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- Actress
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Felicity Huffman was born on 9 December 1962 in Bedford, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Transamerica (2005), Desperate Housewives (2004) and Sports Night (1998). She has been married to William H. Macy since 6 September 1997. They have two children.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Born and raised in San Francisco, Marla Sokoloff moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and enrolled in the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, where she studied theater and music. She won numerous awards and accolades for her singing, performing the national anthem at such high profile events as the Oakland A's baseball games and for the USO. Soon after moving to Los Angeles, Marla began landing roles on several popular television series including Home Improvement (1991), Party of Five (1994), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996), and 7th Heaven (1996). On the big screen, she has appeared in the films The Baby-Sitters Club (1995), True Crime (1995), and Whatever It Takes (2000).- Actress
- Producer
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This attractive, happy go lucky blonde actress, educated at the University of Kansas and a former ballet soloist, first broke into both TV and cinema screens in the mid 1970s and through her appearances in several well remembered horror and sci-fi films, and Dee quickly gained a cult following among the fantasy film fans. Poor Dee always seemed to be on the wrong side of some malevolent person or evil creature....she was pursued by a clan of cannibal killers in The Hills Have Eyes (1977), terrorized by a pack of werewolves in the superb The Howling (1981), got a break from the horror, as a sympathetic mom in the mega sci-fi hit E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and nearly ends up lunch for a rabid St. Bernard in the heart stopping Cujo (1983).
In the early 1980s, Wallace-Stone actually shared the screen several times with her then husband Christopher Stone before his unfortunate, early demise from a heart attack in October, 1995.
However, typecasting Dee Wallace-Stone as a horror heroine does not do her justice, as unlike some other scream queens whose careers quickly faded, Dee has gone on to have a very busy and varied acting career, appearing in over 90 feature films to date! Her All-American looks and easy going demeanor has seen Dee often cast as a typical suburban mother, a sympathetic friend, or a trusted ally. Fans warm to her endearing smile and natural warmth, and Dee continues to find herself in constant demand in front of the camera, plus she has her own much visited website.- Actress
- Producer
Though probably not to her liking, actress Priscilla Barnes is best known for her bittersweet replacement of TV goddess Suzanne Somers during the tension-riddled times of the popular ABC slapstick comedy series, Three's Company (1976) -- bittersweet in that although the lovely, stringy-framed blonde did become a TV name as a result, she had to endure the anguish of stepping into the shoes of an enormously popular star whose determination to be paid wages equal to her male co-star had her unceremoniously dumped from the show when contractual negotiations went awry. It was not the happiest of times for Priscilla yet she managed to pull the whole thing off as nurse "Terri Alden", the pretty roommate and (along with co-star Joyce DeWitt), the other female foil to John Ritter's outrageous shenanigans.
Priscilla chose to be her own person and allowed her character a bit more substance and intelligence than Somers' jiggly ding-a-ling "Chrissy Snow". If nothing else, the new girl on the block added a much-needed stability to an already emotionally wrought set and was accepted by the show's fans for a final three seasons. She and DeWitt developed a fast friendship, which lasted long after the show's demise. Interestingly, Priscilla had been previously turned down for the vapid "Cindy Snow" character (played by Jenilee Harrison) because she was perceived as "too old" for the role.
Priscilla was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, the daughter of an Air Force commander. An average student in school, the leggy beauty with the prominent cheekbones and intriguing slash of a mouth originally planned to become a dancer and joined a preteen group called the "The Vivacious Vixens", but a severe accident while performing on the Hollywood Bowl stage (she broke her leg and fractured her jaw) ended such dreams.
During her formative years, she earned some attention as a beauty pageant contender ("Miss Hollywood", "Miss San Bernardino", "Miss California" (runner-up)) while paying her dues waitressing. A chance acquaintance with Peter Falk, who saw promise in the girl who countered her fresh-faced beauty with a self-deprecating wit, led to a bit part on one of his Columbo (1971) episodes, A Deadly State of Mind (1975), in 1976, and the start of her professional career. The parts she nabbed typically accentuated her physical assets. A former Penthouse Pet for March 1976 (using the alias "Joann Witty"), Priscilla paid her dues via a series of unmemorable projects, including the films Texas Detour (1978), Delta Fox (1979) and The Seniors (1978) plus the short-lived TV series, The American Girls (1978), in which she played a smart-styled, traveling reporter. Handed a somewhat better supporting role in the Gene Wilder sequence of the four-part film, Sunday Lovers (1980), she gathered more experience on such shows as Cannon (1971), Starsky and Hutch (1975), The Incredible Hulk (1978), The Rockford Files (1974), Kojak (1973), Taxi (1978) and The Love Boat (1977), before becoming a vital part of Three's Company (1976)'s 1981 cast.
Barnes continued with the popular show in spite of her frustrations with producers and her dread of being typecast in innocuous comedy. Since then, she has maintained in a Hollywood that doesn't cater to women of "maturing" age, especially former TV stars. On TV, she added a feisty glamour to the series Dark Justice (1991), Viper (1994), Murder, She Wrote (1984) and other The Love Boat (1977) episodes. More often, however, she has shown up in low-budget films. She has certainly taken on more than her fair share of horror projects, including Stepfather 3 (1992), and Witch Academy (1995) in which some of her characters have met grisly ends. One film highlight was her featured role, not as a Bond girl but as the bride of a CIA agent (David Hedison), who is shot to death on her wedding day, in the Timothy Dalton "007" film, Licence to Kill (1989). She also enjoyed a role as a quirky fortune teller in Mallrats (1995).
Active on the theater scene over the years with credits such as "Born Yesterday", "Vanities", "Bus Stop" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" under her belt, she recently played Hillary Clinton in the 2007 black comedy, "Hillary Agonistes", in New York.
Maintaining an active career into the millennium, independent film credits including several horror yarns including The Backlot Murders (2002), Unseen Evil 2 (2004) co-starring Lorenzo Lamas, The Devil's Rejects (2005), Trailer Park of Terror (2008), Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) and Thr3e (2006); as well as the action film Final Payback (2001); the sci-fi drama Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami (2013); the eerie mystery Helen Alone (2014) and the comedy crime film Jonny's Sweet Revenge (2015). She has been married to actor Ted Monte since 2003.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lindsay Price was born on 6 December 1976 in Arcadia, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Lipstick Jungle (2008), Eastwick (2009) and Splitting Up Together (2018). She has been married to Curtis Stone since 8 June 2013. They have two children. She was previously married to Shawn Piller.- Daniel Cosgrove was born on 16 December 1970 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor, known for National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), Valentine (2001) and Guiding Light (1952). He has been married to Marie Cosgrove since 18 October 1997. They have four children.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Robert Leeshock recently executive produced the award winning, Sci-Fi, cult classic, StarLeaf. He trained with Wynn Handman of the American Place Theater in New York City. With more than 30 years experience in tv/film, voice-over and modeling, he was excited to add producer to his list of credits. He is best known for his portrayal of lead character Liam Kincaid in Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" derivative series Earth: Final Conflict. He is still recognized on the streets for his early work on the original 90210. Robert has starred in 40 national commercials and counting. Robert continues to pursue his acting and producing opportunities here in Los Angeles and in New York City.- Actor
- Director
Dan Gauthier was born on 2 December 1963 in Prineville, Oregon, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Teen Witch (1989), Tour of Duty (1987) and One Life to Live (1968). He has been married to Lisa Fuller since 22 April 1990. They have one child.- Actor
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The son of writer/producer/actor Dwight Hauser, who worked on (amongst many other projects) the classic "Whistler" radio series, and Geraldine Hauser (the daughter of author Tom Thieness), he raised a child as a single father, having arrived in Hollywood "with thirty dollars and a box of pampers" - and actually earned his career accomplishments with hard work and dedication. He is the father of actor Cole Hauser.
Wings Hauser married his young music and filmmaking partner, actress/filmmaker Cali Lili on June 12, 2012. Having often been compared to Richard Widmark for some of his "mean" roles, he has played a variety of equally remarkable roles in films and on TV. After a high-school career centered in sports (his name "Wings" is taken from the wing-back position he played in football), he chose to lean toward the arts - acting and music (including an album of his original music for RCA) - instead of pursuing professional sports. Having descended from an artistic and talented family, this choice was a heartfelt one.- Actor
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Shawn can most recently be seen in Magnum PI on CBS and Chicago Med on NBC. Prior to that, he was featured in ABC's The Rookie and recurred in Freeform's Famous In Love starring Bella Thorne. He co-created and starred in the film Love In The Sun for Hallmark. He also stars in the film Savannah Surprise on Netflix and the independent feature Last Seen In Idaho.- Actor
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Paul Leyden is an Australian born actor/writer/director. He moved to New York in 2000 where he played the popular rogue 'Simon Frasier' on 'As the World Turns' for four years. He was cast alongside Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood in NBC's 'LAX' which saw Paul relocate to Los Angeles. It was here after he sold his first screenplay to Joel Silver and Dark Castle Pictures, 'The Factory' starring John Cusack, that Paul made the permanent shift to writer and director and has since had many projects, both film and TV, produced and developed in the States and Australia. He married French actress Alexia Barlier in 2018.- Actress
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jennifer Beals is an internationally renowned actress who has over 90 credits to her name, including critically acclaimed feature films and some of the highest rated television series to date. Beals is currently executive producing and returning as a lead cast member in the revival of her hit original series THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. The highly anticipated series will launch in December 2019 on Showtime. The ground-breaking lesbian-focused drama THE L WORD originally aired for six seasons. For her performance as Bette Porter, Beals received the prestigious GLAAD Golden Gate Award, as well as two NAACP Image Award nominations and a Satellite Award nomination. In 2012, Beals was presented with the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award for her support of the LGBT community. Additionally, Beals and The L Word's Ilene Chaiken are set to executive produce the Freeform series "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," an adaption for Taylor Jenkins Reid's acclaimed novel.
Beals and filmmaker Tom Jacobson created the concept for the new novel, The Hive. The book is a gripping thriller set in the near future that focuses on escalating mob violence that ensues from online shaming and internet bullying. Released in September 2019, the novel was named one of People Magazine's 'Best Books of Fall 2019.'
Throughout her accomplished film career, Beals has worked with many of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers and talent. She co-starred alongside Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in the blockbuster THE BOOK OF ELI and starred opposite Garry Marshall, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser in TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, for which she won a Golden Satellite Award. Beals was featured among an all-star cast including Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and Rachel Weisz in the crime thriller RUNAWAY JURY. She also starred in THE MADONNA AND THE DRAGON from legendary film director Samuel Fuller. More recently, Beals co-starred in the feature film MANHATTAN NIGHT, opposite Adrien Brody and Campbell Scott, as well as AFTER, the film adaption of Anna Todd's series of bestselling young adult novels alongside Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
On the television side, Beals recurred in the Amazon series THE LAST TYCOON, receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Hollywood starlet Margo Taft. Los Angeles Magazine proclaimed "Beals stole every scene she's in as a ball-busting, piece-of-work Joan Crawford goddess with a very American secret" and Indiewire named her "the shows biggest stand out." Beals was also seen as the female lead in TAKEN, NBC's straight-to-series adaptation of the hit movie franchise, and co-starred in the Warner Bros TV/DC series SWAMP THING, released in May 2019. Beals starred in the TV movie A WIFE'S NIGHTMARE, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination. Notable television credits include TNT's PROOF, NBC's medical drama THE NIGHT SHIFT and the FOX series THE CHICAGO CODE alongside Jason Clarke.
For her role in the iconic film FLASHDANCE, Beals earned a Golden Globe nomination and an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. Beals starred in A HOUSE DIVIDED, for which she was nominated for a Satellite Award. Some of her acclaimed independent film projects include IN THE SOUP opposite Steve Buscemi, which won The Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival, and CINEMANOVELS which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Beals extensive credits include films such as RODGER DODGER, MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE, FOUR ROOMS, BEFORE I FALL and DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, which earned her another NAACP Image Award nomination. Beals received the Maverick Tribute Award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival in 1999.
In addition to her work on-camera, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group recently named Beals a 'C40 Goodwill Ambassador.' Beals' partnership with C40 will help raise awareness about the bold climate action underway in leading cities driving forward solutions to the climate crisis worldwide. Through her ambassador role, she will support and amplify the voices of inspiring young climate activists in raising awareness of the current climate emergency. Additionally, Beals will also play a leading role in C40's Women4Climate Initiative, helping to celebrate the incredible leadership being delivered by women around the world in climate action.
Originally from Chicago, Beals attended Yale University, where she graduated with honors.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississippi & raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989), but was turned down due to her young age. This directed her to an off-Broadway show, "Ruthless", for a 2-year run as the title character. At age 11, she again tried for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) and, this time, made it as a mouseketeer alongside many stars of today (Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez of *NSYNC and Ryan Gosling). Her big break, however, came when she was signed as a Jive Recording Artist in the late 90s. With the release of her debut album, "...Baby One More Time" in early 1999, Britney became an international success, selling 13 million copies of "Baby" and 9 million (as of July 2001) of her sophomore album, "Oops!...I Did It Again", released in May of 2000.- Actor
- Producer
Geoff Stults was born in Detroit and raised in Colorado. Attended Whittier College from 1994-1998, where he performed in some theatrical productions and played division III football. Played professional Football in Europe as a wide receiver. He acted in the long running show, 7th Heaven (1996), in which he played Ben, the brother of Kevin Kinkirk who is portrayed by George Stults, his real life brother with whom he lives in Los Angeles. In 2006 he was cast as Eddie Latekka on ABC's "October Road".- Jack Krizmanich was born in the small town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. While working at a restaurant in high school, Jack was discovered by an agent at IMAGE Models a boutique agency in Penn. Once signed with them doing a myriad of jobs, he was out at a club and got noticed by a talent scout. He stars as the dashing Aaron Spencer on the MyTV Network prime time series "Wicked Wicked Games." Tatum Oneal plays his mother and together they scheme their way through many twists and turns in the entertaining plot line. Jack was also a series regular for three years on NBC's "Passions" and a strong supporting role in the feature film "Shadowboxer" with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Helen Mirren.
- Actor
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Vince Corazza was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Cheetah Girls (2003), Sailor Moon (1995) and Owning Mahowny (2003). He has been married to Jane Cooke since 3 September 2001. He was previously married to Liz Ramos.- Actress
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As a star of both English- and Spanish-language television programming, Eva Tamargo has carved out two unique spaces within which her career can be categorized: as a Hispanic icon, and as a prominent example of the rich multiculturalism that exists within the United States and continues to play an expanding role in American television. Born in Brooklyn to Cuban journalist Augustin Tamargo and Rosalba Nápoles, the actress honed her craft studying under Sam Waterston, William Hickey and Dorothy Dorff and would go on to work in television, radio, commercials and theatre- most notably with New York's Repertorio Español- in both English and Spanish. Although Tamargo is an accomplished actress across a variety of entertainment mediums, she is unquestionably best known as a star of daytime television, where she has been a mainstay for Hispanic representation for nearly three decades. In 1999 the actress would go on to star in one of her biggest roles with the quirky NBC soap Passions.
Premiering on July 5, 1999, Passions is like most telenovelas with its focus on a large ensemble cast of characters, which in this case is divided into a set of diverse families residing in New England. Tamargo was still able to rack up two ALMA Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama, first in 2002 and again in 2008, the final year that the soap was on the air.
Tamargo's character on OWN's The Haves and the Have Nots may be the role that best fits the categorization of the femme fatale. As Celine Gonzales. While the actress will always be best known for her work in scripted programming, especially on daytime television, her brief work with unscripted content is monumental in meaning within the broader scope of the portrayal of Hispanic women on television. As the host of Telemundo's 2003 unscripted dating show La Cenicienta, Tamargo brought attention to the cultural nuances of dating for Hispanic women, as the series followed the experience of Minerva Ruvalcaba, a single mother in search of love. Across various Hispanic cultures, there is a high value placed on women remaining abstinent until marriage. Tamargo's involvement bolstered the show's credibility. Speaking of the show and its premise, Tamargo emphasized the importance of such a program in showing young Hispanic women that "there is a second chance in life." La Cenicienta showed a willingness to explore the breaking of cultural taboos without a sense of judgment, furthering the importance of Tamargo's career in what it has meant for diverse representation of Hispanic women in both fictional and non-fictional contexts. Throughout her career, Eva Tamargo has been a mainstay for Hispanic representation on daytime television. Through small roles and iconic ones, as a strongly hated character and as the host of a groundbreaking reality series, the actress has consistently demonstrated her range as a performer. As the industry continues to push for more Hispanic representation onscreen, it can already look back at Eva Tamargo as one of its early trailblazers.- Actor
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He is most often recognized for his integral role in the series "Lost" as Richard Alpert, as well as his turn as Mayor Anthony Garcia opposite Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". He reprised his role as the Mayor in the box-office hit "The Dark Knight Rises".
Nestor can be seen starring in Universal's "Bates Motel" (2013-2017) as Sheriff Alex Romero, lover to Vera Farmiga's Norma Bates and nemesis to her son Norman. In the final season Nestor directed his third episode, which introduces Rihanna playing the role of Marion Crane from "Psycho". On the feature side, he will next be seen in the (2017) Sundance world premier of "Crown Heights". He most recently starred with Daniel Radcliffe and Toni Collette in Lion's Gates' release, "Imperium" (2016).
He has demonstrated his versatility through a variety of film roles including his turn as the emotionally tortured hitman Pasquale Acosta in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces", the socially conscious theater director Moises Kaufman in "The Laramie Project", the idealistic revolutionary Luis Fellove in Andy Garcia's "The Lost City", the pragmatic and ruthless Mayor Picazo in "For Greater Glory", and the womanizing and morally conflicted father in the title role of the Sundance indies, "Jack the Dog" and "Manhood".
Nestor was born in New York City and raised in numerous locales including, Mexico, Venezuela, Florida, Connecticut, the Bahamas and London. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English. It was during his time in college that a first-year drama course led to his interest in performing. Upon graduating he moved to New York and starred in the Off Broadway world premier of the two-hander, "A Silent Thunder". He continued to work in theater, most notably in Stephen Sondheim's premier of "The Doctor is Out" at The Old Globe in San Diego.
Nestor currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Shannon Kenny, and their two sons Rafa and Marco.- Actor
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Ian Somerhalder was born and raised in the small southern town of Covington, Louisiana. His mother, Edna (née Israel), is a massage therapist, and his father, Robert Somerhalder, is a building contractor. He has Cajun (French), English, and Scots-Irish ancestry. Boating, swimming, fishing and training horses filled much of his recreational time growing up, as did the school drama club and performing with the local theater group. With his mother's encouragement, at age 10, he began a modeling career that took him to New York each summer. By junior high, he opted to put modeling on the back burner and focus more on sports and school. A few years later, when the opportunity to model in Europe arose, Somerhalder grabbed it, embarking on an enriching path of work, travel and study that took him to cities, including Paris, Milan and London. At 17, he began studying acting in New York and, by 19, had committed himself to the craft, working with preeminent acting coach William Esper. His fate was sealed while working as an extra in a club scene in the feature film, Black & White (1999). A talent manager visiting a client on the set spotted Somerhalder in a crowd scene of 400 and immediately signed him for representation. He was cast later for the drama Changing Hearts (2002) directed by Martin Guigui. Happy to be anchored in New York, Somerhalder spends much of his time studying acting, writing and practicing yoga. His recreational interests include water and snow skiing and horseback riding.- Actress
- Producer
- Editor
Filipino American and Hawaii-born actor Kimee Balmilero is best known for her regular role as Medical Examiner Dr. Noelani Cunha on CBS' Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. She was also cast as a series regular in the ABC pilot Josep, playing comedian Jo Koy's sister Geraldine. Kimee's other professional credits include Doogie Kameloha MD on Disney+, Two Tickets To Paradise on The Hallmark Channel, the Daytime Emmy nominated children's musical TV series Hi-5, the Original Broadway Cast of Mamma Mia, and the 2nd National Touring Company of Miss Saigon. She studied improv & sketch comedy at the Uprights Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood and performs with the ongoing show Filipino AF whenever she is back in Los Angeles.
Since returning back home to Hawaii in 2012, Kimee founded and is the "Head Sillypino" of Improv Hawaii (aka improvhi), a company dedicated to sketch and improv comedy in Hawaii.
In March 2015, she created and produced the first-ever Hawaii Comedy Festival at the Honolulu Museum of Art's Doris Duke Theater. The festival has continued to thrive and launched a junior version in the spring of 2020 and in 2021, premiered the original show Polynesian AF - a comedy variety show featuring Hawaii-based Polynesian creatives.
In May 2018, Kimee produced and directed The Last Five Years, the premiere production of her Honolulu-based theatre company, Stage Fish.
In March 2020, Kimee and her husband, John opened Tiny Stage Hawaii. - a small but mighty creative space located in Kakaako.
In her spare time, Kimee enjoys karaoke-ing, garage sale-ing, eating diner spaghetti, pretending like she's a contestant on Top Chef, and dreaming about sinigang. She also loves to stare at her husband's face.- Tyler Matthew Young was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois and now resides in Los Angeles, California. He starred as Philip Shea in the acclaimed USA Network limited series Eyewitness (2016), directed by Catherine Hardwicke and co-starring Julianne Nicholson. He also starred in the 2019 Dimension horror film Polaroid (2019), opposite Kathryn Prescott.
While starting out in Chicago, he appeared in guest roles on episodes of Fox's Empire (2015) and NBC's Chicago Fire (2012). He has since guest starred in the CBS medical drama series Code Black (2015), and in the Dustin Lance Black penned ABC limited series When We Rise (2017), directed by Gus Van Sant. - Dashiell is an identical twin to Fox Messitt. They were born in December 2014 in Burbank, CA. They have been appearing on screen since 2 months of age in National TV commercials and hit TV shows such as Fuller House, Grey's Anatomy and Danger Force. They enjoy acting and modeling as well as karate, gymnastics, snow skiing, ice skating and horseback riding. They are involved in Cub Scouts and love to make art. They are learning Spanish in an immersion program at school.
- Lauren Boles was born on 4 December 2003. She is an actress, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), Glee (2009) and Austin & Ally (2011).
- Actress
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Rita Moreno is one of the very few performers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, thus becoming an EGOT. She was born Rosita Dolores Alverío in the hospital in Humacao, Puerto Rico on December 11, 1931 (but raised in nearby, smaller Juncos, which had no hospital), to seamstress Rosa María (Marcano) and farmer Francisco José "Paco" Alverío. Her mother moved to New York City in 1937, taking Rita with her while leaving her reportedly unfaithful husband and Rita's younger brother behind. Rita's professional career began before she reached adolescence.
From the age of nine, she performed as a professional dancer in New York night clubs. At age 11, she landed her first movie experience, dubbing Spanish-language versions of US films. Less than a month before her 14th birthday on November 22, 1945, she made her Broadway debut in the play "Skydrift" at the Belasco Theatre, costarring with Arthur Keegan and a young Eli Wallach. Although she would not appear again on Broadway for almost two decades, Rita Moreno, as she was billed in the play, had arrived professionally. In 1950, she was signed by MGM, but the studio dropped her option after just one year.
The cover of the March 1, 1954, edition of "Life Magazine" featured a three-quarters, over-the-left-shoulder profile of the young Puerto Rican actress/entertainer with the provocative title "Rita Moreno: An Actresses' Catalog of Sex and Innocence". It was sexpot time, a stereotype that would plague her throughout the decade. If not cast as a Hispanic pepper pot, she could rely on being cast as another "exotic", such as her appearance on Father Knows Best (1954) as an exchange student from India. Because of a dearth of decent material, Moreno had to play roles in movies that she considered degrading. Among the better pictures she earned featured roles in were the classic Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The King and I (1956).
Director Robert Wise, who was chosen to co-direct West Side Story (1961) (the film version of the smash Broadway musical, a retelling of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" with the warring Venetian clans the Montagues and Capulets re-envisioned as Irish/Polish and Puerto Rican adolescent street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks), cast Moreno as "Anita", the Puerto Rican girlfriend of Sharks' leader Bernardo, whose sister Maria is the piece's Juliet.
However, despite her talent, roles commensurate with that talent were not forthcoming in the 1960s. The following decade would prove kinder, possibly because the beautiful Moreno had aged gracefully and could now be seen by filmmakers, TV producers and casting directors as something other than the spitfire/sexpot that Hispanic women were supposed to conform to. Ironically, it was in two vastly diverging roles--that of a $100 hooker in director Mike Nichols' brilliant realization of Jules Feiffer's acerbic look at male sexuality, Carnal Knowledge (1971), and Milly the Helper in the children's TV show The Electric Company (1971)--that signaled a career renaissance.
Moreno won a 1972 Grammy Award for her contribution to "The Electric Company"'s soundtrack album, following it up three years later with a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for "The Ritz" (a role she would reprise in the film version, The Ritz (1976)). She then won Emmy Awards for The Muppet Show (1976) and The Rockford Files (1974).
She has continued to work steadily on screen (both large and small) and on stage, solidifying her reputation as a national treasure, a status that was officially ratified with the award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in June 2004.- Actress
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Ellen Burstyn was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Correine Marie (Hamel) and John Austin Gillooly. She is of Irish, French/French-Canadian, Pennsylvania Dutch (German), and Native American ancestry.. She worked a number of jobs before she became an actress. At 14, she was a short-order cook at a lunch counter. After graduating from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, she went to Texas to model and then to New York as a showgirl on The Jackie Gleason Show (1952). From there, it was to Montreal as a nightclub dancer and then Broadway with her debut in "Fair Game (1957)". By 1963, she appeared on the TV series The Doctors (1963), but she gained notice for her role in Goodbye Charlie (1964). Ellen then took time off to study acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Her big break came when she was cast as the female lead in The Last Picture Show (1971). For this role, she received nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award. Next, she co-starred with Jack Nicholson in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), giving a chilling performance. Then came The Exorcist (1973). She was again nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Award. In 1974, she starred in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), for which performance she won the Oscar and BAFTA awards as Best Actress. For the Golden Globe, she was nominated but lost to Marsha Mason. The same year, she made history by winning a Tony Award for the Broadway play "Same Time, Next Year". She won praise and award nominations for her performances in the film versions of Same Time, Next Year (1978) and Resurrection (1980).
In "Resurrection", she played a woman with the power to heal. A succession of TV movies resulting in two Emmy nominations kept her going as did the series The Ellen Burstyn Show (1986). The TV movies continued through the 1990s. Also in the 1990s, she was cast in the supporting role in such movies as The Cemetery Club (1993), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), The Baby-Sitters Club (1995) and The Spitfire Grill (1996). In addition to her acting, She was the first woman president of Actor's Equity (1982-85).- Actress
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Singer and actress Abbe Lane made a splash in the 50s and 60s with revealing costumes and a seductive style of dancing. Far removed from her sultry Latin image, she was born Abigail Francine Lassman in Brooklyn, of Jewish parentage. Abbe began performing on radio from the age of four and first appeared on screen two years later (under her birth name) in the Vitaphone featurette Toyland Casino (1938), warbling "Five and Ten Cent Soldiers on Parade". Billed as Abbe Marshall --probably in deference to her father's first name 'Abbey'-- she became a hoofer on Broadway by her mid-teens (having lied about her age to get into musicals), before finagling a gig on television as a vocalist for bandleader Vincent Lopez. While performing a calypso number in the 1948 Broadway musical As Girls Go, she was spotted by the charismatic Spanish maestro Xavier Cugat and hired on the spot. For the next few years, she became 'Cugie's' featured vocalist and the 'Rumba King's' star attraction.
Despite a considerable difference in their respective ages (he was thirty-two years her senior), Lane and Cugat married in 1952. During their twelve years together, Lane sang on several Cugat LP's and was featured --with her hair dyed blonde-- on the cover of "The Best of Cugat", a compendium of hits released by Mercury Records. In 1958, Abbe co-starred on Broadway opposite Tony Randall in Oh, Captain, a musical comedy based on the English motion picture The Captain's Paradise (1953). She also sidelined as a nightclub singer, recorded a popular album with Tito Puente's orchestra, entitled "Be Mine Tonight" and appeared in a handful of Hollywood pictures.
Frustrated with being typecast in American films merely as "a decorative accessory", Lane joined Cugat in Italy in 1956 and enjoyed almost immediate screen success. Her first motion picture lead was in I girovaghi (1956), as a fiery dancer who enchants Peter Ustinov's itinerant puppeteer. The following year, she partnered Gabriele Ferzetti (as a suave jewel thief) in the caper comedy Parola di ladro (1957) and starred alongside Totò and Vittorio De Sica in another comedy, The Lady Doctor (1957). Aside from romances and musicals, Lane also featured in peplum (Caesar Against the Pirates (1962)) and as the tempestuous ex-flame of daredevil fire fighter Cornel Wilde (who also directed) in the Paramount love-triangle melodrama Maracaibo (1958), which was filmed on location in Venezuela.
In 1956, Cugat returned to New York while his spouse opted to remain in Italy. The bandleader had no intention of raising a family and this ultimately led to the couple's divorce in June 1964. Lane did not stay single for long. By November, she had moved back to America and married Harvard graduate and Hollywood theatrical agent Perry Leff. The union produced two sons and endured until Leff's death in 2020.
Though unable to reignite her career as an actress, Lane went on to appear as panelist or singer on numerous TV variety shows throughout the 60s and 70s, hosted by the era's most prominent emcees, including Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, David Frost, Jack Paar, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. In her later years, Lane tended to distance herself from her previous sensual image. In January 1993, she published a semi-autobiographical novel, entitled But Where is Love?, a thinly-veiled account of her early career and turbulent marriage to Cugat.
Abbe Lane has a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the world's most famous and distinguished actresses, Dame Maggie Smith was born Margaret Natalie Smith in Essex. Her Scottish mother, Margaret (Hutton), worked as a secretary, and her English father, Nathaniel Smith, was a teacher at Oxford University. Smith has been married twice: to actor Robert Stephens and to playwright Beverley Cross. Her marriage to Stephens ended in divorce in 1974. She was married to Cross until his death in 1999. She had two sons with Stephens, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens who are also actors.
Maggie Smith's career began at the Oxford Playhouse in the 1950s. She made her film debut in 1956 as one of the party guests in Child in the House (1956). She has since performed in over sixty films and television series with some of the most prominent actors and actresses in the world. These include: Othello (1965) with Laurence Olivier, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978) with Michael Caine and Jane Fonda, A Room with a View (1985), Richard III (1995) with Ian McKellen and Jim Broadbent, Franco Zeffirelli's Tea with Mussolini (1999) with Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Cher and Gosford Park (2001) with Kristin Scott Thomas and Clive Owen, directed by Robert Altman. Maggie Smith has also been nominated for an Oscar six times and won twice, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978).
Smith later appeared in the very successful 'Harry Potter' franchise as the formidable Professor McGonagall as well as in Julian Fellowes' ITV drama series, Downton Abbey (2010) (2010-2011) as the Dowager Countess of Grantham.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Karen Morrow was born on 15 December 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Tabitha (1976), Falcon Crest (1981) and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976).- Actor
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The son of former heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer, Max Baer Jr. is a classic (except probably to him) example of Hollywood typecasting. Known around the world as "Jethro Bodine" in the smash TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Baer did not find work as an actor in Hollywood for three years after the Hillbillies went off the air. Baer finally had to put himself to work as an actor in his movie Macon County Line (1974), which he also wrote and produced with a friend. Although it didn't let him escape his Jethro character, he did earn more than $35 million dollars in box office and (later) rental receipts. This after an initial investment of just over $100,000. Not bad for a boy with a "sixth grade education!"- Actress
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Joyce Bulifant was born on 16 December 1937 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Airplane! (1980), Dirty Love (2005) and American Playhouse (1980). She was previously married to Roger Perry, Glade Bruce Hansen, William Asher, Edward Mallory and James MacArthur.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Born in New York City to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and Ontario-born New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw, Jane Seymour Fonda was destined early to an uncommon and influential life in the limelight. Although she initially showed little inclination to follow her father's trade, she was prompted by Joshua Logan to appear with her father in the 1954 Omaha Community Theatre production of "The Country Girl". Her interest in acting grew after meeting Lee Strasberg in 1958 and joining the Actors Studio. Her screen debut in Tall Story (1960) (directed by Logan) marked the beginning of a highly successful and respected acting career highlighted by two Academy Awards for her performances in Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978), and five Oscar nominations for Best Actress in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Julia (1977), The China Syndrome (1979), The Morning After (1986) and On Golden Pond (1981), which was the only film she made with her father. Her professional success contrasted with her personal life, which was often laden with scandal and controversy. Her appearance in several risqué movies (including Barbarella (1968)) by then-husband Roger Vadim was followed by what was to become her most debated and controversial period: her espousal of anti-establishment causes and especially her anti-war activities during the Vietnam War. Her political involvement continued with fellow activist and husband Tom Hayden in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1980s she started the aerobic exercise craze with the publication of the "Jane Fonda's Workout Book". She and Hayden divorced, and she married broadcasting mogul Ted Turner in 1991.- Actor
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Anthony Hopkins was born on December 31, 1937, in Margam, Wales, to Muriel Anne (Yeats) and Richard Arthur Hopkins, a baker. His parents were both of half Welsh and half English descent. Influenced by Richard Burton, he decided to study at College of Music and Drama and graduated in 1957. In 1965, he moved to London and joined the National Theatre, invited by Laurence Olivier, who could see the talent in Hopkins. In 1967, he made his first film for television, A Flea in Her Ear (1967).
From this moment on, he enjoyed a successful career in cinema and television. In 1968, he worked on The Lion in Winter (1968) with Timothy Dalton. Many successes came later, and Hopkins' remarkable acting style reached the four corners of the world. In 1977, he appeared in two major films: A Bridge Too Far (1977) with James Caan, Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould and Laurence Olivier, and Maximilian Schell. In 1980, he worked on The Elephant Man (1980). Two good television literature adaptations followed: Othello (1981) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982). In 1987 he was awarded with the Commander of the order of the British Empire. This year was also important in his cinematic life, with 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), acclaimed by specialists. In 1993, he was knighted.
In the 1990s, Hopkins acted in movies like Desperate Hours (1990) and Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993) (nominee for the Oscar), Legends of the Fall (1994), Nixon (1995) (nominee for the Oscar), Surviving Picasso (1996), Amistad (1997) (nominee for the Oscar), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Meet Joe Black (1998) and Instinct (1999). His most remarkable film, however, was The Silence of the Lambs (1991), for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. He also got a B.A.F.T.A. for this role.- Thaao Penghlis was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to Greek parents. After high school, he moved to New York City, where he began studying with the great acting coach, Milton Katselas. There, Thaao made his stage debut in the critically-acclaimed play, "Jockeys".
He has appeared in several movies, television shows (most notably General Hospital (1963) and Days of Our Lives (1965)), and travels all over the world, including such places as Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and back home to Australia.
Thaao now resides on the West Coast. - Christie Clark was born on 13 December 1973 in Placentia, California, USA. She is an actress, known for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Winter Heat (1994). She has been married to Thomas Barnes since 31 August 2002. They have three children.
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Camilla Luddington was born in Ascot, Berkshire, England. She has traveled to the U.S. as a teenager and has lived in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and California.
She was educated at an all-girls school in Ascot, Berkshire, later attending the American School in England at Thorpe in Surrey. She also lived in suburban Austin, Texas for a year when she was fourteen, and attended Westwood High School.
When she was eighteen, she enrolled in Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, before moving to New York City, and studying at New York Film Academy. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
She has since appeared at several high profile TV shows, before rising to prominence as Catherine Princess of Wales in the Lifetime TV movie, William & Kate (2011). She went on to appear in Californication (2007) and True Blood (2008). Luddington was a guest star during the ninth season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy (2005) as Dr. Jo Wilson. She was upgraded to series regular for the tenth season. In June 2012, Crystal Dynamics confirmed Luddington would voice Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider (2013) video game reboot. She did both the voice and the motion capture in the course of three years. She is set to appear in The Pact II (2014) in 2014. She is also returning to the role of Lara Croft for the latest Tomb Raider Game, Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015).- Actor
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- Editor
Tall (6'5"), handsome, and muscular Dick Chibbles was born on December 18, 1969 in East New York. The second in a family of three children (he has both a younger sister and an older sister), Chibbles grew up on Long Island as a self-described "metal head" and played guitar in a few bands. Dick first developed an interest in porn at age thirteen after he saw explicit photos of Ron Jeremy and Ginger Lynn having sex in an adult magazine. Following graduation from high school, Chibbles worked as a professional wrestler for a handful of independent federations up and down the East Coast as well as owned a pro wrestling school and his own successful interior design consultation firm. Dick moved to Los Angeles, California in 2001 so he could fulfill his lifelong goal of eking out a career in the adult entertainment industry. Among the many notable companies and adult websites that Chibbles has worked for are Hustler, Penthouse, Vivid, Exquisite, Adam & Eve, Evil Angel, Combat Zone, Roman Video, Wicked Pictures, Innocent High, Homegrown Video, Slipper Cat Studio, Juicy Entertainment, Digital Playground, James Deen Productions, and Pink Lotus Entertainment. Dick directed his first adult feature in 2010. An avid outdoorsman, Chibbles enjoys hiking, camping, and rock climbing in his spare time.- Ethan Kage was born on 31 December 1970 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Another Gay Movie (2006).
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Jason Ridge was born on 28 December 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer.- Actor
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A shaven headed, 6-foot-tall, solid-framed, Black American adult film actor, producer and director made 2004 his year to step into the industry. A New York native, born in Roosevelt on December 2, 1975, Big Nat made the best of his break-in, into the film industry and unquestionably has flourished into a productive, prosperous career run. An impressive specimen, Nat brings to the camera, a solid, 250 lb muscled physique, adorn with tattoos and an overall abundance of confidence in his ability to perform with considerable efficiency; an element he and other successful male porn studs agree is key to becoming a permanent performer in the business. His knowledge of the business lent Nat the ammunition to try directing film shoots as well. He admits he started late in pursuing this capacity of the adult entertainment business; however once he began to direct, he accumulated six film credits to his directorial name. He has had a long professional relationship with the production company Justin Slayer International, both working under and directing films for. Impressively, Nat has appeared in over 300 films, over the course of seven years being in the business. He has worked extensively with Hustler Video, Evil Angel, Black Ice, Justin Slayer Productions and Evasive Angels.- Actor
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Erik Everhard was born on 2 December 1976 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is an actor and director.- Actor
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- Camera and Electrical Department
A veteran actor of the pornographic industry, making his initial mark in 2007. A native of Philadelphia, Charles has worked also as a dancer and more noticeably a model. His work as a dancer traces back to touring the world as a member of the Chippendales. Standing 6-feet-tall and carrying a chiseled 200 pounds, Charles also worked for various underwear companies, modeling their products. With his good looks, it was no surprise to have found him appearing in Playgirl magazine and being named "Man of the Year" for 2005. He has been recognized with awards from both XRCO and AVN for his work in the adult film industry and given the length of time he has been in the business, Charles Dera is a reliable favorite. Sometime between 2004 and 2005, Charles also entered Mixed Martial Arts. During his short stint in MMA, he had six bouts, with two non-sanctioned fights and four official ones.- Rob Piper was born on 19 December 1983 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor.
- Mike de Marko was born on 22 December 1986 in the USA. He is an actor.
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Russ wasn't discovered, he discovered show business at the age of 5 when, with other youngsters at Inglewood, California, he went to Saturday matinees at the Granada Theatre. One afternoon while waiting for the show to start he got on the stage and did an impromptu dance which the kids loved. He repeated it the following week and became so popular that when he didn't appear there was almost a riot. The theater manager spoke to his parents and his mother let him take dancing lessons. Once started on a career he expanded his talents to take in singing and acrobatics performing his first back flip at 10. He later added juggling, a magic act, piano, and drums to his talents which made him a regular performer at local clubs. He made his stage debut with a small theater group directed by Lloyd Bridges which in turn led to his film debut in 'The Boy With Green Hair' followed by a part in 'Samson and Delilah' and the title role in 'The Kid From Cleveland.' He earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for 'Peyton Place' receiving high praise from both director Mark Robson and choreographer Michael Kidd, who was a close friend of Jerome Robbins, and who'd worked with Russ on 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.' Summoned for both a dancing and acting screen test with Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins he was cast as Riff the leader of the Jets in the Oscar winning film 'West Side Story.' In his films up to 1952 he was credited as Rusty Tamblyn and Russ Tamblyn after that.- Actor
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Timothée Hal Chalamet was born in Manhattan, to Nicole Flender, a real estate broker and dancer, and Marc Chalamet, a UNICEF editor. His mother, who is from New York, is Jewish, of Russian Jewish and Austrian Jewish descent. His father, who is from Nîmes, France, is of French and English ancestry. He is the brother of actress Pauline Chalamet, a nephew of director Rodman Flender, and a grandson of screenwriter Harold Flender.
He grew up in an artistic family, appearing in commercials and the New York theatre scene, and attending the LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts, where his classmate and friend was actor Ansel Elgort (the two later received their first Golden Globe nominations in the same year, 2017). For a time, Timothée also attended Columbia University.
He made his film debut in 2014, as a high school student in Jason Reitman's Men, Women & Children (2014) and Matthew McConaughey's character's teenage son in Interstellar (2014). He subsequently had sizable roles in several indie films, playing the younger version of writer Stephen Elliott in The Adderall Diaries (2015), the male lead, Zac, in the drama One and Two (2015), and Billy in the road trip drama Miss Stevens (2016). On stage, he has appeared in the plays The Talls, by Anna Kerrigan, and John Patrick Shanley's autobiographical Prodigal Son, while on television, he has had a minor role in the film Loving Leah (2009), a big part in Law & Order (1990), and meatier roles on the shows Royal Pains (2009) and Homeland (2011), among other work.
He broke out in 2017, appearing in notable supporting roles, as a soldier in the western Hostiles (2017) and a high school crush of the title character in Lady Bird (2017), and in a leading role as Elio, an Italian Jewish seventeen year-old who romances his father's older assistant, played by Armie Hammer, in the Luca Guadagnino drama Call Me by Your Name (2017). Timothée's role as Elio received significant critical acclaim, and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Drama, and won many critics' groups' awards for Best Actor of the Year.
In 2018, he starred as Nic Sheff, who suffers from substance abuse problems, in the drama Beautiful Boy (2018). In 2019, he will headline the Woody Allen comedy A Rainy Day in New York (2019), with Selena Gomez, play Henry V of England, King from 1413 to 1422, in the historical drama The King (2019), and embody love interest Laurie in Greta Gerwig's take on Little Women (2019).- Actor
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- Music Department
Billy Gibbons was born on 16 December 1949 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Battleship (2012), Armageddon (1998) and The Perfect Storm (2000). He has been married to Gilligan Gibbons since 14 December 2005.- Producer
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- Executive
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri to Jane Etta Pitt (née Hillhouse), a school counselor & William Alvin "Bill" Pitt, a truck company manager. At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. Pitt attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for El Pollo Loco.
Pitt's earliest credited roles were in television, starting on the daytime soap opera Another World (1964) before appearing in the recurring role of Randy on the legendary prime time soap opera Dallas (1978). Following a string of guest appearances on various television series through the 1980s, Pitt gained widespread attention with a small part in Thelma & Louise (1991), in which he played a sexy criminal who romanced and conned Geena Davis. This led to starring roles in badly received films such as Johnny Suede (1991) & Cool World (1992).
But Pitt's career hit an upswing with his casting in A River Runs Through It (1992), which cemented his status as an multi-layered actor as opposed to just a pretty face. Pitt's subsequent projects were as quirky and varied in tone as his performances, ranging from his unforgettably comic cameo as stoner roommate Floyd in True Romance (1993) to romantic roles in such visually lavish films as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) and Legends of the Fall (1994), to an emotionally tortured detective in the horror-thriller Se7en (1995). His portrayal of frenetic oddball Jeffrey Goines in 12 Monkeys (1995) won him a Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.
Pitt's portrayal of Achilles in the big-budget period drama Troy (2004) helped establish his appeal as an action star and was closely followed by a co-starring role in the stylish spy-versus-spy flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). It was on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith that Pitt, who married Jennifer Aniston in a highly publicized ceremony in 2000, met Angelina Jolie. Pitt left Aniston for Jolie in 2005, a break-up that continues to fuel tabloid stories years after its occurrence.
He continues to wildly vary his film choices, appearing in everything from high-concept popcorn flicks such as Megamind (2010) to adventurous critic-bait like Inglourious Basterds (2009) and The Tree of Life (2011). He has received two Best Actor Oscar nominations, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011). In 2014, he starred in the war film Fury (2014), opposite Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Peña.
Pitt and Jolie have 6 children, 3 adopted & 3 biological.- Writer
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Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.
Allen broke into show business at 15 years when he started writing jokes for a local paper, receiving $200 a week. He later moved on to write jokes for talk shows but felt that his jokes were being wasted. His agents, Charles Joffe and Jack Rollins, convinced him to start doing stand-up and telling his own jokes. Reluctantly he agreed and, although he initially performed with such fear of the audience that he would cover his ears when they applauded his jokes, he eventually became very successful at stand-up. After performing on stage for a few years, he was approached to write a script for Warren Beatty to star in: What's New Pussycat (1965) and would also have a moderate role as a character in the film. During production, Woody gave himself more and better lines and left Beatty with less compelling dialogue. Beatty inevitably quit the project and was replaced by Peter Sellers, who demanded all the best lines and more screen-time.
It was from this experience that Woody realized that he could not work on a film without complete control over its production. Woody's theoretical directorial debut was in What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966); a Japanese spy flick that he dubbed over with his own comedic dialogue about spies searching for the secret recipe for egg salad. His real directorial debut came the next year in the mockumentary Take the Money and Run (1969). He has written, directed and, more often than not, starred in about a film a year ever since, while simultaneously writing more than a dozen plays and several books of comedy.
While best known for his romantic comedies Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979), Woody has made many transitions in his films throughout the years, transitioning from his "early, funny ones" of Bananas (1971), Love and Death (1975) and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972); to his more storied and romantic comedies of Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); to the Bergmanesque films of Stardust Memories (1980) and Interiors (1978); and then on to the more recent, but varied works of Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Husbands and Wives (1992), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Celebrity (1998) and Deconstructing Harry (1997); and finally to his films of the last decade, which vary from the light comedy of Scoop (2006), to the self-destructive darkness of Match Point (2005) and, most recently, to the cinematically beautiful tale of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). Although his stories and style have changed over the years, he is regarded as one of the best filmmakers of our time because of his views on art and his mastery of filmmaking.- Actress
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Susan Lucci was born on December 23, 1946, in Scarsdale, New York, to Jeanette (Granquist) and Victor Lucci, a building contractor. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, German, and French (mother) descent. Susan grew up in Garden City. Since she can remember, she wanted to be a performer, and through her teenage years, took voice lessons, dance lessons, and participated in community theater. In high school she was the ideal student: took many honors classes, was a cheerleader, staff writer for the school newspaper, was a foreign exchange student to Norway, and performed in the school musicals, including lead roles in "Oklahoma" and "The King and I". After graduating with Honors from Garden City High School, she was accepted and attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, which was noted for its theater program. After graduating with a BFA in theater arts, she moved to New York City, and began going to auditions. One of her first jobs was that of a color girl for CBS. Every day she would report to the studio, and sit on a stool, as technicians developed the new color cameras. Most of her acting work consisted of Off-Broadway understudy roles, day-player roles on soap operas, and extra and stand-in work for movies. In 1969 at the age of twenty-three, she auditioned for a brand new soap opera that was to be called All My Children (1970). She landed the role of Erica Kane, which is still considered by many critics to be one of the best roles on television written for women. Around this time, she met an married restaurant owner Helmut Huber. In 1978, Susan received her first Daytime Emmy nomination. She was nominated again in 1981, and nominated almost every year since then. In the early 1980s, she became the first soap opera actress to appear on the cover of major magazines, as well as the first to star in Movies of the Week. But what made her a household name by the late 1980s was her string of Emmy losses. It became a running joke that the 'Queen of Daytime Television' had no crown. It seems that every time that she would have a real knockout year, another daytime diva would have a more unique story line, or a more challenging acting role, including multiple personalities, or an actress playing more than one character. But in 1999, on her 19th Emmy nomination, she won. She received a four minute standing ovation. Now, after twenty one nominations, she is considered to be one of the most honored performers in the history of television, daytime or primetime.- Actress
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The actress Wendie Malick was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1950 and attended Ohio Wesleyan University, from which she graduated in 1972. The 5-foot, 10-inch beauty was a Wilhelmina model in the 1970s, giving it up to go to work for Buffalo-area Congressman Jack Kemp. She quickly left Washington, DC, behind to act in the theater.
She appeared as Judith Tupper Stone in the early 1990s on the HBO comedy Dream On (1990) for which she won four CableACE Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Malick has proved a gifted comedienne with great comic timing and reached the height of her career as one of the stars of the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997). Malick was hilarious as the beautiful fashion editor Nina Van Horn, a neurotic and pretentious ex-model struggling with middle age. For her work on the series, Malick won a Golden Globe and two Emmy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
On television, she has also had regular roles in the series Trauma Center (1983) and Good Company (1996) and recurring roles on NYPD Blue (1993), Anything But Love (1989), Baywatch (1989), Kate & Allie (1984), and Frasier (1993). She also starred in several made-for-TV movies, including Paper Dolls (1982), Dynasty: The Reunion (1991) and Perfect Body (1997). She also starred in North Shore Fish (1997) on cable TV, based on a role which she originated on stage. Malick's work has included roles in the movies The American President (1995), Scrooged (1988), and Bugsy (1991). With her distinctive voice, she is in high demand for voice-over work.- Actress
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FYI: I've written my own BIO. To be honest it felt more sincere than pretending like I hired some journalist to do a ton of research and come up with a non biased presentation. So here it goes.
Nia Peeples- What others have said: is an American actress, singer, dancer. For more than 30 years Nia has graced the screen with her talent and intelligence, her fearlessness and compassion, and her beauty. (Why thank you) Most known for her roles in the hit TV series Fame, Walker Texas Ranger, and Pretty Little Liars as well as her jaunt through the music industry with her number 1 record Trouble and the 3 music shows she hosted in that era, Nia is one of the first multi-racial performers to cross all genres and all platforms helping to lay the groundwork for bridging the gap between ethnic performers and leading roles in Hollywood.
Recently, with her son well on his music path, her daughter heading off to college, and her 4th marriage ending, Nia sold everything and went on "walk about" to realign with her greater purpose. After three years of wandering, Nia has returned with one book under her belt, The Little Apple Tree, and is in the middle of writing her second, "Confessions of a Serial Monogamist, Journey Through the Men I loved to the Me I Love, for which she interviewed all her significant others.
Nia's passion is empowering women and students. She is also a keynote speaker, works very closely with My Saint My Hero creating and launching empowering lines of jewelry, and continues to perform live.
(2018) Nia currently lives in Topanga, CA when she's not fasting at an ashram or studying quantum physics and sacred geometry:)- Actress
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Teri Hatcher is an American actress, writer, presenter, and former NFL cheerleader. She is known for her television roles, portraying Lois Lane on the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997), and as Susan Mayer on the television series Desperate Housewives (2004-2012), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Teri Lynn Hatcher was born in Palo Alto, California, the only child of Esther (Beshur), a computer programmer, and Owen Walker Hatcher, Jr., a nuclear physicist and electrical engineer. She has Syrian (from her immigrant maternal grandfather), Frisian, English, and Irish ancestry. Teri grew up in Sunnyvale, California, and spent her childhood dancing, and fishing with her father. While at Fremont High School, she was captain of the Featherettes, a dance team that had the look of regular cheerleaders, with the exception of the large headdresses they wore. She was voted "Most Likely to Become a Solid Gold (1980) Dancer" by her graduating class in 1982. Hatcher studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while taking a degree course in mathematics and engineering at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. She became a member of the 1984 Gold Rush, the name of the professional cheer leading squad of the American football San Francisco 49ers.
Hatcher went to Hollywood to lend moral support to a friend during a open casting call. She, however, auditioned and won the role of the singing and dancing mermaid for the television series The Love Boat (1977). She went on to play "Penny Parker," a ditsy but sweet-hearted struggling actress on MacGyver (1985). When that show ended, she auditioned for and won the role of smart and savvy "Lois Lane" on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993), saying that she didn't want to be stuck with the pretty airhead image she had acquired as "Penny Parker."
She married actor Jon Tenney in May 1994. She gave birth to daughter Emerson Tenney on November 10, 1997. Later, she signed to play "Sally Bowles" in a road tour of Cabaret. The tour debuted in Los Angeles on March 2, 1999. Her final show was on September 4, 1999. She stayed out of the industry for a little bit before nabbing a role on the darkly comedic soap opera Desperate Housewives (2004), which could have been a huge mistake. The show turned out to be a mega-hit, which skyrocketed Hatcher to the A-list. Her portrayal of a divorced mother, "Susan Mayer," was consistently named as America's favorite "Desperate Housewife." Hatcher won both a Golden Globe for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and the SAG Award for Female Actor in a Comedy Series before the show's first season was even over.- Actress
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Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, to Patricia "Addie" (Bianchi), a teacher of English, and Gary Tomei, a lawyer, both of Italian descent. Marisa has a brother, actor Adam Tomei. As a child, Marisa's mother frequently corrected her speech as to eliminate her heavy Brooklyn accent. As a teen, Marisa attended Edward R. Murrow High School and graduated in the class of 1982. She was one year into her college education at Boston University when she dropped out for a co-starring role on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns (1956). Her role on that show paved the way for her entrance into film: in 1984, she made her film debut with a bit part in The Flamingo Kid (1984). Three years later, Marisa became known for her role as Maggie Lawton, Lisa Bonet's college roommate, on the sitcom A Different World (1987).
Her real breakthrough came in 1992, when she co-starred as Joe Pesci's hilariously foul-mouthed, scene-stealing girlfriend in My Cousin Vinny (1992), a performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Later that year, she turned up briefly as a snippy Mabel Normand in director Richard Attenborough's biopic Chaplin (1992), and was soon given her first starring role in Untamed Heart (1993). A subsequent starring role -- and attempted makeover into Audrey Hepburn -- in the romantic comedy Only You (1994) proved only moderately successful.
Marisa's other 1994 role as Michael Keaton's hugely pregnant wife in The Paper (1994) was well-received, although the film as a whole was not. Fortunately for Tomei, she was able to rebound the following year with a solid performance as a troubled single mother in Nick Cassavetes' Unhook the Stars (1996) which earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She turned in a similarly strong work in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), and in 1998 did some of her best work in years as the sexually liberated, unhinged cousin of Natasha Lyonne's Vivian Abramowitz in Tamara Jenkins' Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Marisa co-starred with Mel Gibson in the hugely successful romantic comedy What Women Want (2000) and during the 2002 movie award season, she proved her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar win was no fluke when she received her second nomination in the same category for the critically acclaimed dark drama, In the Bedroom (2001). She also made a guest appearance on the animated TV phenomenon The Simpsons (1989) as Sara Sloane, a movie star who falls in love with Ned Flanders. In 2006, she went on to do 4 episodes for Rescue Me (2004). She played Angie, the ex-wife of Tommy Calvin (Denis Leary)'s brother Johnny (Dean Winters). At age 42, Marisa took on a provocative role in legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet's melodramatic picture Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), in which she appeared nude in love scenes with costars Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Marisa then took on another provocative role as a stripper in the highly acclaimed film The Wrestler (2008) opposite Mickey Rourke. Her great performance earned her many awards from numerous film societies for Best Supporting Actress, a third Academy Award nomination, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. Many critics heralded this performance as a standout in her career.- Actress
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Miranda Otto is an Australian actress. Otto is a daughter of actors Barry Otto and Lindsay Otto, and half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. She began her acting career at age 18 in 1986, and has appeared in a variety of independent and major studio films. Otto made her major film debut in Emma's War (1987), in which she played a teenager who moves to Australia's bush country during World War II. After a decade of critically acclaimed roles in Australian films, Otto gained Hollywood's attention during the 1990s after appearing in supporting roles in the films The Thin Red Line (1998) and What Lies Beneath (2000). She played Éowyn in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film series.
Otto's first post-graduation film role in 1991, as Nell Tiscowitz in The Girl Who Came Late (1992), was her breakthrough role, which brought her to the attention of the Australian film industry and the general public. In the film, directed by Kathy Mueller, she starred as a young woman who could communicate with horses. Her appearance garnered Otto her first Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actress the following year.
Otto's next role was in the film The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), which portrayed the complex relationships between the members of an Australian family. The film earned Otto her second Australian Film Institute nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1993, Otto co-starred with Noah Taylor in the sexually provocative comedy film The Nostradamus Kid (1993), which was based on the memories of author Bob Ellis during the 1960s. Otto was drawn to the film because she was "fascinated by the period and the people who came out of it." A small role in the independent film Sex Is a Four Letter Word (1995) followed in 1995.
In 1995, she began to doubt her career choice as she failed to get the parts for which she auditioned. She fled to her home in Newcastle for almost a year, during which she painted her mother's house. In 1996, director Shirley Barrett cast Otto as a shy waitress in the film Love Serenade (1996). She played Dimity Hurley, a lonely young woman, who competes with her older sister Vicki-Ann for the attention of a famous DJ from Brisbane. She starred in the 1997 films The Well (1997) and Doing Time for Patsy Cline (1997). When Otto received the film script for The Well, she refused to read it, fearing that she would not get the part. Otto believed that she could not convincingly play the role of Katherine, who is supposed to be 18, as she was 30 at the time. The film, directed by Samantha Lang, starred Otto as a teenager involved in a claustrophobic relationship with a lonely older woman. The Well received mixed reviews; critic Paul Fisher wrote that Otto's performance was not "convincing" as she was "playing another repetitious character about whom little is revealed", while Louise Keller stated that Otto had delivered "her best screen performance yet." Otto earned her third Australian Film Institute nomination for the film. Later that year, she co-starred with Richard Roxburgh in the drama Doing Time for Patsy Cline. The low-budget Australian film required Otto to perform country music standards and also received mixed reviews from film critics.
Soon after the release of The Well and Doing Time for Patsy Cline, magazines and other media outlets were eager to profile the actress. In 1997, Otto began dating her Doing Time for Patsy Cline co-star Richard Roxburgh. Her involvement with Roxburgh made her a regular subject of Australian tabloid magazines and media at the time, a role to which she was unaccustomed.
Otto's next project was the romantic comedy Dead Letter Office (1998). The film was Otto's first with her father, Barry, who makes a brief appearance. In the Winter Dark (1998), directed by James Bogle, followed later that year. Otto played Ronnie, a pregnant woman recently abandoned by her boyfriend. The film was a critical success in Australia, and Otto was nominated for her fourth Australian Film Institute Award. A small role in The Thin Red Line, led to further film roles outside of Australia, such as in Italy, where she co-starred as Ruth in the low-budget Italian film The Three-Legged Fox (2004), produced in 2001 and broadcast for the first time on Italian television in March 2009.
Otto's first Hollywood role was opposite Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer in the suspense thriller What Lies Beneath in 2000. She played Mary Feur, a mysterious next-door neighbor. The film was met with mixed reviews, but was an international success, grossing US$291 million. In 2001, she was cast as a naturalist in the comedy Human Nature (2001). Writer Charlie Kaufman, impressed by her audition two years earlier for his film Being John Malkovich (1999), arranged for Otto to audition and meet with the film's director Michel Gondry. Human Nature was both a commercial and critical disappointment.
Otto made her theatrical debut in the 1986 production of The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for the Sydney Theatre Company. Three more theatrical productions for the Sydney Theatre Company followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2002, she returned to the stage playing Nora Helmer in A Doll's House opposite her future husband Peter O'Brien. Otto's performance earned her a 2003 Helpmann Award nomination and the MO Award for "Best Female Actor in a Play".
Her next stage role was in the psychological thriller Boy Gets Girl (2005), in which she played Theresa, a journalist for a New York magazine. Otto committed to the project days before she found out she was pregnant. Robyn Nevin, the director, rescheduled the production from December 2004 to September 2005 so Otto could appear in it. In 2005, Nevin began pre-production on a play commissioned especially for Otto.- Actress
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Born and raised in Sparks, Nevada, Mädchen Amick was encouraged by her parents to follow her own creative instincts where she learned the skill of playing the piano, bass, violin and guitar as well as being able to do tap, ballet, jazz and modern dancing. In 1987 at the age of 16, she traveled to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.- Actress
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Regina Hall was born December 12, 1970 in Washington, D.C., to Ruby, a teacher, and Odie Hall, a contractor. She graduated from Fordham University in 1992, and went on to earn a master's degree in journalism from New York University before shifting to an acting career. In 1997 at age 26, she began appearing in commercials, and then made the giant leap into movies. Her fame came with her role in the comedy-horror spoof Scary Movie, Regina Hall has frequented the big screen in roles that far from betrayed her age. Her recurring role in Scary Movie and the sequel Scary Movie 2 exhibited the 30-year-old's ability to maintain her youthful appearance, as she portrayed the high-school-aged Brenda Meeks. However, her first film role was in the 1999 film The Best Man. The following year, she made many other film appearances, including her starring role in Scary Movie in 2000. She first had a role in the movie Love and Basketball which also starred close friend Sanaa Lathan. In 2001, Hall's list of credits grew to include her first television role, as Corretta Lipp on the prime-time drama Ally McBeal, which was a recurring role for several episodes. Furthermore, in 2001 Scary Movie 2 was released, in addition to the Mandel Holland comedy The Other Brother, featuring Hall as Vicki. One year later, she starred in the action-drama Paid in Full, directed by Charles Stone III. She would later on start in other films such as;Malibu's Most Wanted, Scary Movie 3, The Honeymooners, and First Sunday.- Actress
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Golden Brooks was born on 1 December 1970 in Fresno, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Girlfriends (2000), The Darkest Minds (2018) and Beauty Shop (2005).- Actress
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Alyssa Milano comes from an Italian-American family; her mother Lin Milano is a fashion designer and father Thomas Milano is a film music editor. Alyssa was born in a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn and grew up in a modest house on Staten Island. One day her babysitter, who was an aspiring dancer, dragged Alyssa along to an open audition for the first national tour of "Annie". However, it was Alyssa and not the sitter who was chosen from 1500 other girls for the role. So at the tender age of seven, with her mother in tow, Alyssa joined the tour as July, one of the orphans. After 18 months on the road Alyssa, who had begun to garner a reputation as an energetic and charismatic young actress, left Annie to be featured in off-Broadway productions and television commercials. Then in 1983, at age 10, she landed her breakthrough role on the sitcom Who's the Boss? (1984) as Tony Danza's saccharine sweet daughter, "Samantha Micelli", a kid whose native Brooklyn accent rivaled her TV dad's. In order for Alyssa to accept the gig, the Milano family had to uproot and move 3,000 miles to Hollywood.- Actress
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Holly moved to New York at the tender age of 7. Already her stunning looks had turned heads, resulting in jobs in print ads and commercials. Soon these experiences lead to a desire to act, a dream shared by Holly's mother, who herself was only 24. After a few bit parts, Holly landed a leading role as Kimberly in TV drama Picket Fences (1992). This show ran for 4 years, winning Holly critical acclaim and a Young Actors award. After the show ended, Holly starred in more roles in TV movies, enjoying her marriage and career success. This wasn't to last; in 1997, she divorced husband Bryan Travis Smith and yearned for more challenging roles. Then in 1998, Holly's good friend Shannen Doherty told her about a new television show based around three sisters who happen to be witches, who save the world from evil. Holly auditioned for the middle sister, won the role and is now known world wide for her portrayal of Piper Halliwell in the WB smash hit show Charmed (1998). Holly now lives in Burbank with her husband and their three sons.- Actor
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Dan Butler was born on 2 December 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Frasier (1993), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011). He has been married to Richard Waterhouse since 12 September 2010.- Actor
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Bob Paris is a writer, actor, public speaker, social activist and former professional bodybuilder. He was born Robert Clark Paris on December 14th, 1959 and grew up in both Brown County and Columbus, Indiana.
Starting as a boy, Paris was an enthusiastic outdoorsman - hiking and backpacking through the wooded hills of southern Indiana, riding his bike on the area's scenic back-roads and canoeing its rivers. He was also an artist and writer who won National Scholastic Awards for his drawing and painting, and wrote short-stories in his spare time.
His interest in acting and the theater began early and by the time he was in high school he had performed in - among others - the musicals, Pajama Game and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was a member of the International Thespian Society and a successful member of his school's debate team.
He was also a well-regarded high school football player and was active in both track and field and golf. When he was a sophomore in high school he discovered a relatively unused, dusty weight-machine in a backroom of the basketball gym. He began experimenting with weight training and very quickly built both size and strength - to such a degree that he began to lose interest in team sports and dedicated both his athletic and artistic efforts toward the -- then highly misunderstood -- sport of bodybuilding.
After high school graduation and a summer spent in U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, SC, Paris started college at Indiana State University, later transferring to Indiana University in Bloomington. He soon had the itch to see the world and set out for southern California to pursue his dream of becoming both an elite-level bodybuilder and a working actor, with an eye toward later becoming a successful writer.
When first in California, Paris had no contacts or friends in the area and survived a time of hand-to-mouth existence, often living out of his car. However, within a short time, his efforts in bodybuilding caught fire. Two years of arriving in LA, he had won the Mr. Los Angeles and Mr. Southern California. In 1983 he won both the NPC National Championships (Mr. America) and the IFBB World Championships (Mr. Universe). Paris went on to become one of the greatest professional bodybuilders in the sport's history. He was highly outspoken regarding the rights of athletes and in the quest to bring legitimate drug testing to the sport. In 2006, the official publication of the IFBB, Flex Magazine, named Paris the most aesthetic athlete in the history of bodybuilding. He retired twice from competition. The first retirement was in 1985 and lasted only two years. He made his final retirement from the sport in 1991.
Maintaining that early interest in acting and the theater, Paris spent his initial competitive retirement enrolled full-time in the advanced theater program at the famed Stella Adler Conservatory; he has also studied with other highly regarded acting coaches, including LA's Vincent Chase and Arthur Mendoza. Over the years he has performed to strong notices in a number of regional theater productions. In 1997, he made his New York stage debut in the Herbert Ross-directed production of the Cole Porter-Moss Hart musical Jubilee. He has recently returned to acting, having been cast in the recurring role of Bertram Rep on the Fox Television (2009) series, Defying Gravity.
As a writer, Paris is the author of seven books. His fitness books include, Beyond Built, Flawless, Natural Fitness and Prime, and are considered to be among the most authoritative, expertly written and user-friendly fitness books ever published. He has also written three critically acclaimed works of personal memoir. His novelistic memoir, Gorilla Suit, has been called the greatest book ever written about coming of age in the world of bodybuilding. Bob is presently finishing the literary novel, The Preservationist. He is also writing a one hour TV drama, Grow.
As a fitness and fashion model, Paris has been photographed by some of the world's leading photographers, including Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber.
In July 1989, Bob Paris came-out as a gay man in an interview with Ironman Magazine. Although, Paris initially believed he would do this interview and then seamlessly return to his career, events of the day led him into several years of intense social activism. In addition to scores of media appearances, Paris built upon his already developed skills as a public speaker and began touring the world to lecture on civil rights and self-esteem issues, eventually being nominated Lecturer of the Year on the US University circuit.
Today, Bob Paris lives with his spouse of nearly thirteen years, Brian. on an island near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Actor
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Born December 27, 1962 in Rockford, Illinois, US as Joseph Mantello, he is an American actor, director, and producer, best known for his work in Broadway theatre. His mother Judy was of half Italian descent and his father Richard Mantello, an accountant, was of Italian descent. He graduated the North Carolina School of the Arts and in 1984 moved to New York City. His first acting roles were in the plays "Walking the Dead" and "The Baltimore Waltz" and in 1993 he played Louis in the original Broadway production of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America". The production won both Tony and Drama Desk awards, and Mantello himself was nominated for both as well. He later switched from acting to directing, winning the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2003 for Richard Greenberg's "Take Me Out" and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical a year later for Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins". He directs a wide variety of shows on Broadway, his directing credits include the hit musical "Wicked" and the play "The Boys in the Band", which was later made into the movie The Boys in the Band (2020). He also returns to acting from time to time, both on Broadway (as Ned in Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" and as Tom in Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie") and in television (in a smaller role of Mickey in The Normal Heart (2014) and as Dick Samuels in Hollywood (2020), both directed by Mantello's friend Ryan Murphy). In 2018 he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. He lives in New York City with his partner Paul Marlow.- Actor
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Malcolm Gets was born in Chicago but lived in New Jersey until he was 5. Both of his parents are of English ancestry. His mother, Lispbeth, was a special educationist and his father, Terence, works as a college textbook representative for a Boston-based publisher and runs in many competitve marathons. Malcolm has one younger and one older sister and one older brother. He attended Fort Clarke Middle School, where he skipped the 8th grade, and Buchholz High where he skipped the 12th grade. At age 16 he attended the University of Florida as a scholarship student, where he earned his BFA in Theatre. Malcolm completed his graduate studies at Yale Drama School, where he received his M.A. He is a singer, dancer, conductor, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, choreographer and actor.
Malcom began to practice the piano at age 8 and began singing at age 14. His aspiration was to be a classical pianist. He worked as a stockboy in Barney's, as a puppeteer at Radio City Music Hall, played piano at "Cats" auditions, weddings, bar-mitzvahs and concert halls. He loves all types of music, especially classical. He enjoys cooking, reading and Shakespeare. Malcolm's favorite show as a child was All in the Family (1971). His favorite composer is Stephen Sondheim.- Actor
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Award-winning Actor, Producer, Activist, "Actorvist," and Humanitarian Wilson Cruz currently stars as Dr. Hugh Culber on the Award-winning Paramount+ series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. He appeared on the Netflix series THIRTEEN REASONS WHY and in Hulu's 2020 GLAAD Award- Winning original animated kids' series THE BRAVEST KNIGHT. He is also the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed docuseries called VISIBLE:OUT ON TELEVISION airing on Apple TV+ that investigates the importance of TV as an intimate medium that has shaped the American conscience, and how the LGBTQ movement has shaped television. Receiving the Emery S. Hetrick Award from the Hetrick- Martin Institute for Outstanding Contributions to LGBTQ Youth, for his role as Rickie Vasquez on the ABC series MY SO CALLED LIFE, Wilson became the first openly Gay actor playing an openly Gay role on series television. Cruz also starred as Angel in the West Coast premiere of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT which earned him both The Ovation and Drama Logue awards before his reprisal of the role on Broadway. Cruz recently accepted GLAAD's 2022 Vito Russo Award and the Make A Difference Award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation. He has also received the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award from the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, the Liberty Award from Lambda Legal, the Visibilidad Award from GLAAD, the Fusion Achievement Award from Outfest, the Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Entertainment and Advocacy from the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Harvey Milk Equality Award, the Lincoln Aston Public Service Award, Aston-Brooks Award, and the Advocate Award from AdColor. He served as the Director of Entertainment Industry Partnerships and National Spokesperson for GLAAD, currently serves on the board of GLSEN and devotes considerable time supporting other LBGTQ organizations as well. Wilson is a first generation American of Puerto Rican descent. He has helped raise money for political candidates supporting LBGTQ rights. As a speaker, Cruz is called on to rally the troops both internally at national corporations and externally with the world as evidenced of his inclusions on the cable talkers, such as Jonathan Capehart's show on MSNBC and 2022, Pride Stars of Stage and Screen, speaking at NYC Pride in 2018 (2020) and New York Pride (2021).- Actor
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Reichen Lehmkuhl was born on 26 December 1973 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Dante's Cove (2004), The Young and the Restless (1973) and Days of Our Lives (1965).- Actor
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Thure Frank Lindhardt was born 24 December 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark. At 12, he was cast as the role of the mailman in Negerkys og labre larver (1987), and later that year, he acted as a classmate in Bille August's film Pelle the Conqueror (1987), which, in 1988, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1989, he played the lead role in the "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende in Roskilde, Denmark. But it was a children's play. After the few small roles Thure had played, he realized that he wanted to become a real actor.
Lindhardt graduated from Odense Theatre School in 1998. In 1999, Thure was named recipient of the Reumert Award for Best New Talent. He had roles in two TV productions showing the year 2000, Denmarks Radios Edderkoppen (2000) a TV series where he played the poor boy Billy and in the Lars von Trier-produced family saga Morten Korch - Ved stillebækken (1999).
His first notable role was that of Brian in Her i nærheden (2000), directed by Kaspar Rostrup, written by the novel of the same name of 'Martha Christensen' and produced by Tina Dalhoff. The film featured in the official selection at the 50th Berlin Film Festival. He played the lead as an autistic boy who is suspected of murder, and he received rave reviews for his performance and was named Shooting Star at the festival. This was followed by Shaky González's film One Hell of a Christmas (2002) where he played the part as the young cool criminal Mike. Later in the year 2002, he got the offer to play Slim in the Ballerin brothers' very special modern film Slim Slam Slum (2002). But the film really tested very poorly with the young audiences, and it became a Danish, bottom-10 comedy film. But in 2004, he did an outstanding job in the role of Hans in the German movie Love in Thoughts (2004)--the latter of which brought him to the public's attention.
He is now one of the most critically acclaimed actors of his generation and portrays the weird junkie boy Steso in Ole Christian Madsen's fantastic film Angels in Fast Motion (2005).- Actor
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Scott Hislop is an actor, dancer, choreographer and producer, known for A Cinderella Story: Starstruck (2021), La La Land (2016), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Titanic (1997). Originally from Reno, Nevada, he has made Los Angeles his home for nearly three decades. He has enjoyed a career both in front of and behind the camera, working on some of the biggest projects of film and television.- Actor
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The world met Jason Dottley in 2008 when he starred as "Ty WIlliamson" in Sordid Lives: The Series in 16 countries around the world with Rue McClanahan, Caroline Rhea and Olivia Newton-John.
After starring on TV, there was another dream Dottley had, to have a hit record. Over the past 4 years, Dottley has had 3 Top 25 Billboard records, 1 UK Top 10 Dance hit and as of the summer of 2013, Dottley just finished an 11-week run on Billboard with "It's Our Night" which became his first UK Top 20 Pop hit single. All records combined, Dottley has spent 44 weeks on Billboard's Charts.
Dottley is also an award-winning theatre producer. He won the most prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle "Best World Premiere Play" Award for producing Del Shores' "Yellow." He has produced and starred in major national tours with icons Rue McClanahan, Delta Burke, Caroline Rhea and Georgette Jones.
His stage work began professionally in Terrence McNally's "Lisbon Traviata" in Los Angeles. His performance was tagged "Letter-perfect" by the LA Times. He starred in a nine month run of "Sordid Lives" in Los Angeles, later starring in its national tour, all to incredible critical review.
In 2015, Dottley is busier than ever preparing to film a feature titled "Husband-In-Law" in late summer, touring a 40+ city tour with his first full length one-man show "Life on the Gay-List", and releasing his fifth official single, a cover of Madonna's iconic love ballad from the 80's "Crazy For You."- Actor
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Satya Bhabha is director, writer, and performer whose work has played at multiple festivals including TIFF, SXSW, Palm Springs, Telluride Film Festival, and OutFest. He has recently directed series for Apple, Showtime, Amazon, Max, and Peacock, and acted in the recent Netflix hit series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. He has developed and sold original projects to Amazon and Conde Nast.
As an actor, Satya is known for playing the lead role of Saleem Sinai in Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children", Matthew Patel in "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World", and the recurring role of Shivrang in the TV show "New Girl". He also recurred on the Wachowski's "Sense8" and the Peabody Award winning "Key & Peele." Satya has also acted extensively in theatre, at venues such as The Public Theatre, The Signature Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe in London, and the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.
Satya has also created award-winning immersive theatre experiences such as the 48-hour long luxury travel adventure The Headlands Gamble. He has toured original live performance work throughout Europe and the USA and is the artistic director of LA based theatre company Public Assembly.
Satya graduated from Yale University where he was awarded the Sudler Prize for the arts. He has been playing the cello since he was very young and has performed around the world in symphonies, chamber ensembles, and bands. He played cello for the LA-based band He's My Brother She's My Sister. He has been married to his husband since 2016.- Producer
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Emerson Collins was born in Texas, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Southern Baptist Sissies (2013), Shafted (2023) and Six Characters in Search of a Play (2019).- Additional Crew
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Born on December 19, 1985, in Kalispell, Montana, Shane Bitney Crone grew up with the nickname "Motor Mouth." Now that name seems even more appropriate in light of his recent YouTube video, which went viral with almost three million hits. Shane's film portrays the many injustices he experienced after losing his partner and the great love of his life, Tom Bridegroom. This gut-wrenching, mini documentary (in memory of Tom) has now inspired millions of people worldwide to join Shane's pursuit of marriage equality.
From a young age, Shane has used his considerable voice on behalf of good causes, inspiring others through his talent and actions. In Montana, he also regularly performed at the Missoula Children's Theater International Performing Arts Camp. During high school, he was active in the community and was awarded Student of the Year for his leadership.
Shane worked part time to earn money so he could pursue his dream of moving to Los Angeles after graduation. Armed with this money and with all of his worldly belongings in the trunk of his car, Shane headed to California without a job, but with an abundance of ambition and willingness to work hard.
In 2005, Shane met his partner, Tom Bridegroom. Dedicated to each other and their mutual success, Shane and Tom started a social media/public relations company, Bridegroom and Bitney, in 2008. Targeting up and coming artists in the music industry, they assisted clients in obtaining record deals, performing at national league sporting events and garnering international exposure (via Tom and Shane's expertise with social media).
He soon landed a position on Entertainment Tonight as a production assistant and was subsequently promoted to talent coordinator.
In 2011, the devastating accident that took Tom's life, turned Shane's world upside down. As a form of therapy, he created his now viral video in order to honor and mourn Tom. As a result, he has found a new calling and is slowly regaining the voice he was born with. Shane has vowed to devote himself to the cause of marriage equality, giving interviews to CNN, ABC, E! News, and numerous radio programs and has been invited to write guest posts for GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, The Advocate, and The Huffington Post. He is receiving speaking requests from around the world and has been invited to Amsterdam Pride as one of their international guests of honor. Shane has also partnered with Designing Women creator and director and producer of the critically acclaimed Man from Hope, Linda Bloodworth Thomason, in order to make a documentary film about his and Tom's life together and what happened in the aftermath of Tom's death. After successfully raising over three-hundred-thousand dollars using the crowd funding website Kickstarter, the film, entitled Bridegroom, A Love Story Unequaled, is currently being made.- Veronica Lauren was born on 17 December 1980. She is an actress, known for Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), Forever Young (1992) and American Pie (1999).
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Christopher "Kit" Culkin was born on December 6, 1944, in New York City. He is a fourth-generation New York City boy. His father, Philip Harley Culkin, was a PR man when he met Kit's mother, Marian Ethel (Wagner), who was a writer. They had four children: Kit, Bonnie Bedelia, Terry and Candy. Professionally since age ten and even before that, Kit and his siblings worked on the stage in New York City. Their mother was their manager and she was aggressive and formidable in her mission, but only to get good educations for her brood, and to expose them to the culture of the NY theater. Bonnie and Kit were the young children in George Balanchine's "Nutcracker" one season (Balanchine is the legendary head of the New York City Ballet). At age 15 Culkin worked in "Becket" on Broadway and was on tour with Anthony Quinn and Laurence Olivier, and also played in "Hamlet" with Richard Burton and shows with many other famous stage actors. For ten years he worked on Broadway in different productions. When he was about 19 his mother died of cancer. She had done everything for him as a manager and motivated him and provided the base from which he kept working. She was gone and so was his motivation. There were things the young Kit had not done as a regular person. He went to college, working odd jobs and then worked as a photographer's assistant to Martha Swope, the photographer for the NY City Ballet and the Opera, once again seeing Balanchine regularly--even visiting his home. After this he bought a car and traveled America, sitting at old battle sites and studying what he really loved: history. He traveled around for ten years before going back to NY to live with his father. On one of these trips home he met Patricia by the side of the road, working on a construction crew. Her pregnancy and continuing pregnancies (Kit always wanted a big family) made it impossible to go back to the stage as he had to provide a regular paycheck for the kids. He continued to visit his friends in the theater and once in awhile did something himself and always took the kids with him.- Actor
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Richard Yniguez was born on 8 December 1946 in Firebaugh, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Man on Fire (2004), Babylon 5 (1993) and Boulevard Nights (1979). He was previously married to Priscilla Ann Garcia.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
A consummate singer and entertainer, Gloria Loring is the recording artist of the #1 hit song "Friends and Lovers," co-composer of television theme songs for Diff'rent Strokes (1978) and The Facts of Life (1979), an audience favorite from daytime TV's Days of Our Lives (1965), spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the author of seven books, a keynote speaker, one of the few artists to sing two nominated songs at the Academy Awards, and is the mother of world-wide singing sensation Robin Thicke.
With eleven albums to her credit, Loring has performed all over North America and Australia. As an actress and singer, she's starred in musicals, movies of the week, prime time series and specials, and has hosted television shows and live events.
Gloria's new book, Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous: Reflections on Daytime Dramas and Divine Intervention, details a series of extraordinary coincidences that transformed her life and offers prescriptive insight into how each of us can use coincidence for our own good and the good of those we love.
Gloria is a certified yoga instructor and an articulate champion of biomedical research. After her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes at age four, she created and self-published two volumes of the Days Of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook which raised more than $1 million for diabetes research. In total, she has written and created six books benefiting people with diabetes.
Her newest musical show, TV Tunez, a celebration of television's best theme songs, draws from sitcoms and dramas, to westerns, sports, games shows and commercials, appealing to all demographics.
Honored with the Lifetime Commitment Award from JDRF and the 1999 Woman of Achievement Award from the Miss America Organization, Loring is listed in the World Who's Who of Women and Who's Who in America. She is married to Emmy Award-winning art director and production designer René Lagler and lives in Southern California.- Actor
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Thomas Dekker is a 30 year veteran of the film and television industry. At the age of 5, he landed a national commercial and a brief stint on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless". This lead to a slew of guest starring and recurring roles on popular television series of the time such as "Seinfeld", "ER" and "The Nanny" before he landed his first leading role in John Carpenter's 1995 film "Village of the Damned" opposite the late Christopher Reeve. It was this experience at the age of 6 that cemented Dekker's love and commitment to acting and placed him squarely in line with science fiction and genre fare. Concurrent with performances in both the feature film "Star Trek: Generations" and the TV series "Star Trek: Voyager", Dekker also began work as a voice actor. He would eventually play the voice of Littlefoot in "The Land Before Time" film series and Feivel in "An American Tail" film series, both for Universal Studios. At the age of 9, he was cast in his first series regular role as Nick Szalinski on Disney's "Honey I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show", which ran for 3 seasons from 1997 to 2000. Immediately following the series, Dekker played the lead role of Jason Calloway in FOX's unaired comedy pilot "The No. 1 Show" co-starring Tina Fey and directed by SNL's Beth McCarthy Miller.
In 2006, Dekker landed the role of Zac, best friend to Hayden Panettiere's cheerleader Claire, in the popular NBC show "Heroes". However, Dekker left the series mid season to portray the iconic character of John Connor on FOX's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" opposite Lena Headey and Garret Dillahunt. The show was a critical and commercial success and garnered Dekker much praise for his sensitive, complex portrayal of the teen/future savior of the world. Between seasons of the series, Dekker played the romantic lead in Nick Cassavete's "My Sister's Keeper" alongside Cameron Diaz, Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin and he wrote and directed the expressionist drama "Whore" starring Megan Fox, Lena Headey and Rumer Willis. Upon the completion of "Terminator" in 2010, Dekker had lead roles in the cult film "All About Evil" with Natasha Lyonne, New Line's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" opposite Rooney Mara and Jackie Earle Haley, Gaby Dellal's ensemble drama "Angel's Crest" with Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Piven and Elizabeth McGovern and Gregg Araki's festival breakout "Kaboom" co-starring Haley Bennett, Roxane Mesquida and Juno Temple. The film was the first to receive the Queer Palm at Cannes and was a national sensation in France.
After receiving accolades at Toronto, Deauville, BFI London, San Francisco, Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals, Dekker won the coveted role of the legendary Lance Loud in HBO's "Cinema Verite", a biopic about the Louds, the first family to receive a reality TV show based on their lives in the 1970s. The Emmy nominated film was directed by Berman & Pulcini and co-starred Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, Patrick Fugit and the late James Gandolfini. Following this, Dekker returned to television as the male lead in Kevin WIlliamson's supernatural series "The Secret Circle" for the CW before continuing more film work with the festival hit "Enter the Dangerous Mind" starring Jake Hoffman and Nikki Reed, Catherine Hardwicke's erotic thriller "Plush" (which he also co-scored), "Squatters" with Gabriella Wilde, Luke Grimes and Richard Dreyfuss and "Lost in the White City", a Tel Aviv set drama co-starring Haley Bennett.
In 2014, Dekker began his role as Rainn WIlson's right hand man "Valentine" on FOX's dark comedy crime series "Backstrom" from "Bones" creator Hart Hanson. Following the series, Dekker pivoted his attention back to his writing/directing interests and made his second feature film "Jack Goes Home", a semi-autobiographical thriller starring Rory Culkin, Lin Shaye and Britt Robertson. The film premiered to standing ovations at the SXSW Film Festival and received worldwide distribution from eOne/Momentum. Next, Dekker made a cameo in Catherine Hardwicke's "Miss Bala" starring Gina Rodriguez and Ismael Cruz Cordova and appeared in "Body Brokers" with Melissa Leo, Michael K. Williams, Jack Kilmer and Alice Englert.
Dekker's latest turn was the role of cut-throat executive "Travis Denton" in Lionsgate/Roku Channel's series "Swimming With Sharks" opposite Diane Kruger, Kiernan Shipka, Finn Jones and Donald Sutherland. Written by Kathleen Robertson and directed by Tucker Gates, the series is based on the 1994 cult classic film of the same name and had its world premiere at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. Dekker will next appear in the film "Little Dixie" alongside Frank Grillo, Beau Knapp, Annabeth Gish and Eric Dane.
Dekker is currently in pre production on his third feature film as writer/director and as a musician, he most recently released his fourth studio album "Tasma" in August last year. He resides in southern California.
04/19/2022- Actor
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William James Pullman was born in Hornell, New York, one of seven children of Johanna (Blaas), a nurse, and James Pullman, a doctor. He is of Dutch (mother) and English, Northern Irish, and Scottish (father) descent. After high school, Bill went into a building construction program at SUNY Delhi in New York. He transferred to State University of New York College at Oneonta where he received his BA in Theater. He received both his MFA in Theater/Directing and an honorary PHD from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While teaching Directing at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, one of Bill's students was the soon-to-be film director John Dahl, who later cast Mr. Pullman in "The Last Seduction".
Moving to New York City, he worked with Kathy Bates in the acclaimed stage production of "Curse of the Starving Class". However, it was his first work in three strikingly diverse films that brought him to the attention of his audience: "Ruthless People" with Danny DeVito and Bette Milder, the Mel Brooks hit "Spaceballs" and the Oscar-nominated (and winner for Best Supporting Actress Geena Davis) "The Accidental Tourist". Still attracted to the art and study of building construction, Bill has designed and/or restored three "barns": In Montana, he converted a 1933 barn at his ranch into his family home. In Los Angeles, he built a Truss barn in the style of LA's 1910 fruit storage barns. In western New York State, he restored a '3-bay' barn that sometimes serves as a community center near his hometown of Hornell, New York. Focused more on neighborhoods than show business-based charities and societies, Pullman has defined himself by his work with his local communities. He works to bridge communities of Los Angeles through his board work with Cornerstone Theater. Pullman continues to work with his neighbors who formed "Concerned Citizens Montana" to secure a place at the table regarding the national need for a smart grid for energy transmission. He also works with the local university (Alfred University, New York) as well as supports local health services ("The Pullman Women's Health and Birthing Center" at St James Hospital, Hornell, NY).
Pullman is also an MS Society Ambassador. Based in Los Angeles, New York City and Western Montana, Pullman is married to dancer Tamara Hurwitz Pullman, and they have three children, daughter singer/songwriter Maesa Rae and multi-talented sons Jack and Lewis Pullman, who is now also an actor.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Alice was born and raised in New York City. After seeing "Man of La Mancha" at the age of 10, she wanted to become an actress herself. She participated in many plays in elementary and high-school and received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Hunter College.
She performed in several Off-Off Broadway productions before being cast in her first leading film role in " Mission Hill," re-released in 2011 as "No Expectations." Soon thereafter, she was cast in the TBS soap opera "The Catlins" in Atlanta and upon returning to New York began a successful commercial career. In 1989, she was cast as Frankie Frame in NBC's "Another World," a role she played for seven years.
She has since appeared in many prime time shows, including "Chicago Med," "Billions," and "Law & Order"SVU." Her multiple film roles include "Choke" with Sam Rockwell, " "13," "Twelve," and "Behind Some Dark Cloud," which stars her daughter, Julia Barrett-Mitchell. In 2020, she was cast as the matriarch of a wrestling family in the Lionsgate/Starz production, "Heels."
She is married to musician/songwriter, Stanley John Mitchell, and is the mother of Anna Barrett Mitchell, aka JoAnna, a painter, musician and songwriter, and actor/director Julia Barrett-Mitchell. They live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY.- John J. York was born on 10 December 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for General Hospital (1963), Werewolf (1987) and Night of the Creeps (1986). He has been married to Vicki Manners since 15 August 1986. They have one child.
- Actor
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A former cook in a Hollywood restaurant, Lando first came to the attention of casting directors in the role of heartthrob Jake Harrison on the soap opera One Life to Live (1968). That job led to the co-starring role as the backwoodsman/love interest of Jane Seymour on TV's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993).- Brandon expressed an interest in acting at the age of 3 and by 5 was already a member of SAG. His first lead role in the feature film, Smitty (2012), which was released in April 2012. Brandon plays the lead role of Ben Barrett and worked alongside: Peter Fonda, Mira Sorvino, Louis Gossett Jr., Lolita Davidovich, Jason London, and Booboo Stewart. Since then, he has gone on to film several other features including: The Martial Arts Kid (alongside Kathryn Newton & Sydney Sweeney), Fishes N Loaves: Heaven Sent (alongside Patrick Muldoon & Dina Meyer), & Weiner Dog Nationals. Brandon has co-starred on: Supah Ninja's, Tosh.0, and Instant Mom. He also appeared in the 300th episode of Grey's Anatomy as Gregory Williams (AKA Baby George) and has had lead roles in two TV Christmas movies: Beverly Hills Christmas (alongside John Savage & Dean Cain) & This Is Our Christmas.
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Andrew Jenkins is an award-winning actor born in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He trained with William Esper at the Esper Studio in New York City, and has appeared on stage, as well as in numerous film and television roles.
Andrew has worked with Oscar Winner Holly Hunter and Oscar Nominee Matt Dillon. His work on-screen has earned him accolades including two nominations for Canada's prestigious LEO Award for his performances in Stormworld and Lost Solace, as well as several nominations for the Young Artist Awards, including a win for his recurring guest spot on Tower Prep.
In 2016 Andrew played the lead role of Spence in Lost Solace, a feature film he produced and co-wrote with award-winning Canadian director Chris Scheuerman. The film sold at the Cannes film market after a successful world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California.
Andrew holds a degree from the University of British Columbia. He is also a writer and producer and currently has several more projects in-development.
Andrew is also Founder, CEO and Executive Director of Next Generation Indie Film Awards (indiefilmawards.co), a not-for-profit organization devoted to supporting filmmakers through its annual awards and other programs, whose team includes Academy Award and Emmy Winning filmmakers and actors, and film industry leaders from around the globe.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Lukas Nelson was born on 25 December 1988 in the USA. He is an actor and composer, known for A Star Is Born (2018), Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021) and Palmer (2021).- Abigail Klein was born on 24 December 1988 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Butterfly Caught (2017) and That's My Boy (2012).
- Actor
- Writer
- Casting Department
Daniel K. Isaac was born on 5 December 1988 in Fullerton, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Billions (2016), The Other Two (2019) and Money Monster (2016).- Ross Bagley was raised in Los Angeles and grew up starring in some of the biggest TV shows and movies of the 90's. At the tender age of 4, Ross was afforded the amazing opportunity to work with one of the all-around greats in the business working with Will Smith, on the highly successful sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" then went on to work with him in "Independence Day". The success of Ross playing Nicky led to numerous roles.
- Alfred Lewis Enoch was born December 2, 1988 in Westminster, London, England, the son of English actor William Russell (William Russell Enoch) and Brazilian doctor Etheline Margareth Lewis. He is an actor, known for his role as Dean Thomas in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)_ (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) (2009), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) (2011). More recently, he has played Philotus in Timon of Athens (2012), and Titus Lartius in Coriolanus (2013 - 2014), by William Shakespeare, both at the Donmar Warehouse theater.
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Adam Gregory is best known for his preppy-bad-boy character, "Ty Collins" on 90210. Gregory also stars as "Thomas Forrester" the only son and eldest child on The Bold and the Beautiful. Landing a leading role in Ryan Little's new film Saints and Soldiers: The Void, Gregory is now prepping for his upcoming lead role in The Janus Project as "Shane Johnson".
His additional television credits include, Wizards of Waverly Place and Just Jordan. Gregory also starred alongside Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana: The Movie and with Zac Efron in 17 Again. He can also be seen as Ashley Tisdale's cheating ex-boyfriend in her music video for her hit song, "It's Alright, It's OK".
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gregory attended Northern Kentucky University where he majored in Musical Theater and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He has performed in Operas such as Les Miserables as "Marius" and The Pirates of Penzance.- Producer
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Ray Comfort is the Founder/President/CEO of Living Waters Publications. After relocating from New Zealand to Southern California in the late 1980s, Ray introduced a long line of pastors and churches to a biblical teaching which he called Hell's Best Kept Secret. The positive and enthusiastic response that followed took Ray's Living Waters Publications ministry to a whole new level. From humble beginnings, LWP has become an internationally recognized ministry, reaching the lost and equipping Christians with every necessary resource to fulfill the great commission.
Ray Comfort is the co-host (with Kirk Cameron) of the award-winning television program "The Way of the Master," which airs in 123 countries around the world. Ray is a best-selling author of more than 80 books. He and his wife, Sue, live in Southern California, where they have three grown children.- Rainbow Sun Francks was born on 3 December 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and The Listener (2009).
- Actor
- Executive
- Soundtrack
David Cook grew up in Blue Springs, Missouri where he graduated high school then went to Central Missouri State for Graphic Design. He formed a band, Axium, with friends Bobby Kerr and Jeff Shrout, and recorded 3 albums, plus a live album. His band Axium created a great fan base in Kansas City area as well as Tulsa, OK and smaller towns around the country. He plays a white left-handed Gibson guitar that was specially made for him. He had become friends with Andy Skib and Neal Tiemann, lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively of Tulsa-based band, MidWest Kings. After moving to Tulsa after graduating college, he joined MidWest Kings. He released his own album in 2006, Analog Heart which won an UrbanTulsa Weekly award for Indie Album in 2006.- Actress
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- Executive
Dale Waddington was born in Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Julia (2022), Innovative Wealth Strategists Commercial: Love in Action (2022) and Stand in the Gap (2023). She has been married to Bruce Horowitz since 27 September 1998. They have two children.- Actor
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- Producer
Joseph Mulrey McIntyre was born on New Year's Eve 1972 at Deaconess-Glover Hospital in Needham, Massachusetts. He is the youngest of nine children - seven girls and two boys. Joseph is a natural performer and has been working as an artist since the age of six. Joseph's huge shot at stardom came when he was chosen to be a member of the phenomenally successful band New Kids on the Block in 1985. After they broke up in June of 1994, Joseph decided to pursue acting and landed the role of Matt Hucklebee in The Fantasticks (2000) later that same year.- Music Artist
- Actress
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Janelle Monáe is an American musical recording artist, actress and model signed to their own imprint, Wondaland Arts Society, and Atlantic Records.
They were born in Kansas City, Kansas, to Janet, a janitor, and Michael Robinson Summers, a truck driver. In 2010, Monáe released her first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid. In March 2012, "We Are Young" by Fun., on which Monáe appears as a guest vocalist, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first appearance in the US Top 10. Monáe's music has garnered them six Grammy Award nominations.
Monáe has excelled at film acting and picking roles, having had major parts in Moonlight (2016), Hidden Figures (2016), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Harriet (2019). In 2020, they played the lead in the horror film Antebellum (2020).- Actor
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Erich Bergen is an American television, film and stage actor raised in New York City. He co-stared on CBS's Madam Secretary opposite Tea Leoni, and starred as Bob Gaudio in the Clint Eastwood-directed feature film Jersey Boys. Bergen played that role on stage for more than 1,000 performances in the Grammy- and Tony-winning Best Musical of the same name. He also performed with the 2012 Roundabout Theatre Company National Tour's production of Anything Goes as Billy Crocker. When not acting on screen, Bergen performs live shows as a solo singer and pianist, modeling his shows off the romantically old school feel of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.- Actor
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Born in Richmond, California on December 23, 1931, and raised there, light comedian Ronnie Schell's first choice of careers was to play professional baseball. He got as far as the semis before enlisting in the United States Air Force, where he performed as an emcee and comic in variety shows.
Ronnie studied at San Francisco State University and formed a nightclub comedy duo. He then turned solo and perfected his routine at the popular nightclub The Purple Onion. During his college senior year in 1958, he received a major boost when he toured as an opening act for the highly popular The Kingston Trio. This break led to the gradual rise of a family-oriented comedy career that earned him the eventual title of "America's Slowest-Rising Comedian." Down the road Ronnie would serve to open for several stars, including Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, on the Las Vegas strip, at Lake Tahoe casinos and other notable niteries.
TV finally opened its doors to him in 1964 and an acting career was born when Ronnie won the regular role of Jim Nabors' Marine bunk mate "Duke Slater" on the highly popular comedy series Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964). Betwixt and between was a recurring role on That Girl (1966) playing Marlo Thomas' acting agent. He left the Gomer Pyle show after a few years when he was handed a series lead of his own as a disc jockey on the sitcom Good Morning World (1967) which co-starred pre-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) ditz Goldie Hawn. Unfortunately, the show was canceled before it could make any kind of enduring star impact.
Short, compact, extremely easy-going and quite likable in nature, Ronnie moved easily into featured roles for Disney including The Strongest Man in the World (1975), The Shaggy D.A. (1976), Gus (1976), The Cat from Outer Space (1978) and The Devil and Max Devlin (1981).
Ronnie reunited with Nabors when he appeared as a regular on the singer's short-lived variety show, The Jim Nabors Hour (1968). He also moved into several decades worth of comedy guest spots on such shows as "The Patty Duke Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Love, American Style," "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," "Adam-12," "Happy Days," "Emergency!," "Sanford and Son," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Charlie's Angels," "One Day at a Time," "Mork & Mindy," "Alice," "The Love Boat," "Madame's Place," "She's the Sheriff," "Mr. Belvedere," "Empty Nest," "Saved by the Bell," "227," "The Golden Girls," "Coach," "The Wayans Bros." and the daytime soaper "Santa Barbara."
Ronnie's well-crafted skill as a voice artist has been extensively utilized on TV, radio, films and commercials. Working notably for Hanna-Barbera, his many TV animated programs have included Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1973), Yogi's Space Race (1978), Battle of the Planets (1978), Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977), Shirt Tales (1982), Snorks (1984), The Flintstone Kids (1986), The Smurfs (1981), Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (1990), Yo Yogi! (1991), Recess (1997) and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003).
As for stage work in later years, Schell was one of the stars of a 2007 touring cabaret show entitled, "5 Star Revue" and starred off-Broadway in the 2009 musical comedy revue "Don't Leave it All to Your Children!" He also continued to perform in comedy clubs throughout his career. As an octogenarian he was, at one point, the oldest regularly appearing comedian in Las Vegas and would hold another record as having worked the strip every year for over 50 plus straight years.
Into the millennium, Ronnie found sporadic film work with featured roles in both comedies and dramas -- Family Jewels (2000), The Biggest Fan (2005), Soupernatural (2010) -- as well as TV episodes of "Yes, Dear," "Easy to Assemble," "Jessie," "You'll Be Fine," "See Ya" and "Kaplan's Korner."
Long married with two children, Ronnie continues to live in the Los Angeles area where, for years, he served as the honorary mayor of Encino.- Actress
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Her mother, Anna Griffiths, is an art consultant. Her uncle is a Jesuit priest. Has two older brothers. One brother, Ben, is a ski instructor. Lived on the Gold Coast, Queensland until age five, then moved to Melbourne. Attended Star of the Sea Catholic Girls' College, did well at school and learned ballet. When she was 11, her father left home with an 18 year old woman. She hasn't seen him for years. Her mother was an art teacher at the time and raised the children alone. Has an Education Degree in dance and drama. Worked for the theatre company The Woolly Jumpers, in Geelong. Made famous by Muriel's Wedding (1994).- Actor
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David Hornsby was born on 1 December 1975 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005), Mythic Quest (2020) and Good Girls (2018). He has been married to Emily Deschanel since 25 September 2010. They have two children.- Actress
- Producer
Susan Dey was born on 10 December 1952 in Pekin, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Partridge Family (1970), L.A. Law (1986) and Skyjacked (1972). She has been married to Bernard Sofronski since 20 February 1988. She was previously married to Leonard Hirshan.- Actor
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Chris Crocker was born on 7 December 1987. He is an actor and cinematographer.