'or by France Football in 1958.
With the France national football team, Kopa scored 18 goals in 45 games between 1952 and 1962. He played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, where the French team finished third, losing to the Brazilian team.
Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Achievements

• French League: 1953, 1955, 1960 and 1962 with Stade Reims
• Spanish League: 1957 and 1958 with Real Madrid
• French second division: 1966 with Stade Reims
• European Cup: 1957, 1958 and 1959 with Real Madrid; runner-up 1956 with Stade Reims
• Latin Cup: 1953 with Stade Reims and 1957 with Real Madrid; runner-up 1955 with Stade Reims
• FIFA World Cup: third place 1958 with France
• Golden Ball: 1958
• Légion d'honneur: 30 November 1970 (first footballer to hold it)

I absolutely loved dribbling. Some people told me off for it, saying that I held on to the ball for too long and that I slowed the game down.

Raymond Kopa 

 

The uniquely talented Raymond Kopa was blazing a trail for French football long before the likes of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane came on the scene.

Standing only 5’6, Kopa made up for a relative lack of stature with some prodigious dribbling skills, and played an instrumental role in three of Real Madrid’s first five victorious campaigns in Europe.

Yet the pinnacle of his career arguably came at the 1958 FIFA World Cup Sweden, where he was recognised as the player of the tournament, a not inconsiderable achievement given the goalscoring feats of team-mate Just Fontaine and the exploits of an emerging teenager by the name of Pele.Born in the northern French town of Nœux-les-Mines to Polish immigrants, Raymond Kopaszewski – to give him his real name – endured a tough upbringing. He honed his gritty determination and will to win in his teenage years when he earned his keep by pushing coal-laden wagons in a mine.

It was the loss of a finger in an accident that prompted him to pursue a career in football, a sport he had already showed a considerable talent for from the age of ten.

From coaldust to stardust In May 1949 he took part in the Young Footballer Competition, a national event open to budding professionals and followed closely by the country’s foremost coaches. Finishing second overall, he signed a contract with Angers shortly afterwards. His career would take off two years later when he bumped into Albert Batteux, the legendary Stade de Reims coach, at a friendly match. “He had a gift for assessing players’ abilities and fielding them in the right positions,” said Kopa. “Without him, a lot of players would never have been able to express their skills, starting with me.”To make the most of his prodigy’s close dribbling skills, which were aided by a low centre of gravity, Batteux deployed Kopa just behind the strikers in a withdrawn No10 role that marked a departure from the conventions of the time.

“I absolutely loved dribbling,” commented Kopa. “Some people told me off for it, saying that I held on to the ball for too long and that I slowed the game down. My coaches always insisted that I stick to my style of play, though.”

Those bewildering dribbles invariably ended with pinpoint passes to well-placed team-mates, who made the most of Kopa’s gift for slowing the game down to find space for themselves or make a run.

After joining Reims in 1951, Kopa quickly became the orchestrator-in-chief of a brilliant team that took the French championship by storm and lost in a seven-goal thriller to Real Madrid in the first European Champion Clubs’ Cup final in 1956.

Within a few weeks of that memorable encounter, Kopa caused a sensation by agreeing terms with the newly crowned European champions. “I was the first French player to leave the country,” he later recalled. “At the time a lot of people saw me as a traitor. It was just my misfortune to be a pioneer.” It was during his time in Madrid that he acquired the nickname of Napoleon, teaming up with two living legends in Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas to conquer Europe and forge his own glittering reputation.“They were three fantastic years,” said the fabled Frenchman. “For three whole seasons we won the lot. We were also voted the team of the century by the fans in 2000, the club’s centenary year. There was an incredible atmosphere whenever we played, with 125,000 fans shaking their white handkerchiefs. We didn’t have any sponsors and there were no games on TV, so we had to play friendly matches across the world to keep the club going. They really were different times back then. I won three consecutive European Cups with Real, and in three years we only lost one home match in all competitions.”

The king of Sweden

Along with five other new boys – Cesar Ruminski, Lazare Gianessi, Armand Penverne, Thadee Cisowki and Joseph Ujlaki – Kopa made his France debut in a 3-1 defeat of Germany on 5 October 1952. This new generation would propel the French into the international elite, with the peerless Kopa playing an integral part in that process over the next ten years.Though the 1954 FIFA World Cup Switzerland came too early for France’s young bucks, who departed the competition at the end of the first round, they were more than ready when the world’s finest came together again four years later.“That tournament prepared the ground for the 1958 World Cup,” explained Kopa. “Nobody was expecting us to do well in Sweden, but we started off with a 7-3 victory over Paraguay, who were regarded as one of the three teams tipped to win the competition. After losing to Yugoslavia and defeating Scotland, we beat Northern Ireland before coming up against Brazil in the semi-finals, where a new boy called Pele scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win.

“We were the two strongest teams at the time,” he continued. “And the reason they won so easily was because our captain Robert Jonquet got injured and we had to play with ten men (substitutes not being allowed at the time).”

Les Bleus claimed some consolation in their final game of the competition, when a scintillating attacking display by Kopa inspired them to a 6-3 defeat of Germany in the match for third place. Kopa’s finest hour in blue actually came three years earlier, in a friendly against Spain in Madrid in March 1955, the French wizard astounding the 125,000 crowd with an amazing display. He made what was to be his final appearance for his country in a 3-2 defeat to Hungary at the Stade Colombes in November 1962. Stationed in an unfamiliar position on the right flank, a disgruntled Kopa was unable to exhibit his usual flair, subsequently falling out with national coaches Henri Guerin and George Verriest before deciding to end his international career. 

No regrets

His club career continued for some time after. Returning to Reims following his three seasons in Madrid, he won his fourth and last league title with them in 1962. Powerless to prevent them dropping out of the top flight two seasons later, he finally announced his retirement from the professional game on 11 June 1967.A keen amateur player up until the ripe old age of 70, he has maintained close contact with the football world, and also found time to launch a sports apparel brand and appear on radio and TV as an expert summariser. A resident of Corsica since 2000, he sees his former team-mates on a frequent basis, no one more so than former sidekick Just Fontaine. Having now turned 80, he has no regrets about the path he took: “Football changed my life. Leaving my job in the mine for the stadiums made a man of me.” (fifa.com)

Success 2013: Tom Okker, a former Dutch tennis player. He was ranked World No. 1 in doubles in 1969, and among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years

Thomas Samuel "Tom" Okker (born 22 February 1944) is a former Dutch tennis player. He was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years, 1968–74, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in 1969. He also was ranked World No. 1 in doubles in 1969.

Okker was the Dutch champion from 1964 through 1968. In 1968, he turned professional and won his first important tournaments in singles and in doubles (with Marty Riessen) at the Italian Open. At Wimbledon, Okker reached the quarterfinals in 1968 and the semifinals in 1978.

He achieved his best result in a Grand Slam tournament at the 1968 US Open, where he reached the final after defeating Pancho Gonzales in the quarterfinal and Ken Rosewall in the semifinal. He lost the final to American Arthur Ashe in five sets, 12-14, 7–5, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6.
Okker won 31 singles titles. As of 2000, 20 years after his retirement, Okker's 31 career open tennis singles victories (combined ATP tour, Grand Prix, and WCT tournaments) still ranked 20th all-time. Among Okker's singles titles were the 1970 German Open and Belgian Open, 1973 Dewar Cup and Canadian Open, and 1974 WCT Rothmans.^[4][5] He also was the runner-up in 24 singles tournaments.

Okker is also among the most successful men's doubles players of all time. Okker won two Grand Slam doubles titles, the US Open in 1976 (with Riessen) and the French Open (with John Newcombe) in 1973.

In total, Okker won 78 doubles events, a record that was finally broken by Todd Woodbridge in 2005. Okker's other doubles titles include the 1973 Italian Open, 1973 London Grass Courts (with Riessen), 1973 Spanish Open (with Ilie Năstase), 1975 Opel International (with Arthur Ashe), and 1978 WCT World Doubles (with Wojtek Fibak).

 One of the first tennis professionals to win at least US $1 million in career prize money, Okker's WTC career earnings stood at US $1,257,200 when he retired in 1980 ($3,502,998 today).
 Between 1964 and 1981, Okker represented The Netherlands in the Davis Cup, playing in 13 ties and accumulating a 15–20 win-loss record.
 Okker was a fan favorite with his animated, quick-footed play. He was a slight but canny player, who often defeated larger, more powerful opponents. He was among the first players of his era to hit the ball with heavy topspin.

Success 2013: Robert Duvall, American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA

Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career.
A veteran actor, Duvall has starred in some of the most acclaimed and popular films and TV shows of all time, among them The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, To Kill a Mockingbird, THX 1138, Joe Kidd, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, MASH, Network, The Apostle, True Grit, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Falling Down, Tender Mercies, The Natural and Lonesome Dove.
He began appearing in theater during the late 1950s, moving into television and film roles during the early 1960s in such works as To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (as Boo Radley) and Captain Newman, M.D. (1963). He landed many of his most famous roles during the early 1970s with films like the blockbuster comedy MASH (1970) (as Major Frank Burns) and the lead in George Lucas' THX 1138 (1971), as well as Duvall's own favorite, Horton Foote's adaptation of William Faulkner's Tomorrow (1972), a project developed at The Actors Studio. This was followed by a series of critically lauded performances in films which were also commercial successes.
Since then Duvall has continued to act in both film and television with such productions as Tender Mercies (1983) (for which he won an Academy Award), The Natural (1984), Colors (1988), the television mini-series Lonesome Dove (1989), Stalin (1992), The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996), A Family Thing (1996), The Apostle (1997) (which he also wrote and directed), A Civil Action (1998), Gods and Generals (2003), Broken Trail (2006) and Get Low (2010).

Duvall became an important presence in American films beginning in the 1970s. He drew a considerable amount of attention in 1970 for his portrayal of Major Frank Burns in the film MASH and for his portrayal of the title role in the cult classic THX 1138 in 1971. His first major critical success came portraying Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974). The former film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1976 Duvall played supporting roles in The Eagle Has Landed and as Dr. Watson in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution opposite Nicol Williamson, Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave and Laurence Olivier.
Duvall received another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and won both a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for his role as Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979). His line "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" from Apocalypse Now is regarded as iconic in cinema history. The full text is as follows:

You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. But the smell! You know - that gasoline smell... the whole hill! Smelled like... victory. (Pause) Some day this war is going to end...

Duvall received a BAFTA Award nomination for his portrayal of detestable television executive Frank Hackett in the critically acclaimed film Network (1976) and garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in The Great Santini (1979) as the hard-boiled Marine LtCol. "Bull" Meechum. The latter role was loosely based on a Marine aviator, Colonel Donald Conroy, the father of the book's author Pat Conroy. He also portrayed United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the television miniseries Ike (1979).
In 1977 Duvall returned to Broadway to appear as Walter Cole in David Mamet's American Buffalo. For his performance he received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play.

Duvall continued to appear in films during the 1980s, including the roles of cynical sportswriter Max Mercy in The Natural (1984) and Los Angeles police officer Bob Hodges in Colors (1988). He won an Oscar for Best Actor as country western singer Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies (1983). Duvall was said^{[by whom?]} to have written the music, but the actor said he wrote only a few "background, secondary songs." Duvall did do his own singing, insisting it be added to his contract that he sing the songs himself; Duvall said, "What's the point if you're not going to do your own [singing]? They're just going to dub somebody else? I mean, there's no point to that."^[25]
Actress Tess Harper, who co-starred, said Duvall inhabited the character so fully that she only got to know Mac Sledge and not Duvall himself. Director Bruce Beresford, too, said the transformation was so believable to him that he could feel his skin crawling up the back of his neck the first day of filming with Duvall. Beresford said of the actor, "Duvall has the ability to completely inhabit the person he's acting. He totally and utterly becomes that person to a degree which is uncanny."Nevertheless, Duvall and Beresford did not get along well during the production and often clashed during filming, including one day in which Beresford walked off the set in frustration.
In 1989, Duvall appeared in the miniseries Lonesome Dove in the role of Augustus "Gus" McCrae. He has stated in several forums,^{[citation needed]} including CBS Sunday Morning,^{[date missing]} that this particular role was his personal favorite. He won a Golden Globe Award and earned an Emmy Award nomination. For his role as a former Texas Ranger peace officer, Duvall was trained in the use of Walker revolvers by the Texas marksman Joe Bowman.

Duvall has maintained a busy film career, sometimes appearing in as many as four in one year. He received Oscar nominations for his portrayals of evangelical preacher Euliss "Sonny" Dewey in The Apostle (1997) — a film he also wrote and directed — and lawyer Jerome Facher in A Civil Action (1998).
He directed Assassination Tango (2002), a thriller about one of his favorite hobbies, tango. He portrayed General Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals in 2003; he is a relative of the Confederate general.
Other roles during this period that displayed the actor's wide range included that of a crew chief in Days of Thunder (1990), a retiring cop in Falling Down (1992), a Hispanic barber in Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), a New York tabloid editor in The Paper (1994), a rural doctor in Phenomenon (1996), an abusive father in 1996's Slingblade, an astronaut in Deep Impact (1998), a trail boss in Open Range (2003), a soccer coach in the comedy Kicking & Screaming, an old free spirit in Secondhand Lions (2003), a Las Vegas poker champion in Lucky You and a New York police chief in We Own the Night (both 2007).
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 18, 2003.^{[citation needed]}
Duvall has periodically worked in television during from the 1990s on. He won a Golden Globe Award and garnered an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Joseph Stalin in the 1992 television film Stalin. He was nominated for an Emmy again in 1997 for portraying Adolf Eichmann in The Man Who Captured Eichmann. In 2006, he won an Emmy for the role of Prentice "Print" Ritter in the revisionist Western miniseries Broken Trail.
In 2005, Duvall was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush at the White House.^[28]
Duvall founded a production company, Butcher's Run Films

Ray Dorset, solistul trupei Mungo Jerry

Înfiinţată în 1969 de Ray Dorset, formaţia pop Mungo Jerry a avut un succes internaţional fantstic. Prima apariţie a trupei s-a petrecut în 1970, în timpul Hollywood Festival,unde au cantat alaturi de Jose Feliciano, Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, Free, Ginger Baker's Airforce şi mulţi alţii.
MG se identifica de fapt cu solistul-compozitor Ray Dorset, care a infiintat, alaturi de Phil Collins, prima sa trupa - BLUE MOON SKIFFLE GROUP, la doar 11 ani.

Alături de Elton John, Ray este singurul artist britanic ce a avut acelaşi hit pe locul 1 în SUA de două ori.

Hituri ale formatiei MUNGO JERRY: IN THE SUMMERTIME 25 săptămâni în topuri - BABY JUMP 14 săptămâni în topuri - LADY ROSE 17 săptămâni în topuri - ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT 13 săptămâni în topuri - OPEN UP 9 săptămâni în topuri - WILD LOVE 8 săptămâni în topuri

Success 2013: Dr Ronald Coy Jones, chief surgery resident at Parkland Memorial Hospital on November 22, 1963. He was one of the first doctors to see the president Kennedy and saw his neck wound before the tracheotomy was performed

 Dr. Ronald C. Jones was chief surgery resident at Parkland Memorial Hospital on November 22, 1963. He was having lunch when he received word that the president had been shot and was en route to the hospital. He and Dr. Malcolm Perry immediately ran to the emergency room, where they joined other physicians in the effort to resuscitate the president. Jones' continued involvement in the assassination includes a 1964 interview by the FBI and the Warren Commission, appearances in numerous books and documentaries about the death of President Kennedy and an interview by the Assassination Records Review Board in 1998. Since 1987, Jones has served as chief of surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Dr. Ronald Jones was one of the first doctors to see the president at Parkland Hospital.
He saw the neck wound before the tracheotomy was performed.

He says that the wound in the throat is consistent with an exit wound of a very low velocity missile.

Arlen Specter asked Dr. Jones if he saw any wounds. Dr Jones responded he saw a small wound in the neck no greater than a quarter inch in diameter.


Mr. SPECTER - Did you observe any wounds?
Dr. JONES - As we saw him the first time, we noticed that he had a small wound at the midline of the neck, just above the superasternal notch, and this was probably no greater than a quarter of an inch in greatest diameter, and that he had a large wound in the right posterior side of the head.

Mr. SPECTER - Will you describe as precisely as you can the wound that you observed in the throat?


Dr. JONES - The wound in the throat was probably no larger than a quarter of an inch in diameter. There appeared to be no powder burn present, although this could have been masked by the amount of blood that was on the head and neck, although there was no obvious, amount of powder present. There appeared to be a very minimal amount of disruption of interruption of the surrounding skin. There appeared to be relatively smooth edges around the wound, and if this occurred as a result of a missile, you would have probably thought it was a missile of very low velocity and probably could have been compatible with a bone fragment of either--probably exiting from the neck, but it was a very small, smooth wound.

 Mr. SPECTER - In this report, Dr. Jones, you state the following, "Previously described severe skull and brain injury was noted as well as a small hole in anterior midline of the neck thought to be a bullet entrance wound. What led you to the thought that it was a bullet entrance wound, sir?

Dr. JONES - The hole was very small and relatively clean cut, as you would see in a bullet that is entering rather than exiting from a patient. If this were an exit wound, you would think that it exited at a very low velocity to produce no more damage than this had done, and if this were a missile of high velocity, you would expect more of an explosive type of exit wound, with more tissue destruction than this appeared to have on superficial examination.

Mr. SPECTER - Would it be consistent, then, with an exit wound, but of low velocity, as you put it?

Dr. JONES - Yes; of very low velocity to the point that you might think that this bullet barely made it through the soft tissues and just enough to drop out of the skin on the opposite side.