Hollywood actor Ed Harris was quizzed by police at a London airport on Monday for carrying a knife in his luggage. The weapon was spotted on an X-ray scanner as the National Treasure: Book of Secrets star traveled through Heathrow airport to catch a Los Angeles-bound flight.

Veteran actor Ed Harris refuses to read his reviews, because he still remembers the negative critical reaction to a theatre performance he gave 30 years ago. Harris, best known for his roles in movies such as Pollock, The Rock and A History Of Violence, is returning to the Los Angeles stage in Neil LaBute play Wrecks.

Oscar winner Helen Mirren is set to play Nicolas Cage's mother in the sequel to action adventure National Treasure. The star will join Ed Harris in the movie, National Treasure: The Book Of Secrets, while Jon Voight, Diane Kruger and Harvey Keitel will reprise their characters from the first film.

Happy Birthday to rapper Chamillionaire (1979), busty model and gold digger Anna Nicole Smith (1967), Daily Show host Jon Stewart (1962), Breakfast Club member Judd Nelson (1959), A History of Violence actor Ed Harris (1950), Letterman's right-hand man Paul Shaffer (1949), film composer/musician Randy Newman (1943), actress Hope Lange (1931; d. 2003), and poet William Blake (1757; d. 1827).

Ed Harris became a student of Ludwig Van Beethoven while researching new movie Copying Beethoven and became fascinated with stories about the composer's hair. The star listened to nothing but the deaf music man's works for months and put on weight to portray Beethoven on the big screen, but it was stories about the composer's hair that proved to be the highlight of his studies.

One lucky wannabe director will get the opportunity to make it big in Hollywood thanks to a new star-studded initiative to turn struggling inner-city youths into filmmakers. A panel featuring celebrities like David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Tea Leoni and Ed Harris will pick the winning entry from 21 short films, and it will be shown at a gala dinner honoring movie mogul Robert Altman at the upcoming Malibu Film Festival.

Morgan Freeman has given Ben Affleck a boost after signing on to star in the actor's directorial debut. Affleck started shooting his adaptation of Dennis Lehane's thriller "Gone, Baby, Gone" in his native Boston, Massachusetts, earlier this week with his brother Casey, Michelle Monaghan and Ed Harris - and now Freeman has joined the cast.

Nominations for the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding performances in 2005 in five film and eight primetime television categories were just announced. In the television categories, the HBO miniseries Empire Falls garnered four nominations, including one for Paul Newman and one for Ed Harris. Boston Legal is tied with Grey's Anatomy, both of which lead with three nominations.

Happy Birthday to rapper Chamillionaire (1979), busty model and gold digger Anna Nicole Smith (1967), Daily Show host Jon Stewart (1962), Soundgarden and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron (1962), Breakfast Club member Judd Nelson (1959), A History of Violence actor Ed Harris (1950), Letterman's right-hand man Paul Shaffer (1949), film composer/musician Randy Newman (1943), actress Hope Lange (1931; d. 2003), Motown Records founder Berry Gordy (1929), and poet William Blake (1757; d. 1827).