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1-13 of 13
- Charlie Dell was born on 31 October 1943 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Liar Liar (1997), Bubble Boy (2001) and She's All That (1999). He has been married to Jennifer Williams since 4 July 1993.
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Amy Vorpahl was born on 13 March 1985 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for In a World... (2013), Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014) and I Dm (2022).- Her mother, Patsy Linn Compton, was a Cherokee Native American and her father, John R. O'Neil, an oil wildcatter, was Irish. They were married on October 20, 1940 in Wharton, Texas, USA. Kitty was born on March 24, 1946 in Nueces, Texas, USA. Shortly after her birth her father died in an airplane accident.
Kitty developed normally as an infant until she was five months old. She lost her hearing when she was struck by measles, mumps, and smallpox all at the same time. Patsy decided that Kitty should be home schooled, preparing for that task by taking education courses at The University of Texas. Her mother's goal was realized in terms of Kitty learning to speak normally and become proficient at speech (lip) reading. Kittys brother, John O'Neil III, was born on May 1, 1947.
Patsy attended university classes while raising two small children. By the age of eight Kitty was able to be enrolled in a regular public school third grade. Her mother taught many deaf children and was a founder of The Listening Eyes School for the Deaf in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. Kitty learned to play the cello by sensing subtle changes in the frequency of the vibrations.
At the age of twelve Kitty joined a swim team. That led to developing an interest in diving. As a substitute for a diver who failed to show up, Kitty, who had never previously dived, won the first place medal. Six months later she had won the AAU Southwest District Junior meet. In 1962 Kitty's family moved to Anaheim, California, USA so she could train as a diver with nationally known diving coach, Sammy Lee. She spent four hours a day in the water. American Youth Magazine named her Youth Athlete of the Month. She won the 10 meter diving event at the 1964 AAU Nationals and was on her way to the qualifying heats for the Olympic Games.
Her diving career ended abruptly when she broke her wrist while diving, followed by a bout with spinal meningitis. For a time there was concern that she might lose the use of her legs, but Kitty persevered in getting back on her feet. Loving speed and competition Kitty moved to high speed water skiing. In 1970 she set the official women's water ski speed record, 104.85 miles per hour.
It seemed a natural progression to automobile racing and cross country motorcycle racing. It was an accident at a motorcycle race where she was aided by a fellow racer, Duffy Hambleton, that their relationship began. He accompanied her to the hospital and was unexpectedly put in the position of making medical decisions that enabled Kitty's two severed fingers to be reattached in a curved position during four hours of surgery. The therapy that followed enabled full left hand function, so complete that Kitty was again able to play the piano.
Duffy and Kitty lived on a ten acre citrus farm. He worked with her daily with voice modulation. Kitty would touch his throat and feel his normal vocal vibrations and then match them using her own voice. The constant goal was to reduce the high pitch that typifies deaf speech. It was Duffy that introduced Kitty to the world of doing movie stunts. Stunts Unlimited, an organization of Hollywood's top stunt performers, accepted Kitty O'Neil into membership in 1976. She was the first woman to be so honored.
In December 1976 Kitty shattered the world land speed record for women. At a dry lake bed (Alford Lake) in southeast Oregon, USA she averaged 512.70 miles per hour, bettering the old mark by over 200 miles per hour. She had driven a 48,000 horsepower rocket-powered vehicle named The Motivator designed by Ky MIchaelson, Rocketman Enterprises, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
For a 1977 NBC Special about the world's best stunt men and women Kitty tipped over a burning van, ran with her clothes on fire, and then fell seven stories over the parapet of a parking garage. The filming of the sheets of fire going over the van required Kitty to remain in the van as firemen doused the flames. The stunt crew then pulled off the windshield to extricate Kitty who was still strapped in the seat of the overturned van. In 1979 her accomplishments were the basis for a Hollywood movie, "Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story," starring Stockard Channing as Kitty. Duffy Hambleton was an executive producer and many of the stunts were done by the real Kitty O'Neil.
Kitty retired in 1986, moved from Elk River, Minnesota, USA in 1993 to Eureka, South Dakota, USA where she lives with her long time companion, Raymond Waid. When asked why she retired she said it was not because of fear, but because two friends had been killed while performing stunts. Why Eureka? Kitty loves the peace she feels at her home overlooking Lake Eureka. Kitty has devoted much of her time to supporting the American Cancer Society's efforts in the battle against breast cancer. Not a victim of the disease herself, Kitty volunteers her time and image to promote the cause and encourages women to be screened and receive mammograms every year after the age of forty. - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Vanessa, the daughter of a Navy petty officer and a nurse, grew up in Pensacola, Florida. Both of her parents were born and raised in the Philippines. Vanessa and her siblings were born and raised in the United States. She started acting as a background actor in commercials in New Orleans. Since then she has been in independent short films and has appeared on TV in Tyler Perry's "The Oval" and on Amazon Prime's original "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things." She is a voiceover artist who has narrated over 15 audio books, both fiction and nonfiction. Vanessa graduated from George Washington University and served in the Navy for almost ten years. She received her voiceover training through the NOLA Voice Talent Foundation in New Orleans and her acting coaches are veteran film and TV actors Gary Grubbs and James DuMont.- Actress
- Director
Carmen is an actor, singer, director, and a proud member of the professional actor unions: SAG-AFTRA and AEA. She's appeared in film & television and performed in NYC theatre, cabaret, regional theatre and summer stock.
Carmen has a recurring role as Bomb Tech, Carla Flores on the hit Dick Wolf series FBI on CBS. Also check out her YouTube series, Second to None, a set of documentary shorts highlighting those Hollywood actors whose faces you recognize, but names you may not be able to place.
Born in Corpus Christi, TX, her dad is retired career Navy having served as a sailor and pilot flying reconnaissance missions during Vietnam off the USS Hancock and USS Lexington. Her mom is a retired military wife, was a hairstylist and retail salesperson.
Carmen directed musicals at NYC's Clinton School for Writers and Artists and directed "Twelve Angry Jurors" and "Death of a Miner" at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She holds a BA in Communications and Theatre from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, and a MA in Theatre at Hunter College. She ran the JR School acting program at the Neighborhood Playhouse from 2014 - 2022 and teaches theatre history in the adult program. Carmen's acting coach mentors are Fred Kareman and Anthony Abeson.
She lives in New York City with her husband and son, rides her bike and follows a plant-based diet.- Michael G. Hawkins was born on 2 May 1949 in Nueces, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Frasier (1993), Columbo (1971) and Simon & Simon (1981).
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Writer
Todd Oldham was born on 22 October 1961 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Simply Irresistible (1999), The Nanny (1993) and At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017).- Make-Up Department
- Special Effects
- Director
Director, Actress, Special Effects Artist, Producer, Manager - Gigi "Fast Elk" Bannister (formerly Porter) has been in the film industry for over 35 years. "Discovered" while working in a diner in Texas, Gigi started her entertainment career as an in-house model in the '70s contracted to Dale Blanc' & Associates. Her diverse background includes actress, makeup artist, special effects artist, agent, manager, writer, director and producer for stage, film, television and live events. In 2012, after working in the industry since the age of 14, Gigi decided to return to school (Riverside City College) in pursuit of a degree with the desire to teach others what she has learned in the real world of film making. While there, she has worked on several student projects and has just completed a student film entitled, The Intruders, which is a reboot of the Twilight Zone: Invaders (1961) with a twist ending unique to her style.
"The Intruders" (a 10 minute B&W short shot with a Panasonic 4K in 1080 format) stars Gigi as a widow in a remote mountain cabin who is faced with Intruders from outer space in the form of a flying saucer and robots. When she bests them the Bannister retreats to the comfort of her home only to awaken in her bedroom to strange sounds! Was it all a terrible dream?!? She realizes it is actually her worst nightmare! The narrator is her husband, Reggie Bannister (Phantasm I-V, Bloody Bloody Bible Camp), and Ken Cress as the voice of the Ship Captain. Director of Photography is Michael Bates (Bloody Bloody Bible Camp) and many, many fellow Riverside City College film students as well as locals to the mountain community where the project was shot.
Better known for her practical special effects and production work, Gigi is comfortable on both sides of the camera. She's appeared in over a dozen films and television shows, is a popular guest at horror conventions, film festivals, workshops and seminars. Gigi is also credited as a producer, production manager, location scout, film liaison her most recent project was with her husband as a Producer on Don Coscarelli and David Hartman's "Phantasm V: Ravager" (2016) and Steve King's "One For the Road" (2011) (Night Shift Anthology). As a character actor, she's appeared as the tormenting Mother Mary in "Bloody Bloody Bible Camp" (2011), the enchanting Bearded Lady in "Carnies" (2009), a hygienic Trailer Gal in "Small Town Saturday Night" (2009) (with Chris Pine, John Hawkes, Reggie Bannister, and Perry Anzilotti), and again in Don Coscarelli's "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002) (Bruce Campbell, Reggie Bannister and Ozzie Davis), The Sheriff's Wife in "Spring Break Massacre" (2008) (Reggie Bannister), and many more. In another Coscarelli production, of the 14 positions she worked, Gigi was credited as Special Effects Makeup Coordinator for Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). She has produced and directed on numerous projects including dozens of live events, fund raisers and seminars, six (6) independent feature films, and six (6) shows for television. Gigi has made a unique mark for herself in writing, directing and producing political music videos. Her first, was a Native American music video, "Love That's Gone" (1997), protesting the ongoing Yellowstone National Park buffalo slaughter. Her next was "Land of the Free" (2001) showing the necessity for park land in Long Beach, California. She co-wrote and produced "Baby That's Not Right" (2007) based on husband, Reggie Bannister's, original music.
Her talent for writing was realized early in life. She's a Golden Poet recipient, has completed a children's story, "The Adventurous Mr. Tiggy," and has a Native American Horror script in the works. When she submitted her original short script, "Miracle,"(a Native American film about the birth of a white Buffalo at Christmas) to both the AFI Director's Workshop for Women (making it to final cuts) and Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, she received the following review: "I loved it! I think this can be expanded to at least an hour's worth of film and would, obviously, make a great holiday TV film... The voices ... were genuine and believable... I believe you have the makings of a wonderful classic! Congratulations!" (Lauren Stone) After producing and hosting a chat show for decades ("Nightmarez Café" as Vampi the Vegetarian Vampire"), she now often produces for public service announcements, "Every 15 Minutes" (high school Anti-Drunk Driving Program), Battlefield Effects, and Mass Casualty/Moulage Makeup. She is her husband's personal manager for his music and film careers. Her pet projects include community service, Haunted Houses and Free Film Camps for youths in her mountain community through her non-profit, the Crestline Creative Arts Foundation.
Production Magic Inc PO Box 3287, Crestline CA 92325, productionmagic@msn.com- William C. Crawford was born on 13 August 1960 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988). He died on 16 March 1993 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Chip Hand was born on 5 April 1954 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Lovelines (1984), The Wild McCullochs (1975) and Butch Cassidy (1973). He died on 8 June 2009 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Carl Crow was born on 30 November 1936 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Arrest and Trial (1963), Mutiny in Outer Space (1965) and Premonition (1972). He died on 22 October 1979 in Pacific Ocean off Laguna Beach, California, USA.
- Charles Taylor was born on 25 October 1917 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He died on 5 December 1945 in Bermuda Triangle, Atlantic Ocean.
- Jae Flores was born on 29 August 1976 in Nueces County, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Dark Blood (2000) and Faceless (2001). He died on 13 February 2005 in Houston, Texas, USA.