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{{Unreferenced|date=June 2008}}
'''North Hollywood''' is a district in the [[San Fernando Valley]] region of the City of [[Los Angeles, California]].
''This article is about the Indian film actor. For other uses see [[Vijay (disambiguation)]]''
{{Infobox actor
| name = Vijay
| image =Ilayathalapathyvijay.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birthdate ={{birth date and age|1974|6|22}}
| location ={{flagicon|IND}} [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| birthname = Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar
| othername = ''Ilayathalapathy''
| Children = Jason Sanjay, Divya Saasha
| homepage =
| spouse = Sangeetha Vijay
| notable role =
}}


'''Vijay''' ([[Tamil language|Tamil]]: விஜய்), (born '''Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar''' on [[June 22]], [[1974]]) is a [[Tamil film]] [[actor]] and [[playback singer]]. He began his acting career doing minor, uncredited roles as a child artist, produced by his father [[S. A. Chandrasekhar]]. Today he is known for his pacy dance sequences and his acting style. He is referred to as ''Ilayathalapathy'' (transliterally meaning "Young General"), which is always used along with his name in film credits<ref>[http://www.vijaynet.com/profile/bg.php Vijay's Biography]</ref>.
== History ==
North Hollywood, like most of the rest of the San Fernando Valley, was once part of the vast landholdings of the Franciscan [[Mission San Fernando Rey de España]], which were confiscated by the government during the Mexican period of rule. The [[Treaty of Cahuenga]] which ended the [[Mexican-American War|U.S.-Mexican fighting]] in California was signed at [[Tomás Feliz|Tomás Feliz's]] adobe house at [[Campo de Cahuenga]] on Lankershim Boulevard in January 1847.


==Personal Background==
In 1895, the Chatsworth Limited made one stop a day in Toluca, although that name was in conflict with a sign on the new station which read Lankershim. With the Post Office across the street called Toluca, controversy over the town’s name continued and the local ranchers used to quip, “Ship the merchandise to Lankershim, but bill it to Toluca.”


Vijay was born on [[June 22]], [[1974]] to film producer [[S. A. Chandrasekhar]] and Shoba Chandrasekhar, a playback singer. He had a sister named Vidhya who died at the age of two. Vijay studied Visual Communications at Loyola College, but dropped out to pursue an acting career. He was interestingly classmates with [[Surya Sivakumar]], [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]], [[Karthik Raja]], and [[Vishnuvardhan (director)|Vishnuvardhan]].
The area formerly known as Lankershim was subsequently renamed North Hollywood in an effort to capitalize on the glamour and proximity of Hollywood proper. North Hollywood today is extremely diverse, with [[Latino]], including [[El Salvador|Salvadoran Americans]] and [[Honduras|Honduran Americans]], [[Asian American]], including [[Thai Americans]] and [[Filipino Americans]], [[African American]], [[Jewish]], [[Jamaican American]], [[Middle Eastern]], including [[Iranian Americans]], and [[Armenian Americans]] populations.


He married Sangeetha on [[August 25]], [[1999]]. They have two children: Jason Sanjay, born on [[August 26]], [[2000]] in [[London]], and Divya Saasha, born on [[September 9]], [[2005]] in [[Chennai]].
[[Image:NoHo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|New condominium buildings along a North Hollywood street]]


==Career==
North Hollywood's landscape has been transformed in recent years, with condominium towers (including a 15-story building on [[Lankershim]] Blvd) being built in the midst of older one-story bungalows and small apartment complexes. The community is being transformed from a relatively lower-middle class suburb into a regional center, in large part as a result of the construction of Metro Stations for the [[LACMTA Red Line|Red Line]] and the [[LACMTA Orange Line|Orange Line]], two lines that have made the city into a regional hub for the [[San Fernando Valley]]. Medium- and high-density developments are being built around the Metro Station, particularly in the [[NoHo Arts District]], with the intent of creating a walkable [[New Urbanism|urban village]].
===Acting Style===
He began his acting career doing minor, uncredited roles as a child artist in Kollywood. Today he is known for his pacy dance sequences and his acting style. He is referred to as Ilaya Thalapathy, which is also always used along with his name in credits. One can expect Vijay films to contain the art of entertaining people with dialogues, songs, dances, and superhero fight scenes.
Vijay's films often open large in [[India]] and, more recently, in several other countries as well. Vijay's films are noted to have a minimum guaruntee of collection at box offices. Vijay's stereotypical style of entertainment is often compared to the styles of [[M. G. Ramachandran]] and [[Rajinikanth]]. This made many film critics to look apon Vijay as the successor of the two actors and christen him as the next [[super star]] of [[Tamil cinema]].


== Infamous Bank Heist==
=== Films ===
Vijay debuted as a lead role actor in the [[1992]] film ''[[Naalaya Theerpu]]'', produced by his father, then he co-stared with [[Vijayakanth]] in the film ''[[Sendhoorapandi]]''. This film helped Vijay to become popular in the interior areas of Tamil Nadu. Films like ''[[Rasigan]]'', ''[[Vishnu]]'', and ''[[Deva]]'' followed, which all helped to increase Vijay's star value. Vijay is also one of the few lead actors of his generation to co-star with veteran actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]]. This opportunity came in the film ''[[Once More]]'', directed by [[S. A. Chandrasekhar]] in [[1994]].
In 1997, the nationally infamous "[[North Hollywood shootout]]" between the [[LAPD]] and two heavily armed gunmen who were caught in the act of robbing a [[Bank of America]] branch on [[Laurel Canyon Boulevard]], occurred over a period of several hours between Victory Boulevard and Vanowen Street in central North Hollywood. The police arrived but didn't have the firepower to put down the robbers, who wore full body-armor and had superior firepower. The shootout resembled a combat zone. Bullets were flying in all directions hitting cars, buildings, and bystanders. The battle was broadcast live on television and ended up being made into a movie ([[44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out|44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003)]]).


The year [[1996]] saw a blockbuster hit in the Vikraman-directed film ''[[Poove Unakkaga]]'' which helped Vijay to establish as a bankable star in Tamil films. He found more success with films that followed, which had an unorthodox climax like ''[[Love Today]]'', ''[[Kadhalukku Mariyadhai]]'' and ''[[Priyamudan]]''. ''Kadhalukku Mariyadhai'' made Vijay receive that year's [[Tamil Nadu]] state Best Actor Award.
Two suspects were killed in the shootout and 15 people were injured, including 10 policemen. More than 200 police officers were on hand for the siege, which lasted more than an hour. Initially out-gunned, the officers found they needed extra weapons and went to B&B Sales in North Hollywood for high-powered semiautomatic rifles and shotguns.


Following ''[[Thulladha Manamum Thullum]]'', the films ''[[Endrendrum Kadhal]]'', ''[[Nenjinile]]'', ''[[Minsara Kanna]]'' and ''[[Kannukkul Nilavu]]'' failed to meet his previous success. He decided not to commit in films that took a year to release, which changed his trend. His next venture was ''[[Kushi]]'' which was a blockbuster of [[2000]]. The following films like ''[[Priyamanavale]]'', ''[[Friends (2001 film)|Friends]]'' and ''[[Badri]]'' were once again successful for Vijay
==Attractions==
It is home to the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].


Later on, he starred in ''[[Shahjahan (film)|Shahjahan]]'', ''[[Thamizhan]]'', ''[[Youth (film)|Youth]]'', and ''[[Bagavathi]]'' which maintained Vijay's success. However, the films that followed, which were ''[[Vaseegara]]'', ''[[Pudhiya Geethai]]'', and his delayed film ''[[Udhaya]]'' became low grossers and flopped. This highly affected Vijay's success rate and he was looked down upon by film critics and producers.
[[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery|Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park]] is located in the area, and is notable for its special section memorializing [[aviator]]s.


His string of failure films was broken by ''[[Thirumalai]]'' in [[2004]] which had Vijay in a new facial appearance. ''[[Ghilli]]'', which was also released in [[2004]], is considered to be one of Vijay's biggest hits today. Another hit had followed, which was ''[[Madhurey]]''. It was in this year which Vijay began to portray his current mass-hero, stereotypical acting style. The following year had other major successes such as ''[[Thirupaachi]]'', ''[[Sachein]]'', and ''[[Sivakasi (film)|Sivakasi]]''.
The new MTA Orange Line is now open, running from North Hollywood to Woodland Hills. The MTA Red Line also connects North Hollywood to Hollywood, Wilshire, and Downtown Los Angeles.


Vijay's only flop film since the release of ''Thirumalai'' was ''[[Aathi]]'', which released in [[2006]]. ''Aathi'' had created some controversy during that year and many film distributors decided on thinking twice before handling any new Vijay films. This resulted in Vijay taking a break from acting for nearly a year, until the launch of ''[[Pokkiri]]'', directed by [[Prabhu Deva]], which released in [[2007]]. ''Pokkiri'' had met the same success as ''Ghilli'' did, in which Vijay was given a different style to act as. This made Vijay receive an honourary doctorate title from the M. G. R. University. Later that year, Vijay appeared in ''[[Azhagiya Thamizh Magan]]'', and for the first time, he appeared in dual roles. His roles in this film, as the antagonist and protagonist, made him to be considered for a [[Filmfare Best Actor Award (Tamil)|Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award]].
NoHo is home to and birth place of critically acclaimed sketch comedy group, [[Dynamite Kablammo]].


Vijay's latest film, ''[[Kuruvi]]'', managed to release worldwide with much hype and did well at the box office. It had finished 150 days at the box office on Oct.1, 2008. Directed by Dharani, ''Kuruvi'' also had [[Trisha Krishnan]] and [[Ashish Vidhyarthi]] in the cast and the film's score was composed by [[Vidyasagar]], the same team that worked with Vijay in ''Ghilli'' four years ago.
==NoHo Arts District==
{{main|NoHo Arts District, Los Angeles, California}}
Business & Theatre Owners in the [[Universal City]]/[[North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce]] formed the idea of establishing a theatre and arts district in 1992 with support from L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs. They chose "NoHo" as it not only distinctly revealed our location, but also plays off the well-known "[[SoHo]]" Arts District of [[New York City]].


Vijay is currently acting in ''[[Villu]]'', again under Prabhu Deva's direction. The film is expected to be released in [[2009]]. He also made a special appearance in the film ''[[Pandhayam]]'', starring [[Nithin Sathya]] and directed by his father [[S. A. Chandrasekhar]]which is a damp squib at the box office.
Central to the new [[NoHo Arts District]], located near [[Valley Village]] in North Hollywood, are contemporary theaters, art galleries, cafes, and interesting shops. The area features more than 20 professional theatres producing new work and classics, diverse art galleries, public art and professional dance studios. The district also features the largest concentration of music recording venues west of the Mississippi.


=== Playback singing ===
The theater district is growing at a steady pace, including two new large venues that expand upon existing theatres, the newly redesigned NoHo Arts Center (formerly the American Renegade Theatre), and the redesigned Historical El Portal. They add to the existing 31 theatres located in and around the NoHo Arts District. New mixed-use development, the NoHo Commons, is planned near the NoHo Arts District's commercial core and subway station by Los Angeles developer J.H. Snyder Company.


Vijay also sang several songs in his own films. He has also lent his voice for songs for other actors, which were films produced by S. A. Chandrasekhar. Vijay's songs are often of ghaana-style folk beat type. The last song Vijay sang was ''Vaadi Vaadi'' from ''[[Sachien]]'' in [[2005]].
The $100-million, 292-unit loft apartment project by Snyder is the first segment to be completed of NoHo Commons, part of a "transit village" rising at the terminus of the Metro Red Line subway and the Orange Line busway. Also planned are hundreds of other apartments, condos, stores and other developments, including a high school.


==Awards==
Other projects nearby include NoHo Tower, a 15-story apartment building with 191 units at Lankershim Boulevard and Cumpston Street that is complete, and the historic North Hollywood train depot at Lankershim and Chandler boulevards, which is getting restored to its 1920s condition. The old train depot sits on land owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, across from the Metro Red Line subway station and next to the termination of the Orange Line bus line.
* [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor]] in [[1997]] for ''[[Kadhalukku Mariyadhai]]''
* Roja Duke's Best Actor Award for the film ''[[Kadhalukku Mariyadhai]]''
* M.G.R. Award in [[2000]]
* Dinakaran Best Actor Award in [[2004]] for ''[[Ghilli]]''
* Film Today Best Actor Award in [[2005]] for ''[[Ghilli]]''
* [[Honorary doctorate]] in [[2007]]
* Sunfeast Music Awards - Best Hero For The Film ''[[Pokkiri]]'' in 2007


==Education==
==Filmography==
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
===Public schools===
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
[[Image:WalterReedMSLosAngeles.jpg|thumb|[[Walter Reed Middle School]]]]
! Year !! Movie !! Role !! Notes
The [[Los Angeles Unified School District]] serves North Hollywood.
|-
|[[1992 in film|1992]] || ''[[Naalaya Theerpu]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
|[[1993 in film|1993]] || ''[[Sendhoorapandi]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1994 in film|1994]] || ''[[Deva (film)|Deva]]'' || Deva ||
|-
| ''[[Rasigan]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[1995 in film|1995]] || ''[[Rajavin Parvaiyile]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Vishnu (film)|Vishnu]]'' || Vishnu ||
|-
| ''[[Chandralekha]]'' || Rahim ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| [[1996 in film|1996]] || ''[[Coimbatore Maaple]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Poove Unakkaga]]'' || Raja ||
|-
| ''[[Vasantha Vaasal]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Maanbumigu Maanavan]]'' || Shiva ||
|-
| ''[[Selva (film)|Selva]]'' || Selva ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| [[1997 in film|1997]] || ''[[Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen]]'' || Kannan ||
|-
| ''[[Love Today (film)|Love Today]]'' || Ganesh ||
|-
| ''[[Once More (film)|Once More]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Nerrukku Ner]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Kadhalukku Mariyadhai]]'' || Jeevanandam || '''Winner:''' [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor]]
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[1998 in film|1998]] || ''[[Ninaithen Vandhai]]'' || Gokulakrishnan ||
|-
| ''[[Priyamudan]]'' || Vasanth ||
|-
| ''[[Nilaave Vaa]]'' || Seluvai ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| [[1999 in film|1999]] || ''[[Thulladha Manamum Thullum]]'' || Kutty ||
|-
| ''[[Endrendrum Kadhal]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
| ''[[Nenjinile]]'' || Karunakaran ||
|-
| ''[[Minsara Kanna]]'' || Kannan ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2000 in film|2000]] || ''[[Kannukkul Nilavu]]'' || Gautham ||
|-
| ''[[Khushi (2000 film)|Khushi]]'' ||Shiva ||
|-
| ''[[Priyamaanavale]]'' || Vijay ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2001 in film|2001]] || ''[[Friends (tamil film)|Friends]]'' || Aravind ||
|-
| ''[[Badri (2001 film)|Badri]]'' || Badri ||
|-
| ''[[Shahjahan (film)|Shahjahan]]'' || Ashok ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| [[2002 in film|2002]] || ''[[Thamizhan]]'' || Surya ||
|-
| ''[[Youth (film)|Youth]]'' || Shiva ||
|-
| ''[[Bhagavathi (film)|Bhagavathi]]'' || Bhagavathi ||
|-
| ''[[Vaseegara]]'' || Boopathy ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2003 in film|2003]] || ''[[Puthiya Geethai]]'' || Sarathy ||
|-
| ''[[Thirumalai]]'' || Thirumalai ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2004 in film|2004]] || ''[[Udhaya]]'' || Udhayakumaran ||
|-
| ''[[Ghilli]]'' ||Saravanavelu||
|-
| ''[[Madhurey]]'' || Madhurey ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| [[2005 in film|2005]] || ''[[Thirupaachi]]'' || Sivagiri || '''Winner:''' [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award (Special Prizes)|Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actor]]
|-
| ''[[Sachien]]'' || Sachien ||
|-
|''[[Sukran]]'' || Sukran || Cameo appearance
|-
| ''[[Sivakasi (film)|Sivakasi]]'' ||Sivakaasi (Muthappa) ||
|-
|[[2006 in film|2006]] || ''[[Aathi]]'' || Aathi ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2007 in film|2007]] || ''[[Pokiri (Tamil film)|Pokkiri]]'' || Thamizh (Sathyamoorthy) || Nominated: [[Filmfare Best Actor Award (Tamil)|Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award]]
|-
|| ''[[Azhagiya Thamizh Magan]]'' ||Guru/Prasad ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2008 in film|2008]] || ''[[Kuruvi]]'' || Vetrivel||
|-
| ''[[Pandhayam]]'' || Vijay || Cameo appearance
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2009 in film|2009]] || ''[[Villu]]'' || Pughazh || Filming
|-
| ''[[Vettaikaran]]'' || || Filming
| ''[[EARRIMALAI]] '' || || anounced


==Discography==
High schools serving North Hollywood include:
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
*[[East Valley High School (Los Angeles)|East Valley High School]]
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
*[[North Hollywood High School]] (in nearby [[Valley Village, Los Angeles, California|Valley Village]])<ref name="VVMap">http://www.myvalleyvillage.com/pdfs/VVMap.pdf</ref>
! Year !! Song !! Film !! Other notes
|-
|[[2005 in film|2005]] || Vaadi Vaadi || ''[[Sachein]]'' ||
|-
|[[2002 in film|2002]] || Coca Cola || ''[[Bagavathi]]'' ||
|-
|[[2002 in film|2002]] || Ullathai Killadhae || ''[[Thamizhan]]'' || Sung with co-star, [[Priyanka Chopra]]
|-
|[[2001 in film|2001]] || Ennoda Laila || ''[[Badri]]'' ||
|-
|[[2000 in film|2000]] || Mississippi Nadhi Kulunga || ''[[Priyamanavale]]'' ||
|-
|[[1999 in film|1999]] || Thanganirathuku || ''[[Nenjinile]]'' ||
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Roddula Oru || ''[[Periyanna]]'' ||Vijay did playback singing for this song for [[Surya Sivakumar]]
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Juddadi Laila || ''[[Periyanna]]'' ||Vijay did playback singing for this song for [[Surya Sivakumar]]
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Thammadikkira Styla Pathu || ''[[Periyanna]]'' ||Vijay did playback singing for this song for [[Surya Sivakumar]]
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Kalathukku Oru Gana || ''[[Velai]]'' || Vijay did playback singing for this song for [[Vignesh (actor)|Vignesh]]
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Chandira Mandalathai || ''[[Nilaave Vaa]]'' ||
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Nilave... Nilave || ''[[Nilaave Vaa]]'' ||
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]] || Mowriya Mowriya || ''[[Priyamudan]]'' ||
|-
|[[1997 in film|1997]] || Oh Baby Baby || ''[[Kadhalukku Mariyadhai]]'' ||
|-
|[[1997 in film|1997]] || Akhila Akhila || ''[[Nerrukku Ner]]'' ||
|-
|[[1997 in film|1997]] || Oormilaa Oormilaa || ''[[Once More (film)|Once more]]'' || Vijay sung this song together with his mother Shoba
|-
|[[1996 in film|1996]] || Chicken Karae || ''[[Selva (film)|Selva]]'' ||
|-
|[[1996 in film|1996]] || Anjaam Number Bussil Yeri || ''[[Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen]]'' ||
|-
|[[1996 in film|1996]] || Thiruppathy Ponaa Mottai || ''[[Maanbumigu Maanavan]]'' ||
|-
|[[1995 in film|1995]] || Bomboi Party Shilpa Shetty || ''[[Coimbatore Maaple]]'' ||
|-
|[[1994 in film|1994]] || Thottabettaa Rottu Melae || ''[[Vishnu (film)|Vishnu]]'' || Vijay sung this song together with his mother Shoba
|-
|[[1994 in film|1994]] || Adadaa Alamelu Aavin Pasumpaalu || ''[[Deva (film)|Deva]]'' ||
|-
|[[1994 in film|1994]] || Koththagiri Kuppammaa || ''[[Deva (film)|Deva]]'' ||
|-
|[[1994 in film|1994]] || Oru Kaditham || ''[[Deva (film)|Deva]]'' ||
|-
|[[1994 in film|1994]] || Bomboi City Sukkha Rotti || ''[[Rasigan]]'' ||
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"


== References ==
Middle schools serving North Hollywood include:
*[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Madison_MS/ James Madison Middle School]
*Romer Middle School
*[[Walter Reed Middle School]] (in nearby [[Studio City, Los Angeles, California|Studio City]])<ref name="StudioCityDistrictMap">http://montserrat.globat.com/~scnc.info/PDFS/SCNC_Map.pdf</ref>
*[[Sun Valley Middle School]] (in nearby [[Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California|Sun Valley]])<ref>http://www.laschools.org/employee/mpd/fs-mpd/download/08-09_boundary_change_webmaps/Proj06.pdf</ref>

Elementary schools serving North Hollywood include:
*K-5
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Arminta_EL/ Arminta Street Elementary School]
**Camellia Avenue Elementary School
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Coldwater_Cyn_EL/ Coldwater Canyon Elementary School]
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Fair_EL/ Fair Avenue Elementary School]
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Lankershim_El/ Lankershim Elementary School]
**Oxnard Elementary School
**Saticoy Elementary School
**[http://www.sendakelementary.org/ Maurice Sendak Elementary School]
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Strathern_EL/ Strathern Street Elementary School]
*1-5
**[http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Victory_EL/ Victory Boulevard Elementary School]
*Kindergarten
**Bellingham Primary Center

Early education:
* Arminta Early Education Center

=== Private schools ===
The high school campuses of [[Harvard-Westlake School]] and [[Oakwood School]] are in North Hollywood.

[[Campbell Hall School]] is a prestigious [[K-12]] [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalian]] school of note.

[[Laurel Hall]] and [[St. Paul's First Lutheran]] are Lutheran schools.

=== Transportation ===
The North Hollywood Metro Subway station opened in June 2000 after 13 years in the planning. Close to half a million people took advantage of free rides on the 17.4-mile Red Line subway in its first weekend in operation. The station is the starting point for the Red Line Metro system, which cost $4.5 billion to construct.

The L.A. county Transportation Commission took four years but finally in 1990 approved the subway station connecting North Hollywood to the Metro Rail from downtown. That followed the [[Los Angeles City Council]] unanimously endorsing the Valley Metro Rail extension plan. The subway features a route from Union Station to North Hollywood.

The tunnel to connect the Metro Red Car's Hollywood leg to the San Fernando Valley extension cost $136 million. It included the cost of digging a tunnel under the Santa Monica Mountains. The tunneling work was done by a Traylor Brothers/Frontier-Kemper joint venture. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Sierra Club had fought to prevent the tunneling but ultimately lost. Environmentalists were concerned that the removal of billions of gallons of ground water might affect springs, wildlife and vegetation.

Tunneling from North Hollywood for the subway started in 1995. Workers dug 70 feet deep using specialized tunneling machines to scoop out chunks of earth. Work progressed an average of 50 to 200 feet daily, performed by work crews round-the-clock six days a week. The machines used bore through soil that once lined the bottoms of ancient oceans.

The two tunnels between the North Hollywood and Universal City stations were a total of 10,541 feet. The cost of building the two tunnels was $65.4 million and involved 250 workers. Experts estimate the costs of the same work in 2007 would be well over double if not triple given the increased costs of construction materials and labor.

=== Libraries ===
[[Los Angeles Public Library]] operates the North Hollywood Regional Branch.

The North Hollywood (Amelia Earhart) Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is located at 5211 Tujunga Avenue. The one-story, Mission-style brick building with Spanish tile work was opened in 1929 to replace a storefront operation known as the Sepulveda Library, which could not meet the demand caused by the area's rapid population growth. In 1981, at the suggestion of a local resident, officials renamed the library for Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on an attempted around-the-world flight in 1937, lived in nearby Toluca Lake for several years when she was in her 20s.

==Famous residents==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=September 2008}}
[[Amelia Earhart]] was perhaps its most famous resident (though she was born in [[Atchison, Kansas]], and probably died somewhere near [[Howland Island]] in the Central [[Pacific Ocean]]). [[Norma Jean Baker]] (Marilyn Monroe) was a student at Lankershim Elementary School. [[Tom Selleck]] and [[Gilbert Arenas]] were both students at Grant High School. [[Curly Howard]] of [[The Three Stooges]] was another famous North Hollywood resident. North Hollywood is the birthplace of [[Jan Smithers]] and Hip Hip Model [[Bria Myles]]. Comedian and radio talk show host [[Adam Carolla]] hails from North Hollywood (albeit with a touch of embarrassment) Writer/comedian [[Sean Kent]] lives there as well. [[Andrea Lambert]], the author of "Jet Set Desolate," makes her home there. Yo Momma Season 1 Champion "Harp" advanced out of North Hollywood and won the title for Los Angeles's best trash talker. Rabbi [[Simcha Wasserman]] headed a [[yeshiva]] in North Hollywood between 1955 and 1980. [[Karo Parisyan]], a [[UFC]] welterweight fighter, resides here, training and teaching at a local gym. [[Alyson Hannigan]] (American Pie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How I Met Your Mother) attended North Hollywood High School, as did [[Mayim Bialik]] (Blossom). [[Stephen Christian]], Lead Singer of Platinum Selling Alternative Rock Band [[Anberlin]] recently moved to North Hollywood.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{imdb name|id=0897201|name=Vijay}}
{{Geolinks-US-cityscale|34.17222|-118.37806}}
* [http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com/ NoHoArtsDistrict.com]
* [http://www.north-hollywood.info/ North-Hollywood.info]
* [http://www.hollywoodnorthinsider.com/ HollywoodNorthInsider.com]
* [http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/communities/2003/la-re-guide27jul27,0,4010439.story?coll=la-realestate-communities-2003 ''Los Angeles Times'', Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column: "<nowiki>[</nowiki>North Hollwyood:<nowiki>]</nowiki> NoHo finds its mojo in a colorful, artsy sort of way" (27 July 2003)]

{{Los Angeles}}
{{Los Angeles San Fernando Valley}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijay, Joseph}}
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California]]
[[Category:United States places with Orthodox Jewish communities]]
[[Category:Indian film actors]]
[[Category:Communities in the San Fernando Valley]]
[[Category:Indian people]]
[[Category:Tamil actors]]
[[Category:Tamil people]]
[[Category:Tamil Indians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Chennai]]


[[fr:North Hollywood]]
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Revision as of 11:18, 13 October 2008

This article is about the Indian film actor. For other uses see Vijay (disambiguation)

Vijay
File:Ilayathalapathyvijay.jpg
Born
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar
Other namesIlayathalapathy
SpouseSangeetha Vijay

Vijay (Tamil: விஜய்), (born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar on June 22, 1974) is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. He began his acting career doing minor, uncredited roles as a child artist, produced by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar. Today he is known for his pacy dance sequences and his acting style. He is referred to as Ilayathalapathy (transliterally meaning "Young General"), which is always used along with his name in film credits[1].

Personal Background

Vijay was born on June 22, 1974 to film producer S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, a playback singer. He had a sister named Vidhya who died at the age of two. Vijay studied Visual Communications at Loyola College, but dropped out to pursue an acting career. He was interestingly classmates with Surya Sivakumar, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Karthik Raja, and Vishnuvardhan.

He married Sangeetha on August 25, 1999. They have two children: Jason Sanjay, born on August 26, 2000 in London, and Divya Saasha, born on September 9, 2005 in Chennai.

Career

Acting Style

He began his acting career doing minor, uncredited roles as a child artist in Kollywood. Today he is known for his pacy dance sequences and his acting style. He is referred to as Ilaya Thalapathy, which is also always used along with his name in credits. One can expect Vijay films to contain the art of entertaining people with dialogues, songs, dances, and superhero fight scenes.

Vijay's films often open large in India and, more recently, in several other countries as well. Vijay's films are noted to have a minimum guaruntee of collection at box offices. Vijay's stereotypical style of entertainment is often compared to the styles of M. G. Ramachandran and Rajinikanth. This made many film critics to look apon Vijay as the successor of the two actors and christen him as the next super star of Tamil cinema.

Films

Vijay debuted as a lead role actor in the 1992 film Naalaya Theerpu, produced by his father, then he co-stared with Vijayakanth in the film Sendhoorapandi. This film helped Vijay to become popular in the interior areas of Tamil Nadu. Films like Rasigan, Vishnu, and Deva followed, which all helped to increase Vijay's star value. Vijay is also one of the few lead actors of his generation to co-star with veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan. This opportunity came in the film Once More, directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar in 1994.

The year 1996 saw a blockbuster hit in the Vikraman-directed film Poove Unakkaga which helped Vijay to establish as a bankable star in Tamil films. He found more success with films that followed, which had an unorthodox climax like Love Today, Kadhalukku Mariyadhai and Priyamudan. Kadhalukku Mariyadhai made Vijay receive that year's Tamil Nadu state Best Actor Award.

Following Thulladha Manamum Thullum, the films Endrendrum Kadhal, Nenjinile, Minsara Kanna and Kannukkul Nilavu failed to meet his previous success. He decided not to commit in films that took a year to release, which changed his trend. His next venture was Kushi which was a blockbuster of 2000. The following films like Priyamanavale, Friends and Badri were once again successful for Vijay

Later on, he starred in Shahjahan, Thamizhan, Youth, and Bagavathi which maintained Vijay's success. However, the films that followed, which were Vaseegara, Pudhiya Geethai, and his delayed film Udhaya became low grossers and flopped. This highly affected Vijay's success rate and he was looked down upon by film critics and producers.

His string of failure films was broken by Thirumalai in 2004 which had Vijay in a new facial appearance. Ghilli, which was also released in 2004, is considered to be one of Vijay's biggest hits today. Another hit had followed, which was Madhurey. It was in this year which Vijay began to portray his current mass-hero, stereotypical acting style. The following year had other major successes such as Thirupaachi, Sachein, and Sivakasi.

Vijay's only flop film since the release of Thirumalai was Aathi, which released in 2006. Aathi had created some controversy during that year and many film distributors decided on thinking twice before handling any new Vijay films. This resulted in Vijay taking a break from acting for nearly a year, until the launch of Pokkiri, directed by Prabhu Deva, which released in 2007. Pokkiri had met the same success as Ghilli did, in which Vijay was given a different style to act as. This made Vijay receive an honourary doctorate title from the M. G. R. University. Later that year, Vijay appeared in Azhagiya Thamizh Magan, and for the first time, he appeared in dual roles. His roles in this film, as the antagonist and protagonist, made him to be considered for a Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.

Vijay's latest film, Kuruvi, managed to release worldwide with much hype and did well at the box office. It had finished 150 days at the box office on Oct.1, 2008. Directed by Dharani, Kuruvi also had Trisha Krishnan and Ashish Vidhyarthi in the cast and the film's score was composed by Vidyasagar, the same team that worked with Vijay in Ghilli four years ago.

Vijay is currently acting in Villu, again under Prabhu Deva's direction. The film is expected to be released in 2009. He also made a special appearance in the film Pandhayam, starring Nithin Sathya and directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekharwhich is a damp squib at the box office.

Playback singing

Vijay also sang several songs in his own films. He has also lent his voice for songs for other actors, which were films produced by S. A. Chandrasekhar. Vijay's songs are often of ghaana-style folk beat type. The last song Vijay sang was Vaadi Vaadi from Sachien in 2005.

Awards

Filmography

Year Movie Role Notes
1992 Naalaya Theerpu Vijay
1993 Sendhoorapandi Vijay
1994 Deva Deva
Rasigan Vijay
1995 Rajavin Parvaiyile Vijay
Vishnu Vishnu
Chandralekha Rahim
1996 Coimbatore Maaple Vijay
Poove Unakkaga Raja
Vasantha Vaasal Vijay
Maanbumigu Maanavan Shiva
Selva Selva
1997 Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen Kannan
Love Today Ganesh
Once More Vijay
Nerrukku Ner Vijay
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai Jeevanandam Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1998 Ninaithen Vandhai Gokulakrishnan
Priyamudan Vasanth
Nilaave Vaa Seluvai
1999 Thulladha Manamum Thullum Kutty
Endrendrum Kadhal Vijay
Nenjinile Karunakaran
Minsara Kanna Kannan
2000 Kannukkul Nilavu Gautham
Khushi Shiva
Priyamaanavale Vijay
2001 Friends Aravind
Badri Badri
Shahjahan Ashok
2002 Thamizhan Surya
Youth Shiva
Bhagavathi Bhagavathi
Vaseegara Boopathy
2003 Puthiya Geethai Sarathy
Thirumalai Thirumalai
2004 Udhaya Udhayakumaran
Ghilli Saravanavelu
Madhurey Madhurey
2005 Thirupaachi Sivagiri Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actor
Sachien Sachien
Sukran Sukran Cameo appearance
Sivakasi Sivakaasi (Muthappa)
2006 Aathi Aathi
2007 Pokkiri Thamizh (Sathyamoorthy) Nominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
Azhagiya Thamizh Magan Guru/Prasad
2008 Kuruvi Vetrivel
Pandhayam Vijay Cameo appearance
2009 Villu Pughazh Filming
Vettaikaran Filming EARRIMALAI anounced

Discography

Year Song Film Other notes
2005 Vaadi Vaadi Sachein
2002 Coca Cola Bagavathi
2002 Ullathai Killadhae Thamizhan Sung with co-star, Priyanka Chopra
2001 Ennoda Laila Badri
2000 Mississippi Nadhi Kulunga Priyamanavale
1999 Thanganirathuku Nenjinile
1998 Roddula Oru Periyanna Vijay did playback singing for this song for Surya Sivakumar
1998 Juddadi Laila Periyanna Vijay did playback singing for this song for Surya Sivakumar
1998 Thammadikkira Styla Pathu Periyanna Vijay did playback singing for this song for Surya Sivakumar
1998 Kalathukku Oru Gana Velai Vijay did playback singing for this song for Vignesh
1998 Chandira Mandalathai Nilaave Vaa
1998 Nilave... Nilave Nilaave Vaa
1998 Mowriya Mowriya Priyamudan
1997 Oh Baby Baby Kadhalukku Mariyadhai
1997 Akhila Akhila Nerrukku Ner
1997 Oormilaa Oormilaa Once more Vijay sung this song together with his mother Shoba
1996 Chicken Karae Selva
1996 Anjaam Number Bussil Yeri Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen
1996 Thiruppathy Ponaa Mottai Maanbumigu Maanavan
1995 Bomboi Party Shilpa Shetty Coimbatore Maaple
1994 Thottabettaa Rottu Melae Vishnu Vijay sung this song together with his mother Shoba
1994 Adadaa Alamelu Aavin Pasumpaalu Deva
1994 Koththagiri Kuppammaa Deva
1994 Oru Kaditham Deva
1994 Bomboi City Sukkha Rotti Rasigan

References

  1. ^ Vijay's Biography

External links
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