It's not Gregory Peck, Harrison Ford or John Wayne.A: Name a famous actor whose first and last names both are seven letters long. Change the first three letters of the actor's last name to three new letters and you'll name another famous actor. They share the same first name. Add the three letters of the first actor's last name plus the first three letters of the second actor's last name, and you'll spell the last name of a third famous actor. Who are these three Hollywood stars?
Edit: Those actors hold positions 1, 2 and 36 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes and Villains list, specifically as heroes. Next to them in the villains column you'll find the characters Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates and Frank Booth played by the 3 actors in the puzzle.
A: ANTHONY HOPKINS, ANTHONY PERKINS --> (Dennis) HOPPER
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
I saw one of these actors in a superb Broadway performance in 1975, and I will never forget it. All three have plenty of awards for movie performances, but I don't think any of them won for that sort of stage role. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteWith easy puzzles I feel compelled to throw another in the mix:
ReplyDeleteWhat do actors Barbara Bates, Brad Garrett, Steve Reeves, and Fred Savage have in common with film critic Rex Reed?
Answer Thursday, feel free to add other names to this cast. I'll accept a fairly liberal interpretation of answers.
ecoarchitect,
DeleteThank you for the fine puzzle during another "easy puzzle week."
As usual, I have not solved your puzzle, but I got close. Can't squeeze Fred Savage into the mix. I can fit a guy with the monogram GBS in with Rex and the gang, though.
LegoMaybeWill'sActorsAreRelated
If it's the GBS I'm thinking of you're on the wrong track, puzzle isn't so literate. Curious about your thinking, though.
DeleteFor all the actors I am reminded of dark plots.
ReplyDeleteChuck
The "dark plot" guy lived down the street from me. Hates the press even though he gets favorable reviews and is otherwise like an amoeba in person.
ReplyDeletePetro
ReplyDelete... and her sister, Citro?
Deleteand her other sister, Cru. . .
DeleteAnd if the other one's wife married previous puzzle subject Halle Berry....
DeleteAnd her other brother, Darryl. . .
DeleteAnd her other brother, Darryl. . .
DeleteI guess Blogger must be a Newhart fan!
DeleteBetter than a Newfart han.
DeleteThe first two are related.
ReplyDeleteDid they every make a skin flick together?
DeleteOh so good, jan.
DeleteApologies if you haven't gotten the answer yet. . .But, this is fun. Yes, you may to look at a few NSFW sites. . .
... the depths to which some people will descend ...
DeleteDESCEND is to SINK as SIMPLE is to EASY
DeleteReminds me of a funny commercial set in bean town...
ReplyDeleteI prophesy there will be a large number of correct answers to this week's challenge.
ReplyDeleteOn a different subject, for those of you who are cruciverbalists, you may not have heard of Dr.Fill, a computer program that solves crossword puzzles, developed by Matt Ginsberg. Dr.Fill entered the Stamford, Conn. national crossword championship hosted by Will Shortz. The two best crossword puzzle solvers in the country, Dan Feyer & Tyler Hinman both entered. See where they finished by going to THIS WEBSITE & enjoy!!!
I enjoyed that, ron. Thanks!
DeleteI posted the following early this morning and went back to bed:
ReplyDeleteskydiveboy Sun Apr 26, 05:33:00 AM PDT
I got this right away. It is very similar to a puzzle I made up sometime back, but put together in a much different way.
I can confirm that skydiveboy is a truthteller (at least in this instance. Let's not go overboard here!). As some of you Blainsvillians many be aware, I run a little puzzle blog called Puzzleria! Several of skydiveboy's original puzzles have appeared there. I had skydiveboy's "two actors puzzle"all ready yo go. It was in my "Puzzleria! puzzles to publish" file. I had even written a headline for it and chosen possible illustrations to "package" it...
DeleteCurses! Foiled again. And scooped again by the NPR/NYT puzzlemeister!
BTW, we welcome your original puzzles at Puzzleria! (which celebrates its first anniversary in a few weeks). Our philosophy on the P! blog is to encourage creative alternative answers, and we have received many quite creative ones (which are ofter much more creative than our intended answers). Mendo Jim made this point lucidly a few days ago over on the AESOP blog.
Regarding my second paragraph, shall we all take a pledge not to use excla!mat!on po!nts for one month? I shall not. Perhaps we can adopt some other mark of punctuation to punch up our prose. Perhaps we can appropriate the ^ or the * or the ~ for this purpose?
LegoMyApologiesToskydiveboy^*~
Doesn't that mean you have to change the name of your blog ‽
DeleteLego, what's with the extra ! in exclamation any way? Gratuitous !!!ing!
DeleteYou have been interrobanged, sir, by Paul. Quexclamation marks, indeed!
Ok, that's my ! quota until 2016.
I hereby promise to never use exclamation marks! And I always tell the truth!
DeleteMusic clue
ReplyDeleteJohn Lennon
and Sir Paul and a number?
DeleteOh really, get out of Dodge. :)
Deletezeke creek, I thought you were referring to "8 days a week," the Beatles song, and one of Dennis Hopper's marriages which lasted all of 8 days.
DeleteBut maybe you had another idea?
Wrong assassin, wrong target, right object of affection, right movie, right psycho.
DeleteJohn Hinkley, Ronald Regan, Jodie Foster, Silence of the Lambs, Anthony Hopkins.
Dodge City, Kansas is Dennis Hopper's birthplace.
DeleteHedda Gabber?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I want it to involve William Shatner, it doesn't
ReplyDeleteIt isn't Austin Pendleton, Pat Hingle, or Joe Spano, either.
ReplyDeleteAmistad, Catch-22, WUSA, Hang 'Em High, Ticker, Fracture
DeleteAll three of these actors have a connection with a particular form of transportation, although in different ways.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe 3d actor was in a famous movie with another actor of the same last name (better known for a long-running TV role).
ReplyDeleteDon't try to Google this.
DeleteYes, Paul, as usual is correct, but still, that is a great nugget of trivia, saukriver.
DeleteLegoroo
Better to use DuckDuckGo when searching for a Drake.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I should say my mother and I were babysitting my nieces, and leave it at that. Apparently I clued a little too obviously when discussing it. Still new to this blog. I do have the answer to the puzzle, though.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
ReplyDeleteAnd mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
I hope I am on the right track when I say one of the actors has two meanings for the phrase "souped up"
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle is a rerun from some years ago.
ReplyDeleteUncle John's hint got me there - thank you! I'm really poor at this type of puzzle - I don't watch a lot of movies or keep up with Hollywood, but even I have at least heard of some of the ones these actors are in. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteCan't focus on this at home, thanks to the rumble of nearby trains. I think I'll have better luck in my metalworking class tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteActually, there are at least two actors who qualify as the third person in this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteAm I allowed to say that I'm waiting with bated breath?
ReplyDeleteMother said this puzzle was easy and all that I needed was some solitary time to ponder while I eat her eggplant parmigiana ... At least that's what I'd imagine her saying...
ReplyDeleteWell , that and a little quiet too
ReplyDeletewhat did uncle john say
ReplyDeleteWell, he said he has the blues, but it seems to me like he's having a lot of fun.
DeleteThat was a joke.
Yes, I will tell you when I get to the funny part.
Seriously, Blaine deleted the comment for a reason, and I don't think he wants to have to do it again. If UJ doesn't re-post it after 3PM Thursday, maybe someone else (maybe me) will. Can you wait until then?
ron got it. Not much gets past ron.
DeleteBoth actors' most iconic roles are currently being honored with contemporary TV shows.
ReplyDeleteNow if you'll excuse me, I need to find something to eat and a place to stay the night.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteANTHONY PERKINS >>> ANTHONY HOPKINS >>> DENNIS HOPPER
Delete"Petro" referred to Anthony Hopkins wife, Petronella Barker.
"The first two are related." as in they have KINS in common. jan's riff off KINS with SKIN was fun.
And Petro's sister, Citronella, keeps the skeeters away.
DeleteAnthony Hopkins & Anthony Perkins & Dennis Hopper
ReplyDeleteMy hint:
“All three of these actors have a connection with a particular form of transportation, although in different ways.”
Motor bikes. Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian; Hopper in Easy Rider & Perkins apparently had a Vespa.
ANTHONY HOPKINS -> ANTHONY PERKINS -> (DENNIS) HOPPER
ReplyDelete> I was wondering whether hawks eat frogs, so I Googled it and found a disturbingly clear video that confirmed that they do.
When Hopper painted Nighthawks, I don't think the nighthawks were dining on hoppers.
> And if the other one's wife married previous puzzle subject Halle Berry....
She would be Berry Berry. (Anthony Perkins' widow, Berry Berenson, died on American Airlines Flight 11, when it flew into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.)
> Did they ever make a skin flick together?
"Skin" anagrams to the common 4 letters in the actors' last names.
jan:
DeleteI thought your "skin flick" comment was hinting at Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, where he was skinning a victim, intending to wear his skin later. If I am remembering this correctly. I hated this movie! Hopkins's best, and his favorite, film is World's Fastest Indian. I highly recommend it. !!!!! Superfluous exclamation marks added in defiance of whatever.
I never saw either movie.
DeleteI deplored Silence of the Lambs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteDreadful movie. I agree, Natasha.
DeleteIf I recall correctly (and I'm working purely on my gray cells, here) it was a character name of 'Wild Bill', who(m?) Hannibal was 'helping' Clarisse find, that was fashioning a suit from human skin.
DeleteAnyway, it's taking an awful lot of nanoseconds for that painting to download.
If I recall correctly (and I'm working purely on my gray cells, here) it was a character name of 'Wild Bill', who(m?) Hannibal was 'helping' Clarisse find, that was fashioning a suit from human skin.
DeleteAnyway, it's taking an awful lot of nanoseconds for that painting to download.
Natasha, I guess you hated it thirteen times more than I did. Hard for me to believe though. And just what was so special about Jodie Foster's role/acting? Also the script sucked big time. I felt sorry for Anthony Hopkins having to take a stupid role such as this in order to make a decent living as an actor, when he can be so good in an intelligent film. Same thing for Javier Bardem acting in No Country for Old Men. And screw the Cohen Brothers with their frequently crappy films. Fargo is a wonderful exception though. Sorry not to have a strong opinion on this.
DeletePaul, I think you are right. I am so sorry you remember it better than I do. Such a waste of money and time.
Paul, thanks for the Grace Hopper video. It is a favorite.
DeletePaul, thanks for the Grace Hopper video. It is a favorite.
DeletePaul, thanks for the Grace Hopper video. It is a favorite.
DeleteI refuse to watch Silence of the Lambs or Misery. I just don't think I would like them. I think this is the essence of "prejudice," but so be it.
DeletePaul, I have never seen that Grace Hopper clip. What a delightful woman. And Letterman seemed less curmudgeonly than he is now. But I have become increasingly curmudgeonly also. Thanks for the link.
LegoGratefulForTheGraceFull
I also watched the Grace Hopper segment yesterday and found it very enjoyable. I don't like David Letterman and never found him funny, but mean. Shirley Maclaine called him an asshole years ago after being a guest on his show. I thought Letterman looked very uncomfortable during the Hopper segment because she was upstaging him.
DeleteAnthony Hopkins, Anthony Perkins, Dennis Hopper
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “For all the actors I am reminded of dark plots:” The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and Easy Rider.
Chuck
My hint: old neighbor Tony Hopkins. Probably still owns the property.
ReplyDeleteI wrote:
ReplyDeleteWith easy puzzles I feel compelled to throw another in the mix: [AKA THE HOPPER]
What do actors Barbara Bates, Brad Garrett, Steve Reeves, and Fred Savage have in common with film critic Rex Reed?
Answer Thursday, feel free to add other names to this cast. I'll accept a fairly liberal interpretation of answers.
The alternate answer: you can type the first and last names of all those actors using only your left hand, at least on a traditional keyboard. A liberal (or left-leaning) interpretation could include a lot of names. Some other names in this [type] cast (get it?) include: Dave Berg, Edgar Degas, Edward Everett, Edward D. Garza, Fred Ward, Sade, Red Barber, Weegee, and Steve Case.
For football fans you can frame it with Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Bart Starr (as well as the less well-known Steve DeBerg), all quarterbacks, 3 Super Bowl winners, and 2 from the same team.
ecoarchitect,
DeleteNice puzzle. It totally stumped me. But, in my defense, I tend to hunt and peck, so I was at a disadvantage.
Being a Cheesehead, I love your observation about Brett Favre and Bart Starr filling the bill. The third Super Bowl winning Packer QB, Aar__ R_dgers, came close but is a non-qualifier. Too bad southpaw QBs Steve Young, Boomer Esiason and Ken Stabler don’t work either.
I was trying to connect the actors and Rex Reed with Superman. Thus my GBS George Bernard Shaw (Man and Superman) allusion. Reed played himself in the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve. George Reeves, of course, was early TV’s Superman. But Barbara, Brad and Fred have no apparent connection, as I had hoped they would.
I wonder if Will will accept Hedda Hopper’s son William as the third actor on Sunday’s show.
LegoWereHelenHuntAndGregoryPeckTypecast?
So Hedda was William's mom. With all those double letters, there ought to be a puzzle in there somewhere.
DeleteYes, and as gossip columnists go, I would say she was a Hedda the rest.
DeleteAnthony Hopkins, Anthony Perkins, (Dennis) Hopper
ReplyDeleteAnthony HOPkins
ReplyDeleteAnthony PERkins
Dennis HOPPER
My hint: “I prophesy...” The first six letters of “PROPHEsy” anagram to HOPPER, the name of the “third famous actor.”
It was a good decision for Blaine to remove all the references to the “psychotic characters” these actors played, Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Howard Payne, the villain in SPEED.
> Can't focus on this at home, thanks to the rumble of nearby trains. I think I'll have better luck in my metalworking class tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe first sentence refers to "The House by the Railroad," a painting by Edward HOPPER that, coincidentally, is said to have inspired the look of the Bates house in "Psycho," starring Anthony Perkins.
In the second sentence, posted on a Monday, "tomorrow" refers to Tuesday and metalworking refers to WELDing, which leads to Tuesday Weld, a two-time co-star of Mr. Perkins.
Nice.
DeleteWell-crafted clues, Philly Cinephile. No easy way to find your clues on any search engine creating a meandering path to the psycho references.
DeleteDitto, Philly Cinephile. Clever clueing.
DeleteLegoYourBandwagonIsAJuggernaut
Lest we forget, Lorenzo had a good point:
ReplyDeleteIs the P in Perkins actually a new letter?
I'm also curious about what zeke's friends at the Waffle House thought about this puzzle, but that's another matter.
As I posted Sunday, I made up this puzzle in a different form several months ago, but I too had the problem of how to describe it. I am referring to the first three letters of the last name. I came up with several ways, but discarded them for:
DeleteThink of two famous Hollywood horror-thriller movies that also had sequels. The male starring actors in both films have the same first names and their last names are also identical except for their beginning three letter first syllables. Can you name these two famous actors?
I did not submit this to NPR, but to Lego instead.
Lego, who let it languish!
DeleteSeriously, skydiveboy, I am sorry I did not use it sooner in Puzzleria!. I thought yours was a good puzzle.
LegoKickingHimselfLikeAMasochisticContortionist
Thanks, Lego. There will be more.
Deleteokay, another puzzle:
DeleteTake the name of one of the actors named in this week's puzzle, rearrange the letters of their first and last name to name a famous fictional character in books, movies and TV. Hint: One of the actor's roles had the same profession.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI wrote, "I saw one of these actors in a superb Broadway performance in 1975, and I will never forget it. All three have plenty of awards for movie performances, but I don't think any of them won for that sort of stage role."
ReplyDeleteI saw Anthony Hopkins in _Equus_, as the troubled psychiatrist. Terrific performance. And my hint was about the Tony award, since we had Tonys in the answer. ---Rob
Coincidentally, one of the actors who took over the role after Hopkins's departure was...Anthony Perkins.
Deletezeke creekSun Apr 26, 06:27:00 AM PDT
ReplyDeleteI so hoped to be the first one, but I've got time enough for a quick shower and a bite to eat before Church.
hoped - Hopper
shower - Psycho - Perkins
bite to eat - Hopkins
Church - lambs - Perkins
Oops, lambs was Hopkins.
ReplyDelete@ Paul,
ReplyDeleteMarcy paced nervously as she spat out, "...diced, smothered, and covered." It may have been the sly crooked smile from Arnie as he sliced the bread with the long and greasy blade.
The "other" Hopper was William Hopper, who player detective Paul Drake, along side Raymond Burr, on Perry Mason.
ReplyDeleteHaving read Blaine's Edit, I shall now attempt the triple somerset sans references:
ReplyDelete[drum roll, please] [Hendersons, you may dance and/or sing, as you wish]
Atticus Finch, Indiana Jones Rooster Cogburn
How'd I do?
Next week's challenge: Think of a common two-word phrase for something you might see in a kitchen. Reverse the words — that is, put the second word in front of the first — and you'll name a food, in one word, that you might prepare in a kitchen. What is it?
ReplyDeleteNext week's challenge: Think of a common two-word phrase for something you might see in a kitchen. Reverse the words — that is, put the second word in front of the first — and you'll name a food, in one word, that you might prepare in a kitchen. What is it?
ReplyDeleteI HOPE Will comes up with a more challenging puzzle next week
This one was so easy that I am afraid the odds of being called are stacked against us.
ReplyDeleteAw, c'mon. . .
DeleteDon't be a creep.
DeleteMarcie rolled her eyes
ReplyDeleteAnother case of a repeat from the previous week!
ReplyDelete2-15-15 would have been a better Sunday to reveal this puzzle
ReplyDeleteTurks and Caicos and the Bahamas.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete