Ask American Profile

Josh Hartnett, Steve Valentine, Sarah Brightman

We have been seeing great things from up and coming star Josh Hartnett. What’s next for him and what is his relationship status?
—Ann M., Colorado

The teen heartthrob is currently filming an untitled movie with director Ron Shelton, then will start shooting Wicker Park, a film described as a Hitchcockian thriller. Hartnett most recently starred in 40 Days and 40 Nights. As for relationship status, the 24-year-old actor keeps mum on that subject right now, though in past interviews he mentioned a girlfriend in Minnesota who was a childhood sweetheart. Born in San Francisco, Hartnett grew up in St. Paul, Minn. He played football in high school, but an injury forced him off the field, which led him to try out for a school play. Acting almost immediately turned into a career for him. He got parts in local plays and commercials and moved to Los Angeles after graduating. Though he missed getting a role in Dawson’s Creek, he nabbed a part in the little seen series Cracker. He went on to the movies: first in Halloween H2O. His other credits include The Faculty, Pearl Harbor, and Black Hawk Down.

Is the man with the British accent on Crossing Jordan the same man who is a designer on the BBC show Changing Rooms?
—Jan H., Iowa

He hails from London, England, but Steve Valentine isn’t a designer on the popular BBC show. Valentine plays Dr. Nigel Townsend, a criminalist and forensics expert, on Crossing Jordan. I’m guessing you’re confusing him with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen of Changing Rooms. With their long, angular faces and dark hair, you could say there’s a slight resemblance. Valentine has made his mark on American audiences by guest-starring on several series and in movies. His television credits include Will & Grace, Just Shoot Me, JAG, and a recurring role on Nikki. He’s also acted in the movies The Muse and Mars Attacks, among others. Valentine’s stage repertoire is just as diverse. He’s tackled everything from standup comedy to Shakespeare. Valentine lives in Los Angeles with his wife. His hobbies are horseback riding, dancing, and riding roller coasters.

How old was Sarah Brightman when she first started to sing? Was she married to Andrew Lloyd Webber? Is she touring?
—M. Davenport, Rhode Island

Brightman has been singing just about all her life. At 12, she was already performing onstage in London in the musical I and Albert. She attended London’s premier performing arts school but left when she was 16 and joined a dance troupe called Pan’s People. The troupe appeared regularly on the BBC music show Top of the Pops. A year later, Brightman and a group called Hot Gossip scored a Top 10 hit with a disco song called Starship Trooper. She won the part of Jemima in the London production of Cats when she was 20. Although Andrew Lloyd Webber was the mastermind behind that play, he and Brightman didn’t become an item until he caught her performance in Charles Strouse’s Nightingale. They married in 1984, and soon Webber was writing with his wife’s incredible soprano in mind. She created the role of Christine in Phantom of the Opera, which she played in London and on Broadway. They went on to numerous professional collaborations. She also released three solo albums during that time. Career pressures affected their personal relationship, and they split in 1990. They continued to work together, though. Since then, she has had a career as a successful recording artist, with worldwide album sales surpassing 8 million. A new album is planned for release in 2003 and it’s likely she will tour after the album has been released.

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