True Story
List activity
3K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
185 people
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Neil Patrick Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. His parents, Sheila Gail (Scott) and Ronald Gene Harris, were lawyers and ran a restaurant. He grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where he first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with his older brother of 3 years, Harris won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
His parents moved the family to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that Harris made his film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater (1988) and Clara's Heart (1988), which starred Whoopi Goldberg. A year later, when Neil was 16, he landed the lead role in Steven Bochco's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989), which launched Harris into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned him a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr., La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Neil acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was his senior play, Fiddler on the Roof (1971), in which he portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991).
When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, Harris took up stage acting, which he had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, Harris acted in his first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers (1997) with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition (1998). In July 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent (2005). His performance in "Rent" garnered him a Drama-League Award in 1997. He continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. He later reprised the role for six nights in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998.
In 1999, Harris returned to television in the short-lived sitcom Stark Raving Mad (1999), with Tony Shalhoub. He was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing (2000) and Undercover Brother (2002), and he can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated Spider-Man (2003) series. Harris has continued his stage work, making his Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." He has also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert (2001), and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, Harris returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on Numb3rs (2005) and a starring role in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005). Neil played the title role in the web-exclusive musical comedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008), widely downloaded via iTunes to become the #1 TV series for five straight weeks, despite not actually being on television.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Josh Radnor was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Carol Radnor, a high school guidance counselor, and Alan Radnor, a medical malpractice lawyer. Radnor has two sisters, Melanie Radnor and Joanna Radnor Vilensky. He grew up in Bexley, Ohio, a small city nested inside Columbus. Radnor attended Orthodox Jewish day schools (including the Columbus Torah Academy) and was raised in Conservative Judaism. Josh Radnor went to Bexley High School and later Kenyon College, where his school's theater department presented him with the Paul Newman Award and during which he spent a semester (Spring 1995) training at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. He graduated from Kenyon with a B.A. in Drama in 1996. Radnor received his Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. Radnor participated in an Israel experience program in Tzfat with Livnot U'Lehibanot in 1997.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Cobie Smulders was born on April 3, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. As a girl, Cobie had set her sights on becoming a doctor or a marine biologist. In fact, it wasn't until high school that Cobie started to explore acting after appearing in several school productions. As a teenager, Cobie caught the eye of a modeling agency, which led to several years of world travel to places such as France, Japan, Italy, Greece, and Germany. Yet even as Cobie's modeling career was on the rise, she still managed to attend school, graduating from high school in 2000 with honors.
Once out of high school, Cobie continued modeling internationally until the opportunity arose to audition for film and television. It was not long before Cobie's natural ability as an actress impressed casting directors, landing her guest spots on television series such as Special Unit 2 (2001) and Jeremiah (2002). In addition, Cobie also appeared in the short Candy from Strangers (2001) directed by fellow Canadian rising star Eric Johnson.
Cobie got her big break just months later when she landed the role of Juliet Droil in the ABC program Veritas: The Quest (2003). The series marked her first series role for television.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Multi-talented Jason Jordan Segel was born in Los Angeles, California, where he was raised by his parents, Jillian (Jordan), a homemaker, and Alvin Segel, a lawyer. His mother is of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry, and his father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He was educated at St. Matthew's Parish School in Pacific Palisades, before moving on to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. During his education he showed an interest in acting and often performed in plays at the Palisades Playhouse.
His major break came in 1999, when he was cast as Nick Andopolis in Judd Apatow's well-regarded series Freaks and Geeks (1999). Further TV and film roles followed, notably in How I Met Your Mother (2005) and Knocked Up (2007). His film breakthrough, however, came in 2008's hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) which he wrote and starred in. Segel also co-wrote and starred in The Muppets (2011).
Segel is also a musician and songwriter, with his songs appearing in many projects including Freaks and Geeks (1999), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), How I Met Your Mother (2005) and Get Him to the Greek (2010).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Alyson Hannigan was born in Washington, D.C. to Emilie (Posner), a real estate agent, and Al Hannigan, a truck driver. She began her acting career in Atlanta at the young age of 4 in commercials sponsoring such companies as McDonald's, Six Flags, and Oreos. She is a seasoned television actress, guest starring in Picket Fences (1992), Roseanne (1988), Touched by an Angel (1994) and the The Torkelsons (1991) before starring in her most notorious roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) as "Willow Rosenberg" and How I Met Your Mother (2005) as "Lily Aldrin."- Actor
- Producer
Marshall Manesh was born in Iran. He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his beloved mother, whom he feels he got his strength from to make it in show biz. He came to the United States in the mid '70s and joined the Persian Theater Group and traveled extensively through out the US, Canada and Europe for 8 years. His debut film was "True Lies" as Jamal Khaled, directed by James Cameron. Marshall has done more than 100 feature films, television projects and more than 40 commercials. He had a recurring roles on Will & Grace as Mr. Zamir, How I Met Your Mother as Ranjit, Scrubs as Dr. Akbar, and was also a series regular on Andy Barker P.I.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
David Clayton Henrie is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is noted for playing Ted Mosby's future son Luke Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Justin Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Larry on That's So Raven, London Busbee in Little Boy, and Rudy Ising in Walt Before Mickey.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lyndsy Marie Fonseca was born in Oakland, California, and was raised first in Alameda and then Moraga, California. Lyndsy competed in the International Modeling & Talent Association, where she was recognized as the second runner-up for "Young Miss Dancer of the Year" and was the first runner-up for "Miss Barbizon Young Miss Talent of the Year".
There, she was discovered by a manager and agent, then she immediately moved to Los Angeles for her first pilot season at the age of 13. "Colleen Carlton" became her breakthrough role on the CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless (1973), on which she starred for three years.
After leaving Y&R to broaden her horizon, Lyndsy landed guest appearances on shows such as Boston Public (2000), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and House (2004), just to name a few. Fonseca had a recurring role on the hit series, Desperate Housewives (2004), opposite [error] and Nathan Fillion. She has also had recurring arcs on the critically-acclaimed series, Big Love (2006), and the hit comedy, How I Met Your Mother (2005).
Fonseca has recently had success on the big screen, her film credits include: The Ward (2010), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Fort McCoy (2011) and the smash hit, Kick-Ass (2010), in which she starred opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Lyndsy recently completed filming the two-hour Lifetime movie, Five (2011), which consists of five short films about breast cancer, directed by Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Penelope Spheeris.
Lyndsy is now starring as "Alex", in The CW's Nikita (2010). Alex, Nikita's (Maggie Q) former partner who plans to take down her old ally while also seeking revenge on the man who killed her family, Friday nights 8p.m. Eastern.
Lyndsy is also the older sister of Hannah Leigh, who is following in her footsteps.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jensen Ross Ackles, better known as simply Jensen Ackles, was born on March 1, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, to Donna Joan (Shaffer) and actor Alan Ackles. He has English, German, and Scottish ancestry. Jensen grew up in Richardson, Texas, together with his older brother, Joshua, and a younger sister, Mackenzie. Jensen graduated from Dartmouth Elementary School in 1990, he graduated from Apollo Junior High School in 1993, and LV Berkner High School in 1996.
Jensen is a sports junkie. He loves football, lacrosse, baseball and basketball. He even played on the baseball and lacrosse teams in high school. The 6' 1" actor first started modeling when he was just 2 years old. When he turned 4, he started appearing in TV commercials for Nabisco, RadioShack and Wal-Mart. He caught the acting bug because he was mostly influenced by his father, who was an actor in Dallas. He used to watch his father study scripts, and that taught him a few things about the industry. During his later years in high school, he started taking theater classes, where he claimed he was the only "jock" in that department. When he was just a sophomore, a friend of Jensen had asked him to attend a local acting seminar. Two guys, Craig Wargo, and an agent, 'Michael Einfeld', were interested in Jensen's talent and wanted him to go to Los Angeles with them.
Jensen had to say no to the offer and admitted at one point, he thought they would forget about him but, eventually, when he went to Los Angeles, he still managed to get help from them. Prior to that, Jensen actually planned to study sports medicine at Texas Tech University and become a physical therapist, before he decided to move to Los Angeles to give acting a try. In 1996, he managed to secure guest roles on several TV shows, which included Wishbone (1995), Mr. Rhodes (1996) and Sweet Valley High (1994). Jensen's big break came when he was cast in the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives (1965), as Eric Brady in 1997. He won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Male Newcomer in 1998, and was nominated three times in 1998, 1999, and 2000 for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Days of Our Lives (1965). After spending about three years on a soap set, he left Days of Our Lives (1965) and went on to appear in the mini-series Blonde (2001), which was about the life of Marilyn Monroe, playing Eddie G. He also auditioned for the role of Clark Kent on Smallville (2001), but lost the part to Tom Welling, instead.
Not giving up hope, he went for a few auditions and managed to secure a guest role on the popular James Cameron TV series, Dark Angel (2000), as serial killer Ben/X5-493, the brother of main character Max/X5-452, who was played by Jessica Alba. His character died in the episode, but Jensen eventually returned to the show as a regular in the second season as Ben's clone, Alec/X5-494 and continued on until the show's cancellation in 2002. In 2003, he joined the cast of Dawson's Creek (1998), playing the role of C.J., Jen Lindley's lover. He also filmed episodes of the TV series, Still Life (2003), playing the role of Max Morgan, not knowing that the series was actually dropped. He also had a small role in the short film, The Plight of Clownana (2004), playing the role of Jensen. That same year, he was offered the part of Eliza Dushku's love interest on the second season of Tru Calling (2003). Jensen, however, turned down the role which was later offered to another actor, Eric Christian Olsen. He was subsequently cast on Smallville (2001), as Assistant football coach Jason Teague, the new love interest of Lana Lang. In 2005, Jensen managed to earn a lead role in the movie, Devour (2005), playing the role of Jake Gray. Jensen also earned the opportunity to work his father, actor Alan Ackles, who happened to play his character's father, Paul Kilton. The movie, however, received mixed reviews from the public.
That same year, Jensen joined the cast of the CW series, Supernatural (2005), where he plays the role of Dean Winchester. Dean and his brother Sam, who is played by Jared Padalecki, are brothers who drive throughout the United States hunting paranormal predators, sometimes with their father, John Winchester, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It was reported that the creator of the show, Eric Kripke, mentioned that the show will last for a maximum of five seasons. In 2006, Jensen took on a role in the Independently filmed comedy/drama movie, Ten Inch Hero (2007), which explores the theme of honesty and the flaw of judging by appearances. In 2007 the film began a limited run at number of film festivals including the Newport Beach Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival and the Santa Cruz Film Festival but never made it into major mainstream theatrical release. In the Spring of 2008 Ten Inch Hero was released onto DVD exclusively through Blockbuster. Jensen however, received high praise for his work as Priestly, who one of the movie's more quirky characters.
From June 5-10 in 2007 Jensen had his professional stage debut as Lt. Daniel Kaffee in "A Few Good Men" at Casa Manana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, working along side Lou Diamond Phillips. This proved to be another successful acting venture for Jensen, as critics were impressed with his work in this role. During his free time, Jensen enjoys golfing, horseback riding, scuba diving and photography. He is also a big fan of country music. His favorite musician is Garth Brooks. He even sang back-up vocals on good friend Steve Carlson's albums "Spot in the Corner" and "Rollin' On." In the summer of 2008 Jensen traveled to Kittaning, PA to film the horror/thriller movie, My Bloody Valentine (2009), which was filmed in the cutting edge Real D technology, Jensen played the lead role of Tom Hanniger and starred alongside Jaime King and Kerr Smith.
Jensen splits his time between Vancouver, British Columbia where he films Supernatural (2005) and his home in Austin, Texas.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Jared Padalecki was born in San Antonio, Texas, to Sherri (Kammer), a teacher of English, and Gerald Padalecki, a tax accountant. He is of Polish (father) and German, English, Scottish, and French (mother) descent. Jared started to take acting lessons when he was 12. Then, he won the "Claim to Fame" Contest in 1999 and got to appear on the Teen Choice awards. Jared lived in San Antonio, Texas and attended James Madison High School. He was named a candidate for the year 2000 Presidential Scholars Program. After graduating in the year 2000, he moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career. He played "Dean Forester" on Gilmore Girls (2000) on the WB starting in 2000 and ending in 2005. From 2005 to 2020, he portrayed "Sam Winchester" on the CW's Supernatural (2005). He also has several feature film credits.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Misha Collins is an actor, director, producer, writer, and activist dedicated to inspiring cultural and civic engagement through works that "game-ify" philanthropy, inspire creativity, and promote social good.
For 12 years, Collins co-starred in Supernatural (2005), the longest running American science fiction television show in history. In addition to Supernatural (2005), his work is featured in film and television programs including Girl, Interrupted (1999), ER (1994), 24 (2001), and more. He co-produced the award-winning documentary feature Loot (2008) and created TSA America: Yeah, But Is It Ticking? (2014), TSA America: Suspicious Bulges (2014) and TSA America: Just Relax (2013), a series of shorts providing a biting satirical look at American governmental security practices, as well as the web series Cooking Fast & Fresh. In 2021, he starred in - and co-executive produced - Aaron Mahnke's #1 fiction podcast, Bridgewater (2021).
Misha Collins was born Misha Dmitri Tippens Krushnic in Boston, Massachusetts, to Rebecca Tippens and Richard Edward Krushnic. He is of Hungarian-Russian Jewish, German, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Before turning to acting, his diverse background included work as a carpenter and woodworker, a White House internship during the Clinton Administration, and work at National Public Radio headquarters. Collins is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a B.A. with honors in Social Theory.
A vocal activist for progressive causes, Collins engages with his over 11 million aggregate social media followers to help amplify social issues, generate political activism, and motivate social good.
Collins is also the creator of GISH, the Guinness World Record-holding global scavenger hunt which uses creativity to "game-ify" goodwill and generate social change. GISH is played in over 100 countries, with tens of thousands of annual participants. Among other successes, in the past seven years GISH participants have collaborated to save endangered rain forests, support Syrian refugees, and assist at-risk youth in Africa.
As a founder of the 100% volunteer-run non-profit Random Acts, Collins has inspired supporters to collaboratively engage in acts of social good such as building a school in Nicaragua and a children's center in Haiti, as well as facilitating thousands of random acts of kindness worldwide.
Misha and his wife Victoria co-authored the best-selling cookbook "The Adventurous Eater's Club" (Harper Collins). Collins is a published poet whose works can be found in literary journals including "The Columbia Poetry Review" and "The California Quarterly". He is the author of the New York Times Best selling poetry book, "Some Things I Still Can't Tell You" (Andrews McMeel), which hit shelves October 2021.
Misha is founder and one of three artists who comprise The Art Department, an artist's collaborative which creates large-scale public art installations in unexpected places. The Art Department has been heralded for their work in Southern California by "Time Out-LA", "The LA Weekly", "LA Times" and ABC National News.
Collins has been featured on the covers of magazines including "Entertainment Weekly" and "TV Guide". He has two children, West and Maison. Misha is a certified lifeguard, EMT and motorcyclist. In his spare time, Misha can be found baking, woodworking, meditating, and making fun of corrupt politicians.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Lauren Cohan is a British-American actress and model, best known for her role as Maggie Greene on The Walking Dead (2010) and recurring roles on The Vampire Diaries (2009), Supernatural (2005), and Chuck (2007). After her film debut on Casanova (2005) as Sister Beatrice, she starred in the sequel to National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006), as Charlotte Higginson. Her next role was in the 2007 film, Float (2008). In February 2010, she was cast in Death Race 2 (2010), with Sean Bean and Danny Trejo, and also the supernatural-horror film The Boy (2016), where Lauren played the main character, Greta Evans. In 2016, Cohan also appeared as Martha Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
She was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and moved to the United Kingdom as a teen. She graduated from the University of Winchester / King Alfred's College where she studied Drama and English Literature, before touring with a theatre company she co-founded at the University. Lauren then split her time and work between London and Los Angeles, working on several films as well as some non-commercial projects.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Mark Pellegrino was born on April 9, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Mark Ross Pellegrino. He is an actor and producer, known for The Big Lebowski (1998), National Treasure (2004) and The Number 23 (2007). He has been married to Tracy Pellegrino since October 30, 2008. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jeffrey Dean Morgan endeared himself to audiences with his recurring role on ABC's smash hit series Grey's Anatomy (2005). His dramatic arc as heart patient Denny Duquette, who wins the heart of intern Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) in a star-crossed romance, made him a universal fan favorite. He also had recurring roles on The CW and Warner Bros' television series Supernatural (2005), The Good Wife (2009), and on Showtime and Lions Gate Television's award-winning comedy series Weeds (2005). He currently stars as Negan on the hit AMC series, The Walking Dead (2010).
Morgan starred in Warner Bros.' Watchmen (2009), director Zack Snyder's (300 (2006)) adaptation of the iconic graphic novel. He played the pivotal role of the Comedian, a Vietnam War vet who is a member of a group of heroes called the Minutemen. He next appeared in producer Joel Silver's The Losers (2010), for Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of DC-Vertigo's acclaimed comic book series about a band of black ops commandos who are set up to be killed by their own government. The team barely survives and sets out to get even. James Vanderbilt adapted the screenplay, and Sylvain White directed. He appeared in Focus Features' Taking Woodstock (2009), directed by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee. He also starred opposite Uma Thurman in Yari Film Group's romantic comedy The Accidental Husband (2008). Additional feature credits include a cameo role opposite Rachel Weisz in Warner Bros.' comedy Fred Claus (2007), and the independent office comedy Kabluey (2007), in which he played a charismatic yet smarmy co-worker of Lisa Kudrow's character.
In 2011, the in-demand actor starred in the independent murder mystery Texas Killing Fields (2011). In the film, based on a true story, Morgan plays a detective transplanted from New York who teams with a local investigator (Sam Worthington) to work on a series of unsolved murders in industrial wastelands surrounding Gulf Coast refineries, where as many as 70 bodies turned up over the past two decades. Together, they wage a war against the unknown assailants. Michael Mann produced the film, while his daughter, Ami Canaan Mann, directed. The actor traveled to Thailand, where he filmed the Weinstein Company's period drama Shanghai (2010), under the direction of Mikael Håfström (1408 (2007)). John Cusack stars as an American who returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months prior to Pearl Harbor and learns that his friend Connor (Morgan) was killed. While trying to solve the murder, he discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding. In addition, Morgan has a role in Michael London's Groundswell Productions' All Good Things (2010), starring Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling, also for the Weinstein Co.
He also stars opposite two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank in the suspense thriller The Resident (2011), for Hammer Films. It is the story of a young doctor (Swank) who moves into a Brooklyn loft and becomes suspicious that she is not alone. Morgan plays Max, her charming new landlord whom she discovers has developed a dangerous obsession with her. Morgan previously co-starred with Swank in Warner Bros.' P.S. I Love You (2007).
Morgan also appeared in the MGM/UA reboot of the 1984 action movie Red Dawn (2012). The plot focuses on a group of teenagers who form an insurgency called the Wolverines when their town is invaded by Cuban and Russian soldiers. Morgan plays the role of Lieutenant Andrew Tanner, the leader of the US Special Forces who finds the Wolverines.
Morgan was born in Seattle, Washington, to Sandy Thomas and Richard Dean Morgan. In his spare time, Morgan enjoys barbecuing on the grill, reading, watching movies, and listening to his favorite band, Eagles. He also loves to root for his home team, the Seattle Seahawks. He resides in Los Angeles with his dogs, Honey Dog and Bandit Morgan, a puppy he rescued in Puerto Rico while filming. He resides in a farm in New York's Hudson Valley, where he is also part-owner of a small coffee shop with business partner The Losers (2010).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jim Beaver is an American character actor, best known for his leading roles on the TV series Deadwood (2004) and Supernatural (2005). Born in Laramie, Wyoming a minister's son, he was raised in and around Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Following high school and a year of college, he joined the Marines and served as a radioman with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam. He attended Oklahoma Christian College (now Oklahoma Christian University), Edmond, OK, where he first became interested in acting as a career. After one year, he transferred to Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma), Edmond, OK, and while a student made his professional debut in a production of "Rain" at the Oklahoma Theatre Center in 1972. He obtained a degree in theatre and returned to the Dallas area where he worked for five seasons with the Dallas Shakespeare Festival. He had written several plays in college and afterward (as well as a biography of actor John Garfield), and in 1979 he was commissioned for the first of three plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville. He also began to make appearances in bit roles in films and television shows shot in the Dallas area, including Semi-Tough (1977) and Dallas (1978). Moving to New York in 1979, he worked in stock and in dinner theatre tours, and also maintained a side career as a critic, columnist, and feature writer for Films in Review, the magazine of the National Board of Review. An assignment for an article on TV Superman George Reeves led him to Los Angeles. During his research there, his play "Verdigris" was produced to solid reviews at Theatre West in Hollywood, and he was signed as a writer by Sam Adams, partner in the prestigious Triad Artists agency. He began a successful period as a television writer, penning episodes for shows such as Vietnam War Story (1987), Tour of Duty (1987), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985), and was nominated for a CableAce Award for an episode of the latter. He had continued to act on stage and in small film and TV roles, and in 1988 he landed a substantial supporting role as Bruce Willis's best friend, an alcoholic Vietnam veteran, in Norman Jewison's production In Country (1989). He gave up television writing and concentrated on acting. Slowly his roles grew larger (and more varied). He was Mark Harmon's chain-smoking detective partner Earl Gaddis on Reasonable Doubts (1991) and Edward Asner's dim-witted mechanic assistant Leland on Thunder Alley (1994). He was frequently cast in Westerns (Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Bad Girls (1994), among many others) or as detectives, sheriffs, or police officers (Sister Act (1992), Sliver (1993), Joy Ride (2001)). After two seasons on 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) as French Stewart's sullen bar-owner boss Happy Doug, Beaver landed his most prominent and critically acclaimed role, that of Ellsworth, the gruff but decent and beloved prospector in the landmark Western series Deadwood (2004). Nominated along with other cast members for a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award, he found his career in high gear following that series. From it he moved to the popular father-figure role of demon hunter Bobby Singer on Supernatural (2005), a part that brought him a worldwide fan base and a secondary career making personal appearances. He was married to and had a daughter with Cecily Adams, the actress-casting director daughter of Get Smart (1965)'s Don Adams. Following her death from lung cancer in 2004, he wrote a best-selling memoir, "Life's That Way." He has continued to write plays and, between acting jobs, to work on the George Reeves project, now planned as a book. He served as biographical consultant on Reeves for the semi-biopic Hollywoodland (2006).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Mark Andreas Sheppard was born on May 30, 1964 in London, England. He is an actor director and producer, known for Supernatural (2005), Battlestar Galactica (2004), Firefly (2002), Leverage (2008), Doctor Who (2005) In the Name of the Father (1993) and many others. He has been married to Sarah Louise Fudge since November 9, 2015.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Alona Tal, an Israeli-American singer and actress, was born in Herzliya, Israel. She began her career after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Her big break came in 2003 starring in an Israeli film. At the time she also starred in two television series in the country, and also dabbled in music, recording several songs with the Israeli rapper Subliminal. Tal moved in with her sister in New York to take a break from her career. There, she collaborated with Haitian artist Wyclef Jean in the song "Party to Damascus". She also managed to establish herself on American television, beginning with a recurring role in the series Veronica Mars: She originally auditioned for the lead role, but creator Rob Thomas wrote a new character just for her. Tal later snagged a regular role in the short-lived CBS series.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
American actor Richard Speight, Jr. was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He later graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California. In addition to acting in TV and film, Speight also directs. Those credits include commercials for major brands like Pepsi & Buffalo Wild Wings, numerous episodes of the hit CW series "Supernatural," "Lucifer" for Netflix, and all 10 episodes of "Kings of Con" for Lionsgate, a comedy series he co-created and starred in with fellow "Supernatural" alumnus Rob Benedict.
He received a Hugo Award nomination for his directing debut on "Supernatural" (episode 1108 - "Just My Imagination"). His fifth "Supernatural" directing effort (ep 1320 - "Unfinished Business") also features Speight himself acting in two different roles. In one scene, those two characters fight each other, which means that in a rare television moment, it was Speight vs. Speight directed by Speight.- Actor
- Producer
Jake Abel was born in Canton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Malignant (2021), Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) and Supernatural (2005). He has been married to Allie Wood since 9 November 2013.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
The middle child between two sisters, Zachary Levi was born as Zachary Levi Pugh on September 29, 1980 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Susan (Hoctor) and Darrell Alton Pugh. He uses his middle name as his stage surname because his birth name, "Pugh", which is of Welsh origin, sounds too much like "Pew." His other ancestry includes Irish, English, French, German, Scottish, and Swiss. He grew up all over the country before his family put down roots in Ventura County, California. At the early age of six, Zachary began acting, singing and dancing in school and local theater productions.
After graduating from Buena High School he headed to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of acting. Zachary began acting in theater, performing roles in such regional productions like Grease, The Outsiders, Oliver, The Wizard of Oz, and Big River. It was his portrayal of Jesus in Ojai's Godspell that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.
He had a supporting role in the television movie Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) with David Krumholtz, Tory Kittles, Jennifer Morrison, and Nicholas Turturro. He then began acting as Kipp Steadman in the TV series Less Than Perfect (2002) with Sara Rue, Andrea Parker, Eric Roberts, Andy Dick, and Sherri Shepherd.
He was seen in the television movie See Jane Date (2003) on the WB with Charisma Carpenter, Holly Marie Combs, Linda Dano, and Rachelle Lefevre. In his spare time, Zachary enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, skydiving, and participating in various other sports. After living in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade, he recently moved to Austin, Texas.
In 2019 he starred in the action-comedy film Shazam! (2019), playing the title superhero; a magic-created older version of teenager Billy Batson played by Asher Angel. The film and his comic-heroic performance received positive notices.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski was born and raised in Australia. Her parents were Polish immigrants. She attended the Santa Sabina College for her high school education. She then went on to study Performance at the University of Western Sydney's School of Contemporary Arts, graduating in 2003. Shortly afterwards, she landed her first role on television in an episode of Fear Factory (2004). Her next role was also on Australian television, appearing in several episodes of Headland (2005). In 2007, she made her big screen debut in Gone (2006). This performance caught the attention of casting directors in Hollywood. She decided to move from Australia to Los Angeles and, on her third day of arrival, she landed her breakthrough role as "Sarah Walker" in Chuck (2007).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Adam Baldwin is an American actor who is from Illinois. He is known for playing Jayne Cobb from Firefly and Serenity, Hal Jordan in various DC cartoons and games and Animal Mother from Full Metal Jacket. He also acted in Independence Day, The Patriot, Predator 2, American Underdog, Superman: Doomsday and Halo 3: ODST. He is married to Ami Julius and has three children.- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Joshua Gomez was born on 20 November 1975 in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Chuck (2007), Invasion (2005) and BioShock (2007). He has been married to Amy Pham since 2011. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Ryan McPartlin was born on 3 July 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Chuck (2007), L.A.'s Finest (2019) and Hunter Killer (2018). He has been married to Danielle Kirlin since 26 October 2002. They have two children.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Born in Overland Park, Kansas, Sarah moved to Mission Viejo, California, when she was 10 years old. In 1994, she secured her first role, as a series regular on Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993). She then gained attention for her recurring role as "Madison Kellner" on the critically-acclaimed Warner Bros. series, Everwood (2002). She went on to star in Dr. Vegas (2004), for CBS from 2004-2006. Followed by ABC's What About Brian (2006), from 2006-2007. Sarah is perhaps best known for her lovable portrayal of "Ellie Bartowski" on NBC's long-running series, Chuck (2007). In 2014, Lancaster can be seen, alongside Robert Downey Jr., in The Judge (2014), for Warner Bros. Lancaster resides in Los Angeles with her husband, attorney Matt Jacobs, and their son, Oliver Jacobs.- Actor
- Soundtrack
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Scott Krinsky was born in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Scott is an actor and producer, known for Chuck (2007), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and Jobs (2013).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Mark Christopher Lawrence was born on 22 May 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Island (2005), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and K-PAX (2001).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Mekenna Melvin is an Actress/ Writer/ Director/ Producer. Born and raised in Saratoga CA, she spent most of her childhood in her mother's drama classes and rehearsals. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NY and The British American Drama Academy, Midsummer in Oxford England. She is best know for her role as Alex McHugh on NBC's "Chuck"- Actor
- Producer
Brandon James Routh (pronounced like "south") was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up in nearby Norwalk. He is the son of Catherine (Lear), a teacher, and Ronald Routh, a carpenter. He has English, Scottish, and German ancestry. Brandon attended the University of Iowa and starred in many productions at the Norwalk Theater of Performing Arts. His first professional acting role was in the ABC television series Odd Man Out (1999), and he went on to guest star in the series Gilmore Girls (2000) and Undressed (1999). He came to fame with Superman Returns (2006) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016). In his spare time, Routh enjoys playing soccer and basketball, swimming, biking and reading.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Having grown up in Houston, and its northern suburb of Spring, he made his first stage appearance in a school play at the age of 6. Parsons then went on to study theater at the University of Houston. From there he won a place on a two-year Masters course in classical theater at the University of San Diego/The Old Globe Theater, graduating in 2001.
He moved to New York, working in Off-Broadway productions, appearing in TV commercials and in one episode of Ed (2000) before landing a recurring role in Judging Amy (1999) in 2004.
He was propelled to international fame and acclaim three years later when he starred as Sheldon in the award-winning sitcom, The Big Bang Theory (2007).- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Kaley Christine Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California, to Layne Ann (Wingate) and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor. She is of Italian (father) and German and English (mother) descent. A model and commercial actress from the age of 6, Cuoco's first major role was in the TV movie Quicksand: No Escape (1992) with Donald Sutherland and Tim Matheson. Her other television credits include guest-starring on the series Ellen (1994) (where she played "little Ellen" to the Ellen DeGeneres character), Northern Exposure (1990), Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1995) and My So-Called Life (1994). In addition, she played a leading role in the miniseries, Mr. Murder (1998). Cuoco has appeared in the feature films Lucky 13 (2005), Picture Perfect (1997) and Virtuosity (1995).
On stage, she has performed in Los Angeles-area productions of "Annie" and "Fiddler on the Roof". When she is not acting, Cuoco is an avid tennis player, who in earlier years had consistently been ranked well in Southern California Tennis Association standings as a member of a regional amateur division team. In addition, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to the mall, and hip-hop dancing.
Cuoco was home-schooled, and lived in Ventura County, California with her family. She was previously married to both tennis player Ryan Sweeting and Karl Cook. In early 2022 Cuoco began dating actor Tom Pelphrey. The two made their first public appearance as a couple at a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in early May 2022.
Cuoco announced on Instagram in October 2022 the couple were expecting their first child together. She later on gave birth to their daughter, named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, on 30 March 2023.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Simon Helberg was born and raised in Los Angeles but despite this, and the fact that his father is the actor Sandy Helberg and his mother the casting director Harriet B. Helberg, his main interest as a young boy was karate. In his teens, though, he discovered acting and went on to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he trained at the Atlantic Theater Company. He started acting in 1999, taking guest roles and small parts, establishing himself as a character performer and able sketch comedian. Solid TV work followed throughout the 2000s until he was cast as Howard Wolowitz in the hit TV comedy The Big Bang Theory (2007) for which he remains best known.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Kunal Nayyar is an British actor. He moved from India to the US in 1999. He first moved to Portland, Oregon, to study business. He started acting in plays as a way of making new friends. He took acting classes, but he went on to graduate from the University of Portland with a degree in business, as something to fall back on. He then went on to get a master's degree in fine arts from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He did some work for the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, UK. He then landed his breakthrough role in The Big Bang Theory (2007) in 2007, just a year after graduating.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
John Mark Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, to American parents; his father was stationed there while serving in the U.S. Air Force. When he was three years old, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up with his parents, Mary Lou and Richard Galecki, and siblings, sister Allison (1980) and brother Nick (1982). His father was of Polish descent, and his mother's ancestry is Irish and Italian. His mother was a mortgage consultant and his father became a teacher for blind veterans in a VA hospital outside of Chicago. When Galecki was sixteen, his father died in an accident.
His mother recalled in an interview with People magazine that Galecki was a very artistic kid; at only 4 years old, he told her: "Mom, I'm gonna be on T.V., and I don't mean when I grow up." Two years later, when their attempts to distract him with sports failed, Galecki's parents took him to open auditions at local theaters in Chicago. He landed his first role in "Fiddler on the Roof," and more parts in other productions followed. By age 11, he was already known as an excellent actor in Chicago's theater scene evidenced by him receiving a Joseph Jefferson Citation nomination for portraying John Henry in "The Member of the Wedding."
In 1989 he was cast in his first movie, a holiday film called Prancer (1989), but his big break was in another Christmas movie as Chevy Chase's son Rusty Griswold, in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). On the set, Chase took a liking to him, and Galecki recalled in a later interview that Chevy Chase showed him some tricks for comedic timing.
By that time, his whole family had moved from Chicago to L.A. to support his career. But within 10 months they realized they missed Chicago too much, and moved back home. Galecki, still just 14, was under contract on a show with Robert Urich called "American Dreamer (1990)", so he stayed in L.A. Although he was living alone in a studio apartment, he never got into trouble and was a good kid. He recalled living alone in L.A. without adult supervision as "not fun" and "quite intimidating and lonely, to be honest. But I've always been happiest when I'm working, so..." He bought a motorcycle with a mirrored helmet so he could get to work and back, at Paramount studios.
In 1991 Galecki was picked by Roseanne Barr to play her son in the made for T.V. movie Backfield in Motion (1991). She liked him so much she asked him to come on her sitcom for what started as a one-off appearance, but soon turned into the important recurring role of David Healy. His family was religious viewers of the show and he was somewhat intimidated at first to be working with his television heroes. However, before long, it was his heroes that praised him: Roseanne said he showed "great vulnerability." John Goodman said: "If he was one of those little stuffed bears at a carny, he'd have a Wuv me t-shirt on. People just want to take care of him." Galecki also became very close friends with co-star Sara Gilbert and the show's executive producer Eric Gilliland.
After Roseanne (1988) he worked on a number of diverse roles, from funny Ira alongside Christopher Walken in the 1997 dark-comedy Suicide Kings (1997) to a drug-addicted student in 2003's Bookies (2003), and he played gay characters in Don Roos's Bounce (2000) and The Opposite of Sex (1998). He never stayed far from the television industry as he made guest appearances such as Laurie Freeman's younger lover in Norm (1999) (where he once again worked with Laurie Metcalf, his former Roseanne cast mate), as a golfer in My Name Is Earl (2005), as Hope & Faith (2003)'s younger brother in the sitcom of the same name, and as hilarious party-boy Trouty on My Boys (2006). In 2006 he returned to his theater roots as he took on the role of conflicted but sweet male escort Alex in Douglas Carter Beane's play "The Little Dog Laughed," for which he received a 2007 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Browdway Debut.
In 2007 he was back on the small screens, starring as Leonard Hofstadter in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007). Not only was Chuck Lorre, a former producer for Roseanne, a producer of the new show, but Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf both made guest appearances.
Galecki is a self-admitted motorcycle "nerd," and rides a Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe. Although he never went to college, he has said: "I'm not dead! We should never stop learning. We should never stop absorbing," and so he learned how to play the cello in his early twenties. He likes traveling around the world, painting, music (he also plays bass), and hiking with his dog Vera.
He always has been very private about his personal life and little is known about past relationships. It has only been confirmed that he dated actresses Laura Harris and Kaley Cuoco. He isn't on twitter, and Galecki once said, "I don't understand the current frame of mind in our society that seems to say that any action is not of value until it's broadcast somehow."
He still lives in Los Angeles but is often spotted in Chicago, where his siblings still live.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Mayim Bialik grew up in San Diego and got her first acting job (Pumpkinhead (1988)) when she was just 12 years old. A number of TV roles followed until in 1990 she was cast in Blossom (1990), the role which made her famous.
By 1993, while Blossom was still airing, she had already won a deferred place at Harvard and was also accepted by Yale but chose in the end to attend UCLA. She was awarded her Bachelor's degree in 2000 and began reading for a PhD in Neuroscience (studying Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome) which she eventually completed in 2007.
She continued working throughout her studies and was a regular on US TV screens, becoming a Prime Time face again in 2010 when she began her regular appearances as "Sheldon's friend who is not his girlfriend" in the hit series The Big Bang Theory (2007).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Wil Wheaton was born Richard William Wheaton III on July 29, 1972 in Burbank, California. He first gained international attention by starring in the Rob Reiner comedy-drama film Stand by Me (1986). He then played Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) for three and one-quarter seasons. Wheaton left the Hollywood scene for 18 months to pursue personal video production. He did return to "Star Trek" every now and then for an occasional episode, however. He then returned to Los Angeles, California, attended acting school for five years and now works on many projects. He lives in Arcadia, California with his wife Anne and her two sons.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kevin Sussman was born on 4 December 1970 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Burn After Reading (2008), Killers (2010) and Almost Famous (2000).- Actor
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Matthew Joseph "Matt" Dallas born October 21, 1982 is an American actor, best known for playing the title character on the ABC Family series Kyle XY. Dallas was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Arizona School for the Arts. He has two younger brothers and one younger sister. He became interested in acting at the age of 12, when his grandmother took him to a production of the play The Ugly Duckling.- Jaimie Alexander was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but moved with her family to Grapevine, Texas, when she was four years old. She took theatre classes in grade school as a hobby but was kicked out in high school because she could not sing, and so she took up sports instead. At age 17 she substituted for a friend at a meeting with a scouting agency and she met her manager, Randy James, who sent her some scripts. After graduating from high school she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue acting.
Her career was launched in 2003 when she was cast in the leading role of Hanna Thompson in the low-budget award-winning film The Other Side (2006). According to the DVD commentary, she was originally at the audition to help out by reading against the male actors, but director Gregg Bishop decided to cast her in the leading role after hearing her perform the lines. Her second role was in 2004 in Squirrel Trap (2004), in which she played the co-lead role of Sara. A year later she was cast as Jessi XX on the ABC Family series Kyle XY (2006), in which she played the role of a superhuman being created by scientists as a laboratory experiment. She was nominated for the Saturn Awards as "Best Supporting Actress on Television" for that role in 2008.
Her biggest role came in 2011, when she was cast as Lady Sif, a warrior goddess of Asgard, in the blockbuster from Marvel Comics, Thor (2011). She later reprised her role in its sequel, Thor: The Dark World (2013). - Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Kirsten Prout was born in Vancouver, Canada. Meeting with success at an early age, she worked locally in Vancouver, guest-starring on shows such as First Wave (1998), Stargate SG-1 (1997), Cold Squad (1998) and The Dead Zone (2002). Her first sizable break in film came in 2005, when she landed the part of "Abby Miller", a young martial arts prodigy, alongside Jennifer Garner, in Elektra (2005). Kirsten performed her own stunts and utilized her martial arts training for the film, then went on to play the demure "Amanda Bloom" on the ABC Family television series, Kyle XY (2006). After the show finished its successful three seasons, Kirsten attended McGill University as an English Literature major. She was then immediately cast in Summit's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), becoming a part of the hugely successful Twilight Saga. Shortly thereafter, she starred as the troubled "Alex Bell" in parts two and three of MTV's horror trilogy, My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2 (2010) and My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 3 (2012), and portrayed the lovable "Char Chamberlin" on ABC Family's teen drama, The Lying Game (2011). Kirsten has both a solid history in the industry as well as a promising future in both film and television.- Jean-Luc Bilodeau was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the son of Raymond and Barbara Bilodeau and has a sister, Danielle, a talent agent in Vancouver, BC. Jean-Luc attended Holy Cross Regional High School in Surrey, BC. He was a dancer for 9 years before becoming an actor, but dropped out because of a busy film schedule.
He has been acting since 2004, and is best know for play the role of Josh Trager in the TV series Kyle XY (2006), and also played the lead role (Ben Wheeler) on the new ABC Family series Baby Daddy (2012). - Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Marguerite MacIntyre received her BFA from the University of Southern California, and subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
She has worked on and off Broadway, regionally, and in television and film. She made her Broadway debut as Avril/Mallory in "City of Angels", directed by Michael Blakemore. Favorite New York credits include originating the roles of: Bertha Mason/Scatcherd in "Jane Eyre", directed by John Caird; Sarah Stone in the adaptation of William Goldman's "No Way To Treat A Lady", directed by Scott Schwartz; Delphi in Alan Menken's "Weird Romance"; and Grace Farrell in "Annie Warbucks" directed by Martin Charnin.
She's starred regionally at the Papermill Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Barrington Stage, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, and at the Godspeed Opera House. In Los Angeles, she's performed at the Pantages, at Joe Stern's Matrix Theater, Garry Marshall's Falcoln Theater, and twice for the Reprise Series at the Freud Playhouse, including her third time working with idol, Larry Gelbart. She's done five original cast recordings and is the recipient of a Dramalogue award.
Marguerite made her prime time television debut as a guest star in the sixth season opener of Seinfeld (1989) as the beleaguered Miss Rhode Island. Since then, she's guest starred on Bones (2005), The Mentalist (2008), CSI: Miami (2002), CSI: NY (2004) and numerous others. She recurred most memorably opposite Michael Chiklis on The Shield (2002). She was series regular Abby Day on John Scott Shepherd's dramedy, The Days (2004) for ABC, followed by three seasons starring as Nicole Trager on ABC Family's TCA award winning sci-fi drama, Kyle XY (2006). Most recently, she's survived three seasons as Sherriff Liz Forbes on the CW hit, The Vampire Diaries (2009).
In 2011, Marguerite was hired by Michael Eisner's Tornante to write a twenty-part web series Pretty Tough (2011), adapted from the novel by Liz Tigelaar, produced by Vuguru Media and directed by Stewart Hendler.
She has recently inked a deal to write a feature film, @emma, for Darko Entertainment, and produced by "The Vampire Diaries" creator, Julie Plec.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Bruce Thomas was born on 17 May 1961 in the USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Legally Blonde (2001), Son of Batman (2014) and Hall Pass (2011).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
April Matson (born March 13th 1981, California) is an American actress, best known (as of July 2006) for the ABC Family cable television network series, Kyle XY (2006), which will also air on the ABC broadcast network. She was also featured on the Fox network television series, Quintuplets (2004), alongside Andy Richter, and in the 2005 film short, Forsaken (2005).
She trained at the Elsinore Theatre, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and also studied sketch comedy at The Second City troupe's school in Los Angeles. Matson has honed her acting skills in numerous theatrical productions, a rejected pilot for MTV, and several independent films. In 2002, Matson made a guest appearance on American Dreams (2002). Kyle XY (2006) premiered on June 26th 2006 for its first season run of 10 episodes.- Chris Olivero continually heats up the screen with roles on some of television's hottest shows. His talent, good looks, fresh face, and piercing eyes place Chris in a category of his own. He stars in the ABC Network and ABC Family show Kyle XY. In his role, Chris plays Declan, the popular boy whose traumatic experience with the death of his brother has greatly affected his life.
Chris has also appeared as the President's son in a recurring role on the widely popular Fox series 24. His performance as an all-American golden-boy killed on Air Force One contributes to some of the most memorable episodes. Chris guest starred on CBS's hit CSI: Miami with David Caruso, playing a troubled teen whom murders a classmate. Chris's other television appearances include ABC's Line of Fire, a recurring role on the critically acclaimed Boston Public, CBS's NCIS, and Once and Again with Sela Ward and Billy Campbell.
Chris grew up in Stockton California where he kept himself busy balancing his desire to participate in surfing, golf, basketball, and baseball, with his passion for theatre. - Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Nicholas Lea was born on 22 June 1962 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Vertical Limit (2000), The X-Files (1993) and Chaos (2005).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Chelan Lauren Simmons was born in Vancouver, Canada. One of three children (one older brother and an older sister), she has been a natural performer since the age of 2. Her first movie role was as the title creature's first victim, Laurie Ann Winterbarger, in Stephen King's It (1990). Her most recognizable roles are in Final Destination 3 (2006) as Ashley Freund, and in Carrie (2002) and Monster Island (2004). She has also guest-starred in episodes of Smallville (2001) and Supernatural (2005).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
It took a summer of acting in a children's theater group to convince Matthew Morrison that he wanted to become an actor. He auditioned and attended Orange County High School of the Arts, and followed that with NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, although he didn't enjoy his college foray. Despite a regulation that students couldn't audition in the first two years at NYU, he got himself an agent and dropped out from NYU. His musical debut was in the musical version of Footloose (1984), which was then followed by "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." His big break, however, was in "Hairspray" when he landed the part of "Link Larkin." It was after this role that he made a debut into the television and film world, with small roles in Sex and the City (1998), Hack (2002), Encino Man (1992), and others. His self-proclaimed favorite role he did in television was in Once Upon a Mattress (2005), a musical for TV that starred Carol Burnett. He was nominated for a Tony for his role in "The Light in the Piazza" and eventually left the show in late 2005. He dabbled some more in roles among the television, film, and theater world. After starring in the Lincoln Center production of "South Pacific" as "Lieutenant Cable" in 2008, he took on the role of "Will Schuester" in the upcoming Fox series Glee (2009), which premiers in fall 2009.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Chris Colfer is a very talented actor and vocalist who was born on May 27, 1990 in Fresno, California, USA as Christopher Paul Colfer. He is an actor, known for Glee (2009-2015), Struck by Lightning (2012), and The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. His break out role was as Kurt Hummel in Glee, for which he won a Golden Globe (2010) and was tapped for New York Times 100 Most Influential People. Colfer is also a New York Times Best Selling author and wrote/produced Struck By Lightning.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lea Michele Sarfati was born in the Bronx, New York to Edith Thomasina (Porcelli), a nurse, and Mark David Sarfati, a delicatessen owner-turned-real estate agent. Her mother is of Italian descent (from Rome and Naples), and her father is of Sephardi Jewish ancestry (from Turkey and Greece). Lea was raised Catholic in Tenafly, New Jersey and graduated from Tenafly High School.
At age eight, Lea went with a friend to an open casting call for an up-and-coming musical. After spontaneously deciding to audition, she was offered the role and, two weeks later, she was starring on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in 1995 as a replacement for the role of Young Cosette in "Les Misérables". She was then cast in the role of Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in the 1998 original Broadway cast of "Ragtime", and in 2004 she portrayed Shprintze and understudied the role of Chava in the Broadway revival of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof".
When she was 14, Lea was given the role of Wendla Bergmann in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical version of "Spring Awakening". She starred in early workshops, off-Broadway, and finally originated the role in the Broadway production at age 20. Around the same time that the show was set to go to Broadway, Lea was offered the role of Éponine Thénardier in the Broadway revival of "Les Misérables". She chose to remain with "Spring Awakening", which debuted on Broadway in December 2006. She was later nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. After two years of starring in "Spring Awakening", Lea left the show with co-star Jonathan Groff, to pursue other opportunities.
In late 2008, Lea won the role of Rachel Berry on the comedy-drama series Glee (2009), and since the show's premiere on May 19, 2009, has received worldwide critical acclaim for her performance. She received the 2009 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Series - Comedy or Musical, and later won three People's Choice Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Along with her award wins, Lea also received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Naya Rivera was an Afro-Latina American actress, model and singer known for playing Santana Lopez from Glee and Hillary Winston from The Royal Family. She also was in The Master of Disguise, Baywatch, CSI: Miami, American Dad, Batman: The Long Halloween Parts 1 and 2, Even Stevens and The Bernie Mac Show.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Darren Criss was born on 5 February 1987 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Little White Lie (2009), Glee (2009) and A Very Potter Musical (2009). He has been married to Mia Swier since 16 February 2019. They have one child.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Cory Monteith was born on May 11, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as Cory Allan Michael Monteith. He was an actor, known for playing the singing jock Finn on the American TV show Glee (2009) and films such as Monte Carlo (2011), and Final Destination 3 (2006). He died on July 13, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Dianna Elise Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia to Mary and Ronald Agron and grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah before moving to Texas and, later, San Francisco, California, because her father was a general manager for Hyatt. Dianna and her brother Jason were raised Jewish and she graduated from Burlingame High School with honors.
While Dianna was growing up, she spent much of her time performing. She began dancing at age three, focusing mainly on jazz and ballet; she later began hip-hop dancing. She also appeared in many local musical-theater productions.
After graduating from high school, Dianna decided to pursue acting as a career and began appearing in commercials and television shows including CSI: NY (2004), Numb3rs (2005), Veronica Mars (2004), and Heroes (2006). In 2009, she won the role of high-school cheerleader Quinn Fabray on the FOX television series Glee (2009). Since the hit television show's premiere on May 19th, 2009, she and her castmates have received critical praise for well as her fellow cast mates, have received critical praise for their incredible work. In addition to her work on, Glee (2009), Dianna has ventured into films, such as Burlesque (2010), where she had the opportunity to star alongside Christina Aguilera, Cher, and Stanley Tucci, and the action thriller I Am Number Four (2011). There is no doubt that her beautiful talent will shine for years to come.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009-2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, such as Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Heather Elizabeth Morris is an American actress born in Thousand Oaks, CA. Daughter to Jeannie and Stan Morris, Heather grew up in Scottsdale, AZ, and started her love for dancing when she was merely still in diapers. Growing up, she spent her days dreaming of becoming a star, recording herself on her parents old tape recorder and performing Britney Spears at her middle school talent show; she was never not performing. In 2003, Heather booked it to Los Angeles and competed with her dance group on the Arsenio Hall Variety Show, Star Search, and in 2006, Heather's talent landed her in the top 40 on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance.
After spending only two semesters at Arizona State University, in 2006 Heather officially moved out to Los Angeles and began auditioning, landing her first dance job as Beyoncé's back up dancer on 'The Beyonce Experience' World Tour nearly 6 months after making her big decision.
In 2009, Heather began studying at the Meisner school for Acting "Playhouse West" in Los Angeles. She was given the opportunity by choreographer Zach Woodlee to audition for Ryan Murphy in the upcoming Fox comedy Glee, and after two failed attempts...Heather learned she landed the role of "Brittany S. Pierce" strictly because of her incredible dancing capabilities. Heather has worked on productions like the Blue Sky franchise Ice Age and Harmony Korrine's feature Spring Breakers. She is an Executive Producer for The Bystanders Podcast, starring Jane Lynch, Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar Nunez and Michael Hitchcock.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Known for starring as musically-inclined football player Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show Glee (2009), Mark Wayne Salling was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the younger of two children of Condy Sue (Wherry), a school secretary, and John Robert Salling, Jr., an accountant. He was home-schooled at an early age. Salling was raised in a "strict Christian home" and attended Providence Christian School and Our Redeemer Lutheran during elementary school. He attended, but did not graduate, from Culver Military Academy, and later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001. While in high school, he was a member of the school wrestling team. Music was also an integral part of his teenage years; he often performed in bars despite being underage and participated in school talent shows. After graduating from high school, he attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to make a living. Mark owned a dog named Noah, which he named after his character on Glee.
He died on January 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American actor and singer. Known for his performances on screen, stage and television, Groff is the recipient of such accolades as a Grammy Award and has been nominated for two Tony Awards, two Drama League Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Chord Overstreet was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to Julie (Miller), a make-up artist, and Paul Overstreet, a country musician and songwriter whose own father was a pastor. Chord and his five siblings were raised in a creative and music-filled environment, with their father highly involved in the music industry. His brother, Nash Overstreet, is in the band Hot Chelle Rae.
After Chord graduated from high school in 2007, he decided to pursue performing as a career from the encouragement and support of his parents, and from his talent of singing, acting, and playing instruments. Unfortunately, the first two to three years after high school were unsuccessful for Chord; only making small guest appearances on various television shows such as iCarly (2007) and Private (2009).
In early 2010, Chord received a call from his manager, urging him to audition for an open casting call for the FOX television series Glee (2009). After several callbacks and audition performances, Chord got the role of quarterback turned glee club member, Sam Evans, for the hit show. Since Chord's debut performance on the season premiere of the 2nd season of Glee (2009), he has received critical and commercial praise and success for his performance on the show, along with a large following of dedicated and loving fans.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jamia Suzette Mays was born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Susan (Norris) and James Mays, and was raised in Grundy, Virginia with her older brother and sister. Her father was a high school teacher at Grundy Senior High School for seven years, before spending 25 years working in the coal-mining industry. He is now retired and lives with Jayma's mother in Bristol.
At school, Jayma enjoyed Math and singing. She graduated from high school in 1997. She then went on to get an Associate degree from Southwest Virginia Community College. She then did a year at Virginia Tech, transferring to Radford University. After earning her degree in Theatre in 2000, she moved to California.
She started out with an internship with actor Timothy Busfield, of the television series Thirtysomething (1987). In 2004, she had her screen television debut on Joey (2004). Her first feature film came, a year later, in Red Eye (2005). Her breakthrough role came when she won the role of "Emma Pillsbury" on the hit show Glee (2009).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Milo Ventimiglia is an American actor, director and producer.
Milo currently stars on the critically acclaimed drama series "This is Us." He has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2017 & 2018) and a Critic's Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2019) for his portrayal of the family patriarch, Jack Pearson. The show won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and the People's Choice Award for Best New Drama. In 2016 he reprised his role of Jess in the continuation of critically acclaimed television drama "Gilmore Girls,' which returned with four 90-minute episodes on Netflix. His other television credits include a memorable recurring role as 'The Ogre' in the FOX drama "Gotham," the Frank Darabont helmed TNT drama "Lost Angels," NBC's "Heroes," the critically acclaimed drama "American Dreams" and David. E. Kelley's drama "Boston Public."
Milo's passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. Milo is wrapped production on the Fox 2000 feature film "The Art of Racing in the Rain," an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Garth Stein. The book focuses on a family dog named Enzo who evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a professional race-car driver named Denny Swift, played by Milo. The film will be released in September 2018. Ventimiglia recently starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy "Second Act" and had a memorable cameo in "Creed II." He starred alongside Sylvester Stallone as his son in sixth installment of the Rocky series "Rocky Balboa, in Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy," and "Grown Ups 2" and alongside Nicole Kidman in "Grace of Monaco." His other film credits include Xan Cassavetes' "Kiss of the Damned," a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds drama "Heat" alongside Jason Statham" and the "Killing Season" with Robert DeNiro.
Behind the camera Ventimiglia and his partner at Divide Pictures Russ Cundiff are involved in traditional content having sold TV shows to NBC, SyFy and FX, and producing the independent feature TELL which Ventimiglia co-starred along side of Jason Lee and Katee Sackoff as well as STATIC, which Ventimiglia co-starred with Sarah Shahi and Sara Paxton. Ventimiglia also produced the web-series Chosen, now in it's second season for Sony's Crackle as well as directed other digital projects for American Eagle Outfitters, Cadillac, GQ and Liberty Mutual. Divide Pictures' latest web-series "The P.E.T. Squad" Files for CW's Seed, is about a group of amateur ghost hunters who chase fame without having seen an actual apparition. The show launches summer 2013 from San Diego Comicon. Ventimiglia's passion for comic books led him to produce two titles for Top Cow / Image Comics "Rest" and "Berserker."
Ventimiglia spends his free time working with vets through the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America as well as taking USO tours to troops abroad.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Zachary Quinto was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Margaret J. (McArdle), an Irish-American office worker, and Joseph John Quinto, an Italian-American barber. Zachary graduated from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, with the class of 1995, where he won Pittsburgh's Gene Kelly Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Major General in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". He then went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University, where he continued to hone his talents by performing in plays and musicals. He first appeared on numerous television series since 2000 and, in 2003, landed the role of computer expert "Adam Kaufman" on the Fox series, 24 (2001), during its third season. In 2006, Quinto portrayed serial killer "Sylar" on the science fiction series, Heroes (2006), until its cancellation in 2010, after four seasons. He was cast in his first main film role as "Spock", in the hugely successful franchise reboot, Star Trek (2009).- Actor
- Visual Effects
- Producer
Masayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese American actor, producer and digital effects artist. He became widely known for his role on NBC's Heroes as Hiro Nakamura and in CBS' Hawaii Five-0 as Doctor Max Bergman. Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, to Setsuko Oka. His parents divorced when he was one month old; he was raised in a single parent family and has never met his father. He was six years old when his mother and he moved to Los Angeles from Japan. At age eight, he appeared on the CBS-TV game show Child's Play. In 1987, a twelve-year-old Oka was featured on the cover of Time titled "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids". Though he was not featured in the article itself, he was acquainted with the photographer who conducted the shoot. His IQ has been reported at over 180.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Hayden Lesley Panettiere was born on August 21, 1989 in Palisades, New York, to actress Lesley Vogel and fire department captain Skip Panettiere. Her younger brother was actor Jansen Panettiere (1994-2023). Her parents are both of half Italian descent, along with German and English. Her mother got her started in the business by doing commercials when she was just 11 months old. Then, at only 4 1/2, she was cast on the soap opera One Life to Live (1968), where she remained until 1997. Since then, she has gone on to appear in many feature films and TV movies. But she is probably best known in the United States for her role as "Claire" on the hit TV show, Heroes (2006).
As for movies, Hayden starred in Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington and Joe Somebody (2001) with Tim Allen. When Hayden isn't working, she enjoys singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.
She has been involved with many animated movies, beginning with A Bug's Life (1998) as "Dot", later to follow was Dinosaur (2000), the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), and The Mark of Kri (2002). Her next movie is Racing Stripes (2005), a partly animated film, but Hayden will star in the human role; other cast members include the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Joshua Jackson and Mandy Moore.
In 2003, she joined the likes of Jessica Lange, Tom Wilkinson and Clancy Brown in Jane Anderson's Normal (2003), a film about a Midwestern husband and father who announces his plans to have a sex-change operation. In July of the same year, Hayden appeared in a John Guare play, "Landscape of the Body", for the Williamstown theater festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Santiago Cabrera was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to Chilean parents, and grew up in London, Romania, Toronto, and Madrid. Although he considers Santiago, Chile, his hometown, he splits his time between London and Los Angeles.
Cabrera is a classically trained actor, having studied at London's prestigious Drama Centre. He made his television debut with small roles on British television, and on the London stage, playing Montano in Shakespeare's "Othello", at the London Greenwich Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold. His most recent stage role was Romeo in London's Middle Temple Hall production of "Romeo and Juliet".
Cabrera's roles have varied from playing Isaac Mendez, in the highly successful first season of NBC's ensemble drama series "Heroes" (2006-2007), the mythical character Lancelot, in the hit BBC series "Merlin" (2008-2010). He portrayed Cuban Guerrilla Commander Camilo Cienfuegos in Steven Soderbergh's film, "CHE. Part 1" (2008), opposite Benicio del Toro, for which he won critical acclaim. Santiago also portrayed the famed War Photographer Robert Capa in the HBO Film, "Hemingway and Gelhorn", opposite Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen.
In 2014, Cabrera starred as Aramis in the BBC One hit show "The Musketeers" (2014-2016), a fresh and exciting look at the much-loved novel by Alexandre Dumas. He went on to the hit HBO show "Big Little Lies" (2017) directed by Jean Marc Vallee, starring opposite Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. He played Commander Santos in Michael Bay's "Transformers" (2017) and the lead role of Darius Tanz in two seasons of the CBS show "Salvation" (2017-2018).
Santiago worked under the Direction of Pablo Larrain in the Venice and Toronto Film Festival film "Ema" (2019), where he starred alongside Gael Garcia Bernal.
He also played the first Latin captain in the Star Trek Universe, starring as Captain Rios in the beloved Star Trek Series "Picard". (2020-2022).
Cabrera graced our screens in the hit MAX show, "The Flight Attendant" (2022), working opposite Kaley Cuoco, and in 2024 he can be seen in the Apple TV+ Show, "The Land of Women", opposite Eva Longoria and Carmen Maura and season 3 of the Warner Bros and FOX show, "The Cleaning Lady".
In addition to his native Spanish language, he is fluent in English, French, and Italian.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Ali began modeling at age thirteen, and traveled the world before moving to Los Angeles to study acting. Her first professional acting job was a role on the television series Chicago Sons (1997). She received her breakthrough in the high school football drama Varsity Blues (1999) which included her infamous whipped cream bikini scene. Roles in the horror films House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Final Destination (2000) further transitioned her career as an actress.
Acting alongside Colin Farrell, Larter starred in the Western comedy, American Outlaws (2001) which performed poorly at the box office. That year, she also starred as "Brooke Taylor Windham" in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) with Reese Witherspoon.
Not happy with how things were going, Larter moved to New York in 2002 to reassess her life and career. She reprized her role as "Clear Rivers" in the sequel Final Destination 2 (2003) for which she received star billing. A year later, she made a cameo appearance as herself on the pilot to the HBO comedy drama Entourage (2004) and starred in Three Way (2004) as "Isobel Delano". She had a role in A Lot Like Love (2005) as "Gina."
Larter moved back to Los Angeles in 2006 where she auditioned for a role in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes (2006). The pilot premiered on September 25, 2006 to successful ratings and many critics declaring it "the new Lost (2004)". The series ran for a total of 77 episodes in 4 Seasons when it was canceled due to diminishing ratings and high production costs. There has been interest in a mini-series or a movie to wrap up story lines.
During her time on Heroes (2006), Larter made several appearances on film. The first was the Bollywood film Marigold (2007) where she received a seven-figure salary. The movie was met with primarily negative reviews. She also starred in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), part 3 of the popular film franchise based on the Capcom video games. She played "Claire Redfield", based on the video game character of the same name. The movie was a box office success tripling its production budget, albeit being a critical flop. Larter also appeared in the caveman comedy Homo Erectus (2007) which was released direct-to-DVD. The film co-starred Hayes MacArthur, an actor whom she was engaged to marry in December 2007.
In 2009, Larter starred opposite Beyoncé and Idris Elba in the thriller Obsessed (2009). The film opened at number one at the box office but was met with negative reviews, with some critics comparing it to Fatal Attraction (1987). It was also this year that Larter and MacArthur married in a small ceremony in Maine, among the guests was Larter's close friend, Amy Smart. The couple has two children.
She reprised her role as Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
John MacDonald "Jack" Coleman is an American actor and screenwriter, known for playing the role of Steven Carrington in the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty (1982-88), and for portraying Noah Bennet in the science-fiction drama series Heroes (2006-10). Coleman's first major role was in the soap opera Days of Our Lives, where he appeared from 1981 to 1982 as the character of Jake Kositchek (aka The Salem Strangler). In 1982, he joined the cast of Dynasty when he took over the role of Steven Carrington, one of the first gay characters on American television. Coleman played the role until the end of the show's eighth season in 1988.- Actor
- Producer
Sendhil Ramamurthy (born May 17, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes and Jai Wilcox in the action spy series Covert Affairs. He appeared as Abhay in the Indian film Shor in the City. He played Gabriel Lowen in The CW sci-fi romance series Beauty & the Beast. He has one sister who is also a physician. He and his sister were raised in San Antonio. There, he went to Keystone School and graduated in 1991. He is the cousin of comedian and film director Jay Chandrasekhar. Ramamurthy is married to actress Olga Sosnovska with two children, daughter Halina and son Alex, and lives in London.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television and film actor. He is best known for starring as Matt Parkman in the NBC television series Heroes and "Snap" Wexley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He has often appeared in works produced and directed by childhood friend J. J. Abrams. He is a recurring cast member in the first two seasons of the Showtime American television drama series Masters of Sex.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Adrian Pasdar was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Rosemarie Pasdar (née Sbresny), who owns a travel agency, and Homayoon Pasdar, a prominent heart surgeon. His father is Iranian and his mother, who was born in Germany, is of German, and some Polish, descent. At the age of 2, his father moved the family to Powelton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. In high school, he excelled at football, eventually leading to a football scholarship at the University of Florida in 1983. Football may have been a promising future, had it not been for a terrible accident during his freshman year that left his face scarred and his legs badly injured. A very driven Adrian finished his freshman year in a wheelchair, doing intensive physical therapy and turning his attention to campus stage productions and rediscovered a childhood interest in writing and acting. No longer able to play football, he dropped out of school and returned home, taking a job with a theater group "People's Light and Theatre Company". Here, he worked on sound, lighting and set construction. While constructing a set, he cut off the end of his left thumb. Adrian, having the ability to turn tragedy into triumph, used his medical compensation to pay for attendance at the famous Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. At the age of 19, he auditioned for a role in Top Gun (1986). Director Tony Scott was so impressed that he wrote the part of "Chipper" just for him. This led to bigger roles in Solarbabies (1986), Streets of Gold (1986), and Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 cult vampire movie Near Dark (1987), with Adrian in the lead role of "Caleb Colton". He also appeared in Vital Signs (1990). Adrian has always been an actor ahead of his time, opting for roles in independent and cable movies long before they were considered fashionable for feature actors to do. In 1992, feeling completely out-of-touch with reality, Adrian left Hollywood to return to New York. He worked as a cashier for room and board, while taking the occasional small part, such as "Frankie" in Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993). Another major break came in 1995, when Adrian was cast as the title character on the short-lived Fox series Profit (1996). He continues to act in supporting roles and has now added directing to his already impressive body of work. He wrote and directed the short film Beyond Belief (1999) and also directed a feature film entitled Cement (2000).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
One of today's most exciting & versatile actors, voted by Buzzfeed as a Top 10 Asian-American Leading Man, and by TV Guide as "Hollywood's 25 Hottest", James is next appearing in the feature Year 2, and was recently seen in Netflix movie Yes Day, and the HBO show Lovecraft County. He recently guest starred in AMC's Preacher (2016), CBS' Elementary (2012) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016), and FOX's Sleepy Hollow (2013). He also recently starred in NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), the new Nickelodeon sitcom School of Rock (2016), the FX drama Justified (2010), and is beloved to many for his 5-year run on NBC's Heroes (2006) as 'Ando'.
James recently returned to the stage, in La Jolla Playhouse's production of Wild Goose Dreams, directed by Leigh Silverman (2x TONY nominee). He recently starred the comedy feature 7 Days to Vegas (2019), and Banana Season (2018), where he had to train as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter for six weeks. He also stars in the romantic comedy Another Time (2018), along side Justin Hartley and Arielle Kebbel.
A native of NYC, James graduated from Bronx H.S. of Science, then went on to study communications & broadcasting at New England Institute of the Arts. After a stint in a hip-hop group in college, James moved to LA on a one-way ticket & a suitcase, where he began his training in music, dance, and acting. His first ever TV audition landed him on CBS's JAG (1995).
An athlete & avid runner, James has ran the LA Half Marathon with his wife Jamee , plays basketball for The Hollywood Knights, a charity celebrity team, and participated in Robbie Williams' Soccer Aid for UNICEF, at Manchester United's Old Trafford in the UK. His favorite hobbies include scuba diving and ultimate frisbee, and he loves playing guitar and the piano.
James is an ambassador for the international non-profit Good Neighbors and their Water for Life campaign, as well as the Creative Coalition and their Arts Education program. His passion is to create media that promotes wellness, fitness, and consciousness.- Actor
- Soundtrack
David Anders is a Film,TV & Stage Actor from Grants Pass, Oregon. Known for his roles as Julian Sark on Alias, Adam Monroe on Heroes, John Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries, Dr. Whale on ABC's Once Upon a Time and as Blaine *DeBeers* McDonough on iZombie. Although Anders is American much of the world thinks him to be British. Just as he designed.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jimmy Jean-Louis led a simple Life in the slums of Haiti until the age of 12, when he moved to Paris.
Jimmy worked for 3 years in a musical theater in Spain "La Belle Époque" before embarking on a successful modeling career in France, Spain, Italy, South Africa and England.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue acting. Some of his credits include: "Tears of the Sun" (Dir: Antoine Fuqua, Columbia pictures 2003) with Bruce Willis, "Hollywood Homicide" (dir: Ron Shelton, Columbia Pictures, 2003) with Harrison Fordand Josh Hartnet, "Monster-in-Law" (Dir: Robert Luketic, New Line, 2005 ) with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, "Phat Girlz" (Dir: Nnegest Likke, Fox Searchlight, 2006) with Oscar winner Mo'Nique, "Heroes" (NBC, 2006-2010) where he portrayed the charismatic Rene aka The Haitian, "Arrow" (CW Network, 2013), "Heroes Reborn" (NBC, 2015) and "Joy" (Dir: David O Russell, Fox 2000 Pictures, 2015) with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro. He' was a regular on the show "Claws" TNT, 2018.
His most important role to date is playing the title character in "Toussaint Louverture" which won Best Actor at the Pan African Film Festival and a nomination for Best Actor at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2012.
Jimmy Jean-Louis won Best Actor in a leading role "Desrances" at the Africa Movie Academy Award in 2020.
Fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Creole, Jimmy has worked in many parts of the world including France, England, Indonesia, Cuba, Nigeria, Brasil and Mexico....- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Bryan Greenberg born in Omaha Nebraska and raised in St Louis Missouri. Graduated from the acting program at NYU Tisch school Of The Arts. He recently wrapped the film JUNCTION. Which he acted, directed, wrote, and produced. He can also be seen in the upcoming film YOU PEOPLE opposite Jonah Hill, Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Bryan has also starred in the HBO biopic BESSIE, opposite Queen Latifah, and directed by Mudbound's Dee Rees. Bryan produced and starred as the lead in the independent feature IT'S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG alongside his wife Jamie Chung. Most notably, Bryan starred in the HBO series HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA. He also starred in ABC's OCTOBER ROAD, and HBO's UNSCRIPTED created by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Steven Soderbergh. He has also had recurring roles on THE MINDY PROJECT (Hulu) and THE TICK (Amazon) On the big screen, Bryan is best known for his role in PRIME opposite Meryl Streep, and Uma Thurman. And he can be seen in the Screen Gems movie FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS alongside Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. As well as BRIDE WARS opposite Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. His other varied film and television works include THE KITCHEN, A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY, A CIVIL ACTION, THE PERFECT SCORE, NOBEL SON, THE GOOD GUY, and ONE TREE HILL.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Victor Rasuk was born on 15 January 1984 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Lords of Dogtown (2005), Godzilla (2014) and Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Lake Siegel Bell is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has starred in various television series, including Boston Legal (2004-2006), Surface (2005-2006), How to Make It in America (2010-2011), Childrens Hospital (2008-2016), and Bless This Mess (2019-2020) and in films including Over Her Dead Body (2008), What Happens in Vegas (2008), It's Complicated (2009), No Strings Attached (2011), Million Dollar Arm (2014), No Escape (2015), Man Up (2015), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), Shot Caller (2017) and Home Again (2017).
She wrote and directed the short film Worst Enemy, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012, followed by her 2013 feature film directing debut In a World..., in which she also starred. In 2017, she directed, wrote, co-produced and starred in I Do... Until I Don't. As of 2021, Bell starred as the voice of Poison Ivy in the HBO Max series Harley Quinn (2019-present), and Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in the Disney+ series What If...? (2021).- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Began acting at the age of seven in his hometown of New York City. By 10, he had appeared in "Richard III" with the Brooklyn Shakespeare Company. He made his Broadway debut at 12 as an understudy in John Guare's Lincoln Center Production of "Four Baboons Adoring The Sun". He has numerous other theater credits as well as his many film roles. He divides his time between Los Angeles and New York.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, known professionally as Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and actor. He has widely been recognized as an influence on several contemporary hip hop and alternative acts.His lyrics are often autobiographical and describe his childhood hardships of depression, loneliness and alienation, his struggle with alcohol and drugs into adulthood, as well as themes of spirituality, heartbreak, dissipation and celebration. Cudi began to gain major recognition following the release of his first official full-length project, a mix-tape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008), which would go on to catch the attention of high-profile music producer Kanye West, who subsequently signed Cudi to his Good Music label imprint by late 2008.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
A dynamic young actor, Sam Huntington was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on April 1, 1982. His father is a cabinet maker and owns his own business. His mother, Christen Stabile, is an actress on stage and screen (most famously in Knots Landing (1979)). She also is a teacher and writer.
Sam began acting at the age of nine, under the direction of his mother as a part of her children's theater, The Black Box. Sam was also a part of Andy's Summer Playhouse in Wilton for three summers and performed at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge. His professional acting career began at the celebrated Peterborough Players in Peterborough where he was cast in four seasons from 1991 to 1994, in such roles as Jem in To Kill A Mockingbird, opposite James Rebhorn.
Although Sam wanted to begin screen acting right away, his mother encouraged him to gain more experience. In 1995, Sam signed with the JM Bloom Agency in New York City. Sam and his mother moved to an apartment there for a year, and Sam attended 7th grade at The Professional Children's School, where he became friends with Macaulay Culkin. During this year, Sam was cast in three television commercials, a voice-over for The Magic School Bus (1994), an instructional video for the Windows 95 computer operating system, the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Harvest of Fire (1996), and in the Winona Ryder film Boys (1996), but his scenes in the latter were edited out. Sam also signed a three-movie contract with the Walt Disney Company; the first film under this contract was in the key role of Mimi-Siku in the hit comedy Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), which also starred Tim Allen and and Martin Short. Filming for that picture began in April 1996 and lasted about 3 months. It was filmed entirely on location in New York City; Pound Ridge, NY; and Canaima National Park in Venezuela. During this time, Sam was accompanied by his mother (and often his father and sister) and had a tutor who kept him up on his 8th-grade studies. Sam also had a guest appearance on the award-winning television show Law & Order (1990) in December 1997.
Sam starred as 'Ox' in Columbia Pictures' ensemble comedy Not Another Teen Movie (2001), the teen movie Sleepover (2004), and the anticipated smash Superman Returns (2006). He appeared in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns (2006) for Warner Bros., playing Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet reporter who works a alongside Lois Lane and Clark Kent. He also had memorable roles in Fanboys (2009), opposite Kristen Bell, Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, Dan Fogler, and Jay Baruchel, playing 'Jam' in New Line Cinema's Detroit Rock City (1999), opposite Edward Furlong, Not Another Teen Movie (2001), and 'Dinkadoo Murphy' in Thomas Haden Church's Rolling Kansas (2003).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Sam Witwer headlines the SyFy series, Being Human, the U.S. adaptation of the popular British television series. The darkly humorous, provocative drama stars Sam as the heroic, "Aidan", a sensual and brooding vampire. His excellent work was noticed soon after the show's premiere, as Sam received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing, Leading Dramatic Role in 2011.
Feature film fans remember Sam as the sacrificed "Wayne Jessup" in The Mist, Frank Darabont's adaptation of the Stephen King novella. Two independent features in which Sam stars await release: The Return of Joe Rich, starring opposite Armand Assante and Talia Shire and No God, No Master starring with David Strathairn and Edoardo Ballerini.
A favorite in the science-fiction world, Sam began his career in the memorable role of "Lt. Crashdown" in SyFy's Battlestar Galactica and played "Davis Bloom/ Doomsday", the character fated to kill Superman, on CW's Smallville. Star Wars fans and the gaming community will also recognize Sam as Darth Vader's vengeful apprentice, "StarKiller" in the LucasArts' video game sensation Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Parts One and Two). Through high-tech digital referencing and motion capture, Sam has become the voice and face of this LucasArts' creation in which the first title grossed over 500 million dollars. Sam has also done extensive voice work for the fan-favorite Clone Wars, the animated series airing on the Cartoon Network. Working opposite Jon Favreau and Clancy Brown as the voice of "Darth Maul" on Clone Wars, Sam received recognition with an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television/ Broadcast Production in 2012. Outside of sci-fi, audiences remember Sam in his recurring role of "Neil Perry" on the Emmy winning Showtime series Dexter. Sam's edge was a perfect compliment to the ground-breaking series in its first season.
A Chicago native and a Juilliard-trained actor, Sam is also an accomplished musician who performed in the LA music scene with his band, The Crashtones.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Meaghan Rath was born on 18 June 1986 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Hawaii Five-0 (2010), New Girl (2011) and Schitt's Creek (2015). She has been married to Jack Cutmore-Scott since 16 May 2020. They have two children.- Kristen Hager is a Canadian actress. She co-starred in films Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) and Wanted (2008), and played Leslie Van Houten in the independent film Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009). From 2011 to 2014, Hager starred as Nora Sergeant in the Syfy supernatural comedy-drama series, Being Human.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Kyle Schmid was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is best known for History's "SIX", BBC America's "COPPER" and a number of feature films including David Cronenberg's "A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE".
He has been acting for a majority of his life. An early career in television lead way to Disney films and a number of Lifetime films for which he garnered a nomination for a Young Artist Award. Well known for playing Henry Fitzroy in the Lifetime series "BLOODTIES", he went onto take on the role of Henry Durham, in the Syfy Channel series "BEING HUMAN" and the role of Robert Morehouse in the BBC America series "COPPER". Kyle focused on film for a number of years following building leading characters until he landed the role of Alex Caulder in History's well respected, "SIX".
Most recently Kyle can be seen portraying Charlie Dick, in the Lifetime film recently nominated for 5 Critic's Choice Awards, "PATSY AND LORETTA". He also recently wrapped the new Netflix series, "I-LAND" in which he plays Moses and will be seen in "10 MINUTES GONE" along side Micheal Chicklis and Bruce Willis.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Gianpaolo Venuta was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and director, known for The Words (2012), The Firm (2012) and Noel (2004).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Gabriel Macht is an American actor. He was born in the Bronx, New York, to Suzanne, a museum curator and archivist, and actor Stephen Macht. Gabriel has three siblings, and moved with his parents to California when he was young.
Gabriel had his first success on screen when he was 8-years-old. He was nominated for a Best Young Motion Picture Actor Award for his performance in the movie Why Would I Lie? (1980). Briefly withdrawing from the business as a child, he returned as an adult with favorable roles that further developed his talents. After high school, Macht studied theatre at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh. Macht remains active in the theater and is involved with the Mad Dog Theater Company in New York where he performed the play "To Whom It May Concern" for the company at the Belgrade International Theatre Festival in 1997. His other theater credits include "Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile" at Promenade Theater Off Broadway and Theater on the Square in San Francisco; Roger Kumble's "Turnaround" at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles; "La Ronde" directed by Joanne Woodward at Williamstown Theater Festival; "What the Butter Saw" directed by Joe Dowling at Arena Stage in Washington DC. On the big screen, Macht was seen in Edward Zwick's highly acclaimed, "Love & Other Drugs" where he starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway who were both nominated for Golden Globes® for their performances. Macht also starred in the comic book inspired film, "The Spirit" as the titular character opposite Samuel Jackson, Scarlett Johannson, and Eva Mendes directed by Frank Miller. He was previously seen in Robert De Niro's critically acclaimed film, "The Good Shepherd" with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. Macht's additional screen credits include the comic drama "Middle Men" with Giovanni Ribisi and Luke Wilson, the arctic thriller "Whiteout" with Kate Beckinsale, the romantic comedy "Because I Said So" with Diane Keaton; Joel Schumacher's "Bad Company" opposite Anthony Hopkins; "The Recruit" opposite Al Pacino and Colin Farrell; "Behind Enemy Lines" with Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman and "American Outlaws" where he first starred opposite Colin Farrell. His role in "A Love Song for Bobby Long" garnered Macht critical acclaim for his performance as the tormented writer, Lawson Pines' starring opposite John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson in the 2004 film. On television, Macht had guest starring roles on "Sex and the City," and "Spin City" and was a regular on Steven Spielberg's supernatural drama for NBC "The Others," and starred as William Holden in ABC's "The Audrey Hepburn Story".
Macht is best known for his role as Harvey Specter in USA drama Suits (2011). He resides in New York, Los Angeles, and the Sunshine Coast, Australia. He is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent on both sides of his family.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Sarah Rafferty's character Donna on USA network's hit show "Suits" is one of the most formidable minds at their law firm, Donna Paulsen. With her razor sharp wit and knowledge of all the firm's happenings, Donna is admired and feared by everyone there, and she's not afraid to wield that power when it suits her needs. The hit show has nine seasons.
While still in prep school, Sarah was bitten by the acting bug. When her drama teacher caught her cutting across his lawn in an effort not to be late for field hockey practice, he told her to skip practice and join the cast of "Richard III," and thus began her adoration of acting.
Sarah decided to take her love for this craft and educate herself by double majoring in English and Theatre at Hamilton College, studying theatre abroad in London and Oxford during her junior year, and, after graduating magna cum laude from Hamilton, she went on to study at Yale Drama school. Her passion for learning about the arts was supported by her parents; her mother, the Chairwoman of the English Department at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT, and her father, an accomplished painter.
Her education and natural talent clearly paid off. In addition to starring on USA Network's "Suits,", she has appeared in numerous TV series such as "Law and Order," "Six Feet Under," "Brothers & Sisters," "Samantha Who?," "Without A Trace," "CSI: Miami," and "Bones," and feature films including: "Four Single Fathers" and "Falling For Grace," along with countless professional stage productions like "Gemini" and "As You Like It."
In addition to acting, Rafferty lends a hand to many causes including the Alzheimer's Association and The Brain Project. Rafferty hosted the annual Night at Sardi's event held in LA for two consecutive years, which benefited the support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. Rafferty also takes on a role as an ambassador for the newly founded organization, The Brain Project. The goal of TBP is to raise funds through provoking works of art for Baycrest Health Sciences, a world leader in brain health and aging.
Sarah resides on both east and west coasts with her husband and two daughters and travels back and forth to Toronto for work.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
For seven seasons Patrick J. Adams has charmed audiences worldwide, as Mike Ross in USA's hit drama, "Suits," a role which garnered him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Most recently, Adams took on the role of Major John Glenn in the Nat Geo/Disney + original series, "The Right Stuff," and will next be seen opposite Jesse Williams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in the Broadway revival of "Take Me Out."
In 2016, Patrick starred opposite Troian Bellisario in the Old Globe Theatre's world premiere production of Anna Ziegler's "The Last Match," earning critical praise for his performance as Tim, an incredibly talented but deeply flawed pro tennis player. He also stepped off the Waverider as 'Hourman' in The CW/Berlanti/DC action series "Legends of Tomorrow," on which he now recurs. Patrick will star in the rom-com digital series "Pillow Talk," executive produced by "Catastrophe"'s Sharon Horgan, and the indie feature comedy "Room For Rent," alongside comedy luminaries Brett Gelman, Mark Little, Stephanie Weir & Mark McKinney.
With Zoe Saldana & Jason Isaacs, Adams starred in the 2014 television miniseries "Rosemary's Baby" directed by Agnieska Holland. Additional television credits include Michael Mann and David Milch's acclaimed series "Luck" opposite Dustin Hoffman and Michael Gambon, season two of the hit series "Orphan Black" opposite Tatiana Maslany, "Lost," "Friday Night Lights," "Pretty Little Liars," "N.C.I.S.," "Lie To Me" and "Flash Forward."
Adams co-starred in films including the hit comedy "Old School," directed by Todd Phillips and 2009 Berlin Film Festival competitor "Rage" directed by internationally renowned filmmaker Sally Potter, in which he appeared alongside Judi Dench, Jude Law, Dianne Wiest and Steve Buscemi. Additionally, Adams starred in indie films such as, "The Waterhole," 2009 Slamdance entry "Weather Girl," "6 Month Rule" directed by Blayne Weaver and "Car Dogs" opposite Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer.
Adams maintains strong ties to Southern California theatre. He produced and starred in writer Bill Cain's ("House of Cards") acclaimed production of "9 Circles" at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles for which he was awarded a Backstage Garland Award for Best Performance in a Play and nominated for a 2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for Lead Performance. He is a member of the Ojai Playwrights Conference, starring in new works by established and developing playwrights. Cain's "Equivocation" was developed at Ojai and Adams subsequently starred in the celebrated Geffen Playhouse production, which was honored with the 2010 Best Production at the LA Ovation Awards. He made his professional stage debut in the landmark, West Coast premiere of Edward Albee's "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?" at The Mark Taper Forum, which also took home Best Play at the Ovation Awards. Adams also produced and directed a hit revival of "Marat/Sade," for which he accepted Best Production at the L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards.
Originally from Toronto, Adams is a graduate of the University of Southern California.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Rachel Meghan Markle is an US-born member of the British royal family and a former film and television actress.
Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981 and raised in Los Angeles, California, and is of mixed-race heritage. During her studies at Northwestern University, she began to play small roles in television series and films. From 2011 to 2017, she played her best-known role, Rachel Zane, on the legal drama series Suits. As an outspoken feminist, Markle has addressed issues of gender inequality, and her lifestyle website, The Tig, featured a column profiling influential women. Her humanitarian work in the 2010s saw her represent international charity organizations. She has also received recognition for her fashion and style, releasing a clothing line in 2016.
From 2011 until their 2014 divorce, Markle was married to actor and producer Trevor Engelson. In 2017, she announced her engagement to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, and moved to London. She consequently retired from acting, closed her social-media accounts, and started undertaking public engagements on behalf of the British royal family. Following their wedding on May 19, 2018, Markle received the title of Duchess of Sussex. After her and Harry's departure as working members of the Royal family, they no longer use their HRH titles in a professional capacity.
Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, at West Park Hospital in Canoga Park. Her mother, Doria Loyce (Ragland), a social worker and yoga instructor, is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and lives in View Park Windsor Hills, California. Markle has often described a very close friendship with her mother. Her father, Thomas Wayne Markle, who lives in Rosarito, Mexico, is a retired Emmy Award winning television director of photography and lighting director, whose profession resulted in his young daughter often visiting the set of "Married...with Children." Markle's parents divorced when she was six years old. She has two older paternal half-siblings, Thomas Markle Jr. and Samantha Markle, from whom she is reportedly estranged.
Describing her heritage in a 2015 essay for Elle, Markle states that her "dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I'm half black and half white ... While my mixed heritage may have created a gray area surrounding my self identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed race woman." Her father's roots include German, English, Irish, and Scottish. Her mother has family lines in Tennessee and Georgia.
Markle grew up in Hollywood. She was educated at private schools, beginning at age two at Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse. Markle attended Immaculate Heart High School, a girls' Catholic private school in Los Angeles, but was raised as a Protestant. She then attended Northwestern University, where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and participated in community service and charity projects. While at Northwestern, her uncle obtained an internship for her at the American embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Markle studied for a semester in Madrid, Spain. Markle graduated from Northwestern's School of Communication in 2003 with a bachelor's degree and a double major in theater and international studies.
Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher to support herself between early acting jobs. Her first onscreen appearance was a small role as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963), where her father was lighting director. Early in her career, Markle had small guest roles on the television shows Century City (2004), The War at Home (2005), and CSI: NY (2004). She also took on several contract acting and modeling jobs, including a stint as a "briefcase girl" on the US game show Deal or No Deal (2005). She appeared in Fox's series Fringe (2008) as Junior Agent Amy Jessup in the first two episodes of its second season. Markle had some difficulty getting roles early in her career. In 2015, she wrote: "Being 'ethnically ambiguous', as I was pegged in the industry, meant I could audition for virtually any role. Sadly, it didn't matter: I wasn't black enough for the black roles and I wasn't white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn't book a job."
In July 2011, Markle joined the cast of the USA Network show Suits (2011), playing Rachel Zane. The character began as a paralegal and eventually became an attorney. She completed work on the seventh season in late 2017. According to a critique in The Irish Times, Markle deftly and actively re-positioned her character from ingenue to moral conscience and gave viewers the unique portrayal of a daughter, whose African American father is in a position to help her career and advance her strong desire to break several racial and gender "glass ceilings". She appeared in two 2010 films, Get Him to the Greek (2010) and Remember Me (2010), and one 2011 film, Horrible Bosses (2011). She also appeared in episodes of Cuts (2005); Love, Inc. (2005); 90210 (2008); Knight Rider (2008); Without a Trace (2002); The League (2009); and Castle (2009).
From 2014 to 2017, Markle was founder and editor in chief of lifestyle website The Tig. She derived the name from Tignanello red wine. One of The Tig's features was Tig Talk, a column that profiled women including Jessica Alba, Gail Simmons, Ella Woodward, Daphne Oz, Elizabeth Hurley, Lauren Bush Lauren, Ivanka Trump, Dianna Agron, and Jessica Stam. In April 2017, she closed The Tig. Markle developed an adept and polished social media presence at the time of its closing, her Instagram account had 1.9 million followers. In January 2018, Markle deleted her social media accounts and, in a statement issued by Kensington Palace, thanked "everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years".
Since her marriage with Prince Harry of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Markle is known as HRH Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Gina was born in New York City and is youngest of three children in a close-knit Cuban American family. Attended New York City's High School of Music and Art She is a gifted mezzo soprano and was trained in opera and jazz and also sang in a gospel choir.- Andy Whitfield was born on 17 October 1971 in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Spartacus (2010), Gabriel (2007) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011). He was married to Vashti Whitfield. He died on 11 September 2011 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Dustin Clare is an award winning Australian actor. He made his feature debut in Fred Schepisi's The Eye of the Storm (2011), which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and screened in Special Presentation at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
Dustin played 'Gannicus' alongside John Hannah and Lucy Lawless in the hit US action-adventure series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) for the Starz network. He also starred in Spartacus (2010).
Dustin began his career with guest roles in leading Australian television series before becoming a series regular in the popular television drama McLeod's Daughters, for which he won a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent. Dustin went on to star in the Showtime series Satisfaction for which he received a second Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor and a Golden Nymph Award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor at the 49th Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco. Dustin also played Chris Flannery in the critically acclaimed second series of Underbelly.
In 2013 he appeared in Mark Lamprell's musical feature, Goddess (2013), opposite Ronan Keating, Laura Michelle Kelly and Magda Szubanski. In 2014 he played Lt. Harry Moffitt on the ABC's mini-series Anzac Girls (2014), for which he received an equity ensemble award, and in the Australian feature film Love Is Now (2014), directed by Jim Lounsbury. In 2015 he appeared on the final season of the Cinemax series Strike Back (2010) and the feature film Sunday, of which he was also a producer and writer on.
Dustin graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2004.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
"Shall We Begin!", the battlecry of The undefeated Gaul Crixus first bought Manu Bennett's voice & acting career to international attention. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) spoke a universal language that slowly but surely captured a massive audience. The the show lost lead actor Andy Whitfield to cancer, Bennett's pivotal role, transitioning from Spartacus' nemesis to a slave rebel leader, he was credited for maintaining throughout, the heart & strength of the series. Producer/Director Peter Jackson then employed Bennett to portray Orc Leader "Azog - The Defiler". At the World Premiere of The Hobbit, Peter Jackson told press that Bennett's was the "The Breakout Performance". Although many Tolkein fans failed to recognize him beneath the CGI veneer, Bennett's looming presence, hunting down Thorin Oakenshield & culminating in the ultimate face-off, where both characters die, Bennett entered the catalogue of the great cinematic Villain Performances. DC Comic soldier of fortune, Slade Wildon aka Deathstroke had slumbered for two decades until Bennett reprised the role on the CW series Arrow. Many DC fans declared Bennett as the best villain on the hit series when he established a heartfelt dominant core relationship with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). The two befriended upon the Island of Lian Yu before an incident with a super-drug called Mirakuru transformed Slade into the archetypal good guy/bad guy Deathstroke. Originally penned by Marv Wolfman & illustrated by George Perez, Deathstroke has now become a hot property for the DC Universe with Tony Daniels illustrating the new series of Deathstroke comic books & a Warner Bros Deathstroke feature film pending. When MTV shifted their focus toward producing original series they selected Bennett to portray the Dark Druid Allanon in the newly acquired Shannara Chronicles Series. Bennett had just the right mix of stoicism, angst & dramatic suave sought by the Shannara producers & author Terry Brooks. Manu Bennett is of Maori, Scottish, English, French & Finish ancestry. Bennett was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Bennett's great grandfather Frederick Augustus Bennett was the first Maori Bishop of the Anglican Church in New Zealand. Bennett's namesake Manuhuia Bennett (grandfather) was also ordained an Anglican Bishop. The Bennett name has roots dating back to a French Benedictine Monastery established in Northumbria in Northern England circa 500AD. The monastery was subsequently turned into a defensive fort named Chillingham Castle. With the advent of surnames circa 1000AD, the name Bennett was derived from Benedictine.
Manu Bennett's father Charles Edward Tiwha (Ted) Bennett was a popular New Zealand singer who recorded a No.1 hit "Clap Your Hands" & several other hits in the early 1960's. Bennett's mother Jean Clark was a bikini model from Australia who paraded the very first two piece bikini for designer Paula Stafford. Bennett's parents met during the Spring Blossom Festival in Hastings New Zealand. Bennett has two older siblings, Stephen & Rachel. The Bennett family moved to Australia in 1970. Jean Bennett nee Clark, was the winner of the Miss Paradise Beach, a swimsuit title held on the Gold Coast of Australia. Bennett's first acting job was on a series titled Paradise Beach, where he played stud, surf lifesaver, iron man Kirk Barsby. Bennett's mother, Jean, died in a car accident in 1985. His brother Stephen suffered injuries in a separate car accident & died only two weeks later.
During his schooling Manu Bennett trained as a dancer & musician & well as playing Rugby Union. Bennett was selected for the First XV for Te Aute College a Maori Boy school know for their strong rugby union history. On return to Australia Bennett was selected for the NSW Schoolboys Rugby Union Team & to trial for the Australian National Team. Bennett was prevented from attending the National trial outs due to a prior commitment to a ballet production of Swan Lake in which he had to perform the male lead. In the the 90's Bennett had to choose between a ballet scholarship in New York or an acting scholarship at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Bennett decided to pursue his acting career & attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles.
Manu has appeared on various TV dramas & feature films, including multiple award winning "Lantana," opposite Anthony La Paglia. His first physical role was with appearing opposite Jon Cena on "The Marine". WWE was impressed with Bennett so gave him a role in their second feature film The Condemned starring opposite "Stone Cold" Steve Austin & Vinnie Jones. Rob Tapert cast Bennett as Marc Antony in Xena Warrior Princess, then opposite Josh Hartnett in the Vampire Horror 30 Days Of Night, then was pivotal in Bennett getting the role of Crixus in the series Spartacus.
Previous TV credits include starring roles in successful New Zealand productions "Shortland Street," "Street Legal," "Mataku," "Creature Of Quest," "Going Straight," and as Marc Antony opposite his "Spartacus" co-star Lucy Lawless in Tapert and Raimi's hit series "Xena: Warrior Princess."- Actress
- Producer
- Director
New Zealand icon Lucy Lawless is most known for her role as "Xena the Warrior Princess." Lucy is married to producer Rob Tapert (Robert Gerard Tapert) and resides in New Zealand. They have two sons, Julius Robert Bay Tapert and Judah Miro Tapert, who were both born in New Zealand. Lucy also has a daughter, Daisy Lawless, from her first marriage to Garth Lawless.
Lucy was born Lucille Frances Ryan in Mount Albert, Auckland, to Julie, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, a banker and the city's mayor. She was awarded an Order of Merit in the New Zealand Queen's Birthday Honor List in June 2004. Lucy, whose role as Xena in "Xena: Warrior Princess" made her a cult television star, has been involved with the Starship Foundation and has held a role on its board of trustees. She was awarded the Order of Merit for services to entertainment and the community.
In 1995, Lucy landed the role of "Xena: Warrior Princess" in the show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995), in a three-story arc, that led to her own spin-off show, Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), for six seasons.
Whilst she has been primarily known for her role on "Xena: Warrior Princess," Lucy has also appeared in the classic TV series, Battlestar Galactica (2004), in the semi-regular role of "D'anna Biers," among her other many and varied roles, including the hit Adam Sandler movie, Bedtime Stories (2008). Lucy was also in several made-for-TV movies including: Locusts (2005) and Vampire Bats (2005). She also lent her voice to the straight-to-video movies: Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) and Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2008). During 2011, Lucy appeared in the "No Ordinary Family" as the mysterious "Mrs. X" and also appeared in the prequel to Spartacus (2010), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) and "Spartacus Vengeance" as "Lucretia."
She portrayed "Caroline Platt" in Jane Campion's Top of the Lake (2013), a BBC Mini-Series in New Zealand, with Holly Hunter and Elisabeth Moss, the recurring character of "Diane Lewis" on NBC's Parks and Recreation (2009), and "Velma Kelly" in the Auckland Theatre Company's adaptation of "Chicago: The Musical," the latter from November 1-24, 2013.
As of 2019 she can be seen starring as Alexa Crowe in the light, colorful, Auckland-set mystery, "My Life is Murder."- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Viva Bianca, daughter of Polish composer Cezary Skubiszewski, was born in Australia on November 17, 1983. Now a writer and filmmaker, having graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Viva began her career as an actress.
Bianca is probably best known for her role as the wealthy and devious Ilithyia in the first two seasons of the Starz original series Spartacus (2010). Staying true to her roots, she has guest starred in multiple Australian TV series, including Eugenie Sandler P.I. (2000), Marshall Law (2002), All Saints (1998), and The Strip (2008), as well as movies such as Accidents Happen (2009), Bad Bush (2009), X (2011), and The Reckoning (2014).
A passionate feminist activist, Bianca has contributed as a writer to multiple publications, spoken at UN Women conferences, and worked with non profits. Her latest film, Milkshake Girls, looks at the sex trafficking epidemic in the United States and is scheduled to begin filming in December, 2017. In 2014, Bianca co-created the online pop culture feminist blog SheRa Mag with her childhood friend, Victoria Khroundina.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Ever since she was a child growing up in South Jersey, Katrina Law had more energy than she knew what to do with. Her mother (being the brilliant mother that she is) recognized this at an early age and enrolled Katrina in a variety of activities ranging from dance and gym classes to karate lessons, soccer practice, and voice coaching. You name the activity and Katrina's mother probably had her try it at least once. When she graduated high school her yearbook was filled with photos of her on the Varsity Track team, Varsity Soccer Team, Varsity Cheerleading Squad, and even the Varsity Weightlifting Team. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and won the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA, where she went on to represent the state at finals on national television.
This eccentric collection of interests and activities, combined with her exotic physical appearance usually means that the first question people ask her is, "What are you?"
What she is, to answer their question, is a typical small-town American Girl. Her parents met during the Vietnam War; her father being a Catholic of German and Italian decent serving in the U.S. armed forces and her mother a Buddhist living in Taiwan, working as a bartender. This combination of cultures learning to live in harmony under one roof taught Katrina tolerance, patience, understanding, and humor as a child and still guides her to this day.
After graduating with a theater degree from the Richard Stockton College of NJ, Katrina's acting education continued on in the big cities of Philadelphia and New York. There she not only deepened her understanding of acting as an art form, but she also sharpened her teeth on the business of acting. In New York City she earned her SAG eligibility on the set of Lucky Numbers (2000) with Nora Ephron and John Travolta, and finally joined SAG when she booked a guest star role on NY's Third Watch (1999). Since then, she has gone on to act in many exciting projects, including a three-episode arc as the Mord'Sith Garen in Legend of the Seeker (2008) and as the series regular Mira in the hit show Spartacus (2010).- Actor
- Producer
John Hannah is the youngest child of his family, having two older sisters. Before he decided on a career as an actor, John was an apprentice electrician for four years. He gave up his work as an electrician after being accepted to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. After years of struggling, he finally got his 'big break' when he was cast as Matthew in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). He currently lives in London with his wife Joanna Roth and their two children.- Peter Mensah has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old, growing up in St. Albans, England, just north of London. A former engineer, Mensah came to Canada 11 years ago. He'd worked for British Gas developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay and had done theatre in school. He comes from an academic family. His father, an architect, relocated with his mother to their native Ghana. He only has two younger sisters. Mensah emigrated from Britain to see the world and it was a toss up whether his destination would be Canada or Australia. The paperwork for Canada came through first.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Craig Parker was born on November 12th 1970 in Suva, Fiji and now lives in New Zealand. He is best know for his part as Haldir the Elf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, although he had a part in the 1993 film of Stephen King's "Tommyknockers".- Actor
- Additional Crew
Matthew Mackendree Lanter was born April 1, 1983 in Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, to Jana Kay (Wincek) and Joseph Hayes Lanter. He has a sister, Kara. When he was eight years old, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his father's family is from. His recent ancestry includes Polish, English, Austrian, Scottish, and German.
Growing up, the blue-eyed actor spent most of his time playing baseball, football and golf. His love for baseball led him to scoring a position as a bat boy with the Atlanta Braves. In the year 2001, he graduated from Collins Hill High School. His parents got divorced when he was a senior at Collins Hill. Matt majored in Sports Business at the University of Georgia, but eventually moved to Los Angeles to follow his dreams of being part of the showbiz industry. He attended the University of Georgia after attending a community college for two years.
Lanter first gained the attention of fans when he was selected as a contestant in the 2004 reality television series, Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model (2004). The show revolved around contestants having to compete with each other in a series of modeling events. Although he did not win the competition, Matt succeeded in making the show's top 10. It did not take too long before critics started noticing Matt.
After landing roles on shows such as Grey's Anatomy (2005), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Life (2007), Big Love (2006), Monk (2002), as well as the feature film, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004), starring Jim Caviezel, he built a solid foundation and was already in demand for future projects. His big break came when he starred as "Horace Calloway", the John F. Kennedy-like first son on the short-lived ABC political series, Commander in Chief (2005) in 2005. However, most people do not know that he was, in fact, not in the original pilot. Instead, Matt was a re-cast. Matt has also recurred on two of television's most popular shows: NBC's Heroes (2006) as the sinister quarterback "Brody Mitchumm" opposite Hayden Panettiere and CBS' Shark (2006) as "Eddie Linden".
His talent surpasses the ability to solely act for TV and film and on stage; Matt had the opportunity of starring in his theatrical debut, opposite Laurence Fishburne in Alfred Uhry's "Without Walls" at The Mark Taper Forum. Consistently booking role after role, he has starred in multiple other feature films merging him into a leading man. Lanter's films include: Warner Bros. animated feature film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), in which he voices the popular character "Anakin Skywalker", the lead in Liongate's comedy, Disaster Movie (2008), and MGM's feature film, WarGames: The Dead Code (2008). Prior to that, he established himself as a tween heartthrob, playing the lead in MGM/ABC Family's film, The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream (2008).
Outside of acting, Matt has participated in various events for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (one of which was a celebrity dodgeball team promoting the premiere of Ben Stiller's movie, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), in which the proceeds also went to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) and the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, where he was part of the "Commander in Chief" celebrity relay team.
Despite being busy working in the industry, Matt says that he tries to stay as humble as possible. When he's not acting, he enjoys being outdoors, playing golf and relaxing at the beach.
Matt married his longtime girlfriend, Angela Lanter, on June 14, 2013.