If you asked anybody in my family, they would have very stridently proclaimed themselves middle class. My mother and father were separated, so he doesn't count.
My mother's studies stopped with the third year of primary school, my father with the first. They taught me a deep sense of duty. But nobody was involved in politics in my family.
When people are hungry, when a mother or father is facing a child that they can't feed, you can't ask that family to lay down their arms.
When you have a Jewish mother who has a very strong Jewish family, it's very ethnic in its practices. Eating brisket, the food and the family and the interconnectedness for better or worse.
My sense of the family history is somewhat sketchy, because my mother kept a great deal to herself.
Growing up with three brothers and three sisters, I was the storyteller of the family... what my mother called 'The Liar.'
My mother was adored by her family and by the scores of children she took care of and their parents, all of whom called her 'Miss Woody.'
I am passionate about acting. 'Girls in our family are not allowed to act' is quite an outdated thought to have. They did it till my mother, but now no more.
My mother was from West Bromwich; my grandfather was Pakistani. I had an aunt who started trying to trace the family tree and stopped when she saw what turned up.
I wanted to share my life story and honor my roots. I am very proud of my family and mother.
I was very sensitive. I liked everything that touched fantasy and beauty. I dreamed of being a ballerina, but Mother said I was too big, too long.
My family couldn't be more supportive. They're worried and they're always in my business, and my mother does send me grad-school applications every now and again.
I love performing, but I never really liked show business. My success is my family. I want to be more successful as a mother.
My mother taught me about the power of inspiration and courage, and she did it with a strength and a passion that I wish could be bottled.
That was the fun of acting, being a blank canvas you could transform into the character - Indian princess, 20s vamp, Mother Courage, Oxford don, 94-year-old wife.
It takes both courage and talent to stand up in front of fellow human beings and make them crack a smile, and at the same time keep it clean.
I have quite a lot of fans in Holland because that is where my mother is from, in fact I have a fan club there, and the fans don't always get the chance to see us drive the cars because getting to races across Europe isn't always possible for them.
My mother was a very talented artist. When she was in jail, we'd write letters back and forth; that was pretty much the only form of communication we had.
We were so poor that my mother would often leave me in a foster home until she could raise enough money to rent rooms for us.
My mother raised me in the church. I was not allowed to stay home on Sunday; there was no option. I sang in the choir all the way up until I went to college.
I hope I'm very similar to my mum because she is a fantastic mother. She was driven as well as being incredibly protective and caring, and I think that is important.
