Six degrees of separation from Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson is known for his many novels (Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde among them) but what many don't know about the Scot is that he had wooden teeth, a reflection of the state of dental care in the 19th century. Today, the Faust International Youth Theatre is staging its version of Stevenson's Treasure Island at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 1990, the adventure was given the television-movie treatment, with the starring role going to Oliver Reed …

While many think of Crowe as being Australian, he was actually born in New Zealand, in 1964. Singer and guitarist for 30 Odd Foot of Grunts - a band that also featured Billy-Dean Cochran, who lived in Hong Kong a few years ago, performing with El Destroyo - Crowe's better known for his movies, which include A Beautiful Mind and L.A. Confidential. And it was this fame that made him a target of an al-Qaeda "cultural destabilisation" plot; apparently the actor was approached by the FBI in 2001 and informed that he was one of a select number of high-profile "Americans" on the terror group's hit list. In 2012, Crowe starred in the stage production of Les Misérables, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo …