Fast and Furious 7 Cast
The rumored cast for Fast and Furious 7
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- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair in Alameda County, California, along with his fraternal twin brother, Paul Vincent. He was raised by his astrologer/psychologist mother, Delora Sherleen (Sinclair), and adoptive father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theatre manager, in an artists' housing project in New York City's Greenwich Village. He never knew his biological father. His mother is white (with English, German, Scottish, and Irish ancestry), and his adoptive father is African-American; referring to his biological father's background, Diesel has said that he himself is "definitely a person of colour".
His first break in acting happened by chance, when at the age of seven he and his friends broke into a theatre to vandalize it. A woman stopped them and offered them each a script and $20, on the condition that they would attend everyday after school. From there, Vin's fledgling career progressed from the New York repertory company run by his father, to the Off-Off-Broadway circuit. At age seventeen and already sporting a well-honed physique, he became a bouncer at some of New York's hippest clubs to earn himself some extra cash. It was at this time that he changed his name to Vin Diesel.
Following high school, Vin enrolled as an English major at Hunter College, but dropped out after three years to go to Hollywood to further his acting career. Being an experienced theatre actor did not make any impression in Hollywood and after a year of struggling to make his mark, he returned to New York. His mother then gave him a book called "Feature Films at used Car Prices" by Rick Schmidt. The book showed him that he could take control of his career and make his own movies. He wrote a short film based on his own experiences as an actor, called Multi-Facial (1995), which was shot in less than three days at a cost of $3,000. Multi-Facial (1995) was eventually accepted for the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it got a tumultuous reception.
Afterwards, Vin returned to Los Angeles and raised almost $50,000 through telemarketing to fund the making of his first feature, Strays (1997). Six months after shooting, the film was accepted for the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, and although it received a good reception, it did not sell as well as hoped. Yet again Vin returned disappointed to New York only to receive a dream phone call. Steven Spielberg was impressed by Multi-Facial (1995) and wanted to meet Vin, leading him to be cast in Saving Private Ryan (1998). Multi-Facial (1995) earned Vin more work, when the director of The Iron Giant (1999) saw it and decided to cast Vin in the title role. From there, Vin's career steadily grew, with him securing his first lead role, as Richard B. Riddick in the sci-fi film Pitch Black (2000). The role has earned him a legion of devoted fans and the public recognition he deserves.
Since then, he has headlined a series of blockbusters, often but not only centered on fast-driving motor vehicles: The Fast and the Furious (2001), xXx (2002), The Pacifier (2005), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and Furious 7 (2015). He also voiced Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and starred in the lower-budgeted courtroom drama Find Me Guilty (2006), the latter directed by Sidney Lumet.Dominic Torretto- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale, California. He grew up together with his brothers, Caleb and Cody, and sisters, Ashlie and Amie. Their parents, Paul William Walker III, a sewer contractor, and Cheryl (Crabtree) Walker, a model, separated around September 2004. His grandfather, William Walker, was a Pearl Harbor survivor and a Navy middleweight boxing champion, while his maternal grandfather commanded a tank battalion in Italy under General Patton during World War II. Paul grew up active in sports like soccer and surfing. He had English and German ancestry.
Paul was cast for the first season of the family sitcom, Throb (1986) and began modeling until he received a script for the 1994 movie, Tammy and the T-Rex (1994). He attended high school at Village Christian High School in Sun Valley, California, graduating in 1991. With encouragement from friends and an old casting agent who remembered him as a child, he decided to try his luck again with acting shortly after returning from College.
He starred in Meet the Deedles (1998), a campy, silly but surprisingly fun film which failed to garner much attention. However, lack of attention would not be a problem for Paul Walker for long. With Pleasantville (1998), he appeared in his first hit. As the town stud (a la 1950s) who more than meets his match in modern day Reese Witherspoon, he was one of the most memorable characters of the film. That same year, Paul and his then-girlfriend Rebecca had a baby girl named Meadow Walker (Meadow Rain Walker). Even though Paul publicly admitted that Meadow was not planned, he said that she is his number one priority. Paul and Rebecca separated and Meadow lives with her mother in Hawaii. She often visited with Paul as his homes in Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach, California.
Roles in the teen hits Varsity Blues (1999), She's All That (1999) and The Skulls (2000) cemented Walker's continued rise to celebrity. He was chosen to be one of the young stars featured on the cover of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue in April 2000. While the other stars on the cover, brooded and tried their best to look sexy and serious, Paul smiled brightly and showed why he is not part of the norm. This is one young actor who certainly stood apart from the rest of the crowd, not only with his talent but with his attitude. The Dallas Morning News commented in March of 2000 that, "Paul is one of the rarest birds in Hollywood- a pretension free movie star." The latest blockbuster hit, The Fast and the Furious (2001), had raised his stardom to an even higher level.
His fighting scenes in movies lead to a passion for martial arts. He has studied various forms of Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Jeet Kune Do and Eskrima. Paul mentioned in a magazine interview that he had hoped enroll in the Keysi Fighting Method when it comes to the United States. Other than practicing martial arts, Paul enjoyed relaxing at home with his daughter, Meadow Rain, surfing near his Huntington Beach abode, walking his dogs and just driving.
When Paul seriously did get a break from the entertainment business, he said he loved traveling. Paul had traveled to India, Fiji, Costa Rica, Sarawak, Brunei, Borneo and other parts of the Asian continent. Tragically, Paul Walker died in a car crash on Saturday November 30, 2013, after attending a charity event for "Reach Out Worldwide".
Several of Paul's films were released after his death, include Hours (2013), Brick Mansions (2014), and his final starring role in The Fast and the Furious series, Furious 7 (2015), part of which was completed after his death. The film's closing scenes paid tribute to Walker, whose character met with a happy ending, and rode off into the sunset. He appeared archival footage in Fast X (2023).Brian O'Connor- Raven-haired beauty Jordana Brewster was born on April 26, 1980 in Panama City, Panama. Her mother, Maria João Leal de Sousa, is a Brazilian-born model who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1978. Her father, Alden Brewster, is an American-born investment banker, who has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Her paternal grandfather, Mayflower descendant Kingman Brewster, Jr., was president of Yale University from 1963 to 1977. Jordana was raised in London, England up until the age of six. At this time, her family decided to move back to her mother's native Rio de Janeiro. Here, they would stay for the next 4 years. Jordana learned to speak fluent Portuguese during her 4 year stay in Rio de Janeiro. At the age of ten, Jordana's family decided to move again, only this time they would relocate to Manhattan. It was here where Jordana studied at Sacred Heart, an all-girl Catholic school before moving on to the New York Professional Children's School. It was in her teens that Jordana began to make a name for herself by appearing in two of daytime television's longest-running soap operas, All My Children (1970) and in 1996 As the World Turns (1956), where she played the role of "Nikki Munson" for three years. Jordana also went on to co-star in the NBC mini-series The '60s (1999). The year 1998 marked her big-screen debut as "Delilah Profitt" in the teen-driven film, The Faculty (1998). However, it was her role as "Mia Toretto" in the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001) that led her to reach Hollywood stardom. Despite her success, Jordana continued to attend Yale University, in the class of 2003. She played the lead in the prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), and reprised her role, Mia, in the sequels Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and Furious 7 (2015).
Brewster was married to producer Andrew Form in 2007, and they have two sons.Mia Torretto-O'Connor - Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez was born on July 12, 1978 in San Antonio, Texas to Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a housewife, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a U.S. Army solider. Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in San Antonio until the age of 8 when her parents divorced & moved to the Dominican Republic where she lived for two years before moving to Puerto Rico. At 11, Michelle's family relocated for the last time to Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she has been working since 1999 as an extra in such films as Summer of Sam (1999) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), it only took a magazine ad announcing an open casting call in New York for Michelle to decide to finally step into the spotlight. The role was the female lead, the movie was Girlfight (2000). Despite the lack of experience in film and boxing, Michelle auditioned, along with another 350 girls. After various trials inside an actual boxing ring and five arduous months of training in Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym, she was finally chosen to portray the role of Diana Guzman. As soon as the independent film began making the rounds at various film festivals, Michelle began gaining critical acclaim for her performance earning her awards like the Deauville Festival of American Cinema award for Best Actress and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Female Breakthrough performance. As Girlfight (2000) continued to gain notoriety with its September 2000 release, Michelle was already hard at work with films like 3 A.M. (2001), the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001), and Resident Evil (2002). With Hollywood calling her name, the future for this feisty Jersey girl is as strong as the punches she throws.Letty Ortiz- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born in May 1957 in Bellaire, Ohio, he was among the last graduating class of the Windsor Mountain School in Lenox, Massachusetts. Attended Marlboro College in Vermont. Performed in summer stock and regional theaters in Vermont, Michigan and West Virginia before settling in Chicago and joining The Remains ensemble. Levine worked on stage at Remains, Wisdom Bridge, and The Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters throughout the 1980s before he began working in television and film.Sgt. Tanner- Actor
- Producer
Thom Barry was born on 6 December 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Independence Day (1996).Agent Bilkins- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its lead single "Holla Holla". During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, formerly known as The Inc. From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had multiple hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You" (featuring Christina Milian), "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and "Ain't It Funny" (both with Jennifer Lopez)-which both topped the Hot 100-the number 1 hit "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti), "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti), and "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti).Edwin- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Johnny Strong is an enigmatic American artist. Johnny's career as an artist has touched various forms of expression; An Actor, Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Painter, Writer, Director, Composer, and Martial Artist.
Johnny's Film credits include; Get Carter, The Fast and Furious, Black Hawk Down, to Sinners and Saints, Daylight's End, and Warhorse One.
Strong was drawn to martial arts at age 7 which paved the way for him to do all of his own stunts in his features. He began his martial journey, studying Judo, but is also adept in many styles of martial arts. He is currently a Third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Chris Lisciandro.
In Music, Strong has been equally successful, creating Seven full length albums under the title of "Operator" where he writes, performs and records all of his music. He's also composed four different full length original scores for four of his films..
He is also known for his work as a weapons maker, and has graced several Blade Magazine covers, featuring his artwork with sharpened steel.
Strong's approach is unconventional, whether it's big Studio films, Major label releases, or independent projects, unlike the norm of most in Hollywood, where the goal is collecting credits, he only works on projects that interest him.
Strong's most recent effort, a huge undertaking, Writing and Starring in his directorial debut with his latest film Warhorse One.Leon- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Tyrese Darnell Gibson was born December 30, 1978 in Watts, Los Angeles, California, where he was raised. He is an R&B singer, songwriter, actor, author, television producer and model. He is well known for his actor role as Roman Pearce in the The Fast and Furious movie franchise. Other popular movies Tyrese has acted in are Death Race, Transformers, Baby Boy and Legion. Tyrese has been married twice, and has two daughters. He continues to pursue his career.Roman Pearce- Music Artist
- Actor
- Writer
Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois, where he was raised, the son of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. At nine years old, he started rapping. He attended Emerson Middle School and, eventually, Oak Park and River Forest High School for his freshman year. Furthermore, his family moved to live in Atlanta, Georgia and, in this time, his father exposed him to all kinds of music, ranging from Hip-Hop to Rock. In Alanta, Georgia, he attended Banneker High School. He is also a graduate of Georgia State University. In 2000, he got his breakthrough with his album, titled "Back for the First Time", which reached 3x platinum. All albums following have either been 2x or 3x platinum, with his first film appearance being 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), which was a success. Other film appearances included Crash (2004) and Hustle & Flow (2005).Tej Parker- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Eva Mendes is an American actress, model and businesswoman. She began acting in the late 1990s. After a series of roles in B movies such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), she made a career-changing appearance in Training Day (2001). Since then, Mendes has co-starred in films such as All About the Benjamins (2002), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Ghost Rider (2007), We Own the Night (2007), Stuck on You (2003), Hitch (2005), opposite Will Smith. and The Other Guys (2010). She has appeared in several music videos for artists like Will Smith. Mendes has been a model and ambassador for Cocio chocolate milk, Magnum ice cream, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Thierry Mugler perfume, Reebok, Campari apéritif, Pantene shampoo, Morgan, and Peek & Cloppenburg. She designs a fashion collection for New York & Company and is also the creative director of CIRCA Beauty, a makeup line sold at Walgreens.
Eva de la Caridad Méndez was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents Eva Pérez Suárez and Juan Carlos Méndez, and was raised by her mother in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake after her parents' divorce. Mendes grew up a Roman Catholic and at one time even considered becoming a Catholic nun. Her mother worked at Mann's Chinese Theatre and later for an aerospace company, and her father ran a meat distribution business. Mendes had one older brother, Juan Carlos Méndez, Jr. (1963-2016), who died from throat cancer. She has an older sister, Janet, and a younger paternal half-brother, Carlos Alberto "Carlo" Méndez. She attended Hoover High School in Glendale, and later studied marketing at California State University, Northridge, but left college to pursue acting under coach Ivana Chubbuck. Mendes began her acting career after a talent manager saw her photo in a friend's portfolio. Her first film appearance was in the direct-to-video Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998). Mendes was disappointed in her performance and she hired an acting coach. She then appeared in the films A Night at the Roxbury, My Brother the Pig, Urban Legends: Final Cut, and Exit Wounds. Mendes' breakthrough role came when she appeared in Antoine Fuqua's crime thriller Training Day (2001), playing the girlfriend of Denzel Washington's character. This then led to roles in All About the Benjamins (2002), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) (which earned her a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards), Out of Time (2003), and Stuck on You (2003).
She was the female lead in the 2005 film Hitch, making her one of the first minority actors to play the lead in a hit romantic comedy. Mendes subsequently starred in The Wendell Baker Story (2005) with Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell, with Luke Wilson directing, as well as Guilty Hearts (2002), Trust the Man (2005), Ghost Rider (2007), We Own the Night (2007), Live! (2007), and Cleaner (2007). In 2008, she was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the all-female comedy film The Women. Mendes then appeared in The Spirit, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Other Guys (2010), Last Night (2010), Fast Five (2011), and a spoof short film for Funny or Die. In 2012, Mendes visited Sierra Leone and was featured in the PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. In 2012, she starred in the crime drama film The Place Beyond the Pines, with Entertainment Weekly describing her performance as "quietly heartbreaking". The following year, she appeared in the HBO comedy film Clear History (2013). Mendes appeared in the Pet Shop Boys' music video for "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" in 1996, Aerosmith's music video for "Hole in My Soul" in 1997, and Will Smith's music video for "Miami" in 1998.
She also appeared in the music video for The Strokes' "The End Has No End" in 2004, and appeared nude in a print advertisement for Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession perfume, an ad which was banned in the United States. In December 2007, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) used a nude photo of Mendes for their anti-fur campaign. She also modeled in a Morgan campaign. Mendes was a spokesmodel for the 2008 Campari calendar. In July 2008, she was announced as the international face of Australia's 30 Days of Fashion & Beauty event. She made guest appearances in that country at the month-long festival in September. Mendes has been a spokesperson for Calvin Klein, Magnum, and the chocolate milk brand Cocio. She also promoted Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance, Reebok shoes, and Pantene shampoo. In 2011, Mendes appeared in a Peek & Cloppenburg clothing catalog. Mendes has a line of bed linens and dinnerware that is sold at Macy's. In 2010, Mendes sang on "Pimps Don't Cry," a song featured in The Other Guys, and performed a duet with CeeLo Green on "Pimps Don't Cry." In 2011, she recorded a version of "The Windmills of Your Mind."
Along with acting, Eva is employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman. She joins such elite actresses and models as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford, who appear in Revlon's television and print ads. She is also a passionate supporter and active participant in Revlon's fight against breast cancer. Eva's goals are to improve her acting skills by working with such contemporary directors as Steven Soderbergh, Spike Jonze, Pedro Almodóvar, Robert Rodriguez, Carl Franklin, John Singleton, and Antoine Fuqua and learning from such renowned directors as Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni.
She was the creative director of the makeup brand CIRCA Beauty, which launched exclusively at Walgreens in 2015.
Eva has two children with her partner Ryan Gosling.Monica Fuentes- Actor
- Producer
Cole Hauser was born in Santa Barbara, California. He is the son of Cass Warner, who founded a film production company (Warner Sisters), and Wings Hauser, an actor. His grandfathers were screenwriters Dwight Hauser and Milton Sperling, and his maternal great-grandfather was film mogul Harry M. Warner, of Warner Bros. His father is of German, Irish, and Belgian (Walloon) descent, and his mother is from a Jewish family (from Austria, Russia, and Poland). He grew up in California, Oregon and Florida.
Hauser has had a long and impressive career in acting. He made his big screen debut in "School Ties" where many other then up and coming actors had their starts. He next went on to star in Richard Linklater's Cult Classic "Dazed and Confused." Other feature credits include "Tigerland," for which Cole received an Independent Spirit Award nomination, "White Oleander" for which he received a Movieline breakthrough performance also, "Hart's War," "Tears of the Sun," "Higher Learning," and "Too Fast, Too Furious," to name a few.
In 2014 Hauser will be seen in two anticipated projects. This spring he can be seen opposite Johnny Depp in the Warner Bros release of Transcendence (2014). Immediately following he will star in DirecTV's original drama "Rogue" opposite Thandie Newton. The show, in its second season has been a big draw for the network. Earlier this year he was seen in Antoine Fuqua's Olympus Has Fallen (2013), an action ensemble which included Aaron Eckhart, Gerald Butler and Morgan Freeman.
Hauser lives outside of Los Angeles with his wife, photographer Cynthia Daniel, and three children.Carter Verone- Actor
- Soundtrack
James is a rugged, intense character player with leading man good looks. Having first gained recognition in 1979 as Ajax, in his second film, The Warriors (1979). That same year he garnered acclaim on Broadway with Richard Gere in the concentration camp drama "Bent".
In a career spanning nearly four decades, James has run the gamut of roles and solid career choices. Ranging from the psychopaths, Dutch Schultz in 'Francis Copolla''s The Cotton Club (1984) and 'Albert Ganz' in Walter Hill's 48 Hrs. (1982) to Samantha's lover, the billionaire playboy, Richard Wright, in the HBO series Sex and the City (1998)." James has also garnered roles which highlight a more vulnerable side, such as his guitarist who gets a break in the Oscar-winning short, Session Man (1991) or his artist who falls in love with a gargoyle come to life in the best segment of the horror anthology, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) and as Mary Louise Parker's lover in Boys on the Side.
In the hit Showtime series Dexter (2006). James starred alongside Michael C. Hall where he played Dexter's wise, compassionate, adoptive father, Harry Morgan. Grey's Anatomy fans have recently enjoyed seeing James as Karev's long-lost Dad. While remaining active with top feature films James enjoys the distinction of being the only actor to die twice, as two different characters in Quentin Tarintino's smash hit Django Unchained.
James won the 8th annual SAG award as a member of the Outstanding Comedy Ensemble for his work in Sex and the City. As a member of the ensemble cast of Dexter, James has been nominated for the SAG award and the Emmy. In recognition for his work in Sci-Fi Fantasy and Horror James was honored with the Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
In early 2019 James completed Season Two of CW's Black Lightning (2018) where he co-stars as Peter Gambi. Reunited with Quentin Tarantino James appears in the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)Agent Markham- Actress
- Producer
Born in New York but raised in California, Devon Aoki is no stranger to the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Her father is former Olympic wrestler and Benihana restaurant magnate Rocky Aoki and her mother is Pamela Hilburger, a jewelry designer. Devon is of Japanese (from her father) and German and English (from her mother) ancestry. She started modeling when she was 13, the same year her godmother introduced her to modeling legend Kate Moss. She is now the face of Lancome and is one of the top earners at her agency, Women.Suki- Actor
- Producer
Amaury Nolasco was born in Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Prison Break (2005), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and Transformers (2007).Orange Julius- Actor
- Producer
Known for his charming looks and deep personality, Michael Ealy blessed the movie screen with his role in Barbershop (2002). When he left Silver Spring, Maryland, with a degree in English, he headed off to New York. From there he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway hits "Joe Fearless" and "Whoa-Jack". He's appeared in Showtime's Soul Food (2000), on NBC's Law & Order (1990) and the ABC sitcom Madigan Men (2000).
When he moved to Los Angeles, he landed a lead role in "Barbershop" after a friend informed him about it. In addition, he appeared in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Company (2002), directed by Joel Schumacher. The natural, blue-eyed actor can be seen in HBO's Baseball Wives (2002).Slap Jack- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Actor, Producer and Founder of independent film company Entangled Entertainment, Noel Guglielmi was raised in Los Angeles and first cast -- without a formal audition -- in a Taco Bell commercial at the age of 15.
Discovered during an acting class as a boy, today he is one of Hollywood's most recognized faces with more than 150 large and small-screen credits to his name over a 25-year career.
Noel has worked with some of the best in the business, with roles in Fast and Furious, Training Day, Bruce Almighty, Purge Anarchy, The Dark Knight Rises, Fresh Off the Boat, CSI Miami, Bones, The Walking Dead and literally hundreds more.
His personal dedication to entertainment spans not only acting and producing but writing, digital content creation, stand-up comedy, talent recruitment, coaching and mentoring as well as motivational speaking.
For Noel, the opportunity to engage audiences across cultures, ages and borders is made even more rewarding when he can draw from his dramatically unique personal experiences to enlighten and improve the quality of life for others, especially at-risk youth and criminal offenders to pop and car culture enthusiasts and more.
After groundbreaking years in the profession as one of Hollywood's original Latino celebrities, Noel was honored to be invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017 as part of its diversity efforts and in recognition of his contributions.
Noel credits much of his success to learning from his peers. Attentive to every important aspect of film creation and being true to his roots and community help him stand out to succeed in one of the world's most competitive professions and against challenging odds.
Today, he makes time to mentor others both in business and life.Hector- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Jin Au-Yeung, aka MC Jin, was born and raised in North Miami Beach, Florida. Both his parents immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States with hopes of starting a family and providing their children with an opportunity to chase the American Dream. Little did they know, their firstborn would grow up to pursue a path that was not only less traveled but in this case, uncharted territory.
There were no aspirations of becoming a doctor, lawyer or fireman for this little boy. He wanted to be a rap star.
At a young age, Jin fell in love with rap music and Hip-hop culture. Emulating his favorite MC at the time, LL Cool J, Jin knew that his destiny involved having a mic in his hand. What this lead to was years of demo tapes, talent shows and managers with pipe dreams.
In 2002, his big break came in the form of a nationally televised rap battle competition known as Freestyle Friday on BET's 106 and Park. Remaining undefeated for 7 consecutive weeks, Jin was inducted into the Hall of Fame and in grand fashion, announced that he had signed with Hip-hop powerhouse, Ruff Ryders, home to mega-stars such as DMX and Eve.
The roller coaster ride begins here.
From Rolling Stone Magazine to MTV's Artists to Watch, 20 year old Jin was touted as the next big thing to hit the music industry by storm. A young Asian-American battles his way to signing a high-profile record deal. The story was unique and one that the Hip-hop community had not yet seen.
With a steadily growing fan base, Jin was able to do major touring across the country as well as overseas before any commercial release. With his profile at an all time high, Jin was casted as Jimmy the mechanic alongside Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The experience on set definitely left quite an impression on Jin but music was still his primary focus at the time.
In 2006, Jin had parted ways with Ruff Ryders with both parties mutually feeling that it would be best to end on good terms. His debut album The Rest Is History released in 2004 went on to sell 250,000 copies worldwide.
After releasing a few independent projects and staying on the road doing shows, 2008 brought about an interesting turn of events. Jin was presented with the opportunity to go to Hong Kong and release an all Cantonese Hip-hop album. What was expected to be a short stay to do promotions for the project ended up being a 4 year stint. In that time, he released a few more albums but more importantly, Hong Kong allowed Jin to blossom and realize his passion for acting. Gallants, which won Film Of The Year at the Hong Kong Film Awards was his first time on a film set since almost 6 years ago for 2 Fast 2 Furious. In it, he played a young and cocky martial artists who had more skills running his mouth than running his father's business. As well, Jin was casted as Unicorn Chan, childhood friend of Bruce Lee in the biopic Bruce Lee, My Brother which details the younger years of the legendary actor and martial artist.
The opportunities were not only on the big screen as Jin was also casted prominently in 3 Hong Kong produced 30 episode TV series, as well as given hosting duties on different variety shows. This lead him to winning Most Improved Actor at the annual award show.
In 2012, Jin started devoting more time to the stateside from both a personal and career perspective. A husband and a father now, his passion for music and performing has never been more intense, but with a new sense of focus. He was enthusiastic to be casted for the role Chan in The Rza's The Man With The Iron Fists as he saw it as another chance to further hone his craft. Next up for Jin is Andrew Lau's crime drama Revenge Of The Green Dragons, where he plays a detective who's trying to make his neighborhood a better place but finds that he's not quite accepted by the good or the bad guys.Jimmy- Edward Finlay (also known as Eddie or Eduardo Finlay) was born and raised, first generation, in Miami, FL, from native Cuban parents, who fled Cuba as political refugees in the late 1950s. He is one of four siblings; two brothers and a sister. His ancestry consist of Spanish and Scottish origin. Eddie grew up watching a lot of movies with his family. Movies that inspired his imagination and fantasy of becoming an actor/ artist included collections from the Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones series, and the Superman series, with Christopher Reeve. He loved the stories and imagination that these types of movies brought out in him. Eddie attended Cristopher Columbus High School in South Florida where he loved playing sports, but never got involved in theatre until he received an opportunity to audition for the lead role in the play Splender in the Grass, to play Bud Stamper, for the sister school, theater program, at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. He won the role, and fell in love with the journey, and the process, of performing and storytelling. From that point on, he made the decision to get involved in the acting business. He was already a successful fashion model, doing campaigns such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Versace, Panama Jack, editorials for Vogue, and more. He began to figure out how to transition from the modeling business into show business with a little help from the film and television department at his modeling agency, as well as help from world known photographer Bruce Weber. Eddie booked his first series regular on a show called Miami Sands; a TV soap opera that showed mostly in Europe.. The show was a great beginning and training ground for him. During the duration of filming Miami Sands, Eddie landed a Guest Star on a show called S-Club 7 as well. He also later got involved with a local theatre company and performed in musicals and plays at the Gusman Theatre in Downtown Miami, and The Jackie Gleason Theatr. He performed plays and musicals such as Grease(as Danny Zucko), Copelius( as Dr. Copelius), Hercules(as Hercules). He later moved to Los Angeles, where he auditioned for pilot season. He trained at John Kirby Studios, Lesley Kahn Studios, and later at Ivanna Chubbuck Studios. He was then cast as a lead/ series regular on another TV series "Ocean Ave.", working along actress Megan Fox(Tranformers), and Rebecca Ferguson(M:I-Rogue Nation). During the duration of filming Ocean Ave., Eddie was cast to work with Michael Bay on Bad Boys 2, and landed a supporting role on 2 Fast 2 Furious, playing Agent Jason Dunn, working with director John Singleton, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, and Eva Mendes. As Eddie's journey continued, he was cast in Guest Stars, Co-Stars, Leads, and Supporting roles in other film and television productions such as Modern Family, Medium, CSI:NY, CSI: Cyber, NCIS:LA, Honeymoon with Mom, Watercolors, Fortress, and After the Rain(Reach). He also was cast as a series regular to play FBI agent, Harrison Pearce, with a mysterious past and inner conflict, on the show South Beach on Hulu; also just finishing filming a supporting role, playing Henry Navas, on the film Vandal(2017). Eddie currently resides in Los Angeles with his lovely wife, where his journey continues and grows as an artist.Agent Dunn
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- Producer
- Writer
Mark Boone Junior was born on 17 March 1955 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Memento (2000), 30 Days of Night (2007) and Batman Begins (2005).Detective Whitworth- Mo was born in Miami, Florida. Growing up multi-ethnic was a plus, giving him the opportunity to learn of life outside the United States at a young age. His father was from Beirut, Lebanon and his mother was of Cuban descent.
After meeting director David Anspaugh, who graciously extended him the opportunity to work on his football themed feature film "Rudy", he was hooked. Fulfilling his former passion with his future.
Since then Gallini has worked opposite the likes of Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide. James Caan in director Bob Rafelson's HBO original Poodle Springs. James Garner, who he watched as a boy, in a CBS Rockford Files Mow. The legendary Rod Steiger, Gabriel Byrne, and the once in a lifetime experience of fighting Arnold Schwarzenegger in End Of Days. He also worked with the amazing David Lynch on the ABC pilot which became Mulholland Drive. And a leading role in Universal Pictures 2 Fast 2 Furious for director John Singleton. He also has received high accolades for his award winning role in the Pander Brothers film, Selfless
On television Mo has had recurring roles on 24, Chase, General Hospital, and The Young & the Restless. His numerous guest star assignments include CSI:NY, Weeds, N.C.I.S., Shark, The District, J.A.G., The X-Files, Brooklyn South, and Seinfeld. Along with multiple episodes of NYPD Blue, VIP, and Melrose Place.Enrique - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Roberto Sanchez is set to star in the highly anticipated APPLE TV+ series, Palm Royale as Pinky. The show stars Oscar winners Laura Dern and Allison Janney. He also recently wrote the story for the feature film "72 Hours," an action crime-thriller which was developed for the big screen by Christian Sesma and Sean Crayne and will co-star TRUE BLOOD'S Sam Trammell and THE OC's Cam Gigandet. Roberto is also set to star in the upcoming action film, AS GOOD AS DEAD opposite Michael Jai White and Tom Berenger.
Sanchez is well known for his scene-stealing TV roles on hit shows like THE RESIDENT, THE FAMILY BUSINESS, S.W.A.T., MACGYVER, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, CHICAGO P.D. QUEEN OF THE SOUTH and over 100 other TV and film projects - including his breakout role in John Singleton's "2 FAST 2 FURIOUS" opposite Eva Mendes and Paul Walker. Additionally, he received a 2016 Imagen Award nomination for Best Actor for his lead role in the film, LAKE LOS ANGELES.
TRIVIA:
Roberto is a critically acclaimed theater actor who has starred as "Larry/Lola" in HOLLYWOOD & LEVINE; as "Rooftop" (a role originally played by Laurence Fishburne) in Gloria Gifford's stage adaptation of OUR LADY OF 121st STREET and as Scholar Paul Verall in Garson Kanin's play, BORN YESTERDAY
Served in the Navy during Desert Storm and competed professionally in the European League as a Naval basketball player
Was also a successful print modelRoberto- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born and raised in an artist complex in Hollywood, California. He attended LA's magnet schools for the arts taught by Francis Ford Coppola at Zoetrope studios.
While playing Volleyball for San Diego State University, Eric saved two women from a burning apartment fire. Honored by the San Diego Fire Department, he received a formal tribute and commendation for bravery.
Plays in band called Knuckles and the Knockouts. Owns a male rottweiler named Brando. Brando appeared with Eric while he was a series regular on TNT's hit show Witchblade (epp Ubique)
Son of Jean Ferro, photo artist and President of WIPI - Women in Photography International. Eric has model and photographed for Karl Lagerfeld, Bruce Webber, Richard Avedon, Gianni Versace, Jean-Paul Gautier and Armani. Most notable commercial campaign was Zino's Davidoff cologne, music by James Brown "This is a mans world"
Eric won 1st Place in the Celebrity Division of the 2012 Malibu Nautica Triathlon.Darden- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
John Cenatiempo was born in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Tulsa King (2022), The Sopranos (1999) and Magic City (2012).Korpi- Lucas York Black was born on November 29, 1982 in Decatur, Alabama to Jan (Keenum), an office worker, and Larry Black, a museum worker. With no formal acting lessons, Lucas made his film debut with a small part in the Kevin Costner film The War (1994) at age 11. This small role helped him land his next job in the series American Gothic (1995). When the series went to North Carolina to cast its primary roles, the casting people in Wilmington remembered Lucas, and suggested him for the role of "Caleb Temple." Although the series didn't last long, Lucas's film career did. He was next seen in the sleeper hit Sling Blade (1996), then in another dark film, Ghosts of Mississippi (1996).
A bit of Calvin Klein modeling and mainly school and sports occupied the rest of his spare time. He scored another summer hit with The X Files (1998) and finally got a lead role in the independent film Crazy in Alabama (1999). Selective about his film roles, Lucas turned down an opportunity to star in the movie adaptation of The Horse Whisperer (1998) due to the request of having his accent altered. In 2000 he was seen with Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses (2000).
Lucas graduated from Speake High School in 2001; he had been a good student and also played football, basketball, and a little bit of golf. An avid bass fisherman, he plans to study fish biology. After a small break, he will next be seen alongside Hollywood stars Jude Law and Natalie Portman in the drama Cold Mountain (2003).Sean Boswell - Actress
- Soundtrack
- Writer
Lynda Boyd was born in Vancouver and is a versatile triple threat with an extensive stage, television, film and animation career.
Over the years, Lynda has played Diane Keaton's best friend, Leslie Nielsen's wife, Owen Wilson's confidante and Jennifer Lopez's boss. Lynda also starred in the CBC hit Republic of Doyle (2010) for six seasons as "Rose Doyle" and garnered her third Gemini/Screenie nomination.
Her recent projects include Danny Boyle's TV series, Trust (2018) and Amazon's Tin Star (2017) where she stars alongside Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks.Ms.Boswell- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Brian Goodman was born on 1 June 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Last Seen Alive (2022) and Munich (2005).Major Boswell- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nathalie Kelley is an actress of Indigenous Quechua descent, most recently starring in the hit series Dynasty and The Baker and the Beauty, which is now on Netflix. With a background in social science and policy, Nathalie strives to use her gifts as a storyteller to tell stories that educate and inspire. She is a graduate of Kiss The Ground's Soil Advocacy program, and on the board of the Fungí Foundation. She is passionate about using her IG platform of 1.6 million followers to highlight the threats against Indigenous communities around the world while elevating Indigenous wisdom and technologies as means of coming back into harmony with our ecosystem. Her life mission is to give a voice to the voiceless: namely the soil, the water, the fungí, the forest and to dedicate her life to preserving bio and Myco-diversity on the planet.Neela- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Shad Gregory Moss was born on March 9, 1987 in Columbus, Ohio to Teresa Rena (Jones) and Alfonso Preston Moss. When Shad was five, he started his rap career using the nickname "Kid Gangsta." One year later, he took front stage during "The Chronic Tour" and impressed rapper Snoop Dogg, who later gave him the name Lil' Bow Wow. Snoop Dogg later hired him as an opening act and introduced him to Jermaine Dupri, the producer who helped Shad's career.
He backed up the success of his double platinum debut album "Beware of The Dog" (2000) with 2002's platinum "Doggy Bag." It was during the release of his first album that he publicly took his nom de guerre.
After having several guest spots on TV shows such as "Moesha" and "The Steve Harvey Show," Shad made his big-screen acting debut in 2002's All About The Benjamins, which he immediately followed with his first starring role, Like Mike, and a new stage name- Bow wow.
He has publicly dated Ciara, and in 2011 admitted to having a child with an unnamed woman. In 2012 he made news when he was publicly forced to pay child support. In 2015 he became engaged with reality star Erica Mena.
In 2015 he began starring in the TV show "CSI: Cyber" and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.Twinkie- Actor
- Producer
Leonardo Nam plays Felix Lutz on the critically acclaimed, award winning HBO series "Westworld". Nam is a scene-stealer as Felix, sharing nearly all his scenes with Golden Globe nominated actress Thandie Newton. "Westworld" premiered season one in October 2016 and has been nominated & won a handful of accolades including: 2017 Golden Globe Awards: Best Television Series - Drama (nominated), 2017 SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (nominated), 2016 Critics Choice Television Awards: Most Exciting New Series (won) and Best Drama Series (nominated), to name a few.
Born in Argentina to Korean immigrant parents and raised in Sydney, Australia, Nam attended Sydney Technical High School and studied architecture at the University of New South Wales, before deciding to move to New York City at the age of 19 to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Whilst in New York, he studied drama at the critically acclaimed HB Studio and also worked with the New York Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park company and Sigourney Weaver and Jim Simpson's The Bat Theater Company. His breakout role came in the Paramount Studios comedy "The Perfect Score"; starring Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans and Erika Christensen. Since then he has gone on to star in a string of movies, namely "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" 1 & 2, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", "Vantage Point", "He's Just Not That Into You", "One for the Money" and the Sam Raimi produced comedy "Murder Of A Cat." On the television front Nam has recurred on the Amazon series "Betas," and has appeared on "Royal Pains," "Bones," "Franklin & Bash," and "Stalker".Morimoto- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Jason Tobin was born in Hong Kong. He is known for Warrior (2019), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Jasmine (2015). He is married to Michelle Lau. They have three children.Earl- Keiko Kitagawa, very commonly known as Sailor Mars in the live action series of Sailor Moon, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM), is a seventeen magazine model turned actress and singer. Born on August 22nd 1986 in Hyogo Perfecture, Japan, Keiko has a lived an unexpected life. From growing up in Kobe and losing many friends in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake to being uncertain about her childhood dream of being a doctor. Fortunately, fate had other plans for Keiko when she was scouted by a talent agency who recognized her as a born star. Approval from her parents was not an easy task because their main concern was her studies and having her graduate from a university. In the end, Keiko proved to be victorious winning Miss Seventeen 2003 and landing a modeling contract until 2006. During that time, Keiko won the role of Rei Hino aka Sailor Mars in the live action series of Sailor Moon, her first acting role. After that famous role, she starred in a numerous of movies. One in particular was Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, in which she had a small role but had a chance to come to the United States for filming and premiers. This journey to the US prompted her to study the English language and now she is fluent in English. Keiko continues her studies and is majoring in Commercial Science at Meiji University in Tokyo. In 2007 she is working on 5 new projects and one of them is a new drama series, Mop Girl now playing on Asahi TV.Reiko
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Brian Tee will star opposite Nicole Kidman in the prestige limited series "Expats," as "Clarke Woo" husband to "Margaret" (Kidman), directed by the acclaimed Lulu Wang for Amazon Prime. Tee also stared as Dr. Ethan Choi, on NBC's hit drama "Chicago Med," produced by Dick Wolf and won a 2020 NAMIC Vision Award (Best Performance - Drama) for his work on "Chicago Med."
On the big screen Tee has shared his talents in many giant blockbuster movies. Tee is known around the world for his starring role as "D.K. The Drift King," in Universal's franchise "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," directed by Justin Lin. He was a lead in FOX's summer hit "The Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman and Directed by James Mangold. He played "Hamada," the head of park security in Universal Pictures' and Amblin Entertainment's box office smash "Jurassic World." And continuing his tent-pole career, Tee starred in Paramount Pictures' and Michael Bay's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2," as the iconic villain "Shredder."
As a character leading man, Tee romanced audiences as the lead opposite Anne Heche in the Hallmark movie "One Christmas Eve." He starred in the series "Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2," as "Liu Kang," produced by Warner Brothers, took on a lead role in Lifetime's "The Gabby Douglas Story" as the inspirational Coach "Liang Chow," and also gave a standout comedic performance in Justin Lin's comedy, "Finishing the Game," as the insanely hilarious Vietnam Vet, "Mac Chang."
A talent in all genres, Tee gave an unforgettable, heart wrenching performance as "Jimmy Nakayama," in the action drama "We Were Soldiers," opposite Mel Gibson. And on the comedy side, Brian has featured in big budget comedies "Austin Powers: Goldmember," alongside Mike Myers and "Fun with Dick and Jane," with comedy great Jim Carrey.
On the small screen, Tee was a series regular playing "EMT Eddie Choi," in "Crash," a STARZ TV series based on the Academy Award winning film. He recurred on the hit NBC series "Grimm," CBS's "Hawaii 5-O," and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Tee has made memorable guest star appearances on shows such as "Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Lucifer, ZOO, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Lottery, Legends, Beauty and the Beast, Burn Notice, The Good Guys, CSI, Dark Blue, Bones, Lie To Me, Jericho, Entourage, The Unit, Wanted, Without A Trace, JAG, Family Law, The Pretender, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer," among others.
As the consummate artist, Tee continued to stretch his range Internationally. He starred in the Korean American romantic comedy indie feature "Wedding Palace," and was the lead villain in Korea's highly anticipated action film "No Tears for the Dead," opposite, Jang, Dong-Gun and Kim, Min-Hee, Directed by the acclaimed Lee, Jeong-Beom ("The Man from Nowhere.")
In love with his craft, Tee never stops honing his talents and embraces all mediums. Brian returned to the stage to rave reviews for his lead performance in "Snow Falling on Cedars" at the prestigious Hartford Stage.
A Los Angeles native and mixture of multiple Asian descents, Tee is proficient in both Japanese and Korean, and holds a bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts - Acting from the University of California, Berkeley. His muse is his Family, his amazing wife Mirelly Taylor and magical daughter Madelyn Skyler who are his life's love and inspiration.D.K- Jimmy Lin is known for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), F9: The Fast Saga (2021) and Fast & Furious (2009).Jimmy
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- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Sonny Chiba was born as Sadao Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan on January 22, 1939. His father was a military test pilot. During his youth, he had an interest in both theater & gymnastics. He was talented enough to make the Japanese Olympic Team until a chronic back injury ended his career. However, he took a strong interest in karate under the guidance of the Mas Oyama during college & soon earned his first black belt. However, his life changed again when he was discovered during a talent search by Toei Studios in 1960. He soon began his screen career under the name Shinichi Chiba, appearing as the space chief in Uchu Kaisoku-ken. Over the next decade, he busied himself w/ appearances in Japanese crime thrillers, steadily building a reputation for playing hard men of few words & direct actions.
With his proficiency in karate, judo & kenpo, he took advantage of the early 1970s martial arts boom sparked by Bruce Lee. He starred in The Street Fighter (1974), playing a mercenary style street thug who would do anything for a price & take on anyone, even the yakuza. The approach of the film was quite different from the Bruce Lee films in that Lee only eliminated his enemies when he was defending his friends or his honor. Instead, he was only aiming for a fistful of dollars for his deadly services & would engage in mortal combat for the highest bidder, although this often clouded his judgement to his own detriment. The only person the Street Fighter respects is his martial arts teacher, karate master Masaoko who manages to easily out smart & out fight him. Upon its release, the film was criticized for its excessive violence.
A sequel quickly followed w/ him back in Return of the Street Fighter (1974), which was then followed by a third Street Fighter movie starring Etsuko Shihomi in the gritty Sister Street Fighter (1974). There was a fourth & final film in the series Gyakushu Satsujin ken.
He had firmly established himself as a key anti-hero of Asian martial arts cinema who said little & used his fists to sort out his troubles. With the demand high from fans, he remained busy on screen for the next 20 years, starring in numerous Japanese film & TV productions w/ an emphasis on bruising fights, samurai swords, yakuza gangsters & beautiful girls in trouble.
Outside of Japan, the Street Fighter film series has achieved enduring popularity through many midnight cult screenings. Their style heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino. He has used strong references & imagery from the Street Fighter movies in several of his films including True Romance (1993) and Pulp Fiction (1994). When he came around to casting for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), he was eager to have Chiba accept the key role of the hot headed & sometimes humorous Okinawan sword maker Hanzo Hattori. He continued to be a major figure & influence in the world-wide passion in martial arts movies for over 3 decades, contributing to the genre by encouraging & training young hopefuls seeking to make their mark on screen.
He passed away on August 19, 2021.Uncle Kamata- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
John Ortiz was born on 21 November 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Gangster (2007) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). He is married to Jennifer Ortiz. They have one child.Braga- Jack Conley is known for The Purge: Anarchy (2014), Fast & Furious (2009) and Traffic (2000). He is married to Francesca Casale.Penning
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Liza Lapira is a film, television, and theater actress. She was raised in Queens, N.Y. In New York, she acted on stage and in independent films. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in television. Her first theatrical film appearance was in the romantic drama Autumn in New York and since then she has been cast in a myriad of television and film roles. Lapira is a supporter of children's organizations, like LA's Best and Impact Theatre in Harlem, and she also participates in the annual Children's Hospital Los Angeles Charity Triathlon.Trinh- Actor
- Producer
Born in Florida, educated at the State University of New York-Purchase, and coming from the NYC based theatre scene, Shea Whigham's big break came when director Joel Schumacher cast him opposite Colin Farrell in Tigerland (2000). He has worked opposite Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, Christian Bale, Sean Penn and many others; and continues his role as "Eli Thompson" on HBO's award-winning series Boardwalk Empire (2010). Married with four children, Whigham and his family divide their time between New York and Los Angeles.Stasiak- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Tego Calderón was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, in 1972. He grew up in Río Grande and Carolina, areas of Puerto Rico that maintain some of the strongest Afro-Caribbean influences on the island. Throughout his childhood Calderón was exposed by his parents to the groundbreaking music of salsa legend Ismael Rivera, as well as to Latin jazz.
Determined to take his place in the music world, Tego explored a diversity of musical influences, transforming himself into an accomplished musician as well as vocalist. He attended the Escuela Libre de Música of Puerto Rico, where he concentrated on percussion studies, while also mastering composition and lyrics.
In the late-1980s, Tego moved to Miami, where he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. It was there that Calderón began to soak up the influences of American hip-hop. Hearing the California gangster rap troupe N.W.A. proved pivotal.
Moving back to Puerto Rico, Calderón also found a new appreciation for such Jamaican dance hall performers as Buju Banton, Super Cat, and Ninja Man. Around the same time, the Reggaeton movement began to become a force in Puerto Rico. Calderón began to forge his own multicultural rap style, earning a reputation as a street poet with a fresh musical approach.
He credits fellow Puerto Rican hip-hop pioneer Vico C with inspiring him to rap in Spanish, instead of imitating the English catch phrases of African-American hip-hop. Establishing himself as a new voice of the streets, he made a series of appearances on best-selling Latin hip-hop compilations. A remix collection entitled "El Enemy De Los Guasibiri," released in 2004, consisted largely of tracks which had appeared on those early compilations.
"El Abayarde" released in 2002, broke sales records in the then-underground Reggaeton genre, selling a remarkable 50,000 on the first day of its release, and Calderón became an overnight Latin superstar. Just three months after making his solo debut, Calderón was greeted with a tumultuous response at a sold-out concert at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan. The following day, he made history when he became the first rap artist to perform at the traditional National Day of Salsa celebration.
When Tego first headlined New York's Madison Square Garden in August 2003, the New York Times heralded him as "the most forward-looking performer" of the artists on the bill.
In October 2004, when he returned to the stage of the Garden as the star of the breakthrough "Megatón 2004" event, attendance had swelled from 12,000 to a sold-out 20,000, with a large number of non-Spanish-speaking fans in the audience.
As Latin rappers have been embraced by the American hip-hop culture, Calderón has been featured on a variety of mix tapes and has been invited to add his trademark vocal style to collaborations and remixes by the likes of Fat Joe's Terror Squad (the 1 smash, "Lean Back"), Usher, 50 Cent, Cypress Hill, and Wyclef Jean, among others.
From his appearances at New York's annual Puerto Rican Day parades in 2004 and 2005, to becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be featured on New York's Power-105, Calderón has been breaking cultural barriers. In a cover story on Calderón and Reggaeton, the Village Voice noted that Tego "almost single-handedly...steered his country's dominant youth culture out of the island and Latino neighborhoods, and into the American stream of pop consciousness." Among Calderón's achievements are Latin Grammy and Billboard Award nominations, a Source Award for "International Artist of the Year," a Tu Música award, and nominations for La Gente and Lo Nuestro awards.
Tego's music is an experimental nexus of urban Hip Hop roughness with the poetic Caribbean rhythms transmitted by the early sounds of Salsa music. Not only is Tego, like many of his Salsa heroes, a formidable storyteller...he also incorporates the lyrical percussion and fine rhythmic lines that can be found in the works of Luis Pales Matos.
Calderon's is by far more than just another Reggaeton performer; he is a consummate street poet at the Vanguard of the Puerto Rican musical and artistic scene. While others break...Calderon's music is the true essence of a real artist...He creates and repairs...not many current musicians can boast that.Tego Leo- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
William Omar Landrón Rivera is the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He was raised in Cristo Rey, a barrio of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, specifically in the Villa Altagracia area. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo, in Pedernales where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.
Several months later, he had his first public presentation in a night club, accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJ's and producers like Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also started working as a backup singer for the puerto rican duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.Rico Santos- Actress
- Writer
Mirtha Michelle is an actress and writer born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on January 17th. At five years old her parents, Jose and Mirtha moved the family to Miami, Florida. She grew up in a very close-knit family, also consisting of her older sister Cathryn and younger brother Jose Angel. Her parents' own love for the Arts was imparted unto them. At an early age, Her father a trained musician, and her mother a teacher and local theater director were supportive of her desire to act. Since then she's appeared on TV shows like CSI, and CSI: Miami, and films such as "Fast and Furious", "Los Bandoleros" and "Awol-72". In June 2014 Mirtha Michelle published her first book titled "Letters, To The Men I Have Loved" which quickly became a best-seller. Since then she published the sequel titled "Elusive Loves; Amores Esquivos" released in December 2015 with an equal amount of success. With her books she has been able to capture the first feelings of love and loss in a raw form that has allowed her to earn the hearts of many loyal readers. She's also active as a public speaker with engagements at colleges throughout the country. She resides in Los Angeles, California.Cara- Actor
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Best known for his supporting role as Dwight in Fast & Furious (2009) as well as his voice acting as 2012 Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017) and Beast Boy in Teen Titans Go! (since 2013), Gregory Michael Cipes realized his calling as an entertainer early in life. Having been born and raised in South Florida to a family of 9 brothers and sisters, Greg's inspiration to join the entertainment business was drawn from his thespian grandparents and TV director father. After dozens of roles in children's theater and numerous national commercials, made his professional off-Broadway acting and singing debut, starring as Young Solomon in the production "The Rothschild's" at the age of 13. At 16 he wrote, recorded and self produced his first single and eventual South Florida dance club hit with his band "Cipes and the People", whose album has since sold 60,000 copies plus. His new band, "Super Space Fighters" has been touted by critics as being a fresh take on Rock and Roll by mashing the sounds of the likes of the Beatles, Grateful Dead and Bob Marley (I). Cipes's new band has just started playing festivals across the United States.
At the age of 17, Greg became nationally ranked as a Junior Professional surfer with an unheard of 13 corporate sponsors. He's been featured several surfing magazines, and has graced the cover of "Eastern Surf Magazine" while appearing in numerous advertising campaigns for his sponsors.
Greg moved to Los Angeles in 2001, with nothing more than his beloved dog Timber, a guitar on his bad, and a surfboard. Since, he has starred in over 30 feature films such as "Fast & Furious (2009)", "Vile (2011)", "John Tucker Must Die (2006)", "Simon Says (2006)", "Pledge This! (2006)", "The Onion Movie (2008)", "Club Dread (2004)". His television appearances include "Ghost Whisperer (2005)", "Cold Case (2003)", "Gilmore Girls (2000)", Raines (2007)", "House (2004), "Bones (2005)", "Without a Trace (2002), "Samantha Who? (2007)". He has had recurring and series regular television roles on "The Middle (2009)", "Deadwood (2004), "One on One (2001)", "True Blood (2008)" and "Twentyfourseven (2006)", "Roseanne's Nuts (2011)", "CSI: Miami (2002)", "General Hospital (1963)" & "Anger Management (2012).
Cipes has been dubbed the Crowned Prince of the Voiceover, having originally been discovered by 8 time Emmy Award-winning voice director Andrea Romano who cast Greg in his first cartoon role announcing "Greg has begun this ridiculously huge voice-over career." Greg is now the voice of his childhood idol Michelangelo in Nickelodeon's new global hit series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012). His animation roles have made him known universally in such immortal characterizations as "Beast Boy" in Teen Titans Go! (2013), "Kevin Levin" in Ben 10: Alien Force (2008), "Chiro" in Disney's "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!" (2004) , "Danny Rand/Iron Fist" in Ultimate Spider-Man (2012), "Caleb" in W.I.T.C.H. (2004), Atlas" in "Astro Boy" (2003), the unforgettable lion cub, "Ryan" in The Wild (2006) and recurring roles in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Fish Hooks (2010) and Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2010).
Greg's latest projects include a bi weekly "speakeasy" concert of eclectic local bands called La La Land, which is held at the Hollywood lounge Bardot. As a celebration of the culture and community of Laurel Canyon, Greg has created and is hosting the 4th Annual "Love Street Festival", taking place in Laurel Canyon July 5th. Greg is also on the board of the "Kids Venice Basketball League Natural Leaders program" which is an outreach program based in Los Angeles where underprivileged youth are introduced to the practices and principles of organic gardening, Yoga, Surfing, sustainable living and meditation. He has started his own charity organization based in Los Angeles called "UnAmor" bringing homeless Children, the Elderly and dogs together. Greg continues to tour the world making autograph appearances, teaching meditation and playing music live at Comic cons.Dwight- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Ron Yuan just wrapped as one of the ensemble leads in Disney's live adaptation Mulan (2020), directed by Niki Caro. Yuan plays battle hardened "Master Sgt. Qiang", 2nd in command of the Imperial Regiment.
Yuan signed on as series regular, Prince Nayan, on Netflix's Marco Polo (2014), created by John Fusco. Yuan filmed Roland Emmerich's Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) playing "Yeong", the main weapons engineer. Before that, he was in The Accountant (2016), directed by Gavin O'Connor, playing a reluctant Silat Master. He appeared on Jon Bokenkamp's The Blacklist (2013) as Quon Zhang. He was seen in the final season of Sons of Anarchy (2008) as the intense and unpredictable "Ryu Tom". Yuan played hard-nosed "Lt. Peter Kang" in the short-lived CBS series Golden Boy (2013), and had small roles in episodes of Justified (2010) and Castle (2009). Yuan joined Francesca Eastwood and Annie Q. Riegel in MDMA (2017).
In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), he voiced "Scorpion". His made his directorial debut with Step Up China (2019). In the ABC/Freeform series Siren (2018), Yuan played "Aldon Decker", a military marine biologist who unwittingly falls in love with a predator mermaid. His obsession spirals out of control as he tries to bring her back to his research facility. Yuan designed the fight sequences as well as going behind camera as Action Director for Wild Card (2015), scripted by William Goldman and directed by Simon West. Yuan completed designing and directing the action on the popular action franchise Black & White: The Dawn of Justice (2014). He played character in story arcs on FOX's Touch (2012) (opposite Kiefer Sutherland) and NBC's Awake (2012) (opposite Jason Isaacs).
He was the voice behind major gaming campaigns (Call of Duty-Black Ops 2, Halo, Star Wars' Old Republic, Resident Evil, World of Warcraft, Medal of Honor, Army of Two, Guild Wars 2, Deus Ex, Drake's Uncharted, and many more). Yuan's MiniFlix Films with Sony Television (SPE) co-produced three films (Three Bullets, Tea and Remembrance, Lollipops) in which Yuan wrote, produced and directed. Yuan's award winning work in short film and features has premiered in more than 30 film festivals worldwide, including Toronto, Sundance (Park City, Utah), Tribeca (Manhattan), Athens, Cairo, Seattle, Kansas City (Missouri), Austin (Texas), and Beijing & Macau (China), and Los Angeles, Newport Beach & Comic Con (all California).David Park- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova Scotian descent), and his mother is of Samoan background (her own father was Peter Fanene Maivia, also a professional wrestler). While growing up, Dwayne traveled around a lot with his parents and watched his father perform in the ring. During his high school years, Dwayne began playing football and he soon received a full scholarship from the University of Miami, where he had tremendous success as a football player. In 1995, Dwayne suffered a back injury which cost him a place in the NFL. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.
He made his wrestling debut in the USWA under the name Flex Kavanah where he won the tag team championship with Brett Sawyer. In 1996, Dwayne joined the WWE and became Rocky Maivia where he joined a group known as "The Nation of Domination" and turned heel. Rocky eventually took over leadership of the "Nation" and began taking the persona of The Rock. After the "Nation" split, The Rock joined another elite group of wrestlers known as the "Corporation" and began a memorable feud with Steve Austin. Soon the Rock was kicked out of the "Corporation". He turned face and became known as "The Peoples Champion". In 2000, the Rock took time off from WWE to film his appearance in The Mummy Returns (2001). He returned in 2001 during the WCW/ECW invasion where he joined a team of WWE wrestlers at The Scorpion King (2002), a prequel to The Mummy Returns (2001).
Dwayne has a daughter, Simone Alexandra Johnson, born in 2001, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and daughters, Jasmine, born in 2015, and Tiana Gia, born in 2018, with his wife, singer and songwriter Lauren Hashian.Luke Hobbs- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Elsa Pataky was born Elsa Lafuente Medianu in Madrid, Spain. Her mother, Cristina Pataky Medianu, is a publicist of Romanian and Hungarian ancestry, and her father, José Francisco Lafuente, is a Spanish biochemist. She attended the Universidad de San Pablo CEU where she studied journalism and began to take an interest in acting. She joined Teatro Cámara de Ángel Gutiérrez, a theater company in Madrid, and left college when she was offered a role in the long-running Spanish TV series Al salir de clase (1997).
More Spanish TV roles followed, alongside a growing career in movies, first in Spain but increasingly internationally.
She met her husband, Chris Hemsworth, through the management company that represents them both, ROAR.Elena Neves- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, to Eileen (Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street merchant and lounge singer. He was a Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished twelfth in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He received the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) through French Connection, for whom he was modeling. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part in the film by challenging him to impersonate an illegal street vendor and convince him to purchase fake jewelry. Jason must have been doing something right because after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he teamed up again with Guy Ritchie for Snatch (2000), with co-stars including Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro. After Snatch (2000) came Turn It Up (2000) with US music star Ja Rule, followed by a supporting actor role in the sci-fi film Ghosts of Mars (2001), Jet Li's The One (2001) and another screen partnership with Vinnie Jones in Mean Machine (2001) under Guy Ritchie's and Matthew Vaughn's SKA Films. Finally in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002). Jason was also in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job (1969), The Italian Job (2003), playing Handsome Rob.
Throughout the 2000s, Statham became a star of juicy action B-films, most significantly Crank (2006) and Crank: High Voltage (2009), and also War (2007), opposite Jet Li, and The Bank Job (2008) and Death Race (2008), among others. In the 2010s, his reputation for cheeky and tough leading performances led to his casting as Lee Christmas in The Expendables (2010) and its sequels, the comedy Spy (2015), and as (apparently) reformed villain Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Apart from these blockbusters, he continued headlining B-films such as Homefront (2013).
In 2017, he had his first child, a son with his partner, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.Ian Shaw- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Director. Writer. Producer. Actor. Poet. He studied history, literature and theatre for some time, but didn't finish it and founded instead his own film production company in 1963. Later in his life, Herzog also staged several operas in Bayreuth, Germany, and at the Milan Scala in Italy. Herzog has won numerous national and international awards for his poetic feature and documentary films.Ian Shaw's Father- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Japanom Yeerum was born on February 5, 1976, in the northeastern province of Surin, Thailand. His parents were elephant herders. Jaa watched martial arts films as a young kid and began to emulate some of his idols, from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Jaa studied martial arts at the local temple school and later under a scholarship at the Physical Education College in Khon Kaen, Thailand where he continued to study Muay Boran, Muay Thai, Wushu, Judo and Tae-Kwan-Do. Jaa later did some stunt for in a film for 'Panna Rittikrai', This resulted in Jaa being seen and getting work, doubling for Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), and when his demo reel was seen by director Prachya Pinkaew, the film Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) was created for Jaa. He adopted the English name Tony Jaa. In 2013, after ending his association with Sahamongkol Film, Jaa was contracted by Universal Studio's for a role in Fast and Furious 7. Jaa now has starring roles in several international films being filmed in 2014 and is concentrating his efforts more towards international audiences.