Daniel Craig born March 1968

Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of James Bond in the eponymous film series. Born on March 2, 1968 in Chester, England, Craig began his acting career on stage after training at the National Youth Theatre and graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991.

Craig made his film debut in the drama The Power of One (1992) and attracted attention with appearances in the historical television war drama Sharpe's Eagle (1993) and the family film A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995). He received widespread recognition for his breakthrough role in the drama serial Our Friends in the North (1996), which followed the lives of four friends in Newcastle, England over several decades.

Craig's career continued to gain momentum with roles in the biographical film Elizabeth (1998), the action film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and the crime thrillers Road to Perdition (2002) and Layer Cake (2004). But it was his portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) that brought him international fame and critical acclaim. The film was well-received by critics and earned Craig a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Craig went on to star in three more James Bond films, Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), which is the series' highest-grossing film, and Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021) which is the last of his tenure as Bond. His portrayal of the iconic character has brought him further international attention and cemented his status as one of the most talented actors of his generation.

In addition to his work as James Bond, Craig has also starred in other notable films such as the fantasy film The Golden Compass (2007), the historical drama Defiance (2008), the science fiction Western Cowboys & Aliens (2011), the heist film Logan Lucky (2017), and the mystery-comedy Knives Out (2019), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Craig continues to be one of the most sought-after actors in the industry, known for his dedication, talent and versatility.

1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (occasionally referred to as simply 2001) released on April 6, 1968 is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.

The film has a memorable soundtrack — the result of the association which Kubrick made between the rotary motion of the satellites and the dancers of waltzes, which led him to use the Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss II, and the famous symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss, to portray the philosophical evolution of Man theorized in Nietzsche's homonymous work.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made; the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of critics ranked it among the top ten films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in The National Film Registry.