Famous actors born in 1978
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Rachel Anne McAdams was born on November 17, 1978 in London, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra Kay (Gale), a nurse, and Lance Frederick McAdams, a truck driver and furniture mover. She is of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish descent. Rachel became involved with acting as a teenager and by the age of 13 was performing in Shakespearean productions in summer theater camp; she went on to graduate with honors with a BFA degree in Theater from York University. After her debut in an episode of Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson (1998), she co-starred in the Canadian TV series Slings and Arrows (2003), a comedy-drama about the trials and travails of a Shakespearean theater group, and won a Gemini award for her performance in 2003.
Her breakout role as Regina George in the hit comedy Mean Girls (2004) instantly catapulted her onto the short list of Hollywood's hottest young actresses. She followed that film with a star turn opposite Ryan Gosling in the adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks bestseller The Notebook (2004), which was a surprise box office success and became the predominant romantic drama for a new, young generation of moviegoers. After filming, McAdams and Gosling became romantically involved and dated through mid-2007. McAdams next showcased her versatility onscreen with the manic comedy Wedding Crashers (2005), the thriller Red Eye (2005), and the holiday drama The Family Stone (2005).
McAdams then explored the independent film world with Married Life (2007), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and also starred Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. Starring roles in the military drama The Lucky Ones (2008), the newspaper thriller State of Play (2009), and the romance The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) followed before she starred opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Guy Ritchie's international blockbuster Sherlock Holmes (2009). McAdams played the plucky producer of a failing morning TV show in Morning Glory (2010), the materialistic fiancée of Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011), and returned to romantic drama territory with the hit film The Vow (2012) opposite Channing Tatum. The actress also stars with Ben Affleck in Terrence Malick's To the Wonder (2012) and alongside Noomi Rapace in Brian De Palma's thriller Passion (2012).
In 2005, McAdams received ShoWest's "Supporting Actress of the Year" Award as well as the "Breakthrough Actress of the Year" at the Hollywood Film Awards. In 2009, she was awarded with ShoWest's "Female Star of the Year." As of 2011, she has been romantically linked with her Midnight in Paris (2011) co-star Michael Sheen.- Actress
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Katherine Marie Heigl was born on November 24, 1978 in Washington, D.C., to Nancy Heigl (née Engelhardt), a personnel manager, and Paul Heigl, an accountant and executive. Her father is of German/Swiss-German and Irish descent, and her mother is of German ancestry. A short time after her birth, the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where Katherine was to spend the majority of her childhood; the youngest member of her family, Katherine--or "Katie" as she is nicknamed--has two elder siblings, John and Meg. Tragically, her older brother Jason died in 1986 of brain injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck. When doctors determined he was brain-dead, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. Not only did this painful chapter give Katherine a greater perspective and appreciation for life, but it motivated her to use her celebrity to promote the importance of organ donation.
Katherine was first thrust into the limelight as a child model. An aunt, visiting the family in New Canaan, took a number of photographs of Katherine, then aged nine, in a series of poses to advertise a hair care product she had invented. Upon returning to New York, with permission from Katherine's parents, she sent the photos to a number of modeling agencies. Within a few weeks, Katherine had been signed to Wilhelmina, a renowned international modeling agency. Almost immediately, she made her debut in a magazine advertisement and soon followed this with an inaugural television appearance in a national commercial for Cheerios breakfast cereal.
Following a number of commercials and modeling assignments for Sears and Lord & Taylor, she made her big-screen debut in That Night (1992), which starred Juliette Lewis and C. Thomas Howell. It was then that she realized that acting rather than modeling was her passion. In 1993, Katherine appeared in Steven Soderbergh's critically-acclaimed Depression-era drama, King of the Hill (1993), before landing her first leading role as a rebellious teenager, alongside Gérard Depardieu, in My Father the Hero (1994). During this time, Katherine continued to attend New Canaan High School, balancing her academic studies with work on films and modeling, which she undertook during holidays, vacations and weekends.
In 1995, she played "Sarah Ryback", the niece of Steven Seagal's character, in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), which was her "debut" in the action film genre. Acting was now becoming a stronger focus for Katherine, although she still modeled extensively, appearing regularly in magazines such as "Seventeen". Television appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) soon followed, before she took the lead role in Disney's Wish Upon a Star (1996) in 1996. It was also during that year that Katherine's parents divorced and, following her graduation from high school in 1997, she moved with her mother into a four-bedroom house in Los Angeles' Malibu Canyon area. This enabled her to focus upon acting with the guidance and support of her mother, who now managed her career.
In 1997, Katherine portrayed "Taffy Entwhistle", Rita Hayworth's stand-in, in Stand-ins (1997) and was also cast as the beauteous "Princess Ilene" in the European production, Prince Valiant (1997). She then made her made-for-TV movie debut, co-starring with Peter Fonda in a re-working of the classic Shakespearean play, The Tempest (1998), updated with an American Civil War theme. In this film, she played "Miranda Prosper", a young woman torn between her love for both her father and a Union soldier. Bug Buster (1998) and Bride of Chucky (1998) represented a venture into the horror genre for Katherine. While both films could be described as rather tongue-in-cheek despite their gory emphases, Bride of Chucky (1998) was the better received, both critically and commercially.
In 1999, Katherine decided to branch out into series television when she accepted the role of the haughty, yet vulnerable, "Isabel Evans", on Roswell (1999), a show that blended teen angst with sci-fi drama. Though she had never planned to embark on a career in television, the role of Isabel, a teenager with a secret life, was an offer she found impossible to refuse. In the series, Isabel, her brother Max (Jason Behr) and their friend Michael (Brendan Fehr) are aliens passing as humans in Roswell, New Mexico, as they desperately try to hide the truth from government agencies, the people of Roswell and even their own adopted families. To publicize her role on the show, Katherine graced the covers of magazines such as "TV Guide", "Maxim" and "Teen" and was interviewed on Later (1994) and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999). Along with her mother Nancy, she also appeared in an episode of the Sci-Fi TV talk show, Crossing Over with John Edward (2001), during which she spoke with John Edward, a psychic medium, about her late brother, Jason. During the three years Roswell (1999) was in production, Katherine found time to work on several movies. 100 Girls (2000), an independent film released in 2001, is the story of a college freshman who meets the girl of his dreams in an elevator during a blackout, and spends the rest of the movie trying to find her again. Her cameo role is that of Arlene, the competitive tomboy. The second film, Valentine (2001), a horror film starring David Boreanaz and Denise Richards, appeared in U.S. theaters on February 2, 2001. In this movie, which is based upon the 1996 novel by Tom Savage, Katherine plays "Shelley", a medical student who meets a sudden demise.
In the spring of 2001, Katherine accepted a role in NBC's Critical Assembly (2002), a two-hour original television thriller. Katherine and Kerr Smith (Dawson's Creek (1998)) co-starred as brilliant and politically concerned college students who build a nuclear device to illustrate the need for a change in national priorities, but are betrayed by a fellow student when the bomb ends up in the hands of a terrorist. Unfortunately, the telefilm, directed by Eric Laneuville, written by Tom Vaughan, and based on the best-seller "The Seventh Power" by James Mills, was shelved when its storyline was deemed too close for comfort to the events of September 11, 2001. It was eventually broadcast in 2003. Since the cancellation of Roswell (1999) in the spring of 2002, Katherine has been busy with various projects, including an appearance on UPN's update of the classic television series, The Twilight Zone (2002). That episode, entitled Cradle of Darkness (2002), aired on October 2, 2002, and featured Katherine in the role of a woman who goes back in time to stop one of the most notorious murders in history. In addition, she completed a movie, Descendant (2003), a psychological thriller inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She has also starred as "Romy" in ABC/Touchstone's two-hour telepic, Romy and Michele: In the Beginning (2005), a prequel to the 1997 feature, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). During the summer of 2002, Katherine made a major decision in the direction of her career when she signed on for representation in all areas with the William Morris Agency, one of the biggest and most prestigious agencies in the entertainment industry. She is now being represented by Norman Aladjem at Paradigm Agency and being managed by Nancy Heigl and Stephanie Simon and Jason Newman at Untitled Entertainment.- Actor
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Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Diane (Finnegan), who was employed at Procter & Gamble, and Larry Kutcher, a factory worker. He has a fraternal twin brother, Michael, and a sister, Tausha. He is of Czech (father) and Irish, German, and Czech (mother) descent. He grew up in rural Homestead, Iowa, graduating from Clear Creek-Amana High School in Tiffin, Iowa. In 1997, Kutcher was a biochemical engineering student at the University of Iowa and was discovered by a local talent scout. In 2010, Kutcher was named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People. He created the Demi and Ashton Foundation, to eliminate child sex slavery worldwide. Kutcher is mostly known for playing Michael Kelso in That '70s Show (1998) and is co-founder of Katalyst, a studio for social media.- Actor
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A likable, boyish-looking actor with thick eyebrows and a friendly smile, Justin Long is a native of Connecticut.
He was born and raised in Fairfield, the second of three sons. His father, R. James Long, is a Professor of Philosophy at Fairfield University, and his mother, Wendy Lesniak, is a former Broadway actress. He is of German, Sicilian, and Polish descent. He attended Fairfield Prep, and after graduating, he attended Vassar College. He first really showed his promise as a member of the comedy troupe "LaughingStock." His performing talent garnered favorable notices and he won roles in some independent productions, notably Galaxy Quest (1999). However, he refused to act full time until after he graduated, which he did in 2000. He first gained notice when he played the nervous teenager Warren Cheswick in the TV series Ed (2000). The following year, he starred in the offbeat horror film Jeepers Creepers (2001). The film, with its ghoulish ending, was a major hit on the horror circuit and raised his profile.
He played the boyfriend of Britney Spears in Crossroads (2002), and won a supporting role in the Vince Vaughn comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). He had high-profile roles in some offbeat independent films, most notably Raising Genius (2004) and Waiting... (2005), and scored commercial success again when he played Lindsay Lohan's boyfriend in Herbie Fully Loaded (2005). In 2007, he appeared as second lead in the fourth "Die Hard" film, Live Free or Die Hard (2007).
He continues to win acclaim and fans. He scored commercial success again with a role in the Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy The Break-Up (2006). He is private about his personal life and does not make a point of attending nightclubs and parties. However, his personal life did get scrutiny in 2008, due to his romance with actress Drew Barrymore that year.
In addition to his film appearances, he is a spokesman for the Apple Mac computers, appearing with John Hodgman in its commercials.- Actress
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Born two months premature at four pounds, Kate Noelle Holmes made her first appearance on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. She is the daughter of Kathleen Ann (Craft), a philanthropist, and Martin Joseph Holmes, Sr., a lawyer. She is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. Her parents have said that her strong-willed personality is probably due to her early birth. Being the youngest in the Holmes clan, completing the family of three other sisters and one brother, Katie was always the baby.
As a teenager, she began attending modeling school. When she was sixteen, her teacher invited her to go to a modeling competition with other girls from her class. She competed in the International Modeling and Talent Association by singing, dancing, and reciting a monologue from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). By the end of that time in New York, Katie won many awards. But she said she didn't want to model because it wasn't challenging enough. So when she was seventeen, Katie went to Los Angeles to audition for movies. Luckily, on her second audition, she was cast in the movie, The Ice Storm (1997), directed by Ang Lee. Katie's character was Libbets Casey, a rich New Yorker, who is pursued by two of the main characters. It was a small part, but it marked the beginning of her professional acting career.
After the excitement of her first movie, Katie began sending in audition tapes for pilot shows. During that time, she was also starring in her all-girls Catholic high school musical, Damn Yankees, as Lola. After Kevin Williamson received her audition tape for his new show, Dawson's Creek (1998), the producers wanted her to come to Hollywood right away and read live for them. But because they wanted her to come on the opening night for Damn Yankees, Katie had to tell them she couldn't make it. Fortunately, the show's producers wanted her so much for that role, they rescheduled her callback and the result was she got the part as Joey Potter. During her first year with Dawson's Creek (1998), Katie was able to do two movies, Disturbing Behavior (1998) and Go (1999), and, for the former, she won Best Breakthrough Female Performance at the 1999 MTV Movie Awards.
The following year, she starred next to Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys (2000), playing Hannah Green, a published author and a boarder at her teacher's (Douglas) house, who has a crush on him, and tries to seduce him. Her first leading role came in 2002, with Abandon (2002). She played a college student named Katie Burke, who is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend who vanished two years prior. With Dawson's Creek (1998) coming to a close after six years in May of 2003, it was a bittersweet moment for all the cast. Accustomed to being in North Carolina filming ten months out of a year, the cast members now had the opportunity to make more movies.
Katie demonstrated this in October, when she had two new movies, Pieces of April (2003) and The Singing Detective (2003), coming out in that month alone. Pieces of April (2003) is a charming Thanksgiving movie about April (Holmes), the black sheep of her family, who wants to give her family the perfect dinner before her mother passes on. The Singing Detective (2003) is a dark musical where the main character (Robert Downey Jr.) was a writer in a hospital for skin conditions who writes a dark world of seduction and murder in his mind. Katie Holmes played the kind Nurse Mills who tends to his every need. She also gets to lip sync and dance in this movie. In 2004, she starred in the romantic movie First Daughter (2004), in which she played the President's (Michael Keaton) daughter, Samantha, who wants to go to college without any Secret Service tagging along. In 2005, Holmes co-starred in Batman Begins (2005), where she played Rachel Dawes, a childhood sweetheart and love interest to Batman/Bruce Wayne.
Katie has a daughter with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise.- Actress
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Malin was born in Stockholm, Sweden and raised in Toronto, Canada. Her mother, Pia (Sundström), is a model and aerobics instructor, and her father, Magnus Åkerman, is an insurance broker. They moved to Toronto when she was age 2. At age 5, she began appearing in TV commercials. Her parents divorced when she was 6 and her father returned to Sweden.
At age 17, she won the Canadian title of Ford Supermodel. This enabled her to spend 3 years as a catwalk model in Europe. She decided to become a child psychologist and enrolled in York University but she was offered a guest role in Earth: Final Conflict (1997) so she turned her attention back to acting. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and won roles in both TV and film. Her breakthrough role came when she was cast as Silk Spectre II in Watchmen (2009).- Actor
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Bill Hader is an American comedian and actor who is known for playing in Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2013. He created and starred in the HBO show Barry. He also played Flint Lockwood from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Colonel Custer from Night at the Museum 2, Fear from Inside Out and Richie Tozier from It Chapter Two. He was married to Maggie Carey and has three children.- Actress
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Karina Smirnoff was born on 2 January 1978 in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Kharkiv, Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for Dark Feathers (2024), Shall We Dance? (2004) and Tango Shalom (2021).- Actor
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Andy Samberg was born in Berkeley, California, to Marjorie (Marrow), a teacher, and Joe Samberg, a photographer. With Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, Samberg is one of three Los Angeles, California-based writer-performer-filmmakers--all childhood friends--dubbed The Lonely Island, whose short films were showcased on the popular untelevised television network show and website. Some of their popular shorts included The O.C. (2003) parody "The 'Bu" and their full-length pilot, "Awesometown." They met Jimmy Fallon while writing for 2004 MTV Video Music Awards (2004), who then suggested that they audition for Saturday Night Live (1975). Andy was then cast as a featured performer, and Samberg's Lonely Island cohorts Jorma and Akiva were hired as writers for the show. The group's most notable contributions include The Lonely Island: Lazy Sunday (2005), The Lonely Island feat. Justin Timberlake: Dick in a Box (2006), and The Lonely Island Feat. T-Pain: I'm on a Boat (2009).
Near the end of his first season of SNL, Andy started filming the lead role in the film Hot Rod (2007), the first major motion picture by the Lonely Island team, with the production support of Lorne Michaels.
In 2012, after seven years of working on SNL, Samberg resigned from the show. He was originally not looking to join a television series as a regular cast member, but after seeing the script for Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013), he couldn't pass it up. Andy plays Jake Peralta, the best detective in Brooklyn's 99th police precinct, who also happens to be the most immature. In 2013 Samberg received the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy for his performance.
In 2016, Andy starred in the pop music mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016). Taccone and Schaffer co-starred in and co-directed the film.
Samberg married singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom on 21 September, 2013, in Big Sur, California. In August 2017, they announced the birth of their baby daughter.- Actress
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Erica Durance was born on June 21, 1978 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and producer known for Smallville (2001) and Saving Hope (2012). She grew up with an older brother and sister on a turkey farm in Three Hills. After school, she moved to Vancouver to start her acting career. Durance started her career in commercials and guest-starring roles on different television series. In 2004 she was cast as Lois Lane on the television series Smallville, starting in season 4 as a guest-star and became a series regular in season 5. She played the character for seven seasons on Smallville, ending in 2011. In 2012, Durance was cast to played the lead role as Dr Alex Reid in the television medical drama, Saving Hope.- Actress
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Chelsea Vanessa Peretti is a stand-up comedian, actress and writer who appeared in FOX's Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013). The show won two Golden Globe Awards in 2014 including one for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Peretti starred alongside Andy Samberg, Terry Crews and Joe Lo Truglio as 'Gina Linetti,' the 99th precinct's administrator. Entertainment Weekly called Peretti one of the "buzziest breakouts" and the New York Post called her a "comedic gem, whose dry wit is unparalleled." Chelsea was nominated for Favorite Comedy Supporting Actress - Television for the 2014 American Comedy Awards and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" also received a nomination for Favorite Comedy Series. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" was nominated for a 2014 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy and received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical. The hit series was just picked up for a eighth season.
Peretti had a recurring role as 'Farley' on the popular sketch comedy series for Comedy Central, Kroll Show (2013) and has appeared on Louie (2010) and Tosh.0 (2009) and she also plays multiple characters on Adult Swim's China, IL (2008). Peretti has been praised as one of Variety's "Top 10 Comics to Watch," Comedy Central's "Hotlist" comedians, and in Vanity Fair's 2013 "Comedy" issue. She was also recognized by TIME magazine as having one of the "140 Best Twitter Feeds" of 2013.
Peretti is also an accomplished writer, having written for Parks and Recreation (2009), Saturday Night Live (1975), The Sarah Silverman Program. (2007), Portlandia (2011) and Kroll Show (2013).
Peretti tours her stand-up at comedy clubs, theaters and festivals across the world.- Actress
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Shannyn Sossamon is an American actress and director. She is of Irish, French, Dutch, Hawaiian-Filipino, German and English ancestry. Growing up in Reno, Nevada, Sossamon spent most of her youth at a local dance studio. After graduating high school at age 17, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a life in the creative arts. Sossamon began acting in films at age 21 after being approached by casting director Francine Maisler, who was casting the starring role in Brian Helgeland's A KNIGHTS TALE opposite Heath Ledger. Additionally, she can be seen with Matt Dillon and Carla Gugino in the event series WAYWARD PINES, from M. Night Shyamalan, opposite Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison in Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW, and as the lead of Blumhouse feature SINISTER 2, opposite James Ransone. Other credits include THE END OF LOVE starring Michael Cera and Mark Webber; OUR FAMILY WEDDING starring Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY starring opposite Patrick Fugit; THE RULES OF ATTRACTION starring opposite James Van Der Beek; 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS starring opposite Josh Hartnett, and as the lead in Monte Hellman's ROAD TO NOWHERE. Recent credits include the feature films THERE ARE NO SAINTS and BACKSPOT, opposite Devery Jacobs. Sossamon spends her free time creating short videos for her project, THE MAUDE ROOM: A VARIETY SHOW, a short-form video project made especially for phone viewing.- Actor
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Ethan Embry was born Ethan Philan Randall on June 13, 1978, in Huntington Beach, California, to Karen and Charles Randall. Before he started acting in movies, Ethan appeared in more than 100 TV and radio commercials. In 1991, at the age of 13, he appeared in three films and has continued acting ever since. On average, Ethan released or filmed at least two films per year, which continued up until 1999, when he filmed about five films.
Ethan spent most of his childhood in Southern California growing up with his older brother, Aaron (said to be one of the best musicians in LA), and his little sister, Kessia. In 1998, he bought a home of his own.
In the fall of 1999, Ethan co-starred as Sebastian in the short-lived CBS sitcom Work with Me (1999). Sadly, due to a lack of ratings, the show ended after only four episodes. 1999, however, did bring a happy event; Ethan's then-wife, Amelinda Smith, gave birth to their first child, whom they named Cogeian, after the Latin word "cogeo," which means "to think over."
In the fall of 2000, Ethan starred as Derek Barnes in FreakyLinks (2000) on FOX. Thirteen episodes were shot, but the series was soon canceled after its debut. Later success includes a role as Detective Frank Smith on Dick Wolf's remake of the classic series Dragnet (2003), a part in the recent cult classic Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), and a guest-starring role in the series Numb3rs (2005).
He has been married to actresses Amelinda Smith, with whom he has one child, and Sunny Mabrey.- Actor
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Joshua Carter Jackson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His Irish mother, Fiona Jackson, is a casting director originally from Dublin. His American father, John Carter Jackson, is from Texas. Josh spent the first eight years of his life in California before returning to Canada. At the age of 11, Josh decided he wanted to pursue acting. Knowing how cruel an acting career could be, his mother took him to his first audition in hopes of discouraging him. Instead, he landed a commercial for Keebler's potato chips. Since then, Josh has had a full career ranging from theater to television.- Actor
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Dominic Edward Cooper was born and raised in Greenwich, London, England. His mother, Julie (Heron), is a nursery school teacher and a keen theater-goer. His father, Brian Cooper, is an auctioneer. They divorced when Dominic was age 5. His maternal great-grandfather was film enthusiast E.T. Heron, who published The Kinematograph Weekly. He has two older brothers, Nathan and Simon. He had a sister who died in a car accident when she was age 5, which happened before Dominic was born. He also has a half-sister from an extramarital affair by his father and a half-brother from his father's second marriage.
He went to school in Kidbrooke, attending the Thomas Tallis School. He didn't know what to do afterwards and his girlfriend, at the time, suggested that he should apply to drama school. He did his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He performed in the end of year play 'Waiting For Godot' and this performance landed him the renowned agent Pippa Markham.
He graduated in 2000 and started with a few minor roles in television and theater. In 2004, he landed a role at the National Theatre with 'The History Boys'. He originated the role of Dakin, as he was involved in the play from the very beginning. He played the role for two years on the stage and then, for the final time, in his breakthrough film role The History Boys (2006).- Jodi Lyn O'Keefe was born in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, to Noreen and Jack O'Keefe, a director of labor relations for Merck. She began modeling at the age of 8 after seeing her eldest sister Heather modelling. She modeled for various companies such as Gitano Jeans and DreamPhone. When she reached her teen years she attended Saint John Vianney High School in Holmdel, New Jersey. After her sophomore year Jodi left school to star on the soap Another World (1964), where she played Marguerite Cory. After she left Another World she immediately landed the role of Cassidy Bridges on the hit CBS cop action/drama Nash Bridges (1996). She played Cassidy for all 6 seasons. While she was filming Nash Bridges she made her big screen debut in the 1998 Halloween sequel Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). Jodi then hit the spotlight when she portrayed the snobby, popular and rich Taylor Vaughan in the 1999 hit teen flick She's All That (1999). She then starred in three more movies before she began to keep a lower profile.
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Taryn Manning was born in Falls Church, Virginia, to Bill Manning, a musician, and his wife Sharyn. At two months old, Manning's parents separated, and she moved with her mother and brother to Tucson, Arizona, where she was raised. Manning was active in dance, karate, and acting as a child. At age 12, her family moved to California.
She landed her first major role in 2001 as "Maddy" in Crazy/Beautiful (2001). Her breakthrough role was "Nola", a prostitute in Memphis, Tennessee, in Hustle & Flow (2005) and was nominated by the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards for Best Breakthrough Performance. The film also received a SAG award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.
She has worked on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008). Her feature credits include Love Ranch (2010), Cold Mountain (2003), 8 Mile (2002), A Lot Like Love (2005), White Oleander (2002), and Crossroads (2002).
She is also series regular on Orange Is the New Black (2013). In addition to acting, Manning is also a fashion designer, singer-songwriter, and the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat. She is also co-owner of the clothing brand "Born Uniqorn".- Actor
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Jake Johnson (born Mark Jake Johnson Weinberger; May 28, 1978) is an American actor, comedian and director, most commonly known for playing Nick Miller in the Fox comedy series New Girl opposite Zooey Deschanel, for which he has received a Teen Choice Award nomination among others. Johnson also co-starred in the 2009 film Paper Heart and the 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed, as well as appearing in Get Him to the Greek, 21 Jump Street. His first starring role in a feature film was Drinking Buddies, and he also starred in the 2014 comedy Let's Be Cops, alongside fellow New Girl star Damon Wayans, Jr. Appeared alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World (2015). Co-starred with Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, in the Dark Universe thriller, The Mummy (2017). Starred as gambler Eddie Garrett in Netflix feature film Win It All (2017), alongside Keegan Michael Key and Joe Lo Truglio, directed by friend Joe Swanberg.- Actress
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Shining equally bright in both comedic and dramatic roles, Courtney Ford's ability to take on diverse projects has set her career in motion. After a memorable arc on Showtime's Dexter, Ford was named one of the "Top Ten Faces to Watch on Television" by Variety. She was most recently a series regular on one of The CW's most unique shows, Legends of Tomorrow, playing fan favorite Nora Darhk.
Ford has showcased her versatility with guest starring performances on hit shows such as Grey's Anatomy (2005), Criminal Minds (2005), CSI: NY (2004), The Big Bang Theory (2007), Hawaii Five-0 (2010) , and How I Met Your Mother (2005). Her episode of, The Naked Man (2008), received an Emmy Award Nomination. Her season long recurring guest star on Showtime's hit Dexter (2006) as John Lithgow's troubled daughter earned her rave reviews and loyal fan following. On season four of the HBO series True Blood (2008), Ford played Portia Bellefleur, a successful attorney who becomes romantically involved with vampire Bill Compton. In one of the season's most shocking twists, Bill discovers that his lover Portia is actually his great-great-great-great granddaughter, a revelation that stuns them both, as well as the fan community at large.
A formally trained actress, Ford has received training in The Strasberg Method, The Improv Underground and has studied with Andrew Magarian and Lesly Kahn. Courtney Ford is a native of Los Angeles and currently resides there with her husband, Brandon Routh, where they both passionately support and serve as activists for "Service Nation".- Actress
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Shiri jumped in front of the lens as a youngster appearing in Norman Lear Sunday Dinner and Lawrence Kasden's I Love You To Death. At 19 she had her breakout performance on the series Roswell, playing the leading role of Liz Parker. She went on to appear in ER, Six Degrees, as well as Mike Nichols' Charlie Wilson's War, HBO's GIRLS, CW's Life Unexpected, before starring in Lifetime's critically acclaimed dramady UnReal, playing Rachel Goldberg, a producer working behind the scenes of a dating competition show, which received the Peabody Award. In 2016, Shiri was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for her work on the show. Shiri directed four episodes of UnReal before focusing most of her attention on directing. Shiri has directed shows such as Minx, UnPrisoned, Blackish, New Amsterdam, Young Sheldon, and many others, across all platforms.- Actor
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Joshua Daniel Hartnett was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Wendy Anne (Kronstedt) and Daniel Thomas Hartnett, a building manager. His father is of Irish and German descent, and his mother is of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry. Hartnett graduated from South High School in Minneapolis in June of 1996, then attended SUNY Purchase in New York. By April of 1997, he was offered the role of Michael Fitzgerald in the short-lived American television series Cracker: Mind Over Murder (1997). Josh started off doing small plays and national commercials, but broke into the big-screen movie business with his starring roles in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), The Faculty (1998), and Pearl Harbor (2001).- Actor
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Gael García Bernal was born in Guadalajara to Patricia Bernal, an actress/model & José Ángel García, an actor/director. His stepfather's cinematographer Sergio Yazbek. He began his acting career as a child, working w/ his parents in a variety of plays. At 14, he starred in a soap opera called El abuelo y yo (1992). He appeared in film school exercises and short films, including De tripas, corazón (1996), which was directed by Antonio Urrutia & nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film. He also starred in El ojo en la nuca (2001), a short film directed by Rodrigo Plá. He studied acting at the Central School of Speech & Drama in London. Amores Perros (2000) was his first major feature film, followed by And Your Mother Too (2001), directed by Alfonso Cuarón & filmed by Emmanuel Lubezki.- Actress
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America Athene Olivo is an American actress and singer best known as a member of the band Soluna, for her roles in the films Bitch Slap (2009), Friday the 13th (2009) and Maniac (2012), as well as starring in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Born in Van Nuys, California, she has dual citizenship to the United States and Canada. She is married to actor Christian Campbell.- Actress
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Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for the next seven years. While living there, Zoe discovered a keen interest in performance dance and began her training at the prestigious ECOS Espacio de Danza Dance Academy where she learned ballet as well as other dance forms. Not only did her training provide an excellent outlet for the enthusiastic and energetic youngster, it would also prove to be a fortunate precursor for the start of her professional acting career. At age 17, Zoe and her family moved back to the United States where her love for dance followed and an interest in theater performance became stronger.
She began performing with the Faces theater troupe which put on plays geared to provide positive messages for teens with themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but also a source of great pride knowing that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself. While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater, Zoe was recruited for a talent agency and her dance training years before coupled with her acting experience greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva Rodriguez, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the film Center Stage (2000). Since her professional career began several years ago, Zoe's talent and determination have allowed her to be involved in blockbuster films and act with major actors, actresses and industry insiders at a pace that very few young professionals have experienced.
Zoe has not only held her own in major motion picture productions but gained the respect and praise from industry insiders such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg and actors/actresses such as Tom Hanks, Bernie Mac, Keira Knightley, Ashton Kutcher, Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. According to many of her co-stars, producers and directors, the sky is no limit for this young star who has incredible range, intense concentration, and a steely determination to be involved with projects that challenge her professionally with wide-ranging subject matters and characters. Just to ask practically anyone who she has worked for or with about her, glowing comments abound and earned friendships and respect are readily revealed. A star has been born, and growing every day.- Actress
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January Jones was born on January 5, 1978 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is the daughter of Karen Sue (née Cox), a sporting goods store manager, and Marvin Roger Jones, a gym teacher and fitness director. She is of Czech, Danish, English, Welsh, and German ancestry. She was named after the character January Wayne in Jacqueline Susann's potboiler novel turned film, Once Is Not Enough (1975). She has two sisters, Jacey Jones and Jina Jones].
Her family moved to the small town of Hecla, South Dakota, with a population of just some 400 souls in 1979, when she was one year old; they moved back to Sioux Falls in 1986. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, she moved to New York City to become a model. Despite her stature (5'6", which is short for a fashion model), she got modeling gigs, including Abercrombie & Fitch ads. However, modeling was just a means to an end, to get out of South Dakota and avoid going to college.
She got her first taste of acting from TV commercials and found that she had flair for it, even though she did not act in high school and had no training. January appeared in a couple of television pilots and a cable television series before making her big screen debut in All the Rage (1999), an indie that never got a real release. She followed it up with a small role in the teen thriller The Glass House (2001). Her actual debut in the sense of attracting attention was in the near silent role of the beauty who entices Jane Fonda's son, Troy Garity, in the Bruce Willis-Cate Blanchett-Billy Bob Thornton comedy Bandits (2001). It was not a career-making part. At the time the movie was released, she was ending a three-year relationship with Ashton Kutcher.
Small roles followed, including a "don't blink or you won't see me" part in the Adam Sandler-Jack Nicholson comedy Anger Management (2003). She gained some career traction with a good role in another comedy, American Wedding (2003), a sequel to American Pie (1999). Until she landed the part on Mad Men (2007), which made its debut on AMC in 2007, her career was steady but undistinguished. "I choose roles that are not me", January has said. The role of Betty Draper has garnered her two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nomination as Best Actress. Her cool, Grace Kelly-ish blonde ice queen looks -- counterpointed by her soul burning in her bright blue eyes -- have established her as a retro icon of the 21st Century.