Birthdays: August 17
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- Actress
- Soundtrack
In America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made her entrance into this caring haven on August 17, 1920, in Ranelagh (a suburb of Dublin), Ireland. Her mother, Marguerita Lilburn FitzSimons, was an accomplished contralto. Her father, Charles FitzSimons, managed a business in Dublin and also owned part of the renowned Irish soccer team "The Shamrock Rovers." Maureen was the second of six FitzSimons children - Peggy, Florrie, Charles B. Fitzsimons, Margot Fitzsimons and James O'Hara completed this beautiful family.
Maureen loved playing rough athletic games as a child and excelled in sports. She combined this interest with an equally natural gift for performing. This was demonstrated by her winning pretty much every Feis award for drama and theatrical performing her country offered. By age 14 she was accepted to the prestigious Abbey Theater and pursued her dream of classical theater and operatic singing. This course was to be altered, however, when Charles Laughton, after seeing a screen test of Maureen, became mesmerized by her hauntingly beautiful eyes. Before casting her to star in Jamaica Inn (1939), Laughton and his partner, Erich Pommer, changed her name from Maureen FitzSimons to "Maureen O'Hara" - a bit shorter last name for the marquee.
Under contract to Laughton, Maureen's next picture was to be filmed in America (The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)) at RKO Pictures. The epic film was an extraordinary success and Maureen's contract was eventually bought from Laughton by RKO. At 19, Maureen had already starred in two major motion pictures with Laughton. Unlike most stars of her era, she started at the top, and remained there - with her skills and talents only getting better and better with the passing years.
Maureen has an enviable string of all-time classics to her credit that include the aforementioned "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Sitting Pretty (1948), The Quiet Man (1952), and The Parent Trap (1961). Add to this the distinction of being voted one of the five most beautiful women in the world and you have a film star who was as gorgeous as she was talented.
Although at times early in her career Hollywood didn't seem to notice, there was much more to Maureen O'Hara than her dynamic beauty. She not only had a wonderful lyric soprano voice, but she could use her inherent athletic ability to perform physical feats that most actresses couldn't begin to attempt, from fencing to fisticuffs. She was a natural athlete.
In her career Maureen starred with some of Hollywood's most dashing leading men, including Tyrone Power, John Payne, Rex Harrison, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Brian Keith, Sir Alec Guinness and, of course, her famed pairings with "The Duke" himself, John Wayne. She starred in five films with Wayne, the most beloved being The Quiet Man (1952).
In addition to famed director John Ford, Maureen was also fortunate to have worked for some other great directors in the business: Alfred Hitchcock, William Dieterle, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Jean Renoir, John M. Stahl, William A. Wellman, Frank Borzage, Walter Lang, George Seaton, George Sherman, Carol Reed, Delmer Daves, David Swift, Andrew V. McLaglen and Chris Columbus.
In 1968 Maureen found much deserved personal happiness when she married Charles Blair. Gen. Blair was a famous aviator whom she had known as a friend of her family for many years. A new career began for Maureen, that of a full-time wife. Her marriage to Blair, however, was again far from typical. Blair was the real-life version of what John Wayne had been on the screen. He had been a Brigadier General in the Air Force, a Senior Pilot with Pan American, and held many incredible record-breaking aeronautic achievements. Maureen happily retired from films in 1973 after making the TV movie The Red Pony (1973) (which on the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence) with Henry Fonda. With Blair, Maureen managed Antilles Airboats, a commuter sea plane service in the Caribbean. She not only made trips around the world with her pilot husband, but owned and published a magazine, "The Virgin Islander," writing a monthly column called "Maureen O'Hara Says."
Tragically, Charles Blair died in a plane crash in 1978. Though completely devastated, Maureen pulled herself together and, with memories of ten of the happiest years of her life, continued on. She was elected President and CEO of Antilles Airboats, which brought her the distinction of being the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the United States.
Fortunately, she was coaxed out of retirement several times - once in 1991 to star with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991) and again, in 1995, in a made-for-TV movie, The Christmas Box (1995) on CBS. In the spring of 1998, Maureen accepted the second of what would be three projects for Polson Productions and CBS: Cab to Canada (1998) - and, in October, 2000, The Last Dance (2000).
On St. Patrick's Day in 2004, she published her New York Times bestselling memoir, 'Tis Herself, co-authored with her longtime biographer and manager Johnny Nicoletti.
On November 4, 2014 Maureen was honored by a long overdue Oscar for "Lifetime Achievement" at the annual Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards.
Maureen O'Hara was absolutely stunning, with that trademark red hair, dazzling smile and those huge, expressive eyes. She has fans from all over the world of all ages who are utterly devoted to her legacy of films and her persona as a strong, courageous and intelligent woman.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ada Falcon was born on 17 August 1905 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress, known for Idols of the Radio (1934), Tu cuna fue un conventillo (1925) and Innocent Lies (1995). She died on 4 January 2002 in Salsipuedes, Córdoba, Argentina.- Composer
- Writer
- Actor
Adam Litovitz was born on 17 August 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was a composer and writer, known for Octavio Is Dead! (2018), Year of the Carnivore (2009) and Three Movements (2013). He died on 16 June 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Ahmet Mekin was born on 6 August 1932 in Istanbul, Turkey. He is an actor, known for Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim (1977), Görünmeyen (2011) and Kardes Kani (1964). He is married to Sükran Sabuncu. He was previously married to Sükran Sabuncu.
- Actor
- Writer
Allan Royal was born on 17 August 1944 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Night Heat (1985), Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Code Name: Eternity (2000).- Additional Crew
Andrés Pastrana Arango is known for Finding Escobar's Millions (2017), Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999) and The Colombian Ignominy (2016).- Actor
- Director
- Editor
Andrew Koenig was born on 17 August 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for InAlienable (2007), Batman: Dead End (2003) and Growing Pains (1985). He died on 14 February 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Angela Dohrmann was born on 17 August 1965 in West Hollywood, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Nash Bridges (1996), Seinfeld (1989) and The Drew Carey Show (1995).
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Anthony E. Zuiker is the creator of television's hugely successful "CSI" franchise, currently serving as executive producer of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the newest series in the franchise, "CSI: Cyber." In December of 2014, Zuiker made his debut in the kids market with "Mysteryopolis," a seven part animated video series which was the first original series to launch exclusively on nabi tablets. "Mysteryopolis" also introduced the world to a whole new category of kids entertainment called the "gamified narrative," which combines Hollywood-style scripted narrative with top-notch interactive gameplay, so that kids don't watch the episode, they "play" through the episode.
Last year, Zuiker pushed the envelope on both scripted and reality television with his first foray into the reality genre, "Whodunnit?" for ABC. One of the most groundbreaking cross-platform storytellers today, Zuiker created and executive produced "Cybergeddon," a digital blockbuster for Yahoo! The project caught the attention of the International Digital Emmy Awards, and in April of 2013, Zuiker was recognized as the recipient of the 2013 Pioneer Prize at MIPTV in Cannes. Zuiker is also credited as pioneering the "Digi-novel" genre and is the author of the best-selling series "Level 26," published by Dutton/Penguin Group. In 2011, Zuiker published his personal memoir, Mr. CSI: How a Vegas Dreamer Made a Killing in Hollywood, One Body at a Time, with Harper Collins.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Anthony Valentine was born on 17 August 1939 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Scobie in September (1969), The Fifth Corner (1992) and Callan (1967). He was married to Susan Valentine. He died on 2 December 2015 in Guildford, Surrey, England, UK.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Antonio Rios is known for Pasapalabra (2016), Antonio Rios: Nunca me faltes (1996) and Todo x 2 pesos (1999).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ariadne Díaz was born on 17 August 1986 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Mañana es para siempre (2008), Te juro que yo no fui (2018) and Llena de amor (2010). She has been married to Marcus Ornellas since 2015. They have one child.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Actress and comedienne Ashlie Rhey was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and grew up in Navarre, Ohio, where she graduated from Fairless High School with the Class of 1979.
Ashlie was cast in her very first acting role while working as a model with Wilhelmina Models, for that role she portrayed movie starlet with Edd Byrnes of 77 Sunset Strip (1958) in a commercial.
Ashlie's modeling career took her to Europe and upon returning to the west coast she began pursuing her career as an actress. It was at that time that her theatrical agent received a casting call from Playboy landing Ashlie in seven newsstand specials and a pictorial for Playboy Australia. She went on to fill numerous roles for film and television productions for Playboy Enterprises.
During her studies for acting she also worked as a hand model and body double. She poked the Pillsbury Doughboy and was the hands of supermodels Rachel Hunter, Niki Taylor and others in their cosmetics commercials. Kelly Lynch, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sarah Jessica Parker and Valeria Golino are a few of the actresses for whom Ashlie body-doubled in their movie posters and video box covers.
One of Ashlie's early roles was as Shannon Thronton in the Telley Award winning Soap Opera Secrets. She then obtained some small roles and quickly landed her first starring role in the independent horror film The Summoned (1992). Her next break came when she was cast as the star of Bikini Drive-in (1995), she subsequently co-starred as April in the sequel, Mystery On Makeout Mountain (1997) and landed the role of Tye Dye in Babe Watch: Forbidden Parody (1996).
In 2008 Ashlie began performing stand up comedy for the Spiritual, but not Religious in Sanctimonious Comedy and she created, wrote, produced, directed and starred in the sitcom pilot Daisy Power (2008).
Along with her performance work Ashlie has followed a life long interest in alternative medicine, spiritual growth and the healing arts. She is a Reiki Master, an L.M.T. and a certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Ashlie also studied at the School for Enlightenment and Healing and she follows a path of personal transformation.- Augie Blunt was born on 17 August 1929 in Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Ghost (1990), The American President (1995) and Life (1999). He was married to Dolores Scott. He died on 2 May 1999.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Austin Robert Butler was born in Anaheim, California, to Lori Anne (Howell), an aesthetician, and David Butler. He has always enjoyed movies of all types. When he was 13 he was walking around at the Orange County Fair and was approached by a representative from a background-acting management company, who helped him get started in the entertainment industry. He found that he really enjoyed it, and began taking a few acting classes. Soon, he landed a rather permanent (2005-2007) background-acting gig on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2004), and a friend on the show, Lindsey Shaw, introduced him to her manager, who offered to represent him. From that point on, he considered himself to be a serious actor.
His first named (albeit uncredited) character was "Toby" in the Hannah Montana (2006) episode "Oops, I Meddled Again" in 2006 (girl broke up with him). First speaking role was in Zoey 101 (2005), as "Dannifer" or "Wrong Danny" (a few lines, and a girl poured soda down his shirt). He got a meatier role on Hannah Montana (2006) in 2007, still a small part, but very fun (a few more lines, and he got to fling popcorn on Miley Cyrus).
His big break (relatively speaking) was in 2007, as casting directors started to recognize him from his many, many auditions, and he was given an opportunity to play the part of "Jake Krandle" in the new Nickelodeon series iCarly (2007), which should start airing late in 2007. His first episode is called "iLike Jake."- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Pop icon Belinda Carlisle experienced full-blown American success twice in the 1980s, first with the all-female rock band The Go-Go's and then, on an international level (which she always wanted), as a solo artist. The Go-Go's first album, 1981's "Beauty and the Beat", spent six weeks at number 1 and they are still the only all-female band ever to have a number 1 album. (Band meaning where all the members play their own instruments). In 1982, the group released the album "Vacation" and set out on a major sell out tour of the states. The album debuted in the top 10 (one of the first albums to ever do so) peaking at number 8. It would eventually go on to sell over 1 million copies though their record company only had it certified as gold. Problems were rising in the band as tensions grew between member Jane Wiedlin and Belinda as Jane felt too much focus was placed on Belinda as the star. Members Gina Schock and Charlotte Caffey both experienced health problems and all of the members were experiencing drug addiction. The group also consistently had problems with their record label as they were not paid royalties when they should have been. 1984 saw the group releasing "Talk Show" and despite having one of the biggest tours of the summer of 1984, the album was considered a commercial disappointment. The band broke up in spring 1985. 1986 saw Belinda releasing her first solo album called, aptly, "Belinda". Drug free, married, happy, and healthy, she continued to experience major solo success through 1989 with the releases of her albums "Heaven On Earth" (1987) and "Runaway Horses" (1989). With the onslaught of grunge moving in during the early 1990s, Belinda's 1991 effort "Live Your Life Be Free" barely made a dent on the charts and its first single peaked at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100. By 1993, her solo album "Real" also tanked and her American record company MCA Records dropped her a year later. MCA technically should be to blame as they hardly promoted her work and most of it sold on its own. They did the same to Olivia Newton-John some 10 years earlier. But just because a pop star isn't experiencing American success does not mean they are not experiencing it elsewhere. Belinda proves to be a huge commodity in Europe, almost as big as Madonna, and sells out stadiums in the United Kingdom where they truly seem to appreciate her. Today, Belinda only occasionally records both as a solo artist and as a member of The Go-Go's. She considers herself a part-timer in these fields as she prefers her home life as opposed to the nail-biting entertainment industry. She appeared in the 1984 Goldie Hawn vehicle Swing Shift (1984) and, in 2001, she showed that a 43-year-old with no plastic surgery and who isn't a size 0 can still be sexually viable when she posed nude for Playboy.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Bianca Collins was born on 17 August 1988 in San Diego, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Tiger Cruise (2004), House (2004) and Grey's Anatomy (2005).- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Bob DeBrino is a member of the Producers, Director's and Writers Guilds of America. He has developed many quality Film and TV projects and has completed several major feature films and TV pilots. He maintains the dramatic rights to several literary properties such as, The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (by Martin Gosch and Richard Hammer), The Vatican Connection (by Richard Hammer), Rough Magic The Sylvia Plath's Story (by Paul Alexander), Juiced (by Harper Collins) New York Times Bestsellers list for fourteen weeks. The Andy Warhol Estate (by Paul Alexander), Cathedral (by Nelson DeMille), Justice Denied (by Robert K. Tanenbaum) and Murder Machine (by Jerry Capacci).
Bob Debrino has worked in all aspects of development in film and television. He worked as a producer at the following companies, Canon Pictures, Dan Blatt Productions at Warner Brothers Studios, Al Ruddy at the Ruddy-Morgan Organization who produced the (Godfather), Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox.
He has several projects in development for network and cable television: Trump Tower from Donald Trump, Showtime Television, Rainbows Hallmark Entertainment, The Chameleon CBS TV, Boston Point Shaving Case, ABC TV/New Regency/Warner Bros, Riley for the People, CBS- TV and VJ Records: The Vivienne Carter Story Susan DEPasse Entertainment/Mo Town Music TV, Colony in Space, CBS TV. City of Miracles, NBC TV. He has developed and Co-Produced, The Alyssa Milano Story, Lifetime Television's Bio Pic.
He has completed Shut Up and Shoot, starring Tom Seizemore, Gary Busey, Daniel Baldwin and John Savage, Find Me Guilty starring Vin Diesel and Peter Dinklage, directed by Sidney Lumet. Twister starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. Ivory Keyes starring Martin Landau.
Documentary films include Simon Bolivar's, Path to Glory starring Sal Pacino, Kathy Pacino, Bebsabe Duque and Laureano Olivares.
Bob was a New York City Police Officer and was injured in the line of duty while foiling a bank holdup. He has been wounded and shot four times and has stopped his assailants by returning fire. Bob worked in several units in the NYPD, Patrol, Anti-Crime, Vice, Homicide, and Narcotics. He has approximately 39 citations for bravery and has received the Honor Legion Medal. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, Cop of the Month Award "several times." Bob retired early from the NYPD due to many line of duty injuries and currently has a successful career as producer-writer in the Film and Television industry.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
American actor Brady James Monson Corbet was born on August 17, 1988, in Scottsdale, AZ. Brady made his film debut as Mason Freeland in 2003's "Thirteen" and later had roles as Brian Lackey in "Mysterious Skin" and as Alan Tracy in "Thunderbirds." He also has guest starred on the television shows "Greetings From Tucson," "Oliver Beene" and "The King Of Queens," but he is most known for his role as Derek Huxley on the fifth season of "24."- Actor
- Producer
Brock Kelly was born on 17 August 1985 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Pitch Perfect (2012), Costa Rican Summer (2010) and No Ordinary Family (2010).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Bryton James was born on 17 August 1986 in Lakewood, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Family Matters (1989) and The Vampire Diaries (2009). He was previously married to Ashley Leisinger.- Charles was born in England, but raised and educated in the United States. At the age of ten, he made his professional acting debut in a production of 'Oliver!' starring Davy Jones of The Monkees. In 2001, he earned his Bachelors degree in History at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. That autumn, Charles returned to England to study drama at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2004. During his attendance at RADA, he performed in more than twelve theatrical productions including Richard III, Ulysses and Speaking in Tongues.
Within a year he was playing Claude, the male lead, in a revival of 'Hair' at The Gate theatre in Notting Hill. In 2006 he received critical praise for his roles as the Son of God in Oxford Playhouse's touring version of 'Paradise Lost' and as Joe Buck in a stage adaptation of 'Midnight Cowboy' at the Edinburgh Festival. British television viewers were to see lots more of him in February 2007 when he made his TV debut in the fantasy-comedy serial 'Bonkers', playing a sex-obsessed teenager unable to stop himself from bedding every woman he meets. In 2008 he was nominated for the prestigious Ian Charleson Award for his portrayal of Iago in Frantic Assembly's production of 'Othello', which led to his joining the Royal Shakespeare Company for almost 3 years where he played lead roles in 'As You Like It' and 'King Lear'. The company was invited to New York in 2011 as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, where his portrayal of Edgar in 'King Lear' caught people's attention. This would lead to appearances in a number of American television shows including 'Madam Secretary', 'Sleepy Hollow', 'Frontier', and most notably, 'The Knick', directed by Steven Soderbergh, in which Charles played yet another sex obsessed young man. In 2017, he returned to London to rejoin the Royal Shakespeare Company in their production of 'Coriolanus' and cinema audiences got to know Charles as the arrogant lothario Dr Gregory Butler in the hit feature film, 'Happy Death Day'. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Charles Judels or Charles Judel was born in Amsterdam in 1882. Starred on vaudeville in the early 1900s, and made his Broadway stage debut in 'The Ziegfeld Follies of 1912'. Highly talented chubby man who appeared in more than 130 American comedy and drama movies, his expertise with dialects served him well throughout his career. His first film was the comedy Old Dutch (1915) directed by Frank Hall Crane and starring Lew Fields for the Shubert Film Co. He is perhaps best remembered as the cheese-store proprietor in the Laurel & Hardy film Swiss Miss (1938). He also did extensive work as a voice actor in animated films, most notably as the voice of Stromboli in Disney's Pinocchio (1940). His last appearance on screen was as a Danite Merchant in Samson and Delilah (1949).- Art Director
- Actor
- Production Designer
Chet Allen was born on 17 August 1928 in Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA. He was an art director and actor, known for The Delinquents (1957), P.K. and the Kid (1987) and Honeymoon for Harriet (1950). He died on 19 April 2011 in Topanga, California, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Christopher Tsangarides was born on 17 August 1956. He was an actor and composer, known for Point Break (1991), Out of Bounds (1986) and Memoirs of a Survivor (1981). He died on 7 January 2018 in the UK.Chris Tsangarides- Christian Kohlund was born on 17 August 1950 in Basel, Switzerland. He is an actor and director, known for Anna Maria - Eine Frau geht ihren Weg (1994), L'homme de Suez (1983) and La nouvelle malle des Indes (1981). He has been married to Elke Best since 1982. They have two children. He was previously married to Christine Buchegger and Sylvana Henriques.
- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Christopher Shand was born on 17 August 1983 in Mount Kisco, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014), Gracie (2007) and Submergence (2017).- Actress
- Composer
Cinta Laura Kiehl was raised in a multicultural environment, growing up in seven different countries across Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas. Beginning her career in the entertainment industry at the age of 12, she has starred in over 450 episodes of TV and close to a dozen films, released two multi platinum selling albums and received several awards in film, music and education.
Cinta studied at Columbia University in the City of New York and graduated cum laude in three years at the tender age of 20, attaining a double degree in Psychology and German Literature. Upon the completion of her studies, Cinta then spent some time in LA, in which she formally trained in acting and starred in a couple Hollywood productions. In 2019 she won Best Actress In A Horror at the Official Latino x HBO Film Fest.
Cinta returned to Indonesia in 2019 and was appointed Ambassador of Anti-Violence Against Women and Children by the Indonesian Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection. Since her return, she has become strongly involved in social activism, participating in various campaigns, speaking at seminars, national television, various ministries and the House Of Parliament. She advocates for gender equality, strengthening the nation's foundational education system, religious moderation and nationalism.
In the last three years, Cinta has founded four new companies: an F&B franchise (Eighteen Coffee), talent management (Revolicons), digital platform (Puella ID) and creative hub (Rumah Sraddha Semesta). Recently, Cinta has become part of the Board of Commissioners for a waste to energy company called PT. Maharaksa Energi Biru TBK. In addition to Soekarseno Foundation, a family owned NGO that has built 11 schools in West Java, Cinta has also recently spearheaded a new movement called Act of Love together KitaBisa to raise funds for education infrastructure across the country.- Clara Lukasiak was born as Clara Alexandra Lukasiak on August 17, 2009 in Pennsylvania, USA. Clara is an American actress, dancer, and model. She began her dance training at the age of 2 and branched into acting by the age of 7. Clara made her runway modeling debut by walking the runway for American Girl in 2015.
- Cristina Morán was born on 17 August 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay. She was an actress, known for Julio, felices por siempre (2022), Alelí (2019) and Curro Jiménez: El regreso de una leyenda (1995). She was married to Luis López . She died on 22 September 2023 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Ever since she can remember, she always wanted to be an actress. First, though, to whet the performing appetite she got into dancing as a preteen. It snowballed quickly into a professional career - and taught her how to be comfortable in her own skin and truly express herself.
Her acting bug finally got its chance to crawl when she went to a Performing Arts High School in Los Angeles! It was thrilling to finally begin her journey as an actor by participating in live theatrical productions. With her mom's blessing and unwavering support, she immediately jumped into the acting biz after her high school graduation.
On only her second professional audition, she beat out thousands of actresses (after 7 callbacks) and eventually wound up going to network as a lead on WB's Unhappily Ever After. While she didn't land that role, she was honored to be invited to guest star in the pilot episode - playing opposite series regulars Kevin Connolly & Nikki Cox. She was thankful to recur on Unhappily for three years, in over 30 episodes.
While working on Unhappily Ever After, she was finding her way in the business. her resume began to grow. She has numerous national commercials/voice-overs, guest/recurring spots, TV movies, and feature films. She's so grateful to have worked with the most inspiring acting talent in the industry. Learning on set from some of the very best, like (alphabetical order, please): Ellen Barkin, Wayne Brady, Tom Cavanagh, Richard Dreyfuss, Nora Ephron, Mike Farrell, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Hamm, Angie Harmon, Patricia Heaton, Eric McCormack, Jeremy Piven, Burt Reynolds, Betty White, and many more. :)
Her next long running gig, was for NBC's Providence. She auditioned as a guest star in its first season. The producers and fans promptly fell in love with her performance as Heather Tupperman and she found herself as a series regular for 5 years on this award winning (and audience favorite) hit show.
Other fun highlights include:
FOX pilot, New Car Smell - starring opposite Brooke Shields & directed by David Schwimmer.
Perception, recurring, starring opposite Rachel Leigh Cook
American Horror Story, guest star, directed by Angela Bassett
As She continues to live her childhood dream by working as an actor She coaches actors, shares her expertise with artists of all levels. Not a moment goes by where She doesn't count her blessings! - David Bromstad, the season one winner of HGTV Design Star and the finalists' mentor in the new seasons of the series, is known for his endless energy and out-of-the-box thinking. David began his career as a design student at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla. Earnest, passionate, talented and innovative, David creates awe-inspiring works on many platforms, including custom art, furniture building and interior design. David says he "blends styles that incorporate realism and fantasy." He combines this approach with a love of color and practical advice that shows viewers how to transform tired rooms into unique, vibrant spaces in his weekly series Color Splash.
- David Conrad was born on 17 August 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Men of Honor (2000), Wedding Crashers (2005) and Anything Else (2003).
- Derrick Kosinski was born on 17 August 1983 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Hyenas (2011), The Challenge: Untold History (2022) and The Challenge: All Stars (2021).
- Dewey Robinson was born on 17 August 1898 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936) and 6 Hours to Live (1932). He was married to Louise Arlene Woolner. He died on 11 December 1950 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Don McKellar was born on 17 August 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and director, known for Last Night (1998), Blindness (2008) and The Red Violin (1998). He was previously married to Tracy Wright.- Actor
- Producer
- Composer
Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg Jr. was born on August 17, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts into a family of Swedish (from his paternal grandfather), Irish, and more distant French-Canadian, English, and Scottish, descent. He is the eighth of nine children of Alma Elaine Conroy (née Donnelly), a nurse's aide and clerk & Donald Edward Wahlberg, a delivery driver. His parents eventually divorced and Donnie, finding himself already in trouble, discovered a positive outlet performing in school plays and became involved in varied aspects of theater -- acting, writing, and directing. At 15, he became a member of the teen vocal group originally called NYNUK. Donnie's little brother, Mark Wahlberg was originally one of the Boys but balked at the direction the group was taking and backed out.
A founding member of the boy band "New Kids on the Block," the five teens survived a false start with their debut album and proceeded to hit #1 with the single "Please Don't Go Girl" on their second in 1988. They continued to bombard the market with one-after-another "Top Ten" hits including "The Right Stuff" and "I'll Be Loving You Forever." Leaving the young girls panting for more, they became one of the hottest young singing/line-dancing groups to hit the late 80s/early 90s. The Boys went on to sell over 70 million albums worldwide, and provoke the spawning of other five-member harmony groups such as Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. During its heyday, Donnie played up his resident "bad boy" persona by tallying up several run-ins with the law, including an alleged arson at a Kentucky hotel (charges were dropped). He also delved into "body art" with numerous tattoos and body piercings in an effort to buck their already-cloying image. Amid intergroup dissension and Milli Vanilli-like charges of not contributing all the vocals to their albums, the pop band finally disbanded in 1994 -- partly out of frustration but also having outgrown the group's juvenile moniker.
Unsure of his direction while attracting more trouble in the tabloids, Donnie, who helped write, arrange and produce brother Mark's Funky Bunch group's first two albums a few years earlier, switched gears. He rapped some and modeled some, then transformed himself into an actor, a route taken earlier by his talented bro. While Mark has turned out to become the bigger film star over the years, Donnie has stepped out of his shadows to receive raves and renewed respect for his own tense and compelling character work.
He first showed up in big screen action. Making his debut as a "tough guy" thug in the Mickey Rourke urban outing Bullet (1996), filmed in 1994 but not released until two years later. Usually cast as an amoral heavy, Donnie moved up the quality ladder with director Ron Howard's thriller Ransom (1996) as part of a gang of kidnappers who nab Mel Gibson's son, to their eventual regret, of course. His next repellent took the form of a drug dealer in the goth indie horror Black Circle Boys (1997), but the film came and went. After a couple of TV movies, he finally nabbed a starring role in the film Southie (1998) playing more or less himself as an Irish-American prodigal son who returns to the mean streets of his native Boston. The movie also featured another brother Robert Wahlberg who also was testing the acting waters.
Ironically, one of Donnie's most powerful roles during this period was also one of his briefest. Seen in the opening sequence, he is nearly unrecognizable (having dropped an alarming amount of weight) portraying a deranged former patient of psychiatrist Bruce Willis whose sudden explosion into unfathomable violence sets up the clever twists and turns that turned M. Night Shyamalan's classic psychological thriller The Sixth Sense (1999) into a critically-acclaimed box office hit. Donnie's opening bit was mouth dropping and jarring in its horror. He also proved he wasn't a flash in the pan by backing up this performance with a major role as a WWII paratrooper in the critically-hailed ten-part epic Band of Brothers (2001), which won multiple Emmy awards (6).
This TV role directly led to his casting as a gritty L.A. detective in the NBC dramatic series Boomtown (2002), an acclaimed series that didn't survive a second season. Since then Donnie has patented his unrefined intensity into a number of films such as Triggermen (2002), Dreamcatcher (2003), Saw II (2005), Annapolis (2006), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007) and Zookeeper (2011). He has also clocked in lead roles for such roughhewn TV series as Runaway (2006), The Kill Point (2007), Return of the Mac (2017) and, most notably, as detective Danny Reagan in Blue Bloods (2010).
Donny has two sons, Xavier and Elijah, by first wife Kim Fey, and is married to actress/producer/writer Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg. As a former teen heartthrob seemingly headed down a troubled and dangerous path after his initial success, he somehow managed to avoid the traditional pitfalls of drugs and self-destruction, and has since proven himself an actor with "the right stuff." In addition, the "New Kids on the Block" reteamed in 2007 in recording and book tours. The group received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2014.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ed Motta was born on 17 August 1971 in Rio Comprido, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a composer and actor, known for Little Book of Love (1997), De janela pro cinema (1999) and Caixa Dois (2007).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Edu del Prado was born on 17 August 1977 in València, València, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain. He was an actor, known for Un paso adelante (2002), Secretos de familia (2013) and Ritmo & Furia (2004). He died on 23 June 2018 in València, València, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Eduardo Mignogna was born on 17 August 1940 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a writer and director, known for Autumn Sun (1996), La fuga (2001) and The Lighthouse (1998). He died on 6 October 2006 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Elika Crespo was born on 17 August 1976. She is an actress, known for The Mentalist (2008), Boyle Heights (2010) and Kingpin (2003). She was previously married to Raul De Jesus Pedraza.
- Emily Schulman was born on 17 August 1977 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Small Wonder (1985), Caddie Woodlawn (1989) and Christy (1994). She has been married to Derek Webster since 2002. They have four children.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Eric Schlosser was born on 17 August 1959 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for There Will Be Blood (2007), Food, Inc. (2008) and The Bomb (2016). He has been married to Shauna Redford since 5 October 1985. They have one child.- Toda Erika was born in Kobe in central Japan on August 17th 1988. While her official first acting credit dates back to Audrey (Ôdorî ) in 2000 she truly began her career four years later. She used the intermediate period with gravure adult and other fashion modelling from age thirteen. She has been in many serials and films since perhaps most notably in the Death Note and SPEC series. She announced that actor actor Ryo Kase and her are dating in 2016. They had been dating and co-starring earlier, such as in Keizoku 2: SPEC of 2010. She cites calligraphy and the piano as favourite pastimes. She is managed by FLaMme.
- Writer
- Director
Eugenio Weinbaum was born on 17 August 1961 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a writer and director, known for MDQ para todo el mundo (1989), Hombre al agua (2009) and Un sol para los chicos (1993).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Evelyn Ankers, a beautiful movie actress who was a staple of Universal's horror films in the 1940s, was born in Chile to English parents in 1918. Her parents repatriated the family back to England in the 1920s, and it was in Old Blighty that Ankers developed a desire to become an actress.
She began appearing in small roles in English movies in the mid 1930s while she was still in school. She appeared in Fire Over England (1937) with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh and in Bells of St. Mary's (1937). A beauty with talent, she soon won starring roles in the low-budget The Villiers Diamond (1938) and The Claydon Treasure Mystery (1938).
With war clouds darkening the skies over Europe, Ankers emigrated to the United States and was signed to a contract by Universal in 1940. She made her Universal debut in the Abbott and Costello comedy-horror picture Hold That Ghost (1941) before appearing in the horror film classic The Wolf Man (1941) opposite Lon Chaney Jr.. Ankers found herself cast into the horror picture ghetto, appearing in three more Chaney fright films, The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Son of Dracula (1943) and The Frozen Ghost (1945), during a period in which she was cast ashore with a sarong-less Jon Hall in The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944). She also appeared in support of Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) and The Pearl of Death (1944).
Ankers married B-movie hunk Richard Denning in 1942 and made a go articulating the anxieties of the home front while her husband was off to war. Horror flicks were popular during World War II, but after the cessation of hostilities in 1945, they went out of favor with audiences. Ankers' career, mated to the genre at Universal, suffered.
She quit Universal in 1945 and freelanced at Columbia and Poverty Row's Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) and Republic Pictures in dramas and mysteries. Evelyn co-starred with her returned husband, Richard, in the major release Black Beauty (1946) for 20th Century Fox. For PRC, she headlined Queen of Burlesque (1946) and later co-starred with Lex Barker in Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949).
As the 1950s dawned, a decade of conformity and family values, Ankers quit the movies for married life and motherhood after making The Texan Meets Calamity Jane (1950), in which she was first-billed. She was 32 years old. A decade later, Ankers came out of retirement to make one final screen appearance, in her hubby's No Greater Love (1960).
Evelyn Ankers died of ovarian cancer on August 29, 1985, twelve days after her 67th birthday.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman was born on 17 August 1936 in Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, Roberts County, South Dakota, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), Hidalgo (2004) and Dharma & Greg (1997). He was married to Rosie. He died on 13 December 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Editor
- Actress
- Editorial Department
Françoise Bonnot was born on 17 August 1939 in Bois-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France. She was an editor and actress, known for Z (1969), Missing (1982) and The Tenant (1976). She was married to Henri Verneuil. She died on 9 June 2018 in Paris, France.- From 1992 to 1995, Franziska Petri studied at the renowned Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art in Berlin. Her cinema debut was a part in Das Mambospiel (1998) by Michael Gwisdek in 1997, which opened the 48th Berlin International Film Festival. With her first leading role in in the award-winning Vergiss Amerika (2000) she attracted both critics' and audiences' attention. After leading roles in the most diverse cinema productions like the historic drama Leo und Claire (2001) by Joseph Vilsmaier, the quirky comedy Max and Moritz Reloaded (2005) by Thomas Frydetzki , the gloomy thriller The Heart Is a Dark Forest (2007) by Nicolette Krebitz, the political drama Long Shadows (2008) by Connie Walter or the psychological drama Der Tag, an dem ich meinen toten Mann traf (2008) by Matthias Luthardt, she appeared in the psycho-thriller Für Miriam (2009) by Lars-Gunnar Lotz. For her outstanding performance in Für Miriam she was awarded Best Actress at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Perspektive Deutsches Kino), Best Actress at La Cabina. Festival Internacional de Mediometrajes de Valencia, Spain 2010 and Best Actress at the 11th Aubagne International Film Festival, France 2010. In 2011 she played the starring role in Kirill Serebrennikov's dark tale of love Betrayal (2012), which premiered in the official competition of the Venice Film Festival 2012. For her impressive performance she was awarded Best Actress at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Frederick Lau is a German actor. He was born and raised in Steglitz, Berlin, Germany, and still lives there. He played in over 50 roles since 2000. In 2008 he won the Deutscher Filmpreis award (Lola) for best male role for being Tim Stoltefuss in "Die Welle". He is also known for portraying Wurstjunge in "Die Snobs".- Actor
- Soundtrack
Fritz Wepper was born on 17 August 1941 in Munich, Germany. He was an actor, known for Cabaret (1972), Der Kommissar (1969) and For Heaven's Sake (2002). He was married to Susanne Kellermann and Angela von Morgen. He died on 25 March 2024 in Gmund am Tegerseen, Bavaria, Germany.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Georgia Gibbs was born on 17 August 1919 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for Carol (2015), Cruella (2021) and Wonder Wheel (2017). She was married to Frank Henry Gervasi. She died on 9 December 2006 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Gilby Clarke was born on 17 August 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Bumblebee (2018), Eye See You (2002) and The Story of Us (1999). He has been married to Daniella Clarke since 1989. They have one child.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Giuliana DePandi was born in Naples, Italy in 1975. Her family moved to the United States, namely Washington D.C., during her childhood. Fluent only in Italian, Giuliana prides herself on the fact that she taught herself English by watching day-time soaps and other television shows.
After graduating from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1992, Giuliana enrolled into the University of Maryland and received a B.A. in journalism from the Philip Merrill School of Journalism in 1996 and, later, a Masters degree in the same subject from the American University in D.C.
During her career, she has managed to write for numerous Entertainment fields, including "Detour" magazine and, most notably, as co-host/anchor for E! News Live (1996). Not forgetting stints reporting about The Pentagon and White House prior to E!.
It is with E! that she has managed to achieve a name for herself. In June 2006, she also released a book entitled "Think Like a Guy: How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One", a dating advice book for women in the first stages of a relationship.
With this venture, she has been in every aspect of the Entertainment field: Print (magazines, books); Small Screen (E! News Live (1996) and various guest spots on episodic TV) and Big Screen (scenes in Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) and Paparazzi (2004)).- An American lead actor and supporting actor, rugged and commanding Glenn Corbett's background didn't seem like it would lead to Hollywood stardom. The son of a garage mechanic, Corbett served a hitch in the navy and later met Judy, the woman who would become his wife, while she was working at a college. With her encouragement, Corbett began to get parts in campus theatricals, and it was while he was in one of these that he came to the attention of the powers-that-be at Columbia Pictures, which signed him to a contract.
His film debut was in The Crimson Kimono (1959). That was followed by supporting roles in The Mountain Road (1960) and Man on a String (1960). He eventually got the lead role in William Castle's suspense thriller Homicidal (1961) and appeared in the TV series Route 66 (1960). His work in "Route 66" got him attention and he was cast in a new series, The Road West (1966), but that was short-lived.
Corbett was also busy making major theatrical films in the 1970s. He snagged substantial supporting parts in two of John Wayne's westerns, playing good guy Pat Garrett in Chisum (1970) and one of the gang who kidnaps Wayne's son in Big Jake (1971), but he took the lead role in Nashville Girl (1976) and Universal's war epic Midway (1976). Throughout the '80s Corbett stayed busy with a regular part in the cast of the long-running television series Dallas (1978) up until his death in 1993 from lung cancer. - Guillermo Vilas was born on 17 August 1952 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an actor, known for Players (1979), Gotita de amor (1998) and Roland Garros (2014).
- Guitar Gabriel was born on 17 August 1937 in Bellvue, Louisiana, USA. He was married to Gloria Ann Dargin. He died on 28 January 2017 in Opelousas, Louisiana, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Harve Bennett was born on 17 August 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). He was married to Carole Patricia Oettinger and Jani. He died on 25 February 2015 in Medford, Oregon, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Award-winning actress Helen Elizabeth McCrory was born in London, England, to Welsh-born Anne (Morgans) and Scottish-born Iain McCrory, a diplomat from Glasgow. After training at the Drama Centre London, Helen began her career on stage in the UK and won the Manchester Evening News' Best Actress Award for her performance in the National Theatre's "Blood Wedding" and the Ian Charleson award for classical acting for playing "Rose Trelawney" in "Trelawney of the Wells." Helen's theatre work continued to win her critical praise and a large fan base through such work as the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Les Enfant du Paradis" opposite Joseph Fiennes, Rupert Graves and James Purefoy. At the Almeida Theatre, her productions included "The Triumph of Love" opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor and the radical verse production, "Five Gold Rings," opposite Damian Lewis.
Helen also worked extensively at the Donmar Warehouse playing lead roles in "How I Learnt to Drive," "Old Times" directed by Roger Michel, and in Sam Mendes' farewell double bill of "Twelfth Night" and "Uncle Vanya" (a triumph in both London and New York). For her performance in "Twelfth Night," Helen was nominated for the Evening Standard Best Actress Award, and the New York Drama Desk Awards. She also founded the production company "The Public" with Michael Sheen, producing new work at the Liverpool Everyman, The Ambassadors and the Donmar (in which she also starred).
With over twenty productions under her belt, Mike Coveney recently wrote "We celebrate the careers of great actors Olivier, Ashcroft, Richardson, Gielgud, Dench, the Redgraves, Gambon, Walter, Sher, Russell Beale and McCrory."
On the small screen, Helen's first television film, Karl Francis' Streetlife (1995) with Rhys Ifans, won her the Welsh BAFTA, Monte Carlo Best Actress Award and the Royal Television Society's Best Actress Award, for her extraordinary performance as "Jo." The Edinburgh Film Festival wrote "simply the best performance this year." She went on to win Critics Circle Best Actress Award for her role as the barrister "Rose Fitzgerald" in the Channel 4 series North Square (2000), having been previously nominated for her performance in The Fragile Heart (1996). Helen showed diversity as an actress, appearing in comedies such as Lucky Jim (2003) with Stephen Tompkinson or Dead Gorgeous (2002) with Fay Ripley, as well as dramas such as Joe Wright's The Last King (2003) (for which she was nominated for the LA Television Awards) and Anna Karenina (2000).
Helen McCrory died on 16 April, 2021, in London, of cancer. She was 52, and was survived by her husband Damian Lewis and their two children.- Irv Williams was born on 17 August 1919 in Arkansas, USA. He was married to ??? and Mary. He died on 14 December 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
- From Rosiclare, IL to Summer Stock, to studying in New York and a little Off-Broadway, I made the move to L.A. where I did a lot of theatre and have been Guest-Starring on TV shows for many years. I'm probably best known for playing Winona Ryder's mom in "Heathers", recurring for 8 years as "Grams" on "Charmed" and a horror film I don't wish to discuss. I'm at that stage in my career where people say, "Haven't we met before?" or "There's What's-Her-Name".
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Jenny Leonhardt was born in Fort Worth, Texas as Jennifer Gilmartin to Patti (Harris), a ballet dancer from Fort Worth, and David Gilmartin, an economist from Tulsa, OK. She has two sibling, an older sister, Alice and a younger brother, Aaron. The family moved when she was six months from Texas to Washington DC where she attended the Washington Waldorf School at Hearst Hall on the Washington Cathedral grounds. They moved to New England when she was twelve, where she attended High Mowing School, an hour outside of Boston.
After graduating from Booker School for the Performing Arts she went on to study at California Institute of the Arts and then to London to study Shakespeare and speech with Peter and Barbara Bridgemont at the Chrysalis Theatre. She also attended Bryn Mawr College as part of their Writing Program.
Jenny performed at many regional and professional theaters before returning to Los Angeles where she booked numerous roles in national commercials and smaller roles in television and film. She is also a published writer, musician and filmmaker. Her directorial debut, Kitchen Help, was shot in 2003 in Los Angeles and Mexico.- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Jessi Klein was born on 17 August 1975 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Inside Amy Schumer (2013), Dead to Me (2019) and Transparent (2014). She has been married to Michael Engleman since 23 November 2014. They have one child.- President of the People's Republic of China (1993 -), General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1989 -), Chairman of the Central Military Commission China (1989 -).
Jiang was born the son of a intellectual. He attended Shanghai Jiaotong University, one of the pretigious polytechnic universities in China. Due to his political consciouness and shrewdness, he was never purged during the Mao era, and by early eighties he was already holding ministerial offices. He was deputy minister and minister of foreign trade (1982-1985), mayor of Shanghai (1985-87) and party secretary of Shanghai (1987-89), he was appointed to the politburo of the Communist Party in 1987. After the military suppression in June 4, 1989 and the subsequent fall of General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, Jiang was named by the "party elders" inclding Deng Xiaoping as general secretary because of his subservience to them. His position was further strengthened in 1993 when he was elected president. - Producer
Jim Courier is an American former world No. 1 professional tennis player.
For 15 years, he has been the main commentator on the Australian Open for the host broadcaster the Seven Network and the Nine Network. He is also an analyst for Tennis Channel. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open. He holds the record for being the youngest man to have reached the finals of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments, at the age of 22 years and 11 months. He also won five Masters 1000 series titles. Until Novak Djokovic in 2016, Courier was the last man to win both the Australian and French Open titles in the same calendar year.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
The son of comedian and theatre director Ludwig Brahm, Hans followed in his father's footsteps and began his career on the stages of Vienna, Berlin and Paris. Again, like his father, he graduated to directing and had his first fling with the film business as a dialogue director for a Franco/German co-production, starring his future wife Dolly Haas. Hans went to England in 1934 to escape Nazi persecution (and to avoid being caught up in another war, having spent much of the previous conflagration as a conscript on the Russian Front). After a brief spell as a production supervisor, Brahm made his directing debut with an undistinguished remake of D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1936). A year later, he moved on to the U.S..
Having anglicised his first name to John, he arrived in Hollywood in 1937 and was signed to a three-year contract at Columbia (1937-40), followed by another three years with 20th Century Fox (1941-44). Brahm specialised in suspense thrillers, often with psychological undertones, at times involving madness. His affinity with filming the sinister and the grotesque had much to do with the influence of his uncle Otto, once an influential theatrical producer. Otto introduced his nephew to the dark and fantastic elements of classic German expressionist cinema, including films like Faust (1926). At Fox, Brahm directed two masterpieces back-to-back: the stylish and moody 'Jack the Ripper' look-alike The Lodger (1944); and, in a similar vein, Hangover Square (1945), a gothic melodrama about insanity and murder, set in Victorian London. Both films starred the excellent, sadly short-lived, actor Laird Cregar, whose professionalism and finely-etched performances Brahm greatly appreciated. Much of the credit for the pace and detail of these films belongs to Brahm himself, who meticulously mapped out every scene and camera angle before shooting commenced.
Another of Brahm's films, not in the same league as the aforementioned, but nonetheless quite enjoyable, is The Mad Magician (1954). Something of a precursor to the cycle of low-budget horror films Vincent Price was later to make at American-International, it was shot in the experimental 3-D process. What the picture lacked in a visceral sense, it made up for in period detail and in an enjoyable star performance reminiscent of the earlier House of Wax (1953).
By the mid-1950's, Brahm had segued from films to television, but never strayed far from the macabre. He directed some of the best-loved episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Outer Limits (1963), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) and, especially, The Twilight Zone (1959) ("Time Enough at Last" comes to mind, in particular). Brahm retired in 1968. He spent the last years of his life confined to a wheelchair and died in October 1982 at the respectable age of 89.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Critically acclaimed television, film and stage actor John Marshall Jones ("JJ") currently stars as Nelson Bradford in the upcoming "For All Mankind" (APPLE TV+), as Uncle Ronny on "Paradise Lost" (PARAMOUNT), as Andy in "50 States of Terror" (QUIBI), as Malcolm Peters on the ABC drama, "Grand Hotel", as 'Special Agent Jay Griffin' on Amazon's hit police procedural series, "Bosch," and as 'Sheriff Brown' on USA TV's original drama series, "Shooter". Jones is also co-executive producer and star (as Smitty) of the Bounce TV hit comedy "In The Cut". Jones also has recurring roles on The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. "Big Little Lies" starring Laura Dern and Meryl Streep, "9-1-1" starring Angela Bassett , "S.W.A.T." starring Shamar Moore, and "Grace and Frankie" starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Julian Fellowes was born on 17 August 1949 in Cairo, Egypt. He is a writer and producer, known for Gosford Park (2001), Downton Abbey (2010) and From Time to Time (2009). He has been married to Emma Joy Kitchener-Fellowes since 28 April 1990. They have one child.- Julianna McCarthy was born on 17 August 1929 in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for The Frighteners (1996), Starship Troopers (1997) and Striking Distance (1993). She was previously married to Michael Constantine.
- Prior to breaking into films, Philadelphia native Julius Harris worked as a bouncer in New York City. It was due to his many associations with struggling actors, that on a dare, Harris auditioned for his first role, in the well-received picture Nothing But a Man (1964), in which he played a father in the South, alongside Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln. After, this, Harris' impressive physique and deep voice helped enable him to rack up numerous appearances in the then popular blaxploitation genre.
His strong appearance in supporting roles in such low-budget films as Shaft's Big Score! (1972), Super Fly (1972), and Black Caesar (1973), which helped springboard him into better quality productions. Harris scored a co-starring role in the first Roger Moore James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973), in which his portrayal of the bald-headed, grinning villain "Tee Hee", with the menacing artificial arm, was one of the more iconic heavies of the entire franchise.
More work quickly followed for Harris, including NYPD "Inspector Daniels" in the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), King Kong (1976), and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). In addition to his film work, he was guest-starring in numerous TV shows, including Harry O (1973), Sanford and Son (1972), Cannon (1971), Good Times (1974), and Kojak (1973). Harris continued working throughout the 1980s in a mixture of different character roles, although the 1990s proved to be a leaner period for him.
Julius Harris passed away on October 17, 2004 from heart failure, at the age of 81. He was cremated and then interred in his hometown, and is survived by his daughter (Kimberly) and his son (Gideon). - Karim Abdel Aziz was born in Egypt on 17-8-1975. He was raised by his father the director Mohamed Abdel Aziz who has a valuable history in the Egyptian cinema; hence the technical environment in which he grew up had a prominent role in the ease of entry and work in the field of cinematography. Karim graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1997 as a director; he worked as an assistant director for a brief period until he discovered that he felt pleasure to stand in front of the camera and by then he decided to enter the world of acting.
- Kate McNeil was born on 17 August 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for Monkey Shines (1988), The House on Sorority Row (1982) and Space Cowboys (2000). She has been married to Roy Friedland since 1987. They have two children.
- Actress
- Writer
Kati Outinen was born on 17 August 1961 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress and writer, known for The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011) and The Match Factory Girl (1990).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ken Kwapis is an award-winning director of motion pictures and television. He has directed eleven feature films, among them A Walk In The Woods, based on Bill Bryson's acclaimed comedic memoir; He's Just Not That Into You, inspired by the New York Times bestselling advice book; and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, adapted from the beloved young adult novel. Other films include the rescue adventure Big Miracle, and the romantic comedies License to Wed and He Said, She Said (co-directed with Marisa Silver). His feature debut was Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, starring Jim Henson's Muppets.
For television, Kwapis helped launch nine series, including the groundbreaking HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show, Fox's Emmy Award-winning The Bernie Mac Show, and NBC's The Office. Kwapis directed the pilot of The Office and its series finale, along with many memorable episodes -"Casino Night," Booze Cruise," "Diversity Day," to name a few. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing the episode "Gay Witch Hunt."
Kwapis also earned an Emmy nomination for his work as a producer-director of Fox's Malcolm In The Middle. Other series Kwapis helped launch include NBC's Outsourced, Showtime's Happyish, and Netflix's #blackAF. He directed numerous episodes of shows such as Freaks and Geeks, One Mississippi, and Santa Clarita Diet.
Kwapis studied filmmaking at Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. He won the Student Academy Award in Dramatic Achievement for his USC thesis film "For Heaven's Sake," an adaptation of Mozart's one-act comic opera Der Schauspieldirektor ("The Impresario").- Kent Lane was born on 17 August 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Sandpit Generals (1971), Changes (1969) and Hooper (1978).
- Actor
- Composer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kevin Rowland was born on 17 August 1953 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009) and Tommy Boy (1995).- Actress
- Producer
- Stunts
Kinsey was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and made her stage debut at an early age. She was active in theater throughout junior high and high school, and graduated with Honors from UCSB with a Bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts (emphasis in Acting, Writing and Directing) and a minor in Psychology.
She received the Corwin Award for her original script, Sexless, and was invited to write for the esteemed Santa Barbara production company, Dramatic Women. The following year, her play, Screaming in the Dark, debuted at Center Stage Theatre in Santa Barbara. Both of these plays have recently been submitted for publication.
Kinsey subsequently joined the theatrical troop, Genesis West, with Maurice Lord. Credits include playing Shelley in Sam Shepard's Buried Child, Loretta in Featuring Loretta, Gail in George F. Walker's Escape From Happiness, and Mae in Maria Irene Fornes' Mud.
Kinsey produced and starred in Wendy MacLeod's, The House of Yes at Edgemar Center for the Arts in Los Angeles, which was critically acclaimed in the Los Angeles press. She was cast in a Fox Television pilot presentation with Naked Angeles and Fox TV, starring as Dana in Employed, which was later picked up by the network.
Television credits have included Critter Gitters, Scrubs, Fastlane, Hidden Hills, The Mullets, Sleeper Cell and The Ex List.
Film credits include Nuclear Family, a post-apocalyptic film starring Ray Wise and Corin Nemec. Expecting Mary, premieres this month in Palm Springs. The film stars Elliot Gould, Linda Gray, Lainie Kazan, Cloris Leachman, Della Reese, Oleysa Rulin, Cybill Shepherd and Gene Simmons. Mr. Nice, starring Rhys Ifans, Chloe Sevigny, David Thewlis and Crispin Glover which premiered at SXSW and Edinburgh to rave reviews. Slated for a worldwide release later this year. Infestation, Icon's latest film with Chris Marquette, Ray Wise and Brooke Nevin, scheduled for theatrical release in 2011 and went on to play on the SyFi Channel. In the psychological thriller, Circle (Michael Watkins), she stars as a young FBI ingénue, also starring Peter Onorati, Gail Grady and Michael DeLuise. The Kreutzer Sonata (Bernard Rose), starring Danny Huston, Elizabeth Rohm and Angelica Huston, received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival.
Kinsey played Maggie in the award winning short, Crazy Love, which won Best of Fest at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and gave her the Best Actress nod at the Instant Films Festival. She can be seen in The Shuttle Run, which premiered at the Los Angeles Short Film Festival, and she lent her voice to The Meaning of Life, a Don Hertzfeldt animated film which premiered at Sundance. She co-starred with Clancy Brown and Kim Coates in the independent short, Homeowner, and was cast in Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex and More Sex, a George Furth and Actors Studio production that ran at the Matrix Theatre in Hollywood.
Modeling campaigns include Fredericks of Hollywood, Shiseido, Match.com, Connected Magazine, Getty Images, West Bay and Super Soft Lingerie. Commercial credits include Mars Bars, the Farrah Fawcett Promo for "Finding Farrah," the Entourage Promo, several condo lines including Japan's Sparkle Club Vacations, Smoke Films and the Shiseido makeup line.
Kinsey is an experienced horseback rider, photographer, Pilates enthusiast, ballet and Salsa dancer, theater junkie, animal lover and an avid camper. Kinsey is classically trained including Shakespeare and Meisner, and studies in Los Angeles with Larry Moss, Patsy Rodenburg and Nancy Banks.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kristin Adams (nee Holt) is an actress, singer, and television personality best known for her work on G4TV's "Attack Of The Show", "Cheat", and "X-Play." She first burst onto television screens as a top 30 finalist during season one of FOX's "American Idol," and was then asked back as co-host and special correspondent for season two, helping her launch a successful hosting career. This Texas native traveled the globe with the world famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as a featured dancer and singer, entertaining the fans at Texas Stadium and U.S. troops overseas on multiple USO Tours. She has a B.A. in political science from Texas Christian University, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband Danny and two children, Harper and Holt.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Larry B. Scott was born on 17 August 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Revenge of the Nerds (1984), The Karate Kid (1984) and Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987).- Composer
- Music Department
- Actress
Lisa Coleman was born on 17 August 1960 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a composer and actress, known for Heroes (2006), Nurse Jackie (2009) and Dangerous Minds (1995). She has been married to Renata Kanclerz since 2004.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Luis Mandoki was born on 17 August 1954 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is a director and producer, known for Innocent Voices (2004), Angel Eyes (2001) and Trapped (2002).- Madison McReynolds was born on 17 August 1993. She is an actress, known for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Days of Our Lives (1965) and ER (1994).
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Mae West was born August 17, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York, to "Battling Jack" West and Matilda Doelger. She began her career as a child star in vaudeville, and later went on to write her own plays, including "SEX", for which she was arrested. Though her first movie role, at age 40, was a small part in Night After Night (1932), her scene has become famous. A coat check girl exclaims, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!", after seeing Mae's jewelry. Mae replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it". Her next film, in which she starred, came the following year. She Done Him Wrong (1933) was based on her earlier and very popular play, "Diamond Lil". She went on to write and star in seven more films, including My Little Chickadee (1940) with W.C. Fields. Her last movie was Sextette (1977), which also came from a play. She died on November 22, 1980.- Actress
- Composer
- Producer
Maria McKee was born on 17 August 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Road House (1989), Pulp Fiction (1994) and Days of Thunder (1990). She is married to Jim Akin.- Mark Felt grew up in a modest Idaho home. He graduated from the University of Idaho and attended George Washington University Law School. Felt joined the FBI in 1942 and worked his way up to become assistant director to J. Edgar Hoover in 1965, succeeding to the No. 2 position of Associate Director upon Hoover's death. In 1972, after a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex, the FBI began investigating the White House for potential cover-up and surveillance activities. Two reporters at the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, pieced together the Watergate conspiracy with the help of an anonymous informant named 'Deep Throat.' Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of over two dozen people in the Nixon administration. Woodward and Bernstein, however, kept Deep Throat's identity a closely-guarded secret.
For three decades, the identity of Deep Throat was modern journalism's greatest unsolved mystery. Dozens of books speculated on Deep Throat's identity, and a long list of names was guessed over the years. As for Felt, he retired from the FBI and moved to northern California. Though he had originally planned for his secret identity to be revealed only after his death, he came forward at his family's urging on May 31, 2005 in a Vanity Fair article. Felt revealed, at the age of 91, that he was the infamous Deep Throat. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Known for starring as musically-inclined football player Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show Glee (2009), Mark Wayne Salling was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the younger of two children of Condy Sue (Wherry), a school secretary, and John Robert Salling, Jr., an accountant. He was home-schooled at an early age. Salling was raised in a "strict Christian home" and attended Providence Christian School and Our Redeemer Lutheran during elementary school. He attended, but did not graduate, from Culver Military Academy, and later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001. While in high school, he was a member of the school wrestling team. Music was also an integral part of his teenage years; he often performed in bars despite being underage and participated in school talent shows. After graduating from high school, he attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to make a living. Mark owned a dog named Noah, which he named after his character on Glee.
He died on January 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Martha Patterson Coolidge was born on August 17, 1946 in New Haven Connecticut. She studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school. She attended and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she received her Master's degree in Fine Arts. Coolidge's diverse project range has given her a reputation for eclectic taste. Among a long list of working with Hollywood's finest, Coolidge also discovered great talents like Nicolas Cage (Valley Girl (1983)), Val Kilmer (Real Genius (1985)) and James Gandolfini (Angie (1994)).
In addition to working with talented artists, Coolidge has received many awards for her work. Recognition has included a Best Director "Spirit" Award from the Independent Feature Project West, the "Crystal Award" from Women in Film, the Maverick Award from the LeFemme Film Festival, the distinguished "Robert Aldrich Award" from the Directors Guild of America, the "Breakthrough Award" from Women, Men & Media, and "Lifetime Achievement Awards" from Methodfest, the Dallas Film Festival, a "Big Bear" from the Big Bear Film Festival and the "Award for Artist Excellence in Film" from Rhode Island School of Design. She has been inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame and the Museum of Television and Radio, and also helped found the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, Inc. and the IFP.
An avid horsewoman. Ms. Coolidge breeds and shows Paso Fino horses and holds several National Championship titles. She is married to the award-winning production designer James H. Spencer and has one son, Preston, named in honor of one of her idols, playwright and film director Preston Sturges.- Maru Botana was born on 17 August 1969 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an actress, known for Los Roldán (2004), Costumbres argentinas (2003) and Maru a la tarde (2001). She has been married to Bernardo Solá since 1997. They have eight children.
- Melinda Collins was born on 17 August 1983 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. She has been married to Matt Collins since 16 January 2016. She was previously married to Danny Jamieson.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Monique Cooper was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for 9pm (2015), 1,3,2 and Oscar (2017).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Large and hearty Monty Woolley was born to privilege on August 17, 1888, the son of a hotel proprietor who owned the Marie Antoinette Hotel on Broadway. A part of Manhattan's elite social circle at a young age, he studied at both Yale (Master's degree) and Harvard and returned to Yale as an English instructor and coach of graduate dramatics. Among his students were Thornton Wilder and Stephen Vincent Benet.
Directly involved in the theater arts via his close association with intimate Yale friend and confidante Cole Porter, Monty directed several Broadway musicals and reviews, many in collaboration with Porter, including "Fifty Million Frenchmen" (1929) (an early success for Porter), "The New Yorkers" and "Jubilee" (1935). In 1936, at age 47, the witty, erudite gent had a career renaissance and gave up his Ivy League professorship once and for all in order to pursue the stage professionally. He took his first Broadway bow in the hit musical "On Your Toes" alongside Ray Bolger. Hollywood soon took notice and he began receiving supporting credit as assorted judges and doctors for such MGM fare as Live, Love and Learn (1937), Everybody Sing (1938), the Margaret Sullavan tearjerker Three Comrades (1938), Lord Jeff (1938), the Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy musical The Girl of the Golden West (1938) and Young Dr. Kildare (1938).
Typically playing cunning character leads and support roles, he was affectionately nicknamed "The Beard" by friend Cole Porter for his distinguished, impeccably-trimmed white whiskers. It was Monty who introduced Porter into the famed New York theater circle. Known for his sartorial elegance, ribald sense of humor and snob appeal, he and Porter were highly prominent carousers in the New York gay social underground.
Monty came into his own in 40s films, earning a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in the WWII drama The Pied Piper (1942), a supporting actor nod in another war classic, Since You Went Away (1944), and portrayed himself in the absurdly fictionalized (and sanitized) "biography" of Cole Porter entitled Night and Day (1946) starring a woefully miscast but admittedly flattering Cary Grant in the lead. A flashy delight in other movie roles, Monty received top billing in Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) with June Haver and Dick Haymes, playing a twinkle-eyed con man; appeared opposite Brit comedienne Grace Field in the English-humored Molly and Me (1945) and Holy Matrimony (1943); again with Cary Grant along with Loretta Young and David Niven as a professor in the perennial Christmas classic The Bishop's Wife (1947); plots against his own retirement in the mild comedy As Young as You Feel (1951) opposite another scene-stealing favorite, Thelma Ritter; and ended his film career with the role of Omar Khayyam in the glossy MGM operetta Kismet (1955).
Above all, however, Monty will be forever and indelibly cherished as the irascible (and definitive) radio personality Sheridan Whiteside in the stage and film versions of Kaufman and Hart's screwball classic The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941). Playing the razor-tongued, wheelchair-bound celebrity who wreaks havoc for everyone within knife-throwing distance, this would be the hallmark of his never-too-late-to-try career. He played another uppity and bombastic celebrity, this time a washed-up classical actor, in the more sentimental Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942), another role dripping with crusty sarcasm.
Monty appeared sporadically on radio and TV before and after his last filming in 1955. He died of kidney/heart problems in 1963 at the age of 74.- Nelson Piquet was born on 17 August 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Nicholas Bell was born on 15 August 1958 in Huddersfield, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995), Dark City (1998) and I, Frankenstein (2014).
- Actress
- Script and Continuity Department
- Director
Noni Hazlehurst was born on 17 August 1953 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for Candy (2006), Little Fish (2005) and Ladies in Black (2018). She was previously married to John Jarratt and Kevin James Dobson.- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Oleg Tabakov was a renown Russian actor, director, and public figure, who played over 100 roles in film and on TV. He is best known for his roles as Count Nikita Rostov in War and Peace (1965) by Sergey Bondarchuk, and as Oblomov in the eponymous film by Nikita Mikhalkov.
He was born Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov on August 17, 1935, in Saratov, Russia, USSR. His father, Pavel Kondratevich Tabakov, and his mother, Maria Andreevna Berezovskaya, were medical doctors in Saratov. His parents separated during the Second World War, and young Tabakov was brought up by his single mother and grandmother. He attended the all-boys school in Saratov, and was active in the drama class. From 1950-1953 he studied acting at the Saratov House of Pioneers under the legendary acting coach Natalia Iosifivna Sukhostav.
In 1953, Tabakov moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) School of Acting. He attended the class of Vasili Toporkov, graduating in 1957 as an actor. He made his film debut as Sasha in Sasha vstupayet v zhizn (1957) by director Mikhail Shvejtser, in 1956. That same year he became the youngest of the six founding members of Sovremennik Theatre under the directorship of Oleg Efremov. From 1957 - 1983, he was member of Sovremennik. There he played leading roles in such productions as 'Goly Korol' (aka.. Naked King), 'Tri Zhelaniya' (aka.. Three Wishes), 'Obyknovennaya istoriya' (aka.. Ordinary story) and other contemporary Russian plays. From 1970 - 1976 Tabakov was General Manager of Sovremennik, he promoted Galina Volchek to Principal Director of the company.
Since 1970s Tabakov had been teaching young actors at his master-class. Many of his students became successful professionals on stage as well as in film industry. His teaching credentials included workshops and productions at the Paris Conservatoire, the British American Drama Academy, Akademie Der Künst in Hamburg, the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Carnegie Mellon, The Juilliard School, New York University, Florida State University, The University of Delaware, and Harvard University.
In 1978 Tabakov and his students opened the "Tabakerka" Theatre in downtown Moscow. There Tabakov produced and directed several successful plays, such as 'Vesnoi ya vernus k tebe' (aka.. I'll be back in Spring), 'Proschay Maugli' (aka.. farewell to Maugli), and 'Belosnezhka i sem gnomov' (aka.. Snowhite and seven dwarfs). However, regardless of success with public and steady critical acclaim, the Soviet officials did not authorize Tabakov's new theatre, and his company dissolved by 1982. At that time Tabakov was depressed and transferred to MKhAT. There he played one of his best stage roles, Salieri, in the popular play 'Amadeus' under directorship of Oleg Efremov. Over the course of his acting career Tabakov appeared in about 150 roles, he also directed over 30 international stage productions.
During the 1990s, Oleg Tabakov was a strong supporter of democratic reforms and freedom in the new Russia. He made public speeches and was involved in many public events facilitating the cultural transformation of arts and theatres in Russia. Having himself experienced the Soviet control and suppression during his creative career, Tabakov became one of the leading proponents of cultural reforms in Russia. His efforts came to fruition in the revival of the Moscow Art Theatre under his leadership, as well as his participation in numerous cultural and political events in Russia. Over the course of his life and career, Oleg Tabakov rose to become one of the living symbols of artistic freedom in Russia. However, during the last years of life, Tabakov had shown public support of the ruling regime of Russia, supposedly out of the desire to help his students and the actors of his theatre.
Since 2000, after the death of his friend Oleg Efremov, Tabakov had been Artistic Director of Moscow Art Theatre named after A. Chekhov. He was also the Artistic Director of "Tabakerka" Theatre, and the leading actor in both companies. He was awarded the USSR State Prize for the Arts, the Russian State Prize for the Arts, and other national and international awards and decorations from Hungary, France, Poland, and the USSR. Oleg Tabakov was designated People's Actor of the USSR and Russia (1980s), and was decorated with the Order of Merit of Fatherland II degree, by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (2005).
Oleg Tabakov has been married twice. His first son, Anton Tabakov, is an actor and also a successful night-club owner in Moscow. Since 1996, Oleg Tabakov had been married to actress Marina Zudina and the couple had two children, son, Pavel (b. 1996), and daughter, Maria (b. 2006). Oleg Tabakov was hospitalized in the late November of 2017. His condition worsened gradually, ending in his death on 12th of March, 2018.