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As she inherited her love for the arts by her father, well-known playwright, actor, director and novelist Mario Peña, it is not hard to understand that actress Elizabeth Pena already had designs to become an actress by the time she was eight years old.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on September 23, 1959, the petite (5' 2") actress was raised in New York City. Elizabeth's (and sister Tania's) parents, Cuban immigrants Mario and Estella Margarita Peña, would achieve a strong Latino reputation as the founders of the off-Broadway Latin-American Theatre Ensemble. They also encouraged Elizabeth's talent. In 1975, the young teenager became a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors, and two years later graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts, now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts.
Elizabeth found occasional work in repertory theater and in television commercials. Making her film debut in the independent Spanish-speaking feature El Super (1979), about Cuban refugees, she continued with playing a long line of independent and rebellious characters, which showed plenty of attitude and independence. Playing offbeat roles -- from a knife-threatening waitress to a disco queen -- she appeared in such early films as They All Laughed (1981) and Crossover Dreams (1985). Elizabeth's big break came in the form a support role in the hugely popular and entertaining comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), co-starring Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss and Nick Nolte, in which she stole several scenes as the sultry, smoky-voiced, politically-minded maid Carmen.
Two consecutive short-lived television series came about around this time. Her first, the ensemble comedy Tough Cookies (1986), had her playing a police officer, and the second was the title housekeeper role in the sitcom I Married Dora (1987). High in demand now, Elizabeth continued to spice up both the big and small screen in such roles as Ritchie Valens' stepsister-in-law in the well-received biopic La Bamba (1987); a drug enforcement agent in the miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990); PTSD-suffering Tim Robbins' live-in girlfriend in the complex drama Jacob's Ladder (1990); and a dedicated legal secretary on the corporate drama series Shannon's Deal (1990) starring Jamey Sheridan.
Honors also came Elizabeth's way when she received the Independent Spirit and Bravo awards for the film Lone Star (1996), and four ALMA Awards for her performances in the television movie Contagious (1997), the films Tortilla Soup (2001) and Rush Hour (1998), and her regular role on the Latino drama series Resurrection Blvd. (2000).
Into the millennium, Elizabeth found steady employment on television with guest roles on Boston Public (2000), CSI: Miami (2002), Without a Trace (2002), Numb3rs (2005), Ghost Whisperer (2005), Charlie's Angels (2011), Prime Suspect (2011), Common Law (2012), and Modern Family (2009). One of her last roles was on the television series Matador (2014). She also found herself further down the credits in films such as On the Borderline (2001), Transamerica (2005), The Lost City (2005), Mother and Child (2009), The Perfect Family (2011), Plush (2013), and Grandma (2015). Three other films -- Girl on the Edge (2015), Ana Maria in Novela Land (2015), and The Song of Sway Lake (2018) -- were released posthumously. She also provided a voice in the popular Disney/Pixar animated film The Incredibles (2004).
A chronic alcohol problem severely hampered Elizabeth's life and she died suddenly from cirrhosis of the liver in Los Angeles, California on October 14, 2014, at age 55. She was survived by her second husband (from 1994), Hans Rolla, and their two children, son Kælan and daughter Fiona.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Olga Fedori was born on 17 March 1984 in Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress and producer, known for The Wolfman (2010), Holby City (1999) and Of Their Own.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rebecca Grant is mainly known for playing series regular 'Daisha Anderson' in BBC1's Bafta award winning program, Holby City and Shaheen Wazir in Tiger Aspect's 'Prisoners Wives II'. She received an award for 'Best Actress in a lead role' at the International Filmmakers Festival for World Cinema in an Independent Movie called 'Kristina'. She has just finished playing the lead in 'Chakara' a film by Laidback Films starring opposite Ben Richards, Kasia Nossier and Rez Kempton.
Rebecca has had a succession of compelling and challenging theatrical roles and received many rave reviews in national newspapers. These included 'Nurse Flynn' in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' , 'Magic Wanda' in Immodesty and Walter's Burlesque!' and 'Tagores Women' for Kali Theatre and 'Bombay Dreams' all in the heart of London's West-end. She was cast as 'Viola' in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at The Royal in Northampton then called back a few months later to play the feisty American-Canadian rebel 'Jean' in JB Priestly's 'The Glass Cage'. Throughout her extensive theatrical and TV roles she has had the pleasure of working opposite Robert Powell, Patsy Kensit, Christian Slater, Eddie Izzard and Martin Freeman.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Sarah-Jane Potts was born on 30 August 1976 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Magician. (2022), Kinky Boots (2005) and Sugar Rush (2005). She has been married to Joseph Millson since 31 December 2013. She was previously married to Tony Denman.- She is the second-eldest of three sisters. Siobhan started acting in a wacky British TV comedy sketch called Alfresco (1983) (1982/1983), co-starring with Robbie Coltrane, Hugh Laurie, Ben Elton & Stephen Fry, among others. Her best-known role is "Detective Sgt. Mo Connell" in the police series, Between the Lines (1992) (aka "Inside the Line"), filmed in 1992/1993/1994.
She is a very accomplished classical actress who has acted in many theater plays (like "Look Back in Anger" that followed a world tour in 1990, with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson) and some other roles in movies, as well. - Jing Lusi was born in Shanghai and moved to England with her parents at the age of five. After graduating law from University College London, Lusi went on to become one of the most prominent Asian actresses in the UK. She has appeared across TV (Lucky Man (2016), Scott & Bailey (2011)), film (Survivor (2015), Crazy Rich Asians (2018)) and theatre, as well as presenting a number of documentaries for UK and Chinese broadcasters.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Louise Delamere was born on 17 June 1969 in Wallasey, Cheshire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Judge Dredd (1995), Poirot (1989) and I'll Be There (2003). She has been married to Stephen Mangan since 12 May 2007. They have three children.- Lisbeth Hummel was born in 1952 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is an actress, known for Le diaboliche (1987), L'aigle et la colombe (1977) and Dolly il sesso biondo (1979).
- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Bill Plympton was born on 30 April 1946 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Cheatin' (2013), I Married a Strange Person! (1997) and Idiots and Angels (2008).- She is the eldest of three children. Her mother is an art teacher and painter, and her father is a car parts salesman. She went to Trinity College at Dublin University, where she studied the History of Art, and English Literature. She began acting at school and continued it at University.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Maggie O'Neill was born on 15 November 1962 in Buckinghamshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Friday on My Mind (1992) and Mystery!: Cadfael (1994).- Annabelle Apsion is an English actress, best known for playing Monica Gallagher in the hit television comedy-drama Shameless, which she played intermittently between 2004 and 2006, before becoming a regular cast member for the show's fourth series in 2007. She left the show in 2008 in order to pursue other projects, with her final scenes airing in March 2009. She briefly returned to the role in 2011 and for the final series in 2013.
- Actress
- Composer
- Producer
Justina Valentine is an (Italian) American TV star, known as the quick witted fan favorite from Nick Cannon's Wild N Out and for rapping up the news on the The Nick Cannon Show . In Dec 2022, Valentine made her worldwide film debut Executive Producing, Writing, Directing, and Starring in her wildly entertaining original movie, Fuhgeddabout Christmas that premiered on VH1. She also created the original soundtrack for the film, released the same day.
Justina is a social media mega influencer with 20+ million combined followers (recently crowned the 2nd most liked female rapper on TikTok), bright red locks, and an infectious personality. Valentine is an entertainer who sings, raps, writes, acts, hosts and is widely known for her freestyling ability.
Justina has been featured on a series of McDonald's commercials and did a powerful campaign in 2019 with Mountain Dew that received a Shorty Award nomination.Valentine has hosted / co-hosted many other popular MTV shows such as TRL, Singled Out, The Jersey Shore Reunion, The Challenge Reunions, Ridiculousness, Double Shot At Love, "How Far is Tattoo Far?" and Basic to Bougie. Valentine was also a cast member on MTV'S number one show The Challenge. She is the longest running female character on Nick Cannon's Wild N Out. She also makes special guest appearances on MTV's Revenge Prank with Jersey Shore stars DJ Pauly D & Vinny.
Valentine is an entertainer who continues to bust down barriers as a powerful female presence with a strong pulse on multiple areas of the industry and an army of fans following her journey.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
One of the hottest stars of the mid-1980s, Virginia Madsen has since played a variety of roles that have cemented her reputation as a fantastic actress who can adapt to any part.
Virginia was born in Chicago, Illinois, and belongs to an acting family -- with her brother, Michael Madsen, also an actor, and her mother, Elaine Madsen (née Melson), an Emmy-winning writer, poet, and producer. Her paternal grandparents were Danish, and her father, Calvin Madsen, was a firefighter. Audiences first caught a glimpse of her as "Princess Irulan" in the 1984 science fiction epic Dune (1984). She followed that up with Electric Dreams (1984); however, it was in 1986 that Virginia captured the hearts of the audience with an intense portrayal of a Catholic school girl who fell in love with a boy from a prison camp in Duncan Gibbins' Fire with Fire (1986). Virginia played the role of "Lisa" and her co-star was Craig Sheffer, who played Lisa's love interest, "Joe Fisk". Kari Wuhrer also made an appearance as Virginia's best friend, "Gloria". Fire with Fire (1986) was a low-budget production, starring a bunch of fresh faces who were till then-unknown to Hollywood. However, the movie was a success and elevated its three young stars overnight. Virginia has never looked back since.
Not only did she receive amazing reviews for her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated performance in Alexander Payne's hit film, Sideways (2004), but this Independent Spirit Award-winning actress has an illustrious resume of roles alongside the most notable and respected actors in the business.
Also on Virginia's slate is her production company, with partner Karly Meola, called "Title IX Productions". Their first project was the documentary I Know a Woman Like That (2009), which previewed at the Phoenix Film Festival in April 2009 and premiered at the Chicago Film Festival in October 2009. The doc was directed by Virginia's mother, Elaine Madsen, about the lives of extraordinary women ages 64-94. Next in the company's lineup is the documentary Fighting Gravity (2010), about women ski jumpers' ongoing battle for the right to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Title IX will team up with "Empire 8 Productions" and Vancouver-based "Screen Siren" on the project. The duo also has several projects in development that they're shopping around for financing including screenwriters Sebastian Gutierrez's screen adaptation of Martha O'Connor's novel "The Bitch Posse" and a remake of the 1984 film Electric Dreams (1984), in which Virginia appeared.- Carmen Di Pietro was born on 24 May 1965 in Potenza, Basilicata, Italy. She is an actress, known for Lucrezia Borgia (1990), Il diavolo nella carne (1991) and Ossessione fatale (1992). She was previously married to Giuseppe Iannoni and Sandro Paternostro.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Lovely, busty, and slender 5'6" blonde bombshell Helen Duval was born Bernadette Hessink-Friebel on September 19, 1965 in the Netherlands. Duval started out in the sex industry as a column writer for the Dutch erotic magazine Tuk. Helen first began performing in explicit hardcore movies after she met German porn director/producer Sascha Alexander in 1993. Among the notable studios Duval has appeared in X-rated features for are Private, VCA, Blue Coyote Pictures, and Sascha Alexander Productions. Outside of acting, Helen has also produced and/or directed a few adult films.- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Sylvia Kristel was born on September 28, 1952 in Utrecht, Netherlands. She first came to international attention in the early 1970s with Emmanuelle (1974) for director Just Jaeckin. Then two more sequels followed in which she also starred. Included in her credits are a long list of European films including the film Julia (1974), in which she played the lead. In 1979, she came to Hollywood, appearing in The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) for producer Jennings Lang, who also featured her in the comedy film The Nude Bomb (1980). However, this was all a prelude to the most successful film in Kristel's career -- Private Lessons (1981) -- in which she played the housekeeper who initiates 15-year-old Eric Brown to the wonders of sex. The film grossed over $50,000,000 worldwide. The Dutch actress, who speaks four languages (Dutch, English, Italian and French), now made her home in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sylvia Kristel died at age 60 of cancer in her sleep on October 18, 2012.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Nipsey Russell was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1918. He got his start in Rock and Roll Review and other music revues in the 1950s. In the 1960s Russell achieved his first major role as Officer Anderson in Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). After being on the show for a year, Russell was a mainstay on variety shows, appearing on Laugh-In, The Dean Martin Show (1965), and the Jackie Gleason Show, among many others. Russell also appeared on many small shows in the 1960s as an always unique personality who would liven up almost any program. As the 1970s approached, Nipsey Russell became a popular game show panelist, appearing on To Tell The Truth, Match Game PM (1975), and many others. Nipsey was known as television's poet laureate on such shows as the Tonight Show and many other popular talk shows of the day.
Nipsey's film roles were remarkably scarce, but he will always be remembered for his role of the Tin Man in the 1978 remake of the Wizard of Oz, The Wiz (1978). The movie was a box office failure, but since that time the movie has been considered a cult classic. But Russell's skill cannot be judged solely by his television and movie appearances. He was an accomplished actor and singer on stage and had a strong presence on Broadway for many years.- Art Department
- Writer
- Actor
Tony Hart was born on 15 October 1925 in Maidstone, Kent, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The George Mitchell Choir: Around the World in Song (1962), Saturday Special (1951) and The Lenny the Lion Show (1957). He was married to Jean Hart. He died on 18 January 2009 in Shamley Green, Surrey, England, UK.- Actress
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Brittney Karbowski was born on 26 June 1986 in Sugar Land, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Parasyte: The Maxim (2014), Heaven's Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork (2011) and Fairy Tail (2009). She has been married to Matthew Hernandez since 11 October 2013. They have one child.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lindsay Seidel was born on 15 June 1991 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for The Final (2010), Assassination Classroom (2013) and Steins;Gate (2011).- Lusia Strus is an American actress and theatrical writer of Ukrainian descent. She was born to a Ukrainian family in Chicago, and spoke Ukrainian as her first language. She was interested in theater since her high school years. After receiving her tertiary education at the Illinois State University, she joined the experimental theatre troupe Neo-Futurists in 1993. The troupe was partially inspired by the Italian Futurist movement of the early 20th century, sharing its appreciation for speed. The troupe typically attempts to perform 30 short plays within one hour. Strus has written plays for both solo and ensemble performances over the years.
As a theatrical actress, Strus has performed at the Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Victory Gardens theaters of Chicago. Her first notable appearances in film were the roles of the androgynous veterinarian's assistant Alexa in the romantic comedy "50 First Dates" (2004), and the hair assistant Janine in the action comedy "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005). Strus gained her first recurring television role when she portrayed the eccentric math teacher Dr. Xavier in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" (2004-2007).
In the early 2010s, Strus played one shot-characters in then-popular series, such as "Modern Family" and "Blue Bloods". Strus was a member of the main cast in the crime drama series "Good Behavior" (2016-2017). She portrayed Estelle Raines, the estranged mother of the professional thief Leticia 'Letty' Raines (played by Michelle Dockery). Estelle had sole custody over Letty's son, and tried to prevent any contact between the boy and his mother. The series lasted for 2 seasons and 20 episodes.
Strus gained her next recurring role in the crime comedy series "Claws" (2017-2022), appearing in the second and third seasons of the series (from 2018 to 2019). She portrayed Brenda, the biological mother of co-protagonist Jennifer Husser (played by Jenn Lyon) and the adoptive mother of protagonist Desna Simms (played by Niecy Nash). In the series, both of Brenda's daughters join the male-dominated world of organized crime. Strus has had relatively few new roles in the 2020s, though she has not retired.