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Paddy (Patrick) Considine was born on September 5, 1973 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire in the U.K. As a teenager, Considine studied a drama course at Burton College where he met with now friend and director Shane Meadows, who cast Considine in his first role in a feature film as the disturbed character Morell in A Room for Romeo Brass (1999).

Considine's performance in that movie got him cast in Pawel Pawlikowski's Last Resort (2000) the following year. Further roles ensued, including an acclaimed turn as Johnny in Jim Sheridan's In America (2002).

Along with his lead roles, Considine has had a number of scene-stealing supporting roles in films such as 24 Hour Party People (2002), Born Romantic (2000), and The Martins (2001). Considine has been noticed for his performance as Richard the revengeful brother in the applauded film Dead Man's Shoes (2004), which he co-wrote with Shane Meadows, and for his role as Phil the Born again Christian in Pawlikowski's My Summer of Love (2004).

In 2005, Considine co-starred with Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger in Cinderella Man (2005). Other notable roles in recent years include small-but-memorable turns in Hot Fuzz (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), along with bigger roles in [error] and Submarine (2010).

Considine has also recently tried his hand at writing and directing. His feature-length directing debut, Tyrannosaur (2011), won Considine a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

Considine has one child, Joseph, with wife Shelley.

Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. She's the daughter of Janet Yeoh & Kian Teik Yeoh. She's of Hokkien descent, speaking English and Malay before Chinese. A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen. After a brief dance career, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title in and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. Her first on camera work was a 1984 commercial with martial arts star Jackie Chan. In 1985, she began making action movies with D&B Films of Hong Kong. She was first billed as Michelle Khan, then Michelle Yeoh. Never a trained martial artist, she relied on her dance discipline and on-set trainers to prepare for martial arts action scenes.

She uses many dance moves in her films and does most of her own stunts. In 1988, she married wealthy D&B Films executive Dickson Poon & retired from acting. Even though they divorced in 1992, she's close to Poon's second wife and a godmother to his daughter. When she returned to acting, she became very popular w/ Chinese audiences. She later became known to Western audiences through role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). She turned down a role in a sequel to The Matrix (1999).

She has her own production company, Mythical Films. She trained with the Shen Yang Acrobatic team for her role in The Touch (2002), an English-language film she both starred in and produced. She hopes to use her company to discover and nurture new film-making talent. She also aspires to act in roles that combine both action and deeper spiritual themes.

Jonathan graduated from the Yale School of Drama with an MFA in acting. Jonathan is a recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) National Drama Competition. Jonathan made his screen debut starring in the ABC miniseries "When We Rise" and has since landed strong roles, cementing him as a Hollywood actor to watch.

Jake spent his childhood in sunny southern California, as well as a plethora of film sets around the country. His childhood similar to a "military brat", a series of strung-together extended-stay location shoots, alternating with tours on the road with his father's various bands and associates. In a world of gypsies & artists, spending many years on tour buses and side-stage-studying such acts as Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Little Feat, the Band, and Fleetwood Mac, Jake found his passion for music and performing live.

Busey entered the industry at the age of 5 in his first motion picture, Dustin Hoffman's opus, "Straight Time" (1977) playing Son to his father and Cathy Bates, . After finishing high school at Crossroads School, and college in Santa Barbara , Jake returned to L.A to study the craft of acting for film seriously. He started auditioning at 20yrs old, and booked his first role in a PBS film, "Shimmer", shot on location in Iowa. Slowly but surely bit parts playing supporting characters in independent films would follow. After a few years of hard work and little returns, He was Cast as the villain in Showtimes "rebel highway series" Motorcycle Gang, by Director John Milius. The film was part of an 8 film series, and drew great attention amongst the "up and coming actor" buzz of hollywood. He made his true debut to the big screen in 1994 alongside Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon in grind house grunge film "SFW", but that Buzz caught the eye of Robert Zemekis & Peter Jackson which led jake to star opposite Michael J. Fox in the Frighteners. .soon after wrapping, big changes came from a 3 page monologue about religion vs. science, when he landed "Contact" with Jodi Foster and Matthew McConnaghey. Then "Enemy of the State", then Vince Gilligan scribed "Home Fries," and most memorably as the smart-mouthed Private Ace Levy in the Sci-Fi cult classic "Starship Troopers." Jake was a force to be reckoned with in the late 1990's A-list film market. Then in the early 21st century, after the great success of "Identity", Jake took some risks with projects, leaps of faith, stepping up into starring roles in such studio disasters as "Tomcats" and "the First 20million is always the hardest", Films hyped to glory among the Hollywood machine, which failed miserably, and left him needing to reassess his position . It was time for a break.some time away was needed.

After a few-year hiatus from acting as he pursued directing films, "road-tripping" the country , and playing in his band around hollywood, he was ready for his come-back. Jake blasted onscreen as a pyrotechnic specialist in the final season of FX's hit series "Justified", leaving many an audience member aghast, having thought he was a solid new addition to the show...alas, just a masterfully crafted cameo, blowing up in 30 seconds. When Robert Rodriguez cast him as the new Sex Machine for all three seasons of "From Dusk Till Dawn, Things started heating up again. In The History Channel mini-series "Texas Rising", Busey plays Samuel Wallace, the man credited with reciting the legendary warning, "Remember the Alamo!" directed by Roland Joffe.

His recent projects include "Mr. Robot", and Stranger Things", Showtime's "Ray Donovan", CBS television's "NCIS" Episode 346(1516) , ABC's "Marvels agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.., Episode 513 & 519, and in the summer of 2018 he made his return to the summer tent-pole event scene with 20th Century Fox's "the_Predator".

A bit of a modern-day Renaissance man, Jake's passions in life includes fatherhood, acting, desert racing, architecture, playing music, flying planes when necessary, and fabricating anything mechanical in his metal shop. .

Megyn Price is an actor, writer, and director who has starred in theater, film and nearly 300 television episodes. This funny girl never intended to become a professional actor, even turning down admission to The Juilliard School for a more traditional education. But after she graduated from Stanford University with a double degree in Economics and Journalism, she couldn't escape her true calling.

She is known for being Larry David's "yo-yo-ing" girlfriend on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and for her three long-running series: "Grounded for Life", "Rules of Engagement", and "The Ranch." Showrunners call her "The Pilot Fairy" since she has never done a single television pilot that did not go on to become a long-running series.

Megyn spends her time outside of work in nature with her daughter and way too many animals, reading everything she can get her hands on. In Spring 2025, Megyn is directing and producing a comedy/horror musical with her daughter.

David Howard Thornton was born on November 30th, 1979 in Huntsville, Alabama. He is an actor known for work in stage, film, and voice over. He is best known for his roles as Grandpa Who in the 1st- 5th national tours of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical", the voice of Shizoku and others in the video game "Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom", The Joker in the YouTube series "Nightwing Escalation", and Art the Clown in the film "Terrifier".

Joel Fry was born in London in 1984 and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Since graduating, he has worked consistently, starring in various television, film, and theatre productions in the United Kingdom and America. Joel is also a musician, playing a number of instruments but predominantly the guitar.

Laci Mailey is a Canadian actress and writer, best known for her role as Jess O'Brien in Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores. She has also appeared in series like Falling Skies, The Romeo Section, and Supernatural. As the founder of Good Fruit Productions, Laci writes and directs indie short films, including Poetry Series: Italy and Mary Jean Remembers. Her theater credits encompass Zastrozzi: Master of Discipline and Henry IV.

With a naturalistic and grounded essence, Laci brings emotional depth and authenticity to her performances, effortlessly transitioning between intense drama and heartfelt romantic comedies. She has trained extensively across Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, and Rome, and has been named one of Variety's "Canadian Talent to Watch." A proud member of SAG-AFTRA and UBCP/ACTRA, Laci divides her time between Rome and Vancouver, continuing to pursue diverse and compelling storytelling projects.

One of the most versatile actresses, Janice Rule was born in Norwood, Ohio, on August 15, 1931. Janice made her screen debut in the star-studded movie Goodbye, My Fancy (1951). She played the rival for James Stewart's affections, and was driven away by witch Kim Novak, in Bell Book and Candle (1958), a pre-Bewitched (1964) comedy. Janice appeared in the first season of the ground-breaking science fiction series The Twilight Zone (1959) playing "Helen Foley" (named after Rod Serling's favorite teacher). In 1961, Janice married Ben Gazzara and they had one daughter, Elizabeth Gazzara (they divorced in 1979). After marrying, Janice took off a few years from movie acting, then returned to the silver screen and gave her best performances. In a change of pace role, she was the party girl in The Chase (1966); and Janice showed a real flair for comedy as "Matt Helm"'s partner in The Ambushers (1967) with Dean Martin. She did a wonderful job realistically portraying a frontier woman in Welcome to Hard Times (1967), and received acclaim for her performance as a disturbed artist in 3 Women (1977). The last movie Janice appeared in was American Flyers (1985), and her last TV appearance was in the science fiction genre, The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985) in 1992. From science fiction, to comedy, to portraying loose women, to playing strong women - Janice Rule covered the whole spectrum of human emotion and life.

Jean Yoon is a playwright and actress born in Illinois and raised in Toronto. Jean has lived and worked in Vancouver, Edmonton, Harbin City and Yanji City in North Eastern China and makes her home in Toronto.

Jean began her career in Toronto in the early 1980s performing with now long gone companies such as Upstage Theatre, Toronto Free Theatre and Canasian Artists Group. In the 1990s, Jean was active as a cultural equity advocate and new play producer. She was Cross Cultural Coordinator for Theatre Ontario 1991/92, and then Co-Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre Projects 1992 to early 1994, founding Lift Off! and cementing Cahoots' role as a leader in new play development for playwrights of diverse cultures.

Jean's playwriting credits include the Dora-nominated stage play, The Yoko Ono Project, a multimedia performance art comedy, produced by Loud Mouth Asian Babes and Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto, January 2000, and published by Broken Jaw Press. Jean's comedic adaptation of a classic Korean folktale Hongbu & Nolbu: The Tale of the Magic Pumpkins premiered at Young Peoples Theatre in 2005 and was published in Seven Contemporary Plays from the Korean Diaspora in the Americas, edited by Esther Kim Lee, Duke University Press in 2012. Other playwriting credits include Sliding for Home, Spite, and Yes Yoko Solo.

Jean's stage credits include Necessary Angel, Young Peoples Theatre, Factory, Tarragon, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Crows, Civilized Theatre and Die in Debt. Jean originated the role "Umma" in the Toronto Fringe production of Kim's Convenience in 2011 and performed the show at Soulpepper Theatre, The Grand Theatre London, National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, Theatre Aquarius and the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.

Jean is well-known for her work as Umma in the CBC comedy series Kim's Convenience. She is also known for work on The Expanse, Orphan Black, Dragon Boys and The Time Traveler's Wife. Jean voices Connie on the Emmy Award winning PBS Kids show Peg + Cat; and is especially proud of her work on the CBC mini-series Dragon Boys for which she earned a Gemini nomination in 2007.

Andrew Prine, a well-known stage actor also known for military and western dramas, was first seen in Kiss Her Goodbye (1959), then in The Miracle Worker (1962). Prine, who has a Texan-sounding voice, was also well remembered in westerns like Texas Across the River (1966), Generation (1969) and Chisum (1970), which featured his close and well-known friends Christopher George, John Wayne and Richard Jaeckel. Prine next starred in Simon, King of the Witches (1971), One Little Indian (1973), The Centerfold Girls (1974) and Grizzly (1976), which also featured Christopher George and Richard Jaeckel. Prine also wrote his own little dialogue story for Grizzly (1976). During this time, through the '60s and '70s, Prine was married four times but kept his acting career up. Prine later was in The Evil (1978), Amityville II: The Possession (1982), Eliminators (1986), Chill Factor (1989) and Gettysburg (1993), which got Prine a big and great role. Prine is a great veteran actor in Hollywood who will always be remembered. He has also been in over 30 great films and made 79 guest appearances.

Jacob Scipio is an actor and writer, known for his roles in 'Bad Boys For Life', 'The Outpost' and 'Without Remorse'.

He started young, beginning his acting career with leading roles in television and stage productions including the BAFTA winning series 'White Teeth' (2002), Roger and Hammerstein's stage classic 'The King and I' (2001) at the London Palladium, and Disney's hit series 'As The Bell Rings' (2009).

He has written multiple screenplays for short form film, each of which have been premiered at the Cannes Court Métrage.

Eric Petersen hails from the Chicago suburb of Carol Stream, Illinois. He attended Glenbard North High School, then went to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he earned a degree in Acting.

Eric worked extensively on stage in New York City, appearing in four Broadway shows and multiple of regional and off-Broadway performances.

He has split time between New York City and Los Angeles since 2011. He originated the role of Brick in the Jimmy Buffett musical "Escape to Margaritaville" on Broadway.

He married actress Lisa Marie Morabito in 2007. They have a daughter named Sophia and a son named Miles.

Canadian-born actor and former Canadian Infantry Army Soldier, Damian Romeo stars as 'Matt Press' on Netflix's hit mother-daughter drama series "Ginny & Georgia".

Born in Toronto, Canada, Romeo got into the arts at a young age at the insistence of his grandmother to take music lessons. Around the age of 9 he began performing in theatre solidifying his lifelong desire to become an actor. Sporting a fit physique and measuring a staggering 6'4", he was scouted by a designer who asked him to walk in his show, which led to him being named "Canada's Next Top Male Model" during Toronto Fashion Week. Around this time he also decided to follow in the footsteps of some of his family, and joined the Canadian Infantry Army where he remained a reserve soldier for 4 years. His heart remained with acting though and he continued to pursue auditions and work in film and television. He booked a small part on Amazon's "The Expanse", and then shortly after booked the role of 'Matt Press' on Netflix's "Ginny & Georgia". On the film front, Romeo has the upcoming thriller Pins & Needles opposite his "Ginny & Georgia" co-star Chelsea Clark.

A horseman and overall fan of the outdoors. He is an avid rock climber and is dedicated to a healthy diet and working out. In his free time, he enjoys giving back to the non-profit SickKids and spending time with his hairless Sphynx cat.

Blonde, blue-eyed, tall, and intimidating German actor Matthias Hues has an international reputation for playing action heroes, sinister villains, and hilarious off-beat characters. Initially a sports enthusiast, he became Germany's hopeful in track and field and excelled in martial arts. He moved to Paris for hotel management but shifted his focus to fitness, opening health clubs in Germany. His imposing physique led him to Hollywood, where he joined Gold's Gym and landed a role in "No Retreat, No Surrender 2.:" replacing Jean Claude Van Damme.

Jenny Boyd was born in Sion, Switzerland and holds dual English and U.S. citizenship. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) graduating with an honors degree in Acting. She is best known for her portrayal of Lizzie Saltzman in Legacies (2018-2022). She was raised in Oregon and now lives between Los Angeles and London.

DaSan Onyx Frazier is a 2022 graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Business Marketing. Awarded both an academic and football scholarship, DaSan excelled in his studies and athletics while attending the prestigious institution. As a multi-talented performer, DaSan is dedicated to bringing positive and relatable content to his audience. His versatility on screen shines through in his ability to portray a wide range of characters, from the sociable and charismatic Rome in Tough Love (TvOne) to the emotionally complex Anthony in TRUE LOVE. With each role, DaSan delivers compelling, authentic performances that continue to solidify his place as a rising talent in the entertainment industry. Beyond acting, DaSan is known for sharing his infectious positive energy and cool, uplifting vibe in every space he enters.

Due to his strong passion for acting, he attends an acting course at OMNES ARTES school, under the artistic guidance of Guido Governale and Veruska Rossi, and he enters the theatrical company "Piccoli per Caso". With this company he begins his career at 14 years old with the production of "Pinocchio" at the Ghione's theatre in Rome, in which Lorenzo plays the main role of Pinocchio, starring with Pino Ammendola and Giorgio Albertazzi. While he's still very young, he gets casted as a main role in the movie "Una famiglia perfetta" (2012) directed by Paolo Genovese, "Outing - fidanzati per sbaglio" (2013), and "Compromessi Sposi" (2019) directed by Francesco Micchichè. Among the many productions he worked in, he played a main role in "Una pallottola sul cuore 3" directed by Luca Manfredi and in "Questo è il mio paese" directed by Michele Soavi, broadcasted on Rai1. He also starred as a main character in the well-known Netflix series "BABY" (2018) directed by Andrea De Sica, "Sotto il sole di Riccione" (2020) directed by Yonuts and "Sotto il sole d'Amalfi". More recently he is known for his role in "Weekend" (2020) and "Morriso"n (2020) directed by Federico Zampaglione, for which he won the Nastro D'argento award. In 2021 he enters the main cast of the series PRISMA, directed by Ludovico Bessegato, produced by Amzon Studios and Cross Productions.

Olga was born in Nicosia, Cyprus on 28 July 2006, the younger of two children of Maya and George Petsas. The family moved to Vancouver-BC before her 10th birthday. Olga speaks basic Serbian and is fluent in Greek.

In addition to acting, Olga has particular interest in Psychology and in May 2020 she completed successfully the online course "Introduction to Psychology", offered via Coursera and authorized by Yale University.

Yasmine Aker is an actress, singer and songwriter based out of Los Angeles, California. She was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Iranian parents and later moved to Canada. She began performing at an early age, starring in school plays and community events. She sang soprano with the Voices of Bahá Choir for a performance at Carnegie Hall, New York, during the Conference of the Arts 2002. She has a passion for public service and was awarded the TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership. Yasmine studied psychology at York University and the University of Western Ontario in London. After competing in the Miss World franchise as the titleholder, Miss London 2006, and Miss World Canada Photogenic 2006, she turned her sights back to her childhood dream of pursuing a career in film and television. She has starred in various motion pictures and television shows in Canada and the United States. Yasmine embarked on a solo singing career in 2009 with the Grammy nominated Canadian production team KUYA, who have worked with international stars such as Alessia Cara, Nelly Furtado, Akon, and Genuwine. She has since released three albums, her latest album titled "Unvarnished". Her musical sound combines elements from her Middle Eastern roots, pop, neo-soul and electronica. Yasmine moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to continue her work in film and television.

Robert Siodmak (8 August 1900 - 10 March 1973) was a German-born, American film director. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of stylish, unpretentious Hollywood films noirs he made in the 1940s.

Siodmak (pronounced SEE-ODD-MACK) was born in Dresden, Germany, the son of Rosa Philippine (née Blum) and Ignatz Siodmak. His parents were both from Jewish families in Leipzig (the myth of his American birth in Memphis, Tennessee was necessary for him to obtain a visa in Paris during World War II). He worked as a stage director and a banker before becoming editor and scenarist for Curtis Bernhardt in 1925 (Bernhardt would direct a film of Siodmak's story "Conflict" in 1945). At twenty-six he was hired by his cousin, producer Seymour Nebenzal, to assemble original silent movies from stock footage of old films. Siodmak worked at this for two years before he persuaded Nebenzal to finance his first feature, the silent chef d'oeuvre, "Menschen am Sonntag" ("People on Sunday") in1929. The script was co-written by Billy Wilder and Siodmak's brother Curt Siodmak, later the screenwriter of "The Wolf Man" (1941). It was the last German silent and also included such future Hollywood artists as Fred Zinnemann, Edgar G. Ulmer, and Eugen Schufftan. His next film--the first at UFA to use sound--was the 1930 comedy "Abschied" for writers Emeric Pressburger and Irma von Cube, followed by "Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht," another comedy, yet quite different and unusual, a likely product of Billy Wilder's imagination (remade a noir, "DOA," in 1950). But in his next film, the crime thriller "Stürme der Leidenschaft," with Emil Jannings and Anna Sten, Siodmak found a style that would become his own.

With the rise of Nazism and following an attack in the press by Hitler's minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels in 1933 after viewing "Brennendes Geheimnis" ("The Burning Secret"), Siodmak left Germany for Paris. His creativity flourished, as he worked for the next six years in a variety of film genres, from comedy ("Le sexe fable" and "La Vie Parisienne" ) to musical ("La crise est finie," with Danielle Darrieux) to drama ("Mister Flow," "Cargaison blanche," "Mollenard"--compare Gabrielle Dorziat's shrewish wife with that of Rosalind Ivan's in "The Suspect"--and the superb "Pièges," with Maurice Chevalier and Erich Von Stroheim). While in France, he was well on his way to becoming successor to Rene Clair, until Hitler again forced him out. Siodmak arrived in Hollywood in 1939, where he made 23 movies, many of them widely popular thrillers and crime melodramas, which critics today regard as classics of film noir.

Beginning in 1941, he first turned out several B-films and programmers for various studios before he gained a seven-year contract with Universal Studios in 1943. The best of those early films are the thriller "Fly by Night" in 1942, with Richard Carlson and Nancy Kelly, and in 1943 the touching weepie "Someone to Remember," with Mable Paige in a signature role. As house director, his services were often used to salvage troublesome productions at the studio. On Mark Hellinger's production "Swell Guy" (1946), for instance, Siodmak was brought in to replace Frank Tuttle only six days after completing work on "The Killers." Siodmak worked steadily while under contract, overshadowed by high profile directors, like Alfred Hitchcock, with whom he had been often compared by the press.

At Universal, Siodmak made yet another B-film, "Son of Dracula"(1943), the third and best in a trilogy of Dracula movies (based on his brother Curt's original story). His second feature, and first A-film, was the Maria Montez/Jon Hall vehicle, "Cobra Woman" (1944), made in garish Technicolor (Montez's cobra dance alone is worth the price of admission).

His first all-out noir was "Phantom Lady" (1944), for staff producer Joan Harrison, Universal's first female executive and Alfred Hitchcock's former secretary and script assistant. A classic, however flawed, it showcased Siodmak's skill with camera and editing to dazzling effect, but no more so than in the iconic jam-session sequence with Elisha Cook Jr. in throes on the drums. Following the critical success of "Phantom Lady," Siodmak directed "Christmas Holiday" (1944) with Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly (Hans J. Salter received an Oscar nomination for best music). Beginning with this film, his work in Hollywood attained the stylistic and thematic characteristics that are evident in his later noirs. "Christmas Holiday," adapted from a W. Somerset Maugham novel by Herman J. Mankiewicz, was Durbin's most successful feature, which she considered her only good film (and that Mankiewicz said was among his work in the 40s of which he was most proud). Siodmak's use of black-and-white cinematography and urban landscapes, together with his light-and-shadow designs, formed the basic structure of classic noir films. In fact, he often collaborated with cinematographers, such as Nicholas Musuraca, Elwood Bredell, and Franz Planer, to achieve in his films the Expressionist look he had cultivated in his early years at UFA (for "Christmas Holiday," he instructed Bredell in the use of deep-focus photography, which Gregg Toland had perfected for "Citizen Kane"). During Siodmak's tenure, Universal made the most of the noir style in "The Suspect," "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry" and "The Dark Mirror," but the capstone was "The Killers" in 1946, Burt Lancaster's film debut and Ava Gardner's first dramatic, featured role. A critical and financial success, it earned Siodmak his only Oscar nomination for direction in Hollywood (his German production "The Devil Strikes at Night" ("Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam"), based on the true story of serial killer Bruno Lüdke, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957). While still under contract at Universal, Siodmak worked on loan out to RKO for the thriller "The Spiral Staircase," which he edited freely, without taking screen credit. For 20th Century Fox and producer Darryl F. Zanuck, he directed, partly on location in New York City, the crime noir "Cry of the City" in 1948, and in 1949 for MGM he tackled its lux production "The Great Sinner," but the prolix script proved unmanageable for Siodmak who relinquished direction to the dependable and bland Mervyn LeRoy. On loan out to Paramount in 1949, he made for producer Hal B. Wallis his penultimate American noir "The File on Thelma Jordan," with Barbara Stanwyck at her most fatal--and sympathetic. That she can be both is owed entirely to Siodmak who saw in this film a thematic link with "The Suspect" and "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry," with the failed lovers of these films and significantly their tragic conclusions (ten years later he addressed the same theme in "The Rough and the Smooth"). Perhaps his finest American noir--although not his last--is "Criss Cross" that was to reunite him not only with Lancaster, but also "The Killers" producer Mark Hellinger, who died suddenly before production began in 1949. Working without the hands-on control of Hellinger again, Siodmak was able to make this film his own as he could not the earlier film. Yvonne De Carlo's working-class femme fatal (a high mark in her career) completes the deadly triangle, along with Lancaster and Dan Duryea: the archetype of doomed attraction central to all Siodmak's noirs, but the one he could fully express to its nihilistic conclusion.

Siodmak immersed himself in the creative process and genuinely loved working with actors; in fact, he was considered an actor's director, discovering Burt Lancaster, Ernest Borgnine, Tony Curtis, Debra Paget, Maria Schell, Mario Adorf, and skillfully directing actresses, such as Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Barbara Stanwyck, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Ella Raines.[1]

He directed Charles Laughton (a close friend) and George Sanders, actors with indelible personas, and got from both perhaps the unlikeliest, most natural and under-played performances of their careers. He managed with Lancaster to capture a youthful vulnerability--despite the actor's age (he was 33)--that, watching him in "The Killers," surprises us even today. He accomplished the impossible and got a believable, dramatic performance from Gene Kelly who never before or since looked so (intentionally) frightening on screen. But above all, it must be acknowledged, he made audiences sit up and notice Ava Gardner and her potential to ruin men.

Before leaving Hollywood for Europe in 1952, following the problematic production "The Crimson Pirate" for Warner Bros. and producer Harold Hecht, his third and last film with Burt Lancaster (Siodmak dubbed the chaotic experience "The Hecht Follies"), Siodmak had directed some of the era's best films noirs (twelve in all), more than any other director who worked in that style. However, his identification with film noir, generally unpopular with American audiences, may have been more of a curse than a blessing.

He often expressed his desire to make pictures "of a different type and background" than the ones he had been making for ten years. Nevertheless, he ended his Universal contract with one last noir, the disappointing "Deported" (1951) which he filmed partly abroad (Siodmak was among the first refugee directors to return to Europe after making American films). The story is loosely based on the deportation of gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Siodmak had hoped Loretta Young would star, but settled for the Swedish actress Marta Toren.

Those "different type" of films he had made--"The Great Sinner" (1949) for MGM, "Time Out of Mind" (1947) for Universal (which Siodmak also produced), "The Whistle at Eaton Falls" (1951) for Columbia Pictures (Ernest Borgnine's debut and Dorothy Gish's return to the screen)--all proved ill-suited to his noir sensibilities (although in 1952 "The Crimson Pirate," despite the difficult production, was a surprising and pleasing departure--in fact, Lancaster believed it was inspiration for the tongue-in-cheek style of the James Bond films).

The five months he collaborated with Budd Schulberg on a screenplay tentatively titled "A Stone in the River Hudson," an early version of "On the Waterfront," was also a major disappointment for Siodmak. In 1954 he sued producer Sam Spiegel for copyright infringement. Siodmak was awarded $100,000, but no screen credit. His contribution to the original screenplay has never been acknowledged.

Siodmak's return to Europe in 1954 with a Grand Prize nomination at the Cannes Film Festival for his remake of Jacques Feyder's "Le grand jeu" proved a misstep, despite its stars, Gina Lollobrigida (two of them) and Arletty in the role originated by Françoise Rosay, Feyder's wife. In 1955, Siodmak returned to the Federal Republic of Germany to make "Die Ratten," with Maria Schell and Curd Jurgens, winning the Golden Berlin Bear at the 1955 Berlin Film Festival. It was the first in a series of films critical of his homeland, during and after Hitler, which included the remarkable "Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam," both thriller and social artifact of Germany under Nazi rule, shot in documentary style reminiscent of "Menschen am Sontag" and "Whistle at Eaton Falls," and in 1960, "Mein Schulfreund," an absurdist comedy, dark and strange, with Heinz Ruhmann as a postal worker attempting to reunite with childhood friend Hermann Goering. Between these films, and "Mein Vater, der Schauspieler" in 1956, with O. W. Fischer (the German Rock Hudson), he took a detour into Douglas Sirk territory with the sordid melodrama, "Dorothea Angermann" in 1959, featuring Germany's star Ruth Leuwerik. Later the same year he left Germany for Great Britain to film "The Rough and the Smooth," with Nadja Tiller and Tony Britton, yet another noir, but much meaner and gloomier than anything he had made in America (compare its downbeat ending with that of "The File on Thelma Jordan"). He followed with "Katia" also in 1959, a tale of Czarist Russia, with twenty-one-year-old Romy Schneider, mistakenly titled in America "The Magnificent Sinner," recalling--unfavorably--Siodmak's other costume melodrama. In 1961, "L'affaire Nina B," with Pierre Brasseur and Nadja Tiller (again), returned Siodmak to familiar ground in a slick, black-and-white thriller about a pay-for-hire Nazi hunter, which could be argued was the start of the many spy themed films so popular in the 1960s. In 1962, the entertaining "Escape from East Berlin," with Don Murray and Christine Kaufman, had all the characteristic style of a Siodmak thriller, but was one that he later dismissed as something he had made for "little kids in America." His work in Germany returned to programmers like those that had begun his career in Hollywood 23 years earlier. From 1964-1965, he made a series of films with former Tarzan Lex Barker: "Der Schut," "Der Schatz der Azteken," and "Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes," all taken from the western, adventure novels of Karl May and made for little kids in both Germany and America.

His return to Hollywood film-making in 1967 to make the wide-screen western "Custer of the West" was another disappointment (it had been a project originally intended for Akira Kurosawa). With Robert Shaw in the title role and his wife Mary Ure as Mrs. Custer, it is the oddest of the Custer film biographies, yet interesting in its contemporary portrayal of Custer's anti-social individualism.

He ended his career with a six-hour, two-part toga and chariot epic, "Kampf um Rom" (1968), a more campy work (perhaps intentionally) than "Cobra Woman" had been. There was a brief and profitable foray into television in Great Britain with the series "O.S.S." (1957-58). Siodmak was last seen publicly in an interview for Swiss television at his home in Ascona in 1971. He died alone in 1973 in Locarno, seven weeks after his wife's death.

The British Film Institute ran a retrospective of his career in April and May of 2015.

Robert was brought up in Porthcawl, South Wales. He was a member of the National Youth Theatre of Wales before training at RADA. He graduated in 1998 and ever since has worked across a variety of mediums. His theatre work includes productions at Chichester Festival Theatre, Soho Theatre and Trafalgar Studios. In 2022 he played the title role of Spike in a UK tour. He is best known for playing Jason in the hugely popular Gavin and Stacey, and Bob Cratchit in 'Dickensian'. He's appeared in some of the most successful TV series of recent years including Bridgerton, Sex Education, and Wolf Hall. His film work includes two collaborations with Mike Leigh, and a role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Set Sjöstrand is a Swedish actor, known for his versatile performances in both film and television. He studied at The Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, where he honed his craft before making his mark on the international stage. Set's career began with his role in the 2017 Dutch film GET LOST!, directed by Mirjam de With. In 2018, he appeared alongside Jared Leto in the Blade Runner 2049 prequel 2036: Nexus Dawn, directed by Luke Scott.

Set is best known for his work in Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla (2023), Concordia (2023), Treadstone (2020), and Fortitude (2018), among others. Set's notable film roles include his appearances in The Machine (2022), directed by Peter Atencio, and Guns Akimbo (2018), a high-energy action-comedy directed by Jason Lei Howden

Set can be seen portraying the character Couladin, in season 3 of The Wheel of Time that was released in March 2025. His upcoming projects include starring in Smilla's Sense of Snow (2025), directed by Amma Asante. With a diverse body of work across various genres, Set Sjöstrand continues to solidify his place in the entertainment industry as a dynamic and talented actor.

Freya Parks was born in London. Her first professional role was Etty Darwin in Jon Amiel's Creation (2009). Her subsequent film roles included Helen Burns in Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre (2011), Tom Hooper's Les Miserables (2012) and Tasha Robson, the lead role in Bliss! (2016) which is available on Amazon, Sky Store and iTunes.

Parks can be seen in the upcoming Here We Go (2022-) on BBC One, formerly known as Pandemonium, and as Hester in The School for Good and Evil (2022) which is out on Netflix later this year.

Independent Shorts International Film Festival 2024 Best Supporting Actress Award Winner for the film named Short Film of the Year, Whatever Happened to Jonny Faith.

Not many actors can say they have worked with Hollywood royalty like Carol Burnett, Dick Martin, Jackie Cooper, John Ritter, Bob Newhart (to name a few), appeared Off Broadway in New York's oldest Vaudeville Theater, stepped away from acting for almost 15 years to raise two magnificent children, acquired 4 SEC licenses to sell multi-million dollar portfolios as a Vice President of a national investment firm, got thrown out of Carnegie Mellon Acting program for working too much as an actor, graduated from the UCLA Theater, Film and TV Department 20 years after she started and was almost the first American woman to breast feed on prime time television (Thank you, Mark Tinker!). Oh yes, and of course, became the beloved, internationally recognized 1980's pop culture icon, The Sexy American Girlfriend from John Hughes' Sixteen Candles.