Hey, Summer Campers!

Did you know that, like all of you, Denzel Washington went to summer camp before he ever became the famous Denzel we all know and love? That’s right, Coach Herman Boone, himself (if you know him from the Disney film, Remember the Titans, that is) went to summer camp, though he never was a camper.

Born in Mount Vernon, close to New York City, Denzel did not have the best upbringing due to location and troubles in his parent’s marriage. His parents broke up when he was 14. Consequently, his mother sent Denzel to a private preparatory school called Oakland Military Academy.

Denzel has always since felt that attending that school caused a big change in his life and helped him to steer his life in the right direction. He attended Texas College and later Fordham University where he received a B.A. in Drama and Journalism. He also played on his college basketball team as a guard. Throughout his time in college, Denzel took up a job as a counselor for Camp Sloane YMCA.

Camp Sloane is a summer camp located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Their chief goals for the campers is to enlighten them in the principles of honesty, respect, responsibility, and caring for one another. Camp Sloane has been working its magic since 1928.

It was there that people first put the idea in Denzel’s head to pursue a career in acting when he played a part in a staff talent show put on for the campers. When his next fall semester started, he adjusted his focus and enrolled himself at the Lincoln Center campus where he studied acting.

From Shakespearean productions to box office thrillers, Denzel is one of those actors who can breathe life into any character! Summer camp gave Denzel the idea to pursue an acting career. What will it give you? Thanks for reading, Campers.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

If you’re like the rest of America, you probably love Cindy Crawford. Her beautiful face has been on countless magazine covers and she’s walked down so many runways that I’m sure she’s lost count by now! Cindy had done such wonders with her modeling career that by the time she was 29 years old, she was the highest paid model worldwide!

Born in Illinois, Cindy attended US Air Force Academy Science Camp in the summer season where she enjoyed camp programs and camp friends. A hard worker from an early age, at 16 years old, Cindy was keeping busy with her summer job, detasseling corn. Lucky for her, it was during her job that a newspaper photographer happened to notice her working away.

He snapped a picture of her that brought Cindy a world of positive feedback and gave her the encouragement she needed to pursue a modeling career. She entered the Elite Model Management’s Look of the Year contest one year later and won second place. After that, the Elite Model Management began to represent Cindy and the rest is history!

It’s funny because when Cindy first embarked upon her modeling career, magazines would eliminate the ‘Crawford mole’ which went on to become the model’s trademark trait. Despite early attempts to work around it, Cindy’s mole that rests just above her lip has become just as famous as she has herself!

Cindy has seen great success as her modeling career has turned her into a celebrity the world over! Cindy has taken acting roles on television as well as film and has been a spokesperson for companies like Pepsi. She also hosted MTV’s House of Style.

Now nearly 50 years old, Cindy has shaped her modeling career to fit what she wanted. What do you want?

Thanks for reading, campers!

- John

Hey, Campers!

Did you know that, just like all of you crazy camp kids, a whole bunch of famous big-names (actors and actresses, musical artists, professional athletes) enjoyed the absolute FUN of summer camp when they were your age? Famous actor, Paul Adelstein—best known for his role as Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series “Prison Break”—attended summer camp as well.

He went to North Star Camp in Hayward where he didn’t just have a blast for a summer or two—he learned about life and what it is to live in the real world. North Star Camp sees summer camp as a preparatory opportunity to give kids a light education on life.

Paul was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was born to a Reform Jewish family and lived a fairly normal family life. He went to a progressive high school, Francis W. Parker School. And after that, he attended Bowdoin College where he graduated with a degree in English.

He first started his acting career working in the theatre with a company called New Crime Productions (a company which was founded by John Cusack, actually). Paul later came to work with the infamous Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.

He made his way onto the big screen for the first time when he was 21 in the film, “The Grifters” and went on to play supporting roles in films like “Bedazzled,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and “Be Cool.” Paul made it even bigger in the world of television. There he appeared in shows like “ER,” “Without a Trace,” and “Scrubs.”

His real claim to fame was yet to come, however, as the role he is best known for became Agent Paul Kellerman from the TV series, “Prison Break” in 2005. He’s also known for his role in “Private Practice” as Cooper Freedman, pediatrician.

As always, thanks for reading, Campers!

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

It should come as no surprise to you that people of all different walks of life enjoy going to summer camp. I went to camp. Your uncle’s sister-in-law probably went to camp. Heck!—SUPERMAN himself went to camp! It’s the natural thing to do for boys and girls of earth (and Krypton).

As was discussed on a recent Blog post, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster may have introduced the world to the one, the only, Superman…but it was one Christopher Reeve who brought the legend to life. However, before he ever played the man of steel, he was a summer camper, just like you!

When he was your age, Christopher went to camp along Squam Lake and amidst the White Mountains of New Hampshire at Camp Deerwood. He may have only been around ten years old when he went to camp, but it only took him that long to discover his passion for acting.

After being cast in an amateur, student play, ‘The Yeomen of the Guard’, there was no doubt in Christopher’s head, he wanted to be an actor.

It was a no-brainer for him to join the theater department when he attended college at Cornell. He acted in four plays within his freshman year and, always executing his performances with quality, he was contacted by an agent at the end of his first year.

The same agent who represented stars of the day, like Robert Redford, Richard Chamberlain, Michael Douglas, and Susan Sarandon, Stark Hesseltine was sure to make Christopher Reeve into a household name.

After convincing the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences he could do so much more at Juilliard, he transferred three year’s college credits to have his senior year at Juilliard. It wasn’t long after that, in his 26th year, that he received the lead role as Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman) in the much anticipated film, ‘Superman’.

Unfortunately, after so many achievements in acting, directing, producing, screenwriting, and activism, tragedy awaited Christopher around the corner. In 1995, he turned 43. He was violently thrown from a horse during a customary competition in Virginia; from this, he required a wheelchair and a breathing apparatus for the rest of his life.

He founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation for people with spinal-cord injuries before his death at only 52.

Thanks for reading, Camp Fans.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

If you’re a fan of the Everything Summer Camp Blog, then you probably already realize that there’s no shortage of celebrities who attended summer camp when they were your age. It doesn’t really matter if they’re singer/songwriters, famous athletes, or big Hollywood stars. It seems like they all ended up going to summer camp when they were younger.

Jerry Stiller is no exception to that notion. He went to Surprise Lake Camp in New York when he was a kid. The camp has been around since 1902, providing children with the beautiful landscape of the Cold Spring Mountains as a getaway from the rest of the world.

Firstborn of four to Bella and William Stiller in 1927, Jerry was born in the Unity Hospital in Brooklyn. Rather grounded in New York, he and his family lived in just a couple different neighborhoods. It was at some time around the early 40’s that Jerry had his fun at Surprise Lake Camp.

Soon after, the Stillers moved to the Lower East Side and Jerry graduated from grade school, moving on to Seward Park High. Developing his love for acting, once he was done with high school he went on to be a Drama Major at Syracuse University. Equipped with a Bachelor’s in Drama, Jerry first embarked on his acting career at the Phoenix Theater for their production of Coriolanus, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

After Jerry met his wife, Anne Meara, the two of them became their own comedy team. They were a successful duo for many years on the stage. They were invited to make appearances on variety programs like the Ed Sullivan Show. They also began a family of their own, raising two kids that followed in their parents’ footsteps, Ben and Amy Stiller.

Jerry had great success, playing roles in lots of movies and television shows. He’s probably best known for his role as Frank Costanza in the classic television series, Seinfeld. He’s also provided a good amount of voice acting for films like ‘The Lion King 1½’, ‘Fish Hooks’, ‘Foodfight!’, and, most recently, ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’.

Summer camp must have done a lot for Mr. Stiller. What will it do for you? Thanks for reading, Campers!

- John