Changing an actor/actress's "known for"...?

This is one thing that's always intrigued me is what decides what someone is "known for". Is it a random algorithm, etc.?

It's just very often I'll note that someone is listed as "known for", and not one of the 3-4 things are what they actually ARE known for.

Take this as just one example:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134033

Sally James was born on May 10, 1950. She is an actress, known for To Sir, with Love (1967), Journey to the Unknown (1968) and Cousin Bette (1971). She is married to Mike Smith. They have three children. See full bio »

I'd say to the vast majority of people that Sally James is known for Tiswas, and very few people would have realised she was actually IN To Sir, With Love, particularly as she appeared under another name.

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MovieCat

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5 years ago

One example I meant to give, but hadn't thought of at the time, is in the case of people who aren't actually actors/actresses, but do a different TV job.

For example, Trevor McDonald: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568039

No one's entered all the thousands of episodes of News At Ten he's presented as a newsreader (in fact, he's only listed for two episodes, and even I'm not sad enough to go through the British Newspaper Archive to do the full set of THOUSANDS) so he's "known" for a few TV appearances where he's basically played himself.

Likewise, his BBC equivalent, Angela Rippon, sent herself up with a guest spot on a Morecambe and Wise comedy show and was a prominent newsreader (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728113) but she's not "known" for either.

But if you went up to anyone in the UK and showed them a picture of Trevor McDonald, a household name for many years now, 99.9% of them would say the first:

1. "That's Trevor McDonald. The newsreader."

2. "That's Trevor McDonald from Johnny English".

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MovieCat

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@Karen_P I suppose the other option is, I could start doing bios. This has been my most active year as a contributor to the IMDb, but I've still only written one bio... and that was for a glove puppet.

5 years ago

MovieCat

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I think I've really answered my own question with this one... just do a bio for them.

I'm up to two bios now.

5 years ago

MovieCat

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@Karen_P Honestly, I love to mark people as having provided the solution, but I'm not getting the option here like I normally do - I don't know whether it's a browser issue, or a board glitch, but it's not coming up for me on this thread? I can show you a screenshot if you'd like, I just get like/reply.

PS. Happy new year, too.

5 years ago

jeorj_euler

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5 years ago

Hi, MovieCat. Thank you for bringing this up. Do you have any more examples?

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MovieCat

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@jeorj_euler Hi, this is actually surprisingly common, I've seen it a number of times (particularly with relatively obscure UK TV actors of the 1970s-1980s) and it's actually almost comical how the "known fors" almost seem to select everything BUT the thing they're actually known for.

As another example, the page for Michael Staniforth:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0822294/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Mainly a stage actor, the only real TV or movie work he was known for was 58 episodes of Rentaghost, as the central character for nearly a decade. His bio tells us that he's "known for" three bit parts.

5 years ago

MovieCat

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@jeorj_euler Here was one I saw the other day that drew my attention. Obviously the concept of being "known for" is also subjective, and generational.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057685/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Keith Barron, a good actor... but to most of the 40something generation in the UK he would definitely be "known for", first and foremost, as starring in a cheesy sitcom called "Duty Free".

He may also be known for The Wednesday Play, and I see he was on 99 episodes of Countdown.

In no way would I say he was "known for" Doctor Who... although a programme with a big fanbase, and well-known, he was only a guest star for 4 episodes, it's not really what he's "known for".

5 years ago

bderoes

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5 years ago

I believe the algorithm is based on the popularity of the title, not based on the actor's prominence in the title.

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MovieCat

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@bderoes I suspected that was at least a part of it, but with, say, the Michael Staniforth one, you've got his most famous show being a series that ran for 9 years and had almost the same number of viewers in millions.

But one of the "known fors" is "No Strings", a single season sitcom that is obscure and unrated.

5 years ago

bderoes

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Popularity is probably more influenced by number of page visits than number of ratings.

Also, I've noticed that uncredited roles will NOT generate a Known For entry.

5 years ago

MovieCat

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@bderoes It's certainly an interesting aberration. (Staniforth is credited for all 58 episodes, incidentally)

5 years ago

MovieCat

Changing an actor/actress's "known for"...?

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