Six Degrees of Separation

[Melissa]

The goal is to link any actor/director to another actor/director through no more than six connections. Actors/directors are connected if they have appeared or worked on a movie together.

The rules:

One person introduces two people
The next person connects the two people through no more than six connections and then introduces two new people for the next person to connect.
The process is then repeated

Example:

Anton Yelchin and Shirley MacLaine

Anton Yelchin [who starred in] Star Trek
w/Zoe Saldana [who starred in] The Losers
w/Jeffrey Dean Morgan [who starred in] P.S. I Love You
w/Hilary Swank [who starred in] Million Dollar Baby
w/Clint Eastwood [who starred in] Two Mules for Sister Sara
w/Shirley MacLaine

I'll start things off with

Chris Hemsworth and Gerard Butler

[Zeljka]

Wow that sounds challenging :)

Let's see...

Chris Hemsworth who starred in Star Trek
w/Eric Bana who starred in Troy
w/Brad Pitt who starred in Babel
w/Kate Blanchett who starred in LotR: The Two Towers
w/David Wenham who starred in 300
w/Gerard Butler

I did it? I think I did :o It took some time to figure it out, luckily through better known films!

Now, my suggestions... I hope I won't mess it up now :/

Michael Fassbender and Jim (James) Caviezel

[Melissa]

Cool! I can do this one in less than six.

Michael Fassbender starred in Jane Eyre
w/Jamie Bell who starred in Man on a Ledge
w/Genesis Rodriguez who starred in What to Expect When You're Expecting
w/Jennifer Lopez who starred in Angel Eyes
w/Jim Caviezel

(I know this is a challenging game, but it's fun. Use IMDB if names and movies don't come naturally to you.)

Now, who wants to connect these two individuals?

Nathan Fillion and Reese Witherspoon

[Alana]

Can you use writers and producers, other lesser-knowns, to make the connections, or just actors/directors?

[Melissa]

Alana wrote: "Can you use writers and producers, other lesser-knowns, to make the connections, or just actors/directors?"

Sure! Just make sure to show their title.

For example:
[name of actor] who starred in [name of movie]
produced by [name of producer] who produced
[name of movie] directed by [name of director]
which starred [name of actor]

Don't let it stress you out. It's supposed to be fun. :-)

[Zeljka]

Here I am again :)

Nathan Fillion who starred in Serenity
1)directed by Joss Whedon who directed The Avengers
2)which starred Robert Downey Jr who starred in The Soloist
3)w/Jamie Foxx who starred in Jarhead
4)w/Jake Gyllenhaal who starred in Rendition
5)w/Reese Witherspoon

(I had to put numbers beside the names, got lost in all of them ;)

How about this one...

Heath Ledger and Javier Bardem

[Melissa]

Heath Ledger who starred in The Four Feathers
w/Djimon Hounsou who starred in Gladiator
w/Russell Crowe who starred in Robin Hood
W/Cate Blanchett who starred in Charlotte Gray
w/Billy Crudup who starred in Eat Pray Love
w/Javier Bardem

Let's inject some estrogen into things:

Emily Mortimer and Jennifer Lawrence

[Zeljka]

Emily Mortimer starred in Shutter Island
w/Leonardo diCaprio who starred in Inception
w/Joseph Gordon-Levitt who starred in Looper
w/Garret Dillahunt who starred in Winter's Bone
w/Jennifer Lawrence :)

How about Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams (would love to see them once together in the same film :)

[Melissa]

Mark Ruffalo starred in The Avengers
w/Robert Downey, Jr. who starred in Sherlock Holmes
w/Rachel McAdams

How about these two: Judy Greer and Ewan McGregor

[Jonathan]

I don't know anything about Judy Greer really but IMDB tells me she was...

In Love and Other Drugs with Anne Hathaway
Who was in Les Miserables with Hugh Jackman
Who was in The Prestige with Scarlet Johannson
Who was in The Island with Ewan McGregor

How about Audrey Hepburn and Charlton Heston (to go with older actors)?

[Melissa]

Audrey Hepburn starred in Breakfast at Tiffany's
W/George Peppard who starred in Pork Chop Hill
W/Gregory Peck who starred in The Big Country
W/Charlton Heston

How about Russ Tamblyn and Irene Dunn

[Zeljka]

Russ Tamblyn starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (my favourite musical ;)
w/Howard Keel who starred in Calamity Jane
w/Doris Day who starred in Midnight Lace
w/Roddy McDowall who starred in The White Cliffs of Dover (another beautiful old movie)
w/Irene Dunne

How about Montgomery Clift and Yul Brynner -- I hope they didn't work together :D In those old days it seems everybody worked with everyone...

[Melissa]

Zeljka wrote: "Russ Tamblyn starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (my favourite musical ;)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a favorite of mine too. "Bless her beautiful hide, whoever she may be." :-)

Montgomery Clift starred in From Here to Eternity
w/Deborah Kerr who starred in The King and I
w/Yul Brenner

Here's a challenge. Connect a star of the past to a current celebrity.

Steve McQueen and Dakota Fanning

[Zeljka]

Steve McQueen starred in Papillon
w/Dustin Hoffman who starred in Rain Man
w/Tom Cruise who starred in War of the Worlds
w/Dakota Fanning :)

While we are at it, shall we connect...

Josh Hutcherson with Robin Wright

[Melissa]

Josh Hutcherson starred in Red Dawn
w/ Chris Hemsworth who starred in The Avengers
w/ Robert Downey, Jr. who starred in The Singing Detective
w/ Robin Wright

How about Nicholas Hoult and Julianne Hough?

[Melissa]

Dennis Quaid starred in Playing By Heart
W/ Angelina Jolie who starred in The Tourist
W/ Johnny Depp

Emily Blunt and Dermot Mulroney

[Abigail]

Emily Blunt and Dermot Mulroney - this was difficult!

Emily Blunt starred in the Adjustment Bureau
1-w/ John Slattery who plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men
2-w/ Jon Hamm who starred in Howl
3-w/ James Franco who starred in Never Been Kissed
4-w/ Drew Barrymore who starred in Bad Girls
5-w/ Dermot Mulroney

Let's connect Leonardo DiCaprio to Cary Grant?

[Melissa]

Leonardo DiCaprio starred in The Great Gatsby
W/Carey Mulligan who starred in Pride and Prejudice
W/Donald Sutherland who starred in Klute
W/Jane Fonda who starred in On Golden Pond
W/Katherine Hepburn who starred in The Philadelphia Story
W/Cary Grant

Try Jude Law and John Wayne

[Abigail]

Jude Law to John Wayne

Jude Law starred in Contagion
1-w/Laurence Fishburne who starred in Apocalypse Now
2-directed by Francis Ford Coppola who directed the Godfather
3-w/Robert Duvall who was in True Grit
w/John Wayne

Next on the slab, Faye Dunaway to Zachary Quinto!

[Melissa]

Faye Dunaway to Zachary Quinto

Faye Dunaway starred in Don Juan DeMarco
1-w/Johnny Depp who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2-w Zoe Saldana who starred in Star Trek
3-w/Zachary Quinto

How about Dakota Fanning to Irene Dunn

[Abigail]

Dakota Fanning to Irene Dunne

Dakota Fanning starred in War of the Worlds
1-w/Tom Cruise who starred in Minority Report
2-w/Max Von Sydow who starred in The Greatest Story Ever Told
3-directed by George Stevens who directed Penny Serenade
4-w/Irene Dunne

Next up - Barbara Stanwyck to Bruce Campbell, go!

[Melissa]

Barbara Stanwyck to Bruce Campbell

Barbara Stanwyck starred in The Bride Wore Boots
(1) w/Natalie Wood who starred in West Side Story
(2) w/Russ Tamblyn who is the father of
(3)Amber Tamblyn who starred in 127 Hours
(4) w/James Franco who starred in Oz the Great and Powerful
(5) w/Bruce Campbell

Try Jimmy Stewart and Natalie Portman

[Abigail]

Jimmy Stewart to Natalie Portman

Jimmy Stewart was in The Shootist
1-w/Ron Howard who directed Angels & Demons
2-w/Ewan McGregor who was Star Wars ep. 1,2,3
3-w/Natalie Portman

William Holden to Lindsay Lohan?

[Melissa]

William Holden to Lindsay Lohan

William Holden starred in The Towering Inferno
w/ Steve McQueen who starred in The Great Escape
w/ James Coburn who starred in California Suite
w/ Jane Fonda who starred in Georgia Rule
w/ Lindsay Lohan

James Dean and Melissa McCarthy?

[Abigail]

James Dean to Melissa McCarthy

James Dean starred in East of Eden
1-directed by Elia Kazan who also directed The Last Tycoon
2-w/Robert DeNiro who was in Silver Linings Playbook
3-w/Bradley Cooper who was in Hangover 3
4-w/Melissa McCarthy

This is so fun! I love this game because I seem to play it all the time with my husband when we watch TV and movies. We watch so many movies and television shows every week and we are constantly noticing actors in one thing that we've seen in other shows or other movies. I'm looking at IMDB almost everyday to track down "Oh what was that other movie we saw him in?!..." etc. etc. so it's fun to use IMDB in "this" fun way! Plus add to that I went to film school so I just love movies in general! You're really good at this Missy, I feel like I'm playing 6 Degrees of Separation tennis with you ;]

So next up, let's do a Russell connect - try Jane Russell to Russell Crowe, go! Have fun! :]

[Melissa]

Jane Russell to Russell Crowe

Jane Russell made a cameo appearance in Road to Bali
w / Dean Martin (uncredited) who starred in Cannonball Run
w / Burt Reynolds who starred in Mystery Alaska
w / Russell Crowe

Abigail, I'm loving this too! Most people think it's too difficult and give up. I'm thrilled to find someone that gets as much enjoyment out of this little exercise as I do. I'm constantly referring to IMDB while watching television or movies. Best movie tool on the web!

Now, who should I throw out next? How about Howard Keel and Ellen Page? Go!

[Abigail]

Howard Keel to Ellen Page

at first I was thinking "Who is Howard Keel?" then when I went I looked it up I was happy to see it was "Clayton!" >huge Dallas tv show fan, so I loved him as "Clayton Farlow!" which leads me to:

Howard Keel starred in Dallas
1-w/Larry Hagman [rest in peace] who starred in JFK
2-directed by Oliver Stone who also directed Platoon
3-w/Tom Berenger who was in Inception
4-w/Ellen Page

How about Jim Davis to Paul Reubens
[that's Jock from Dallas to Pee Wee Herman, hehe]

[Melissa]

Jim Davis starred in Rio Lobo
1-w / George Plimpton who starred in Good Will Hunting
2-w/ Stellan Skarsgård who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest and At World's End
3-w / Johnny Depp who starred in Blow
4-w / Paul Reubens

I'll throw you a curve with a foreign actor: Benno Fürmann and Bruce Willis

[Abigail]

Benno Furmann to Bruce Willis

Benno Furmann was in [2008] Speed Racer
1-w/Susan Sarandon who was in Arbitrage
2-w/Tim Roth who was in Pulp Fiction
3-w/Bruce Willis

I love foreign films! So sticking with that try
Marcello Mastroianni to Evangeline Lilly, go!

[Melissa]

Marcello Mastroianni to Evangeline Lilly

Marcello Mastroianni starred in Used People
1-w/Kathy Bates who starred in P.S. I Love You
2-w/Jeffrey Dean Morgan who starred in The Losers
3-w/Chris Evans who starred in The Avengers
4-w/Jeremy Renner who starred in The Hurt Locker
5-w/Evangeline Lilly

Try these two: Noomi Rapace to Johnny Knoxville

[Abigail]

Noomi Rapace to Johnny Knovxville

Noomi Rapace was in Prometheus
1-w/Charlize Theron who was in The Road
2-w/Robert Duvall who was in the 6th Day
3-w/Arnold Schwarzenegger who was in The Last Stand
4-w/Johnny Knoxville

How about Anita Ekberg to Ian McShane?

[Melissa]

Anita Ekberg to Ian McShane

They both starred in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)

How about Dean Martin and Emily Blunt?

[Abigail]

I'm sorry I think I subconsciously remembered they were in that together which is why I thought of them together for a link?! LOL

But here goes Dean Martin to Emily Blunt:

Dean Martin was in The Cannonball Run
1-w/Burt Reynolds who was in Boogie Nights
2-Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson who also directed Magnolia
3-w/Phillip Seymour Hoffman who was in Charlie Wilson's War
4-w/Emily Blunt

Let's stick with Anita Ekberg again since that earlier one was tooooo easy LOL

Anita Ekberg to Clu Gulager

[Melissa]

Anita Ekberg to Clu Gulager

Anita Ekberg starred in Way... Way Out
1-w/Connie Stevens who starred in Tapeheads
2-w/Clu Gulager

Let's go with Jason London and Franka Potente

[Abigail]

Jason London to Franka Potente

Jason London was in Dazed and Confused
1-w/Ben Affleck who was in Good Will Hunting
2-w/Matt Damon who was in All the Pretty Horses
3-w/Penelope Cruz who was in Blow
4-w/Franka Potente

Next! Gong Li [Li Gong] to Isabella Rosselini

[Melissa]

Gong Li [Li Gong] to Isabella Rosselini

Gong Li starred in Memoirs of a Geisha
1-w/Ken Watanabe who starred in Batman Begins
2-w/Gary Oldman who starred in Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy
3-w/Colin Firth who starred in The Accidental Husband
4-w/Isabella Rosselini

Let's look at the younger generation: Asa Butterfield and Ivana Baquero

[Abigail]

Asa Butterfield to Ivana Baquero

Asa Butterfield was in Hugo
1-directed by Martin Scorsese who also directed Color of Money
2-w/Paul Newman who was in Message in a Bottle
3-w/with Kevin Costner who was in New Daughter
4-w/Ivana Baquero

Try Dylan Sprayberry to Erich von Stroheim

[Melissa]

Dylan Sprayberry to Erich von Stroheim

Dylan Sprayberry starred in Bedrooms
1-w/Dee Wallace who starred in the tv movie Hostage Flight
2-w/Ned Beatty who starred in Network
3-w/William Holden who starred in Sunset Blvd
4-w/ Erich von Stroheim

We may be scaring people away with some of these names. LOL I'm truly enjoying the challenge. So let's keep things going...

Corey Haim and Owen Wilson

[Abigail]

Corey Haim to Owen Wilson

Corey Haim starred in The Lost Boys
1-w/Kiefer Sutherland who was in Mirrors
2-w/Amy Smart who was in Starsky & Hutch
3-w/Owen Wilson

Catherine Mary Stewart to Bailey Chase

[Melissa]

Catherine Mary Stewart to Bailey Chase

Catherine Mary Stewart starred in White Collar, episode Compromising Positions (2012)
1-w/Matt Bomer who starred in White Collar, episode Pulling Strings (2012)
2-w/Bailey Chase

Geoffrey Lewis and Toni Collette

[Abigail]

Geoffrey Lewis to Toni Collette

Geoffrey Lewis was in Lawnmower Man
1-w/Dean Norris who was in Breaking Bad
2-w/Bryan Cranston who was in Little Miss Sunshine
3-w/Toni Collette

Let's try some with the original inspiration for the six degrees game - Kevin Bacon himself!

Try Bela Lugosi to Kevin Bacon

[Melissa]

Bela Lugosi to Kevin Bacon

Bela Lugosi starred in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
1-w/Lon Chaney, Jr. who starred in The Defiant Ones
2-w/Sidney Poitier who appeared in the documentary Sinatra 75: The Best Is Yet to Come
3-w/Kevin Bacon

Here's another curve ball... Composer Dario Marianelli to Actor Yul Brynner

[Abigail]

Dario Marianelli to Yul Brynner

Dario Marianelli composed Eat Pray Love
1-w/Julia Roberts who was in Charlie Wilson's War
2-w/Phillip Seymour Hoffman who was in Boogie Nights
3-w/Burt Reynolds who was in Fuzz
4-w/Yul Brynner

Sticking with composers try Georges Delerue to Nina Repeta

[Melissa]

Georges Delerue to Nina Repeta

Georges Delerue composed original music for Steel Magnolias which starred
1-/Sally Field who starred in the television movie All the Way Home
2-w/Ned Beatty who starred in Radioland Murders
3-w/Nina Repeta

Ennio Morricone and Bailee Madison?

[Abigail]

Ennio Morricone to Bailee Madison

Ennio Morricone composed Inglorious Basterds
1-directed by Quentin Tarantino who also directed Pulp Fiction
2-w/John Travolta who was in Lonely Hearts
3-w/Bailee Madison

Got one more composer - try David Amram to Jennie Garth

[Melissa]

This one was a bit difficult...

David Amram to Jennie Garth

David Arman composed the original music for Splendor in the Grass which starred
1-Natalie Wood who starred in Brainstorm
2-w/Christopher Walken who starred in Catch Me If You Can
3-w/James Brolin who starred in My Brother's War
4-w/Jennie Garth

Let's go with Director Howard Hawks and Julianne Hough

[Abigail]

I love Howard Hawks!!

Howard Hawks to Julianne Hough

Howard Hawks directed El Dorado
1-w/James Caan who was in the TV show Las Vegas
2-w/Josh Duhamel who was in Safe Haven
3-w/Julianne Hough

try one of my other favorite directors
Russ Meyer to Stephen Moyer from True Blood!

[Melissa]

Russ Meyer to Stephen Moyer

Russ Meyer directed Good Morning...and Goodbye which starred
1-Toby Adler who starred in the TV series Emergency (episode Snakebite)
2-w/Kevin Tighe who starred in the TV movie Winchell
3-w/Christopher Plummer who starred in Priest
4-w/Stephen Moyer

Let's go with Jay Mohr and Milos Forman

[Abigail]

Jay Mohr to Milos Forman

Jay Mohr was in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
1-w/Jim Carrey who was in Man on the Moon
2-directed by Milos Forman

Now Akira Kurosawa to Lorraine Bracco!

[Melissa]

Akira Kurosawa to Lorraine Bracco

Akira Kurosawa directed and wrote Rhapsody in August which starred
1-Richard Gere who starred in Internal Affairs
2-w/Elijah Wood who starred in Radio Flyer
3-w/ Lorraine Bracco

Let's go with Kevin Ryan and Kit Harington (both make me wish to be younger)