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- Actress
- Producer
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Rachel Brosnahan was born in in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1990 and is an American actress. She is best known for her role as 'Midge' Maisel in the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017) for which she has won two Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy (2019, 2018), one Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2018), and one Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (2018).
She is also known for her previous roles in the film Beautiful Creatures (2013) as Genevieve Duchannes, in the Netflix original series House of Cards (2013) as Rachel Posner, and in the TV series Manhattan (2014) as Abby Isaacs.
Rachel is the daughter of Carol (Best) and Earl Brosnahan, who worked in children's publishing. Her mother is English. Her father is an American, of mostly Irish descent. From the age of four, she was raised in Highland Park, Illinois. She has a younger brother and sister. Rachel is the niece of the late handbag designer Kate Spade, who was her father's sister.
She attended Wayne Thomas Elementary School, and then Northwood Junior High School. She performed in musical theater during junior high school and high school. At Highland Park High School, she was on the wrestling team for two years and was a snowboarding instructor. When Brosnahan was 16, she took a class with Carole Dibo, the director of Wilmette's Actors' Training Center, and now Brosnahan's manager. She graduated in 2008, and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2012.
Brosnahan was cast in her first movie role as Lisa in the Michael Bay-produced horror movie The Unborn (2009) while she was still in high school. During college, she performed in single episodes of TV series such as Gossip Girl (2007), The Good Wife (2009), Grey's Anatomy (2005), and In Treatment (2008). After college, she began landing recurring roles in series such as The Blacklist (2013), the short-lived Black Box (2014)), and "House of Cards" (2013-15), which brought her career prominence that included an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. Initially booked for two episodes and five lines, she caught Beau Willimon's eye; soon, she was developed into a major character. She also played Abby Isaacs for two seasons on the TV drama series "Manhattan."
She first appeared on stage in 2009 in "Up" at the Steppenwolf Theater, which was followed by her Broadway debut in "The Big Knife" with the Roundabout Theater Company in 2013. In 2016 she played Desdemona in "Othello" at New York Theater Workshop opposite David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig.
She was cast as the lead role and title character of the Amazon Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017), which premiered in 2017. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe and a Critics' Choice award for Best Actress in a Television Series--Musical or Comedy.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez was born on July 12, 1978 in San Antonio, Texas to Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a housewife, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a U.S. Army solider. Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in San Antonio until the age of 8 when her parents divorced & moved to the Dominican Republic where she lived for two years before moving to Puerto Rico. At 11, Michelle's family relocated for the last time to Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she has been working since 1999 as an extra in such films as Summer of Sam (1999) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), it only took a magazine ad announcing an open casting call in New York for Michelle to decide to finally step into the spotlight. The role was the female lead, the movie was Girlfight (2000). Despite the lack of experience in film and boxing, Michelle auditioned, along with another 350 girls. After various trials inside an actual boxing ring and five arduous months of training in Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym, she was finally chosen to portray the role of Diana Guzman. As soon as the independent film began making the rounds at various film festivals, Michelle began gaining critical acclaim for her performance earning her awards like the Deauville Festival of American Cinema award for Best Actress and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Female Breakthrough performance. As Girlfight (2000) continued to gain notoriety with its September 2000 release, Michelle was already hard at work with films like 3 A.M. (2001), the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001), and Resident Evil (2002). With Hollywood calling her name, the future for this feisty Jersey girl is as strong as the punches she throws.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Melissa grew up in Calgary, Alberta. Fresh from her turn in Broadway's Les Miserables, and Jesus Christ Superstar, Melissa has had a flourishing theatre career in both Canada, and abroad, leading her to now star in Syfy's new series Dark Matter. Career highlights include Les Miserables (Mirvish Productions), Dirty Dancing (Mirvish Productions), and the Stratford Festival of Canada. Melissa is also the youngest, and first female winner of Canadian Idol, resulting in a platinum selling single, a certified gold album, and a juno nomination for Best New Artist. Melissa was also the recipient for of the Dora Mavor Moore award for "best performance from a female in a leading role (musical)" for her performance as Eponine in Les Miserables.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
From nuanced and honest portrayals of fatherhood-gone-wild across the eighth season of Showtime's EMMY® Award-nominated series Shameless to palpable intensity on the likes of Sons of Anarchy, Steve Howey reflects a classic masculinity on-screen equally steeped in humor and heart. That timeless leading man spark and quiet strength remain signatures of the acclaimed actor, writer, producer, and entrepreneur. "When you see guys like Jackie Gleason or Steve McQueen on-screen, they represent real men-in all of their tragedy and triumph," he says. "It's the humor of Gleason in The Honeymooners and raw grit of McQueen, which both made a big impact on me at a young age. That's what I grew up on, and it's the kind of presence I always aspired to be." Sailing the high seas up and down the Pacific Coast with his Navy veteran dad and mom, the San Antonio-born talent enjoyed the sort of upbringing that inspires unforgettable performances. He can recall diving for bottle caps off the coast of Mexico to trade them in for candy at local markets at eight-years-old between other real adventures. Achieving a basketball scholarship to junior college in Colorado, he played two seasons before pursuing his calling as an actor. He would go from Something Borrowed alongside Kate Hudson, Jon Krasinski, and Ginnifer Goodwin to Bride Wars where he re-teamed with Hudson, Anne Hathaway, and Chris Pratt to Supercross, Losing Control, Unleashed, In Your Eyes, and See You in Valhalla. 2017 sees him grace the screen in the NETFLIX comedy Game Over, Man! and Making Babies where he leads the cast opposite Eliza Coupe. Beyond Shameless, he's engaged audiences with high-profile guest spots on Jennifer Falls, New Girl, Psych, and more in addition to a six-year run on Reba. "I always want to challenge myself," he goes on. "I'm never content just to pursue one style or art form. It's about forging ahead in new adventures at every turn." He continues to expand his sphere of influence. Profiled in-depth by the likes of Men's Fitness, People, Hollywood Reporter, and more, he's amassed over 900K Instagram followers as a true fan favorite. He's in the midst of writing and developing various projects in addition to joining Opkix as a key investor. You might also find him riding his motorcycle, studying martial arts, coaching new talent, and competitive shooting. Residing in Los Angeles, the role he devotes himself most to is husband and father.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Tonkin was born in Sydney. When she was four, she attended dance courses in classical ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance, and tap dance. At the age of 12, Tonkin began courses at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) at the Wharf Theatre. Tonkin attended Loreto Kirribilli and later graduated from the Queenwood School for Girls.
In December 2005, Tonkin was cast as the role of Cleo Sertori on the Australian children television series H2O: Just Add Water which follows the lives of three teenage girls who turn into mermaids. Tonkin improved on her swimming abilities during the pre-production of the series. The series premiered on 7 July 2006 on Network Ten and has since gone on to be aired to a worldwide audience of more than 250 million. To promote the series she and her co-stars presented the best band award at the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards in October 2007. In 2008, Tonkin was nominated for "Best Lead Actress in a Television Series" at the prestigious Australian Film Institute Awards. The series ran for three seasons with the series finale airing on 16 April 2010.
Tonkin has also appeared on fellow Australian television shows Packed to the Rafters and Home and Away. In September 2010, Tonkin made her film debut starring in the Australian action ensemble film Tomorrow, When the War Began. In the film, which revolves around a group of teenagers waging a guerrilla war against an invading foreign power in their fictional hometown of Wirrawee, she played the role of the rich and uptight Fiona Maxwell. In December 2010, a sequel was announced with Tonkin expected to return, though production of a sequel never came to fruition.
In January 2011, Tonkin moved to Los Angeles to pursue an international acting career. She was cast in March 2011 as Faye Chamberlain on The CW supernatural drama series The Secret Circle which premiered on 15 September 2011 to over 3.5 million viewers. The series follows a group of young witches who are a part of a secret coven. For her performance, Tonkin has received critical acclaim, with critics referring to her as the breakout star of the series; she was featured on Variety's list of "new faces to watch" and named one of 2011's breakout TV stars by E! Online. The Secret Circle, however, had only one full season as it was canceled on 11 May 2012.
In August 2010, Tonkin was cast in the 3D horror film Bait 3D. Filming took place on Australia's Gold Coast and follows a group of strangers who are trapped in a supermarket after a freak tsunami with a pack of great white sharks. The film was expected to be released in Australia in September 2012. In August 2012, Tonkin joined the cast of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries, in the recurring role of Hayley, a friend of Tyler. She joined her co-star from H2O: Just Add Water, Claire Holt, who portrays Rebekah Mikaelson on the show.
On 11 January 2013, The CW confirmed that a spin-off series to The Vampire Diaries was in the works, titled The Originals. The series revolves around the Original Vampire family members, and Tonkin would "be heavily featured in the prospective pilot" of the series. The CW confirmed on 13 February that Claire Holt would also join the cast of The Originals, marking the third time Tonkin and Holt have starred together on a show. Tonkin has had a main role in all the seasons.
Tonkin has appeared in a number of advertisements which include Vauxhall Motors and was previously signed to Chic Management. Her modeling career includes shoots for Girlfriend, Teen Vogue, ELLE Australia, Miss Vogue Australia, Vogue Australia, Dolly and Free People. Tonkin has also appeared in Miles Fisher's music video "Don't Let Go". In 2012 Tonkin opened a website about health with friend Teresa Palmer called YourZenLife.- Actress
- Producer
Alison Wright was born on 12 July 1976 in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Accountant (2016), The Americans (2013) and The Nanny Diaries (2007).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Anna Friel is an English actress, born in Rochdale. She has been acting since the age of 13, appearing in a number of British television programmes. She made her West End stage debut in London in 2001, and has subsequently appeared on stage in several productions, including an adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's and as Yelena in a 2012 production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. She is the recipient of a number of awards including National Television Award (1995), Drama Desk Award (1999), and the Royal Television Society Award (2009). She has also appeared in music videos and television and print media advertising campaigns and is the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Bolton.- Actress
- Producer
Natalie Martinez began modeling at the age of 15, years before she considered giving acting a try. The Miami-born beauty's career blossomed with a simple suggestion from her mother. During her senior year at St. Brendan High School in 2002, her mother saw an ad for J.Lo's new clothing line. After beating over 5,000 other girls for the gig, Natalie packed up and moved to Los Angeles.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Novakovic was born on 17 November 1981 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. She moved to Australia in 1988, at the age of seven. Novakovic was initially interested in becoming a social worker or doctor, but after a significant set of events, she changed her mind and decided to pursue the performing arts. Novakovic studied at The McDonald College in Sydney, (where she was Dux of 1999) and graduated from NIDA with a BA in Dramatic Arts in 2002. She has a younger sister, Valentina Novakovic, who is also an actress, famous for having performed in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours (1985).
In 2003, Novakovic played Randa in the ABC mini-series Marking Time (2003), a role which won her an AFI Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy". As an actor, Novakovic's film credits in Australia include Blackrock (1996), Strange Fits of Passion (1998), The Monkey's Mask (1999), Thunderstruck (2004), Solo (2005), and the Serbian movies Optimisti (2005) and Skinning (2010). From 2007 to 2009, she played Tippi in the TV series Satisfaction for Showtime Australia. Other breakout roles include: Drag Me to Hell (2009), Edge of Darkness (2009), Devil (2010), Burning Man (2011) and Generation Um(2012).
Theatre credits in Australia include These People, Away and Strange Fruit at the Sydney Theatre Company; The Female of the Species at the Melbourne Theatre Company; Woyzeck (Helpmann award nomination for best supporting actress in 2009), Criminology (Green Room award nomination for best actress 2007), Eldorado (Helpmann nomination for best supporting actress, 2006) and Necessary Targets at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Death Variations and Loveplay (Ride On) for B Sharp, Romeo and Juliet with Bell Shakespeare Company and Debris for Ride On Theatre (which received a Green Room nomination for best Independent production and best actress in 2006).
Novakovic also runs her own independent theatre company, Ride On Theatre Sydney and Melbourne) with co-director Tanya Goldberg. She was a producer and performer for the 2004 Ride On Theatre sell out season of "Loveplay" at the Downstairs Belvoir Street Theatre, and the 2006 Green Room nominated production of Debris (in which she was also nominated for best actress).
In 2008, she translated, adapted and directed Fake Porno in Melbourne, which was invited to be part of the Powerhouse season in Brisbane in 2009, and also received three Green Room nominations including best production. Outside of Ride On, she wrote and directed with Melbourne's Black Lung Theatre for the critically acclaimed production of Sugar at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival. In 2010, Novakovic received an AFI nomination for International Award for Best Actress for her role in Edge of Darkness.
Novakovic landed the part of a beautiful prostitute-turned-law-student in Fox's series, Rake, starring Greg Kinnear. The show was canceled in May, 2014. She portrayed Clare Hitchens in The Hallow, a horror film set in Ireland and directed by Corin Hardy.
Earlier this year [2015], The Toronto Film Festival premiered her feature film The Little Death. Novakovic can be seen playing the lead in the ABC pilot Agatha, and has also booked a recurring role in Showtime dramedy Shameless.
She's repped by CAA, Management 360, Lisa Mann Creative Management in Australia and attorney Bob Wallerstein.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Topher Grace was born Christopher John Grace in New York City, New York, to Pat, a schoolmaster's assistant, and John Grace, an executive. He was raised in Darien, Connecticut. He attended boarding school in New Hampshire for two years, where he began his acting career in such musicals as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "The Pirates of Penzance." He also tried his first shot at directing with a choose-your-own-adventure-style movie starring his classmates. He hated being called Chris in school, so he changed it to Topher as time went on. He attended New Hampshire's Brewster Academy and the University of Southern California.
Grace dropped out of USC to start his show business career in That '70s Show (1998) at age 20. He was cast in that show because the show's creators, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, saw him act in a high-school play--their daughter attended same high school. Apart from school plays, Grace had absolutely no acting experience before landing the role of Eric Forman.- Mason Alexander Park is a non-binary film/TV and stage actor best known for playing Hedwig on the first Broadway national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mason can be seen playing Gren in the Netflix live action adaptation of the hit anime Cowboy Bebop, as well as Desire in the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Their voice can be heard in the podcast musical series, "LoveVille High" in which they portray Jendrix, an androgynous high school student; Amazon's Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina; and the upcoming film Before You Know It. Mason was the first recipient of the Helen Hayes Award for Best Leading Performer for their role as the Emcee in Cabaret in their first year switching to non-gendered awards. Theatrically, they were seen at The Long Wharf Theatre in the Pulitzer Prize winning one person play I Am My Own Wife, the Cabaret at Theater Square as Mark in Pittsburgh CLO's Altar Boyz, Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show both at PCLO and Bucks County Playhouse, and at the Benedum Center as the first countertenor to regionally play Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, all to rave reviews. Mason was introduced to Pittsburgh CLO through the National High School Musical Theater Awards, during which time they were featured on PBS's reality series "Broadway or Bust." They recently performed at the Kennedy Center in D.C. as the 2013 Presidential Scholar in the Arts for Musical Theatre, which featured them in the PBS documentary, "Becoming an Artist". They can also be seen on other shows such as Nickelodeon's "iCarly" and "Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures".
- Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig is an English actress, narrator, and comedian. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom Black Books, Dr. Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing, Beverly Lincoln in British-American sitcom Episodes, and Jackie Goodman in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner. Other roles include Alice Chenery in BBC One's comedy-drama series Love Soup, Debbie Aldridge in BBC Radio 4's soap opera The Archers, Miss Bates in the 2009 BBC version of Jane Austen's Emma, and Beth Hardiment in the 2010 film version of Tamara Drewe. In 2020, Greig starred as Anne Trenchard in Julian Fellowes' ITV series Belgravia.
Greig is also an acclaimed stage actress; she won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2007 for "Much Ado About Nothing", and was nominated again in 2011 and 2015 for her roles in "The Little Dog Laughed" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". - Actor
- Producer
- Composer
Cheyenne David Jackson is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings.
After beginning his acting career in regional theatre in Seattle, Washington, Jackson moved to Manhattan and was an understudy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) and Aida (2003). He next originated the role of Matthew in the workshop production of Altar Boyz (2004) for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and was replaced by Scott Porter for the Off-Broadway run. Jackson's first leading role on Broadway was in All Shook Up (2005), which earned him a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut". Since then, on the New York stage, he has starred in The Agony & the Agony (2006), Xanadu (2007; Drama League, Drama Desk nominations), Damn Yankees (2008), Finian's Rainbow (2010; Drama Desk nomination), 8 (2011), The Heart of the Matter (2012), and The Performers (2013).
He has also appeared in a number of films, including the 2006 Academy Award-nominated United 93, in which his portrayal of Mark Bingham earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for Best Ensemble Cast. He also had a leading role in the 2014 independent romantic comedy ensemble, Mutual Friends, and guest roles in television series such as NBC's 30 Rock and Fox's Glee. Beginning in 2015, Jackson starred in the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story in its fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons.
In concert, Jackson has sold out Carnegie Hall twice: The Power of Two in 2010 and Music of the Mad Men Era in 2011. He also performs in cabarets. In addition to his Broadway cast albums, he has released three albums of popular music, including a joint album called The Power of Two with Michael Feinstein in 2008. In 2012, Jackson released two singles, "Drive" and "Before You", from his 2013 album I'm Blue, Skies. In 2016, Jackson released his third studio album, Renaissance, an album adapted and expanded from his solo concert Music of the Mad Men Era.
He also stars as Hades in Disney Channel's Descendants 3, along with actors Booboo Stewart, Cameron Boyce, Dove Cameron, and Sofia Carson with director Kenny Ortega. In 2020, he reunited with Descendants alumni Ortega and Stewart in Netflix's Julie and the Phantoms.- Actress
- Producer
Kristen Nora Connolly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Dana in the 2011 film The Cabin in the Woods, Christina Gallagher on the Netflix series House of Cards and Jamie Campbell on the CBS series Zoo. Connolly began her career with recurring roles on several CollegeHumor digital shorts. She appeared as an extra on the films Mona Lisa Smile, Meet Dave, and The Happening. She has also appeared on two CBS daytime soap operas with recurring roles on Guiding Light and As the World Turns.
She first gained mainstream recognition in 2012, after starring as the main protagonist Dana in the Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard film The Cabin in the Woods. She also starred in the horror film The Bay. In 2013, she had a starring role as Christina Gallagher on the Netflix series House of Cards alongside Kevin Spacey. On September 1, 2014 the A&E Houdini miniseries premiered with 3.7 million viewers, Connolly plays Bess Houdini with Academy Award-winning Adrien Brody playing Harry Houdini. Connolly also portrayed Jamie, a passionate journalist in the CBS drama-thriller series Zoo and co-starred as Lena in the drama series The Whispers. In 2014 she portrayed Petra Anderson in the drama thriller film A Good Marriage, based on Stephen King's short story of the same name.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Lee Byung-hun was born in 1970 in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in a wealthy family, thanks to his father, who was a successful businessman. He never dreamed of pursuing acting until a friend of his mother's suggested it. He auditioned for the KBS television network in 1991 and was accepted. His first project was a short lived TV series called "Asphalt My Hometown". Lee became popular, especially with the female crowd, in his next KBS project, "Tomorrow Love", in 1992. Though he continued to do TV series' throughout the 90s, he also tried his luck in feature films. Many of his earlier films were flops, until 2000, when he appeared in "J.S.A. Joint Security Area". The film became his first major blockbuster. Unfortunately, Lee's father passed away that same year. Over the years, Lee's popularity continued to grow, with successful TV series', like "Beautiful Days" and "All In", and features, such as "A Bittersweet Life" and "The Good, The Bad, The Weird". Lee was becoming an international celebrity. His success continued rising with the highly anticipated TV show "Iris" and his other feature films "I Saw the Devil" and "Masquerade". Having solidified his position as one of Asia's biggest stars, he is the only actor to sell out the Tokyo Dome with 45,000 screaming fans. In 2012, he was one of the first two Korean actors ever to be honored with a hand and foot print ceremony at The TLC Chinese Theater.
Lee's first foray into Hollywood films came in 2009 with a starring role in "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra." Following the global success of that film, he signed on for "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation," which was released in March 2013. His first period piece feature, "Masquerade" was released in late 2012, and was met with stellar reviews from both audiences and critics, and became the highest grossing period piece in Korean history. He next starred in "Red 2" opposite Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Anthony Hopkins. The film premiered in Korea on July 18, 2013. Korea became the second highest grossing market for the film behind the US. In 2015, Lee has two Korean films, "Insiders" and "Memories of the Sword", along with Hollywood blockbuster Terminator Genisys (2015), where he plays a T-1000 robot. Lee has since filmed an independent US film, "Misconduct", opposite legendary actors Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino, which is due for a 2016 release.- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Cheryl Ladd is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series Charlie's Angels, whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 to replace Farrah Fawcett-Majors. Ladd remained on the show until its cancellation in 1981. Her film roles include Purple Hearts (1984), Millennium (1989), Poison Ivy (1992), Permanent Midnight (1998), and Unforgettable (2017).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Erik Per Sullivan was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He has a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do, loves to ski, boogie board, build obstacle courses, play games of paintball, and travel. His debut was an uncredited role in Armageddon (1998). His breakthrough, however, was the role of Fuzzy in The Cider House Rules (1999) and Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle (2000). Erik's mother is from Sweden, and he is fluent in Swedish and English. Erik has always been an honor student and enjoys time with his classmates.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jessica Barth was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Jessica is an actor and producer, known for Ted (2012), Next (2007) and Ted 2 (2015). Jessica has been married to Danny Cusumano since 2012. They have three children. Jessica was previously married to Brett Dicksa.- Actor
- Casting Department
Omid Abtahi was born on 12 July 1979 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor, known for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015), Brothers (2009) and My Own Worst Enemy (2008).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Lauren Lyle is a Scottish actress best known for her recurring role as Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in the Starz television drama Outlander, and peace protester Jade Antoniak in the BBC drama Vigil. Lyle is soon to play the leading role of Detective Sergeant Karen Pirie in ITV's new crime thriller Karen Pirie.- Actress
- Producer
Mikaela Mehrizi Hoover was born on July 12 in Colbert, Washington and is the first of 4 siblings. Mikaela started taking dance classes at age 2 and stared school plays and local commercials as a child. She was a cheerleader in high school and the captain of her high school dance team as well as being on the Debate team. After graduation she was accepted to Loyola Marymount University's theatre program in Los Angeles. After getting her BA in theatre she booked the first movie she auditioned for called "Frank". She later went on to play the role of Madison in the WB's "Sorority Forever" and landed a recurring role on the ABC show "Happy Endings". She has guest starred on many extremely popular sitcoms including "How I Met Your Mother", "Two and a Half Men", "Saint George", "The League", and "Anger Management". She has done many projects with writer/director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) including "The Sparky and Mikaela Show", "PG Porn", "Humanzee", and the movie "Super".- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Denise Nicholas was born on 12 July 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Let's Do It Again (1975), In the Heat of the Night (1988) and Room 222 (1969). She was previously married to Jim Hill, Bill Withers and Gilbert Moses.- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Bill Cosby is one of the world's most well-known entertainers and comedians. William Henry Cosby, Jr. was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Anna Pearl (Hite), a maid and William Henry Cosby, Sr., a U.S. Navy sailor. After 10th grade, Cosby joined the Navy and completed high school through a correspondence course. He later took up an athletics scholarship at Temple University, supporting himself during his studies by tending bar, where his easy going style and witty joking with the clientèle prompted suggestions that he try stand-up comedy. This he did and was soon to be discovered by the legendary Carl Reiner.
In his early twenties, he appeared on many well-known variety programs including The Ed Sullivan Show (1948). His big break came in 1965 when he appeared as "Alexander Scott" in I Spy (1965), winning numerous Emmys for his performance. He later appeared in The Bill Cosby Show (1969), playing a teacher, although originally the show only lasted for two years. He then created a Filmation cartoon based on many of his high school buddies including Weird Harold, Dumb Donald, Mushmouth, and others: the show was, of course, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972). The theme was humorous but also focused on Cosby's more educational side. He studied for many years during his career in the 1960s and 1970s, and he received a doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Cosby also starred in some highly successful movies such as Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975), A Piece of the Action (1977), Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), and California Suite (1978). During his early years he also made some comedy albums that sold very well; his most notable comedy song being "Little Old Man." He was one of the original cast members of The Electric Company (1971), and he was featured in the series Pinwheel (1976) during the late 1970s and then appeared in the mediocre The Devil and Max Devlin (1981).
In 1984, 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' stopped production, and The Cosby Show (1984) commenced. The show was originally intended to follow a blue-collar family, but finally ended up portraying a white-collar family. It was originally rejected by ABC, accepted by a then-floundering NBC, and was an almost instant success. From 1985 to 1987 the show broke viewing records, with Cosby becoming perhaps the strongest driving force in television during the eighties. Despite this great success, he arguably created his own downfall. The Cosby Show led what was considered by many at that time to be the best night of television: the line-up included Night Court (1984), Hill Street Blues (1981), and Family Ties (1982), which all followed The Cosby Show.
Cosby was dissatisfied with the way minorities were portrayed on television. He produced the TV series A Different World (1987) and insisted that this program should follow the Cosby Show, rather than Family Ties. A Different World was set in an historically Black college and concentrated on young people and education. Impact was felt on the show immediately; at its peak, the Cosby Show logged an estimated 70 million viewers. However, after the scheduling reshuffle, the show lost roughly 20% of its massive audience. However, Cosby was still riding high in the early nineties until massive competition from The Simpsons (1989).
The Cosby Show finally ended in 1992, conceding to The Simpsons (1989), with the final production considered to be one of the highest-rated shows of the season and featured a pleading Cosby asking for peace in riot-torn Los Angeles during the height of the Rodney King riots. Cosby never seemed able to top the success of the Cosby Show; his film Leonard Part 6 (1987) was considered to be one of the worst American films in history and may have contributed in part to his downfall as a film actor, along with his performance in Ghost Dad (1990). He did attempt a minor comeback in 1996 starring in the Robin Williams film Jack (1996), which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola; and in another show, Cosby (1996), (starring Phylicia Rashad, who appeared as his wife in the previous Cosby Show). Since then he has produced films such as Men of Honor (2000), and shows including Little Bill (1999).
Sadly, his son Ennis was murdered in 1997. Throughout the years, Bill Cosby has taken a socially conscious tone, often associated with family values, coupled with a distinctly urban spin on his style.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Philip A. Lord is an American filmmaker, producer and writer who collaborates with Christopher Miller. They both worked on Clone High, a cult classic animated sci-fi teen comedy show, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Into the Spider-Verse is considered one of the best animated films of the 2010s and won Best Animated Feature.- Actor
- Producer
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Virile, fair-haired, set-jawed actor Jamey Sheridan was born (on July 12, 1951) and raised in Pasadena, California. He turned to acting after a knee injury ended his pursuit of a dancing career.
Beginning professionally on stage in 1978, he gained some momentum into the next decade and eventually reached Broadway where he earned a Tony Award nomination in 1987 for his potent performance in the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." He made his feature-film debut in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), starring Whoopi Goldberg, and started making the TV guest star rounds on such series as Spenser: For Hire (1985) and The Equalizer (1985) at around the same time.
Sheridan received his first big on-camera break when he was cast in the title role of Shannon's Deal (1990), gaining quirky notice for two seasons as a highly unconventional attorney. From this series he moved to the already established Chicago Hope (1994) set, wherein he played a sympathetic role. Into the millennium, his best-known role was in the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) in the long-running (five seasons), less showy role of a police captain.
Other support roles in the movies include Stanley & Iris (1990) with Jane Fonda, A Stranger Among Us (1992) with Melanie Griffith and The Ice Storm (1997) and Life as a House (2001), both starring Kevin Kline, followed by Nothing But the Truth (2008) with Kate Beckinsale and Matt Dillon, the title role in Handsome Harry (2009), and The East (2013) starring Elliot Page.
While commanding some attention as a villain in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994), Sheridan also turned in an interesting performance as actor/director Ozzie Nelson in the TV movie Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol (1999). He has been a steadfast presence these days in such series as Homeland (2011), Smash (2012), Arrow (2012) and Agent X (2015), while adding a strong presence in such biopics Spotlight (2015), Sully (2016) and Lizzie (2018) (as Andrew Borden).
Success and satisfaction always came from the stage. Having never left the theater lights for long, Sheridan playing Brutus in "Julius Caesar" at New York's Shakespeare in the Park that also featured his wife, actress Colette Kilroy. Over the years, he has continued to grace the Broadway boards with stimulating performances in such sterling revivals of "Biloxi Blues," "Ah, Wilderness!," "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "A Moon for the Misbegotten," and "The Shadow Box." He also appeared in "God of Hell" in 2004. A versatile actor to be sure, Sheridan is the father of three.- Actress
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Lisa Nicole Carson has the distinction of having simultaneously starred in television's most lauded comedy and drama series. She has both amused audiences as Renee Radick, the D.A. roommate of Calista Flockhart on Fox's Ally McBeal (1997) and riveted them as Carla Reese, the mother of Eriq La Salle's son on NBC's ER (1994). Carson has been repeatedly nominated for a variety of awards as a result of these credits. Additional forays into television include the series Divas (1995) and guest turns on Law & Order (1990), as well as the telefilm Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999). Her feature credits are just as impressive. Among her many roles are the comedy Life (1999) with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, the temptress in Eve's Bayou (1997) with Samuel L. Jackson, Love Jones (1997) with Larenz Tate, Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) with Denzel Washington and Jason's Lyric (1994) with Jada Pinkett Smith. Born in Brooklyn, and having spent her teen years in Gainesville, Florida - graduating from Buchholz High School in June 1987 - Lisa moved to New York City after graduation to live with her grandmother and pursue an acting. She is a recent transplant to Los Angeles. In addition to acting, she is also an accomplished vocalist.- Actress
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Mel Harris is an American actress, writer and director, best known for her portrayal of Hope Steadman on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Thirtysomething (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as best Actress in a Drama Series. She starred in the NBC comedy Something So Right (1996) and the My Network drama series Saints and Sinners (2014). Her most recent role has been as Nadine Davies on Hulu's new series Shut Eye (2016)
Mary Ellen Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey. Her mother was a high school science teacher and her father a football coach at Princeton University. She spent 12 years in the modeling world living in New York and Europe before stumbling into the acting business. She starred in numerous miniseries and telefilms including Cross Fire (1989), The Burden of Proof (1992) and Grass Roots (1992), as well as appearances on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and as Senator Rafferty on The West Wing (1999). Among her feature film credits are Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992) , K-9 (1989) (opposite Jim Belushi), Suture (1993), The Pagemaster (1994), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986).
She made her New York stage debut at the Circle Repertory Company in the world premiere of John Bishop's Empty Hearts, for which she received a 1992 Theater World Award. In addition to her acting, in the last few years, she has focused on writing with her partner and husband, Emmy Award winning writer/producer, Bob Brush, under their shingle Topanga Moon Productions.- Actor
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1950s and 60s second lead actor Keith Andes fits into the tall, handsome, strapping and highly virile mold that encompassed the likes of George Nader, Guy Madison, and Jeffrey Hunter. Although he may not be as well remembered as the aforementioned, he managed to maintain a reliable career on radio (from age 12), stage, TV and films for over three decades.
Born John Charles Andes on July 12, 1920, in Ocean City, New Jersey, Keith found work on radio singing and acting throughout his high school years. While serving with the Air Force during WWII, he performed in the patriotic 1943 Broadway stage show "Winged Victory" and, after being seen by studio mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, was given a minor part in the film version the following year.
Keith returned to Hollywood in the post-war years and won the role of one of Loretta Young's brothers (the others being Lex Barker and James Arness) in the classic film The Farmer's Daughter (1947). His enviable physique and photogenic good looks made the blond looker an obvious choice to continue in both rugged adventures and beefcake drama but his output was fairly minimal. In Clash by Night (1952), one of his best roles, he dallied hot and heavy with a young Marilyn Monroe and, in Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952), he demonstrated some expert swashbuckling skills.
Meanwhile on the musical front, Keith proved he had a resilient baritone. He won a Theatre World Award for "The Chocolate Soldier" in 1947 and, subsequently, starred in "Kiss Me Kate" with Anne Jeffreys of TV's Topper (1953) fame. More notably, he appeared opposite Lucille Ball in her only Broadway musical "Wildcat" in 1960, winding things up playing "Don Quixote" for over 400 performances in "Man of La Mancha" in 1968. Ironically, the movie studios did not take advantage of Keith's musical prowess, appearing in a bland role with Jane Powell and singing one musical number in The Girl Most Likely (1957).
Beside numerous episodic appearances on such popular 60's and 70's shows as "Have Gun, Will Travel," "The Rifleman," "77 Sunset Strip," "Perry Mason," "The Outer Limits," "Daniel Boone," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Star Trek," "I Spy," "Petticoat Junction," "Gunsmoke," "Cannon" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," Keith co-starred in two television series: This Man Dawson (1959) and the sitcom Glynis (1963), the latter starring popular Brit actress Glynis Johns. Both were short-lived. He occasionally found voiceover work.
After a minor part in the film And Justice for All (1979), Keith made his final appearance as Father Adam in the TV movie drama Blinded by the Light (1980) ). He then retired, bought and lived on a boat and ran charters on trips to Catalina and Mexico. Twice married and divorced, Keith had two children (Mark and Matt) by first wife, Jean Alice Cotton. Mark Andes became a rock musician. Keith's second wife was actress/dancer/choreographer Shelah Hackett.
Sadly, his final years were marred by extreme ill health, including bladder cancer, and he committed suicide in his Santa Clarita, California home at age 85.- Actor
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Brock Ciarlelli was born on 12 July 1993 in Littleton, Colorado, USA. He is an actor, known for The Middle (2009), Bros (2022) and Valet (2016).- Actor
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Jay Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas, to Katherine (Guzzino), a tap-dancing South Louisiana belle of Italian descent, and T. Harry Terrell, Sr., an oil man. Reared in New Orleans, he was always active in sports and performing. He won his first award as emcee of the Jesuit High School talent show. He boxed, wrestled, played football, and ran track. At 16 he started as a stand-up on Bourbon St. He attended Gulf Coast College, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Central Piedmont College, and Jacksonville University, graduating with an AA, BS, and MA. He became a sports announcer and DJ in college. He also found time to put in three years of small college football as a QB. When NYC beckoned Jay continued his eclectic career as a top rated morning DJ, comic at the Improve in NYC, and began an active off Broadway acting career, that saw him mix drama and comedy. His first TV role was in "Mork and Mindy". Then on to LA radio as the #1 jock at Power 106, The Ensemble Theater Group, and recurring on "Cheers" as Carla's ice hockey playing husband. He won two Emmy awards for portraying Jerry Gold on"Murphy Brown". He starred in his own TV shows "Married People" with Beth Armstrong and "Love and War" with Susan Dey and later Annie Potts. He appeared as a leading guest star in dozens of sitcoms, cop shows, and MOW's opposite Judith Light, John Tuturro, and Christine Lahti. On the big screen he was featured in "Mr. Holland's Opus", "A Smile Like Yours", and "Santa Claus" 2 and 3. Returning to the stage he starred in plays written and directed by Wendy Wasserstein and Woody Allen. Recently he has hosted shows at Carolines in NYC and the Bellagio in Vegas. He guest starred in an episode of "Hung" on HBO. He won the best actor for and was a co-writer of best comedy at the LA iTV Fest for "Talker". And the Jay Thomas talk show airs daily on SiriusXM.- Woo Do-Hwan was born on 12 July 1992. He is an actor, known for Mad Dog (2017), Save Me (2017) and The Divine Fury (2019).
- Niles Fitch, an Atlanta native, follows his passion for connecting with others through stage, print, commercials, television, film, and voice over. He loves to model, sing, dance, act, and make you laugh.
His father (a financial advisor) and his mother(an attorney), encouraged his excitement of smiling for the camera by securing his first talent agent at 3 years old. Since then, Niles has continuously booked print and commercial advertisements. At 7 years old, he signed with Wilhelmina Models (an international top five agency) and began commuting to New York City with his parents. At 9 years old, Niles signed with J. Pervis Talent in Atlanta and also made his theatrical debut as "Young Martin Luther King, Jr." in the musical "I Dream." The musical ran in the summer of 2010 and was directed by the renowned Jasmine Guy.
Ready to take his career to the next stage, Niles relocated with his family to New York City in August, 2010. In 2011, he was cast as "Young Simba" in Disney's The Lion King musical North American Gazelle Tour. While on tour, Niles won the Denver Post Ovation Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Touring Show for his opening night performance and made his prime time television debut in an episode of Tyler Perry's House of Payne that aired on the same night (11/04/2011). In February, 2012 Niles returned to New York and continued the Young Simba role on Broadway. After ending his Broadway run Niles joined the cast of Army Wives in the role of Deuce, the son of Latasha Montclair (played by actress and Grammy Award winning singer Ashanti).
After relocating to Los Angeles in 2016 Niles became a series regular in the NBC #1 drama This Is Us as Teen Randall and also booked guest star roles in Mistresses, Best Friends Whenever, Mixedish, Atypical and other shows. Additionally, he booked leading roles in feature films Roman J. Israel, Esq. with Denzel Washington, The Fallout, and was Disney's 1st live action Black Prince in Secret Society of Second Born Royals.
Despite his rigorous schedule, Niles is a film student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. - Actress
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Sian Barbara Allen was born Barbara Susan Pokrass in Reading, Pennsylvania, on July 12, 1946. She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse from 1964 to 1965. Her performance as the mentally challenged Kathleen in You'll Like My Mother (1972), opposite Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy, and Richard Thomas, earned her a 1973 Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising New Actress." While working on 'You'll Like My Mother,' Allen met and fell in love with the man playing her character's psychopathic brother, actor Richard Thomas. The two began a relationship that lasted for several years in the 1970s. Thomas went on to play John-Boy on the hit TV show The Waltons (1972). When the writers of 'The Waltons' wanted to do a love story for John-Boy in the first season, Thomas suggested that his real-life girlfriend play his onscreen love interest. Allen appeared as Jenny Pendleton in the episode The Love Story (1973), which earned Thomas his Emmy award in 1973, and in The Thanksgiving Story (1973). Allen portrayed the titular character Peggy Johns in the 1973 TV movie Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973), with Bette Davis and Ted Bessell. Allen worked steadily as a TV actress throughout the 1970s, appearing on such shows as The Rockford Files (1974), Ironside (1967), Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955), and many others. She also wrote a script for an episode of the fourth season of Baretta (1975). Her last onscreen role was in the L.A. Law (1986) episode Whatever Happened to Hannah? (1990). Allen ended her acting career after marrying and giving birth to a daughter. She now channels her creativity into writing. She is the older sister of flash-fiction author, editor, and teacher Meg Pokrass. She lives in Portland, Oregon.- Actor
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Charlie Murphy was born on 12 July 1959 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Norbit (2007), Night at the Museum (2006) and Chappelle's Show (2003). He was married to Tisha Taylor Murphy. He died on 12 April 2017 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
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Aure Atika was born on 12 July 1970 in Monte Estoril, Portugal. She is an actress and director, known for The Night Manager (2016), The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) and OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006).- Actress
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Brooke Baldwin is a veteran journalist, Peabody Award finalist, and bestselling author. Brooke is passionate about taking her 20+ years of interviewing and storytelling and translating them into the documentary/doc series space. She also recently hosted a TV series (yet to be announced) that will air on a major streaming network in early 2024.
For more than a decade, Brooke anchored her own live daily news show on CNN and was renowned for her versatility, authenticity, and humanity at the news desk. During her time at CNN, the widely respected journalist had the privilege of meeting Presidents and interviewing former first ladies, members of Congress, scientists, teachers, nurses, astronauts, actors, activists, rock stars, and ordinary Americans in extraordinary circumstances from surviving mass shootings to hurricanes to the pandemic.
Brooke is the author of the bestselling book Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, redefining the 'huddle' to explore how women lean on one another to provide support, empowerment, inspiration, and the strength to enact meaningful change. Huddle is also included in Amazon's Top Ten Books in Biz & Leadership. Between Huddle and her career, Brooke is a highly sought-after speaker and a gifted moderator.
Brooke splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles. She is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a dual degree in Journalism and Spanish. You can follow her on Instagram: @Brooke_Baldwin.- Actress
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Lisa made her feature film debut as the young 'Julia' in Fred Zinnemann's JULIA sharing the title role with Vanessa Redgrave, her television debut as the ingénue in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of THE COUNTRY GIRL with Jason Robards and Shirley Knight, and her theatrical debut starring as 'Wendla' in SPRING'S AWAKENING with the Circle Repertory Company in New York City.
With numerous credits and awards in theater, television and film, it is amazing to learn that it was just a twist of fate that brought Lisa to an acting career in the first place. Although she had been seriously interested in dancing and fine art from an early age, surgery in high school to remove a bone tumor from within the bone marrow of her leg cut short all possibilities of her dream of being a prima ballerina.
On a dare, she applied to The Juilliard School of Drama, which also has a prestigious dance division. She had never acted on stage before her Juilliard audition. On the basis of her very first audition, she was not only accepted, but also offered a full scholarship.
During her first year at school, Lisa was cast in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of THE COUNTRY GIRL starring Jason Robards, Shirley Knight (and fellow actor John Lithgow). Then, Czechoslovakian film director Jan Kadar made a plea to John Housemann, Juilliard's school director, to release Lisa for a PBS film he was directing. Juilliard forbids students working before graduation, but Mr. Housemann became Lisa's biggest supporter and mentor, and allowed Lisa to juggle classes and acting jobs.
Her feature film debut came when she was cast as the young "Julia" in the acclaimed film, JULIA, sharing the title role with Vanessa Redgrave. On working with the renowned director, Fred Zinnemann, Lisa relates, "That was a magical entry into the world of filmmaking. Mr. Zinnemann took me under his wing when he saw how much I wanted to learn, not only about acting, but also about the entire process of filmmaking. He made me feel that my ideas were important, and he actually listened to what I had to say. It was a very special time."
Besides various forms of dance, Lisa has always had an active physical life. She is a 5.7 rock climber, has won swim team awards; and enjoys sailing, yoga and horseback riding. She has performed many of her own stunts in her films. Hobbies include fine art painting with oils, acrylic, and watercolors; sketching with pencil and charcoal, and works with pen and ink.
As a child, Lisa was raised in Italy, Japan, and France where her father was the financial attaché for the US government, and Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and her mother was a prominent social psychologist.
Growing up she endured the trauma of being raised with the name 'Pelikan' and having curly red hair. Now she enjoys her odd name, her red hair, her two strong, healthy, beautiful, legs, and her acting career.
Among her honors: Best Director: ADA (Artistic Director Achievement Award) for directing "'night, Mother" at The Interact Theatre Company; both lead actors were nominated, and one received Best Actress. Best Actress In A Comedy: ADA (Artistic Director Achievement Award) for her leading role in the world premiere stage production of "Panache"; Outstanding Performance: Drama-Logue Award for her one- woman performance in the world premiere stage production of "Only A Broken String of Pearls" (now called "Zelda") portraying the life of Zelda Fitzgerald; Best Ensemble Performance: L.A. Drama Critics Award for her work as Breda in the premiere west coast stage production of Enda Walsh's "The New Electric Ballroom." L.A. Drama Critics Award for her work as Libby in the premiere west coast stage production of Craig Lucas' "Blue Window"; Best Actress: International Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival for her leading role in the feature film, "Jennifer."- Actor
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Milton Berle was an American comedian and actor.
Berle's career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theatre (1948-55), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during the first Golden Age of Television. He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in both radio and TV.
Berle won the Emmy for Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality in 1950. In 1979, Berle was awarded a special Emmy Award, titled "Mr. Television." He was twice nominated for Emmys for his acting, in 1962 and 1995.
Berle was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1984. On December 5, 2007, Berle was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.- Lauren McQueen was born on 12 July 1996 in Liverpool, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Violators (2015), Ordinary Lies (2015) and Hollyoaks (1995).
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Hailie Sahar is an award-winning Actor, Producer, Director, Singer, and Writer.
Sahar made history as one of the five transgender lead actors to star in Ryan Murphy's culturally groundbreaking FX series, Pose. Staring as Lulu, the Mother of the House of Ferocity, the ensemble went on to be globally recognized and awarded, included several Emmy Awards over the course of its successful three seasons.
Hailie has been featured in Vogue, Essence, Variety, Allure, OUT Magazine among other substantial titles worldwide, and in 2020 was named one of the "Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine. She is one of the handful of trans women to be highlighted by Playboy Magazine paving a way for solidarity for all.
Sahar's film credits range from HBO Max's original docu-series, Equal, portraying community pioneer, Sylvia Rivera, Freeform's Good Trouble as the dynamic series regular, Jazmin, Amazon Studio's Transparent, USA's Mr. Robot, and also starred in the off-Broadway production, Charm in New York City's MMC Theater. Sahar Executively Produced and Co-Directed the PAFF recognized thought-provoking documentary, Beyond Ed Buck, debuting in 2022.
In the fall of 2020, Deadline announced Sahar's collaboration with Emmy Award-winning Director, Anthony Hemmingway for the Sir Lady Java biopic. She is set to Executively Produce and star as the trailblazing Los Angeles icon.
Hailie has overcome many challenges presented to her as a transgender woman, and was crowned "Miss L.A. Pride" and "Queen U.S.A." She was honored with an invitation to speak on the HIV/AIDS epidemic at The Ronald Reagan International Trade Center for the 57th Presidential Advisory Council in Washington DC and continues to contribute to The East LA Women's Center against Domestic Violence.- Actress
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Pat Woodell was born on 12 July 1944 in Winthrop, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for The Roommates (1973), Petticoat Junction (1963) and The Big Doll House (1971). She was married to Robert Vern McDade and Gary Clarke. She died on 29 September 2015 in Fallbrook, California, USA.- Actor
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Gordon Edward Pinsent was born on July 12, 1930 in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, to Florence (Cooper) and Stephen Arthur Pinsent. Gordon was known as "Porky" as a child, and dreamed of performing as early as he can remember. He served with the Royal Canadian Regiment from 1948-51. Gordon received an L.L.D. from the University P.E.I. in 1975, an Honorary doctorate from Queen's University in 1988, as well as from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Prince Edward Island.
Gordon left Newfoundland at the age of 17 and began his career on stage. His first theatrical experiences were in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While there, he was involved in the first live radio drama out of Winnipeg. He eventually moved east, working in Toronto and Stratford, Ontario. He has since won numerous credits and awards, and is one of Canada's most well-respected artists.
In addition to acting, he directs and produces, and has written a number of novels and screenplays, as well as plays for the stage, including 'Corner Green' for the Newfoundland amateur drama festival. The play was staged in St. John's, Newfoundland in April of 1997, and was was based upon life his hometown of Grand Falls, Newfoundland.
He is a member of the Honorary Advisory Board for the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra, and is very active in various charities. His humorous and poignant autobiography, "By the Way", was published.
His wife until her death was actress Charmion King, whom he met during his early theater days. He has a daughter, actress Leah Pinsent, from that union, as well as a son and daughter from an earlier marriage (Barry and Beverly Kennedy). He has two brothers, Harry and Haig, and three sisters: Nita, Hazel, and Lil, who passed away in 1998.- Actor
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Matt Cook was born on 12 July 1984 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Champions (2023), Man with a Plan (2016) and The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022).- Actress
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Krystin Pellerin was born on July 12, 1983 and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland.
She starred as Lady Macbeth in the Stratford Festival's critically acclaimed production of Stratford Festival: Macbeth (2017).
She is well known for playing the role of Sgt. Leslie Bennett in the CBC series Republic of Doyle (2010).She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her performance.
Krystin starred in the internationally award winning short film Touch (2016) directed by Noel Harris. The film garnered 21 awards worldwide and she was awarded best actress at the Henley Film Festival in the UK and the Visioni Corte International Short Film Festival in Italy.
Krystin is also a singer and musical theatre performer.- Producer
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Emmy and Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer has been making movies and television programs for more than 25 years. As both a writer and producer, he has been personally nominated for four Academy Awards, and in 2002 won the Best Picture Oscar for A Beautiful Mind (2001). In addition to winning three other Academy Awards, "A Beautiful Mind" also won four Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture Drama) and earned Grazer the first annual Awareness Award from the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.
Over the years, Grazer's films and TV shows have been nominated for 43 Oscars and 198 Emmys. At the same time his movies have generated more than $15 billion in worldwide theatrical, music and video grosses. Reflecting this combination of commercial and artistic achievement, the Producers Guild of America honored Grazer with the David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. His accomplishments have also been recognized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which in 1998 added Grazer to the short list of producers with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On March 6, 2003. ShoWest celebrated Grazer's success by honoring him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. On November 14, 2005, Grazer was honored in Los Angeles by the Fulfillment Fund. In May 2007 he was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." On January 24 Grazer, along with his partner Ron Howard, was honored with the Milestone Award by the Producers Guild of America.
In addition to "A Beautiful Mind", Grazer's films include Apollo 13 (1995), for which Grazer won the Producers Guild's Darryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 1995; and Splash (1983), which he co-wrote as well as produced and for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay of 1986.
Grazer also produced the film adaptation of Peter Morgan's critically acclaimed play "Frost/Nixon" (Frost/Nixon (2008)), directed by Ron Howard. The film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and was also nominated for The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures by the PGA.
Grazer also produced Angels & Demons (2009), the adaptation of Dan Brown's bast-selling novel, and Robin Hood (2010), directed by Ridley Scott and with Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Max von Sydow.
Some more of Grazer's feature film credits include the drama The Changeling (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie; the Ridley Scott-directed drama American Gangster (2007), staring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington; The Da Vinci Code (2006), the film adaptation of Dan Brown's international best-seller, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Oscar-winner Ron Howard; the tense drama The Inside Man (2005), directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster; Flightplan (2005); Cinderella Man (2005); the Sundance acclaimed documentary Inside Deep Throat (2005); the TV series Friday Night Lights (2006); 8 Mile (2002); Blue Crush (2002); Intolerable Cruelty (2003); How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000); The Nutty Professor (1996); Liar Liar (1997); Ransom (1996); My Girl (1991); Backdraft (1991); Kindergarten Cop (1990); Parenthood (1989); Clean and Sober (1988); and Spies Like Us (1985).
Grazer's television productions include Fox's hit Golden Globe and Emmy award winning Best Drama Series 24 (2001), NBC's Peabody Award-winning series "Friday Night Lights" and Fox's Lie to Me (2009), starring Tim Roth, which premiered in January 2009. He is also working on additional television projects including Parenthood (2010), based on his 1989 film, and Wonderland (2000), directed by Peter Berg. His additional television credits include Fox's Emmy award winning-Best Comedy Arrested Development (2003), CBS' Shark (2006), NBC's Miss Match (2003), WB's Felicity (1998), ABC's Sports Night (1998), as well as HBO's From the Earth to the Moon (1998), for which he won the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series.
Grazer began his career as a producer, developing television projects. It was while he was executive-producing TV pilots for Paramount Pictures in the early 1980s that Grazer first met Ron Howard, soon to become his friend and business partner. Their collaboration began in 1985 with the hit comedies Night Shift (1982) and Splash (1983), and in 1986 the two founded Imagine Entertainment, which they continue to run together as chairmen.- Actress
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Ana Torrent was born on 12 July 1966 in Madrid, Spain. She is an actress, known for The Nest (1980), Thesis (1996) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).- Jason was first introduced to worldwide audiences as Logan Fowler in the hit TV series Baywatch, a Show viewed by a billion people across 142 countries. After 3 years on the show he walked away from Hollywood, and returned to stage school to study theatre, to complete his training with renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner. He has taken on controversial roles both on stage & screen, including Greg Araki's film Nowhere with Christina Applegate and Heather Graham, the much acclaimed Eroica, directed by Paul Warner, Adam Meggido 's The End of the Sentence, Mad Cow Girl directed by Greg Hatanaka, and Greek Directed by Australian actor and director Marcus Graham, at the Power House Theatre in New Farm Qld. Sharknado bought Tasmanian born actor Jaason Simmons back into the international spotlight. He has presently four movies in pre-production. The upcoming projects like Jason are diverse. A new Australian Sci Fy series 3010 where he will play a futuristic Super Soldier. A comedy with British comic genus John Cleese. An Australian drama based on the true life story of underground free style flightier Zane Dirani. A thriller to be shot in the state of Georgia. And lastly Jason will be co hosting an Australian produced Environmental Documentary about our Oceans and how that impacts the consumer.
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Richard Simmons was born on 12 July 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for What Women Want (2000), CHiPs (1977) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992).- Mylène Jampanoï is a French actress and model.
She was born on 12 July 1980 in Aix-en-Provence, France, to a Chinese father and a French Breton mother. She married Indian supermodel and actor Milind Soman in Goa in 2006. They met during the shooting of their film Valley of Flowers (2006). The two divorced in 2009. She is largely known by international audiences for her role in the controversial horror film Martyrs (2008).
In 2007, she became the face of Dior Snow cosmetics in Asia for LVMH and traveled to Japan and South Korea to represent the brand. She has appeared on the cover of Asian Elle magazine. - Diana Hardcastle was born on 12 July 1949 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), The Kennedys (2011) and The Boy (2016).
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Edwin Neal was born in Houston, Texas, USA. Following high school, he studied with Zula Pearson at Lon Morris in Jacksonville, Texas, before moving on to acting and directing studies with B. Iden Payne at the University of Texas Drama Department. While there, he auditioned for role of HitchHiker in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Edwin has worked w/ Oliver Stone in "JFK" and Bob Balaban in "My Boyfriend's Back". His favorite projects include playing Bassanio to Sandy Duncan's Portia in "Merchant of Venice" in a stage production. A top voice talent for many years, Edwin was chosen for inclusion in "The World's Greatest Commercials" by Carson Productions. Other top-selling CD-ROM projects he has completed are: "Wing Commander II", "The Nile", "The Cartoon History of the Universe", and others. Edwin annually tours worldwide, making many public appearances as 'The Hitchhiker' at science-fiction conventions and related gatherings.- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
- Editor
Ben Burtt was born in New York, USA. Though he is a writer, an editor and a director, he is best known for his work as a sound designer. Ben has worked on many Pixar and Star Trek movies and all of the Star Wars movies. He is credited for creating Chewbacca's voice and sounds as well as the voice of Yoda and several others.- Actress
- Producer
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Actress Natalie Desselle Reid hailed from Alexandria, Louisiana. She graduated from Peabody Magnet High School and attended Grambling State University for 2 1/2 years. The acting bug bit her after a starring role in Grambling's production of "Bubbling Brown Sugar." After several productions as a thespian, she decided to move to Los Angeles and test the waters. Realizing Hollywood was not aware of her "arrival" she became a receptionist, a soul food waitress and lastly a tank mechanic at McDonnell Douglas.
A devotee to the anomalous careers of Roseanne, Oprah and Whoopi she began to chart her course. Her break came when Robi Reed cast her in F. Gary Gray's "Set It Off" which led to a guest starring role on television's "Family Matters". After her initial foray into Hollywood, she found herself "down and out" in Inglewood, California and then the "call" came. The role that established her as a comedic thespian aka "the funny chick" in Robert Townsend's" B.A.P.S", starring opposite the luminous Halle Berry. The films "How to be a Player", "Cinderella" and televisions "Built to Last" and "For Your Love" followed.
In the 2000s, she played Janie Egins on the television show "Eve" for three seasons, and had one of her last film roles in Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (2011). Her most cherished production was her family, which included her husband Lenny Reid and their three children Sereno, Summer, and Sasha.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Originally from Detroit, Issac Ryan Brown got his big break at the age of six when he dazzled audiences on "America's Got Talent." Since then, Issac has been consistently working in film, television, commercials, and voiceovers. Issac is currently starring as Raven's son in the highly rated Disney series Raven's Home. He has recurred on shows such as Blackish and How To Get Away with Murder. On the feature side, Issac plays Halle Berry's son in the film KINGS opposite Daniel Craig. His voiceover credits include Bubble Guppies, Puppy Dog Pals, The Stinky & Dirty Show, and Miles from Tomorrowland. Issac enjoys reading books and volunteering at the Salvation Army in his spare time. He is represented by Abrams Artists Agency and Reload Management.- Beah Richards left her native Vicksburg, Mississippi, for New York City in 1950. She would not acquire a significant role on stage until 1955,when she appeared in the off-Broadway show "Take a Giant Step" convincingly portraying an 84-year-old grandmother without using theatrical makeup. In 1962 she appeared in writer James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner" directed by noted actor/director/activist Frank Silvera, who told Richards "Don't act, just be." She credited Silvera with helping her further develop the subtlety and quiet dignity that distinguished all of her performances.
A prolific actress, poet and playwright, her first authored play was "All's Well That Ends" that delved into the issues of racial segregation. Always ahead of her time, she defined herself as "Black" when the term "Negro" was the preferred ethnic/racial label of Black Americans. Richards would bring her salutary satisfaction with being "Black" and her immense acting talents to the role of the peacemaking mother in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), a role for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Additionally, she appeared in "Purlie Victorious" by Ossie Davis and "The Little Foxes" by Lillian Hellman.
In 1988, she won an Emmy Award for her performance in Frank's Place (1987). Although stricken with emphysema, she delivered a tour-de-force performance on the ABC legal drama The Practice (1997) in 2000; she received her second Emmy Award for this performance three days before her death in her native Vicksburg. - Sound Department
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Walter Murch has been editing sound in Hollywood since starting on Francis Ford Coppola's film The Rain People (1969). He edited sound on American Graffiti (1973) and The Godfather Part II (1974), won his first Academy Award nomination for The Conversation (1974), won his first Oscar for Apocalypse Now (1979), and won an unprecedented double Oscar for Best Sound and Best Film Editing for his work on The English Patient (1996). Most recently he helped reconstruct Touch of Evil (1958) to Orson Welles' original notes, and edited The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). Mr. Murch was, along with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, a founding member of northern California cinema. Mr. Murch has directed --Return to Oz (1985) -- and longs to do so again, but as an editor and sound man he is one of the few universally acknowledged masters in his field. For his work on the film "Apocalypse Now (1979)", Walter coined the term "sound designer", and along with colleagues such as Ben Burtt, helped to elevate the art and impact of film sound to a new level.- Jang Dong-yoon was born on 12 July 1992. He is an actor, known for Beautiful Days (2018), Mr. Sunshine (2018) and Project Wolf Hunting (2022).
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Jerusha Hess was born on 12 July 1980 in Olathe, Kansas, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Austenland (2013), Ninety-Five Senses (2022) and Napoleon Dynamite (2004). She is married to Jared Hess. They have one child.- Marika Lagercrantz was born on 12 July 1954 in Solna, Stockholms län, Sweden. She is an actress, known for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), Millennium (2010) and Järngänget (2000). She is married to Peter Bergared. They have three children.
- Cheerio Meredith was born as Edwina Lucille Hoffmann on July 12, 1890 in Missouri. She was originally a stage actress until breaking into films and TV. She was a regular as Emma Brand and Emma Watson on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960)" and appeared in "One Happy Family" (1961) as Lovey Hackett. She died in 1964 of undisclosed causes after a lengthy illness.
- Buddy Foster was born on 12 July 1957 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Hondo (1967), The Andy Griffith Show (1960) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). He is married to Leah Foster. They have two children.
- Brock Lesnar was born on July 12, 1977 in Webster, South Dakota, USA as Brock Edward Lesnar. He is an actor, known for WrestleMania XIX (2003), Summerslam (2002) and WWE Unforgiven (2002). He has been married to Rena Mero since May 6, 2006. They have two children named, Turk & Duke. Lesnar also has a son and daughter from a previous relationship named, Brock Jr. and Mya Lynn.
- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
If ever there was a Great Dane in Hollywood it was Jean Hersholt - and one of its great hearts as well. He was from a well-known Danish stage and entertainment family that had toured throughout Europe performing with young Jean as an essential cast member. He graduated from the Copenhagen Art School and continued expanding his stage experience and evidently decided early that he wanted to work in films. He did just two very early (1906) silent films in Germany. Hersholt emigrated from Denmark to the US while still a young man in 1913. Like many another European he came to America to seek further opportunities. Unlike many other European actors who appeared on Broadway in their early American careers, Hersholt never trod The Great White Way. He moved on to Hollywood in 1914 where the future of silent movies had taken the lead. He started as a movie extra then progressed into small feature player roles from 1915 through 1917. For that latter year he had no less than 17 bit parts.
By the 1920s his roles were substantial feature pieces, but most of these were as villains - in fact, a concoction of really vile characters. His theater experience serving him well, he played them so well that he much sought after by directors. Several of his 1920s films were landmarks of the silent era, an early one being The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) which helped propel Rudolf Valentino into the stellar heights. Hersholt became popular and well paid. And certainly his signature silent role was the lead character of Marcus Schouler in the Erich von Stroheim great film Greed (1924), based on the novel McTeague. Stroheim, who spent far more time in front of the camera as an actor, was already well know as a task master and perfectionist director. He went through 42 reels of film for the picture - a numbing nine hours of screen time (shown only once at that length in a private studio screening). He cut the film to five hours, but it was further whittled to a bit over two for release, causing Stroheim to quip bitterly of the editor, "The only thing he had on his mind was his hat!" The powerful film was still there, but the massive editing resulted in whole roles disappearing, not to mention some telltale continuity. Stroheim's need for realism resulted in the climax of the movie to be shot in Death Valley. Still hot in the fall time, Hersholt endured like a veteran but required a hospital stay after sweating away 27 pounds.
Fortunately into the later 1920s Hersholt's roles expanded into a more realistic balance of characters-more virtuous roles - but still some shady fellows and especially the unsuspected, and thus surprising, guilty party in the ever popular murder mysteries. He worked for Samuel Goldwyn for about a year (1923-1924), for Paramount from 1927 through 1929, and several other studios during the period. By the end of the silent era, including those early primitive part mono features with small bits of audio music, sound effects, or dialog, Hersholt was a tried veteran of 75 films. His first all mono sound film was The Climax (1930) and despite a Germanic accent, he had a pleasant, mellow voice and a camera friendly presence that ensured him continued success. The variety ran the gamut from a sturdy supporting part in Grand Hotel (1932), to supporting Boris Karloff and a pretty hot Myrna Loy in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), and doing the same in Dinner at Eight (1933). Busy with nine movies in 1930, he also moved into people's living rooms on radio as well during that year.
Of course, for some time Hersholt was a mature actor-simply meaning he had many secondary roles as doctors and professors and nobles of many sorts and increasingly he appeared as benign fatherly types. Father roles of the 20s continued into the 30s - augmented with grandfather roles as well. He was the father of Sonja Henie in that charismatic champion ice skater's first Hollywood film One in a Million (1936), and he is perhaps best remembered as the embittered but deeply caring grandfather of Shirley Temple in the beloved Heidi (1937). But it was another role as a doctor that would provide a continuing vehicle for Hersholt and something of a fateful direction for the actor. The mid-30s were abuzz with the births of the Dionne Quintuplets in Canada. Hollywood jumped on it with usual alacrity, highlighting the story and the officiating obstetrician, Dr. Dafoe, who was translated into Dr. John Luke, in The Country Doctor (1936). Hersholt brought the right ingredients to the part of Luke and two years later a sequel followed, Five of a Kind (1938). Hersholt thought the character good medicine all round and was enthusiastic about a series of movies, but Dafoe himself blocked this idea. Nevertheless, in 1937 Hersholt had already germinated a new radio series to continue portraying a dedicated and kindly small town doctor. For a character name Hersholt turned to his most beloved author, his countryman, literary light Hans Christian Andersen, for a name-Dr. Christian. It was a hit and, and he convinced RKO Radio Pictures to bankroll a series of six Dr. Christian films (1939-41).
These latter and a few other films would mark the end of Hersholt's film career, but he was so very busy otherwise. His familiarity with Andersen was a scholarly avocation and labor of love, furthered by enthusiastic collecting of a library of important Andersen editions and related bibliography (which would later go to the Library of Congress). His English translation (see Trivia below) of the Andersen corpus of fairy tales (including his addition of several other Andersen stories from the author's private papers) remains perhaps the most comprehensive and best effort-even more so for Hersholt personal interpretation of Andersen. Hersholt would also write several articles about Andersen and edit The Andersen-Scudder-Letters (1948). Among other literary pursuits Hersholt also co-wrote a novel based on his Dr. Christian character.
It was in Hersholt's generous nature to give back something in gratitude for the acting career afforded him in Hollywood. His payment was rich indeed: the Motion Picture Relief Fund, the retirement home and hospital inspired by it and generated from it (see Trivia below), and the great charitable work that Hersholt would perform were paid back with two Academy Awards, the second after his tenure as president of the Academy. These special honors would be the seed of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (see Trivia below). But in 1956 Hersholt was dying of cancer - and yet that would not stop him from one more good turn. His beloved Dr. Christian character was going to TV (produced by the Ziv Studios), and he was asked to symbolically pass the baton to the new Dr. Christian, Macdonald Carey. With a tremendous effort, Hersholt, now withered to 95 pounds braved the first episode shooting, capping his life with one last magnificent example of his humanity.- Slender, blonde-haired blue-eyed British actress who, at the age of 26, replaced Lois Maxwell as the Bond franchise's "Miss Moneypenny" in The Living Daylights (1987) and put a slight twist on it by wearing glasses. After "Daylights" and Licence to Kill (1989), there was a gap between Bond films that ultimately cost Caroline the Moneypenny role, but she has managed to get roles in TV and film since then, even if not on as large a scale as the two Bond films she was in.
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- Actor
- Writer
Belonging to a well-situated family, Charles Browning fell in love at the age of 16 with a dancer of a circus. Following her began his itinerary of being clown, jockey and director of a variety theater which ended when he met D.W. Griffith and became an actor. He made his debut in Intolerance (1916). Working later on as a director, he had his first success with The Unholy Three (1925) (after about 25 unimportant pictures) which had his typical style of a mixture of fantasy, mystery and horror. His biggest hit was the classic Dracula (1931), in which he also appears as the voice of the harbor master.- Vivienne Jolie-Pitt was born on 12 July 2008 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. She is an actress, known for Maleficent (2014).
- Sandy Ward was born on 12 July 1926 in Alamosa, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for The Perfect Storm (2000), Under Siege (1992) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). He was married to Roxann Michael and Irene Krinsky. He died on 6 March 2005 in Orange County, California, USA.
- Actress
- Music Department
Elayne Heilveil was born on 12 July 1948 in Bronx, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Birds of Prey (1973), Family (1976) and The Rockford Files (1974).- Caleb Pierce was born in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Insecure (2016), The Big Bang Theory (2007) and Grey's Anatomy (2005).
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Begonya Plaza was born in Colombia, as Begoña del Pilar Plazaetxea Goyenetxe. Her Colombian mother's father was Basque and her father is Basque, born in Gernika, Euskadi, where they moved to live when she was 2 years old until the age of 7 when the family immigrated to Hollywood, California. During her formative years, a continuous juggling act persisted between these three countries, later adding New York and Barcelona, where daughter Caterina was born.
Begonya began acting at age 9, and has been directed by some of the best, such as Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann, Amy Jones, Oliver Stone, Tim Hunter and Philip Seymour Hoffman at New York's Labyrinth Theater. Austrian director, Kurt Palm chose Begonya to perform a one-woman theatre piece of erotic songs and poems of Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill.
She's acted opposite Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, Willem Dafoe, Klaus Kinski, Carrol O'Connor, Ana Ortiz and David Zayas, amongst others.
She is writer/director/editor of the documentary "Gernika Lives" about her Basque heritage and the tragic events that her father as a young boy experienced during the bombing of Guernica.
In her bio/drama "The Real Gernika", Plaza continues to explore political and cultural issues, with the late John Randolph playing an American Lincoln Brigades Vet of the Spanish Civil War who returns to Gernika to visit the grave of his ex-comrade; and there meets his granddaughter, Begonya.
She wrote/shot/edited "Souvenir Views" in New York and Barcelona as a tribute to the World Trade Center attack of 9/11. The film premiered in 2003 at The Tribeca Film Festival, Festival de Nuevo Cine Latino Americano, Havana Cuba, Giron Film Fest in Catalunya, Spain, and airs on The Independent Film Channel.
Wrote the screenplay, "The Persistence of Memory" about one year in the life of Salvador Dalí and his wife/muse the great Gala, seen from the eyes of a young lover, through New York, Cadaques and Rome. Glenn Close is committed to playing Gala and co-producer; Amanda Mackey is currently casting the uncompromising Dalí. Juan Ruiz-Anchia, Director of Photography from Bilbao, will debut as director.
Currently writing in workshop a One-Woman performance piece titled "Passion Flower of Spain" about Dolores Ibarruri's symbolic journey through the Spanish Civil War.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Tonya Williams is an award-winning actress and advocate with British, Canadian and American citizenship. Born in London, England she is an only child of Justice G. Williams Q.C (deceased) and Korah Williams a retired Registered Nurse and Midwife who are both Jamaican. When she was almost one her parents emigrated to New York for six months before returning to Jamaica, West Indies to set up her father's law practice. Her parents separated in 1963 (later divorced in 1974). In 1965 she and her mother returned to England and lived in Birmingham until they emigrated to Canada in May 1970 when was eleven. Tonya's passion for the arts was first developed with her training in classical piano and violin which she studied from the ages of five to seventeen. During high school she was the only student chosen to represent her school at the Ontario Music Leadership Camp. It was while at high school that a chance meeting with casting director Karen Hazzard led to her booking a national 'wear a moustache' milk campaign and other TV commercials. After high school she auditioned and landed a place in the drama program at Ryerson University. Her first job after Ryerson was to star as 'Billy' in Mavor Moore's stage musical 'Love and Politics'. That led to numerous acting roles in film and television in Toronto. After a season starring on the sitcom Check It Out, she decided to move to Los Angeles in 1988 where she guest starred in several roles before landing the coveted role of Olivia Barber Hastings Winters on The Young and The Restless from 1990 - 2011. During her time at Y&R she was also involved in a number of initiatives for human rights and social justice. In 1995 she was in Rwanda on a Peace Mission for World Vision.
In 2001 Tonya founded and is executive director of Reelworld Film Festival, based in Toronto. The festival's mandate is to create opportunities and professional development for racially diverse and indigenous Canadian filmmakers and media artists. www.reelworld.ca.
In 2018 she was invited to speak in Ottawa at the Canadian Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on the importance of diversity in regards to Culture Diplomacy.
Tonya continues to act and is developing projects through her Wilbo Entertainment Inc. production company, but her passion for launching diverse emerging Canadian talent through her film festival has been her priority in recent years. She has won numerous awards not only for her acting but for her advocacy work for artists of colour in the Canadian entertainment industry. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Toronto.- Maddie McCormick was born in Winnetka, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Secret Life of Amy Bensen (2022), Little Fires Everywhere (2020) and Shameless (2011).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
After achieving modest fame as an ice skater in her native Czechoslovakia, Vera Hruba was brought to the United States by Republic Pictures head Herbert J. Yates, who hoped to turn her into the next Sonja Henie. After featuring her in two "Ice Capades" movies, he added "Ralston" to her name and tried to pass her off as a leading lady. Hruba's English was so limited, she was forced to learn her lines phonetically. Her English improved, and directors said she tried hard to learn her craft, but bad acting and a thick accent made it difficult for audiences to accept her.- Actress
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Ta'Rhonda is a rapper from the Southside of Chicago, who is well known for her first role on Empire. She is also a fashion designer and designs all of her own red carpet looks. Ta'Rhonda is a philanthropist and is an active member of The Brady Campaign, which helps to prevent gun violence. She is also known for being a make-up artist and hair stylist and does all of her own hair and makeup for the show Empire.
Ta'Rhonda grew up in a large family and is the fourth child out of eight. In her spare time she writes, participates in speaking engagements to empower young girls, and she loves to cook. Before starting her career in acting, Ta'Rhonda worked at a nursing home and also as a butcher at a Chicago grocery store.- Actor
- Producer
Raised in South Gate, California, just 20 miles southeast of Hollywood, Walter Perez was always eager to express himself artistically. In his earlier years, he often directed and played the lead character in several homemade movies where he mimicked his movie idols such as Charlie Chaplin. His working-class parents were unable to afford him the resources he needed to gain access to the industry. It wasn't until he heard about Colors United, a performing arts group aimed at inner-city high school students that he really got the chance to show others his talents. For three years he honed his acting, singing and dancing skills with the group.
Since high school, Walter has juggled auditions and a full-time schedule at Cal State Fullerton. During college, he has booked several commercials and various guest star spots on prime time television shows.
Most recently, Walter's guest appearances include "CSI: Miami", "The Closer" and "Free Radio" as well as a five episode arc on "Friday Night Lights". His feature film credits include HBO's "Walkout" and winner of the John Cassavetes award "August Evening". He just completed the title role in "Emilio" and worked on "Run For Your Life" alongside Dermot Mulroney and Diane Kruger.- Ms. Long has been involved in broad dance & theatre education for 15 years. She has choreographed, coached, adjudicated, and overseen classical and multi-disciplinary curriculums for Ontario & lower mainland BC schools since 1999, and has resided as founder and artistic director of Vancouver Junior Professional Division since 2005.
She received her foundational training in Toronto, Ontario, under Sean Boutilier, Sheona Bell-Williston, Catherine Glasser and Glenn Gilmour. Upon receiving Honours on the Advanced Cecchetti exam at the age of 16, she continued her studies abroad in the US, France, Switzerland, Chile, and finally through York University's BFA Dance Program. Ms. Long was also extensively involved in Toronto's entertainment industry and is a two-time GEMINI® nominee for her work in Canadian film and television, which includes leading roles in feature films/television series' for Paramount Pictures, Alliance Atlantis, Disney Channel, CBC, FOX, ABC, and HBO.
Ms. Long moved to the west coast to accept an apprenticeship with Ballet BC and went onto perform extensively as a soloist for four years with the Vancouver Goh Ballet Ensemble. She also had the privilege of performing on tour with Colorado Ballet Company and American Ballet Theatre before retiring in 2005 to pursue her long-time goal of founding a specialized junior training institute.
As chief co-ordinator and founder of VJPD's eight levels and five disciplines of curriculum, Ms. Long is passionate about early dance education and traveling annually to international teaching seminars to bring new & progressive resources into the forefront of VJPD's full-spectrum junior syllabi. Under her direction, VJPD has developed into an extensive training environment, where technical & artistic sensibilities can be instilled at the most foundational levels of training, resulting in the pure sense of technique & style seen in VJPD classrooms today. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Peter Cellier was born on 12 July 1928 in Hendon, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for A Room with a View (1985), Barry Lyndon (1975) and The Remains of the Day (1993). He was previously married to Nonie Pashley.- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
The Rolling Stones are the legendary British rock band known for many popular hits, such as Paint it Black, Lady Jane, Ruby Tuesday, and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Almost everyone who attended their shows is quick to comment on their ability to start you up and shake your hips. Their song "Satisfaction" (1965) was composed by Keith Richards in his sleep, and with the addition of provocative lyrics by Mick Jagger it became the greatest hit and their calling card on each and every show.
In 1966, after The Beatles stopped giving live performances, The Rolling Stones took over as the unofficial "biggest touring band in the world" for the next few years. During 1966-1969 they toured the world, and constantly updated their song-list with many great hits like "Lets Spend the night together" (1967), "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968) and "Honky tonk woman" (1969). The incredible international success of the Stones came with a sad side, caused by Brian's drug and alcohol abuse that impaired his speech and appearance, so the band-mates had to replace him. In July 1969, Brian Jones died of drowning in his swimming pool while having signs of drug overdose. Upon Richards's and Jagger's approval, guitarist Mick Taylor took Brian's place. Brian's death at age 27 made him one of the first members of the infamous "27 Club" of rock stars who died at that age. Although Brian's estrangement from his band-mates, and his numerous arrests were caused by his personal problems with drugs, both Richards and Jagger were blamed at the time for Brian's death. The loss of one of their founding members was a painful moment for the Stones. However, at the end of the 1960s their creativity reached the new highs. Their albums "Beggars Banquet" (1968) and "Sticky Fingers" (1971) were among the most popular albums they ever made, having such hits as "Wild Horses" and "Brown Sugar."
During the 1970s The Rolling Stones remained the biggest band in the world, albeit they were rivaled by the Led Zeppelin. The Stones made thousands of live performances and multi-million record sales with hits like "Angie" (1973), "It's Only Rock and Roll" (1974), "Hot Stuff" (1976) and "Respectable" (1978). At that time both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger had individual ambitions, and applied their untamed creativity in various projects outside the Stones. Keith released his own single. In 1974 Ron Wood had replaced Mick Taylor on guitar and Keith and Ron both played lead guitars. During the decade Keith Richards had a family crisis on his hands, and suffered through emotional pain and drug abuse, albeit it didn't stop him from being himself. In 1980 the group released "Emotional Rescue" which Keith Richards didn't care for, and the group didn't even tour to promote the album. In 1981 with the release of 'Tattoo You', the group went on a major world tour filling stadiums in the US and in Europe. In 1983 the Stones recorded the album "Undercover" at the Compass Point in Nassau and during this time Mick and Keith were having arguments over rights of the group. After having created tens of albums and over a hundred popular songs together, their legendary song-writing partnership was undergoing the most painful test: the bitter rivalry between two enormously talented and equally ambitious superstars.
Mick Jagger is the heart of "The Stones" and Keith Richards - the soul. The two had carried on their early image of unkempt youth, had survived ups and downs in their careers and personal lives, and remained the core of the band since they shared a flat with the late Brian Jones in London in 1962. Two other remaining members are drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Ron Wood. "The Stones" were part of the "British Invasion" in international culture during the 1960s, and has been extremely popular and famous for their 60s craze, hot stuff and sex drive. Since the 1970s they remained one of the biggest entertainment acts touring the world with a retinue of jet-set hangers-on. Their inimitable shows, no matter the best, or the worst, has been played with fire and emotion, giving their audiences the kind of music they do best - it's only rock'n roll.
Mick Jagger dropped out of college and his every move on-stage and off-stage seemed to signal a challenge to "respectable" standards. He never received a formal musical education, and even could not read music. However, he worked hard and emerged as the lead singer and songwriter in partnership with Richards, following the example of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's songwriting for The Beatles. Outside of the Rolling Stones, Jagger released solo albums with his original songs, as well as his versions of such hits as 'Use Me' by songwriter Bill Withers. Jagger also starred in several films, such as Freejack (1992), Bent (1997), and The Man from Elysian Fields (2001). Mick Jagger fathered seven children from four women, donated to numerous school and charities, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace in 2003.
Keith Richards, was a schoolmate of Mick Jagger since the primary school. In 1960 they contemplated starting up a band together. Since the formation of the Rolling Stones in 1962, Richards has been the principal songwriting partner with Jagger, and most of the songs on all Rolling Stones albums are credited to Jagger/Richards. Outside of the Rolling Stones, Richards toured with The New Barbarians, and also was the front-man of the X-pensive Winos in the 1980s. Besides his music career, Richards made a cameo appearance as the father of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) filmed by his friend, director Gore Verbinski.
Other members of The Rolling Stones has been also enjoying their individual careers outside of the band. Multi-instrumentalist Ronnie Wood collaborated with such performers as Prince, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and Aretha Franklin, among others. His collaboration with Rod Stewart resulted in a hit album. Wood is also an accomplished artist who sold about $10 million worth of his artworks. Drummer Charlie Watts, who has been ever faithful to his one and only wife, Shirley, is known for his consistency in refusing sexual favors from groupies. He is also a jazz band-leader, and commercial artist, who had solo shows and successfully auctioned his artworks.
The Rolling Stones have released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and sold over 200 million records word-wide during their career spanning over 45 years. "The Stones" played in all kinds of spaces from small clubs to big stadium arenas. In 2007 they even rocked the Tsar's Winter Palace with fifty thousand fans in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the communist revolution took place. They gave more large-scale shows internationally than any other existing band in the world, culminating in their 2005-2007 "A Bigger Band" tour with 147 concerts, the highest grossing tour of all time with $559 million earned.
Come on, Stones, give us more of your respectable shows, get us rocking, we can make it if we try.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Joséphine Japy was born on 12 July 1994 in Paris, France. She is an actress, known for Breathe (2014), My Way (2012) and The Monk (2011).- Actress
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Florence attends the Ibstock Place School in Roehampton which is well known for encouraging children's individual talents, particularly in the arts. Her parents are both in the business, her mother Tina is an actress while her father Ian is a director. She has two sisters, Amy, is an actress and Claire who is pursuing a career in films.- Actor
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Lyle Kanouse was born in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from Castleberry High School, he earned a B.A. degree from Texas Wesleyan University (from which he also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1998) and a M.S.Ed. degree from Indiana University. Lyle is a former college administrator/teacher at Miami University (Ohio). He made his film debut in Tough Enough (1983), his TV debut on Dallas (1978) and his Broadway debut in "The Miser" (1981), followed by "Chaplin" (1983), "City of Angels" (1990) and "Big River" (2003), for which he received a Tony Award Honor for Excellence in Theatre.
He appeared in nine national tours of Broadway shows, including "Fiddler on the Roof" (1978-79), "South Pacific" (1979), "1776" (1980), "Oklahoma!" (1980-81), "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1985), "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" (1989-90), "Chess"(1990-91), "City of Angels" (1992), and "Guys and Dolls" (1992-94).
Lyle once wrestled a 400-pound black bear, fought a bull in Mexico, played in 11 Softball World Series including two World Champion Softball teams and had a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.He shares homes in Texas and Hollywood, California, with actress Audrey Wasilewski.
Lyle can be seen opposite Annette Bening, Alfred Molina and Frances Fisher in "The Cherry Orchard" at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles from Dec. 27, 2005-March 19, 2006. He recently played the Ol' Cap'n in the revival of "Purlie" opposite Loretta Devine at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Goodman Theatre-Chicago and was directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps. In 2004 Lyle played patriarch H.C. Curry in the Pasadena Playhouse Production of "110 In The Shade" opposite Marin Mazzie, Jason Danieley, Tom Wilson and Adam Wiley and directed by "Frasier" (1993)_ creator David Lee.- Kathy Staff was born on 12 July 1928 in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Mary Reilly (1996), Last of the Summer Wine (1973) and Open All Hours (1976). She was married to John Staff. She died on 13 December 2008 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Acting McGann made his professional acting debut after joining the Everyman Theatre Company, Liverpool, for their 1981/82 rep season under Bob Eaton, having first been earmarked for elevation from the Everyman Youth Theatre the previous year by the then Artistic Director Ken Campbell. His first break-through role was as the eponymous hero in the company's production of Lennon in 1981 which, thanks to McGann's uncannily accurate portrayal, received outstanding reviews and ran for 10 months at the London Astoria Theatre winning McGann the first of his two Olivier Award nominations for best actor in a West End theatre production. He was later to reprise the role for the film John and Yoko: A Love Story for NBC television in the United States in 1985.
His first television appearances were in 1982 in Recording Studio opposite Peter Howitt and Robert Stephens for Granada TV, and Moving On The Edge, a BBC Play for Today TV Drama starring Eleanor Bron. He then appeared as 'Mad Dog' in the C4 TV series Scully by Alan Bleasdale in 1983 with Cathy Tyson and Elvis Costello, the first of three separate collaborations with Bleasdale which included the films No Surrender in 1985 and Pleasure for Channel 4 in 1990.
McGann's long career in TV has seen him play a huge variety of characters including 'Marcus Bannerman' in the World War I era drama series by Russell T. Davies The Grand in 1999 for Granada TV; 'Joseph Bazalgette' the great Victorian industrial engineer in the award winning factual drama/doc Seven Great Industrial Wonders of the World in 2002 for the BBC; and 'Tom Crean' the Irish companion of Ernest Shackleton in Shackleton opposite Kenneth Branagh; and also 'Niven Craig' in Peter Medak's Let Him Have It with Christopher Eccleston and Tom Courtenay.
He also appeared as 'Conor Phelan' in the multi-BAFTA nominated The Hanging Gale, a BBC drama set against the backdrop of the Irish Potato Famine of 1846 which also starred his three actor brothers Joe, Paul and Stephen and which was loosely based on his own family history.
McGann has also appeared in many successful theatre productions including as Mickey in Blood Brothers by Willy Russell in 1984, An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley for a National Theatre Tour in which he played 'Inspector Goole' and also at the National Theatre in On the Ledge. Other notable theatre appearances include Macbeth in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Mosca in Volpone by Ben Jonson for the Cambridge Theatre Company, twin brothers Rupert & Evelyn in Corpse by Gerald Moon, Scott in Up On The Roof at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo Theatre London - which gained him a second Olivier Award nomination for best actor - Javetts in Yakety Yak at the Astoria London, Gethin Price in Comedians by Trevor Griffiths at the Young Vic London, Killers at the Royal Court London with Ian Rickson in 1992 and as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni at the Greenwich Theatre London.
Writing & Directing Original works for stage and screen include: "Two of Us" the Lennon & McCartney Songbook for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra co-written with Bob Eaton and directed by McGann for the RTE Orchestra Dublin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Liverpool, The Northern Sinfonia Newcastle and the Sibelius Orchestra Lahti, Finland; "Imagine Lennon" for the Stadsteatern Gothenburg Sweden co-written with Bob Eaton, "Perplexed Music" a film written and directed by McGann currently in post production ; "Backstories" written and directed by McGann for the Merton Music Foundation and performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015; The Sunderland Saga an educational commission written and directed by McGann for Sunderland City Council in 2011; The Legend of Spottee's Cave - a film project commissioned by Sunderland City Council and produced and directed by McGann in 2011 which received a UK Arts and Culture Award nomination for best educational film and The Could Lad of Hylton Castle directed by McGann for writer Colin Swash.
McGann has also directed iVirgin Boy a play by South African writer Peter Krummeck for the Oval Theatre London in 2003 as part of the New SA writers' festival; Socrates by Colin Swash at Andover Lights Theatre and Bullet Shaped Heart for Neil A. Edwards.
He has also written and produced The McGann Acting Academy - two complete online professional acting courses for Stage and Screen presented by McGann and due to go live online in 2017/18;
McGann is also a published songwriter who has written many original compositions, including for the West End production Up On the Roof with co-writer Simon Moore and three original compositions for the album The McGanns in 1999 which he recorded with his brothers Joe and Stephen for Coalition/Warner Bros. One of McGann's compositions, A Heartbeat Away was released as a single in 1999.
McGann continues to create original works for and on behalf of his production company Drama Direct Ltd (2007 - ) offering a wide variety of creative projects and artist training to the entertainment industry and beyond.
In 2017, McGann launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund his short film Perplexed Music which is based on the Elizabeth Barrett Browning petrarchan sonnet of the same name. The film is written and directed by McGann and stars his brother Paul and nephew Jake Sonny McGann in leading roles. Filming was completed in Summer 2017 and it is in post-production for a release date sometime early 2018.
Personal life McGann's three brothers (Joe, Paul, and Stephen) are all actors. He lives with his wife Caroline Guinness-McGann in Frome, Somerset.
Since 2007, McGann has been the director of Drama Direct Ltd, a creative production company which has produced many original productions and projects for the entertainment and education industries.
McGann's belief in the necessity for ongoing high quality professional actor training has led to the development of his perennially popular Stage and Screen Acting Masterclasses and Workshops, which he continues to deliver throughout the UK and that have led to the creation of two complete online acting courses titled The McGann Acting Academy written by McGann and featuring a company of specifically selected professional actors. It is scheduled to go live online late 2017/early 2018.
McGann continues to mentor actors both privately and via Drama Direct Ltd group workshops, supporting professional and student actors and helping develop them in the rich theatrical tradition unique to the UK. This includes the vocational continuation of the work of Peter Hall and John Barton in his traditional approach to acting Shakespeare's blank verse and prose and how to use the rhetorical devices to find the clues in Shakespeare's text.- Dorrie Kavanaugh was born on 12 July 1945 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Dark Shadows (1966), Hester Street (1975) and The Edge of Night (1956). She was married to Kristjan Johannsson. She died on 31 December 1983 in Bonn, West Germany.
- Bernice Stegers was born on 12 July 1949 in Liverpool, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Suite Française (2014) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018). She is married to Mike Newell. They have three children.
- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
Audie was born in L.A and started acting when she was in her mid 20's. She graduated from U.C.L.A and besides being an actress, is also a professional photographer. When she was 24, she received an offer from Zalman King to star in "Delta of Venus". She was undecided on whether to continue to pursue cinematography or become an actress until she finished shooting "Delta of Venus". At that point, Audie decided to continue acting and appeared in several Zalman King Productions, including guest appearances on the controversial "Red Shoe Diaries". Besides being a regular in King's movies, Audie is best known for her role as Claire in Free Enterprise.- Marco de la O was born on 12 July 1978 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Rambo: Last Blood (2019), El Chapo (2017) and False Identity (2018).
- Imola Gáspár is a Romanian-born Hungarian actress based in London. She had an extensive film and theatre career after graduating from the Academy of Drama and Film. She played at the National Theatre in Romania before moving to Hungary to work at the National Theatre in Budapest. In 2008, she settled in London. She starred in over 50 films in Europe and America. She has worked with leading directors such as Denis Villeneuve (nominated for 3 Oscars) and the Oscar winners Andrzej Wajda and Istvan Szabo. During her career, she won two awards: an award for the best actress in Hungary for the role of Pilar Ternera in the theatrical adaptation of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by Márquez and an award for the best actress at the Avanca International Film Festival in Portugal for the leading role of Viktoria in the Hungarian film The Small Journey. She has recently played an essential episodic role in Dune part 2, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Her latest film role is in the House of Spoils, directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. She started opposite Oscar winner Ariane DeBose in the film. Her rich emotional world makes it suitable for lyrical, dramatic and character roles. She plays characters such as Lady Milford from Friedrich Schiller's Intrigue and Love, Nastia from Maxim Gorki's Night Asylum, Bride from Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding and Gertrude from Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a versatile actress. She can play different characters, ranging from queen to simple countrywoman.
- Actress
- Producer
Porscha Coleman is an American actress, singer, dancer, and TV host, who is best known for her recurring television role as Erica Willis on The Parkers, Rachel in the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect, and on MTV's improvisation show Wild 'n Out. She attended Millikan Middle School Performing Arts Magnet in Sherman Oaks, California, and Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet in Hollywood, California.
In 2014, she appeared as a guest star on the new HBO show, Silicon Valley and in 2015, she guest starred on Switched at Birth, alongside Lea Thompson.
She resides in California.- Hayley DuMond was born on 12 July 1974 in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. She is an actress, known for All In (2006), Choker (2005) and Hair High (2004). She has been married to Keith Carradine since 18 November 2006. They have one child.
- Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor, best known in his native United Kingdom for playing Max Branning in long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders and in the United States as the voice of the GEICO gecko. He is also well known as Kill Crazy in the eighth series of the sitcom Red Dwarf.
Wood was born in Westminster, London, England and he trained as an actor at the Anna Scher Drama School in Islington, North London.
His first acting role was in the 1984 television series The Gentle Touch.
He has since appeared in several television series including May to December, Minder, Only Fools and Horses, Nightingales, Murder in Mind, Press Gang, London's Burning, Sean's Show, Inspector Morse, One Foot in the Grave, Red Dwarf, A Touch of Frost, The Bill, Le Café des Rêves, Sea of Souls and Doc Martin. He made a cameo appearance as a carol singer on The Thin Blue Line and has appeared in the films Vera Drake (2004), The Aryan Couple (2004), The Illusionist (2006) opposite Edward Norton and "Dad Savage" (1998) with Patrick Stewart.
Wood starred in the 1989 Yellow Pages TV Advert, entitled "Party Party" and, as of the 2010s, has been the voice of the GEICO gecko ads on American television. Wood also featured alongside Cobent CTO and ex-Metal Hammer journalist Tony Dillon as part of a team presenting Click, a computer games magazine on VHS video in the early 1990s.
Wood also played the eldest son, Dougie, in sitcom family The Wilsons.
In June 2006, he joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders playing Max Branning. In March 2008, he took paternity leave and re-appeared on screen on 23 June 2008. For his work in EastEnders, he has won awards at the British Soap Awards and Inside Soap Awards.
In 1989, Wood appeared in Only Fools and Horses as an assistant for Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst), in the episode The Jolly Boys' Outing.
In the 8th series of Red Dwarf he played Kill Crazy, a prison inmate.
Wood took part in the 12th series of Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with Janette Manrara, reaching the semi-final.
In May 2015, Wood announced that he would be taking a year long break from EastEnders. Wood said "I have been at EastEnders for nine years and I feel the time is right to give Max a break. It won't be for too long as I shall be back next year to see Max face another chapter of drama.
Wood is a fan of Arsenal and took part in the 2007 Great North Run. - Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
English singer, keyboardist, and songwriter for British-American rock band, Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect on July 12th, 1943 in the Lake District village of Bouth, England (then Lancashire, now Cumbria), and grew up in the Bearwood area of Smethwick near Birmingham. Born into a musical family, McVie's father, Cyril Perfect, was an accomplished violinist and music lecturer at St Peter's College of Education, Saltley. He remained active in the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra into his mid-eighties. Her mother Beatrice ("Tee", née Reece) was a medium, psychic and faith healer. McVie's grandfather was an organist at Westminster Abbey. Introduced to the piano at the age of four, McVie did not study music until age 11, continuing her classical training until age 15. She then shifted her musical focus to Rock and Roll. It is said that she became addicted to Rock and Roll from the very first time she looked through a Fats Domino songbook.
While studying sculpture at Birmingham Art College, she got caught in the throes of the blues revival that was sweeping England. She made some duo appearances with Spencer Davis (before he teamed with Steve Winwood and Muff Windwood for the ignition of the Spencer Davis Group). Christine then met Stan Webb and Andy Silvester and joined them in the band, Sounds of Blue. By the time McVie graduated from college with a teaching degree, Sounds of Blue dismembered; McVie, unable to gather funds to find a place in the world of visual arts, took her teaching diploma to London where she worked briefly as a department store window dresser for Regent Street department store. However, after learning Webb and Silvester were scouting a pianist to join their band, Chicken Shack, she wrote them with request to join--they invited her to play keyboards/piano and to sing backing vocals. Chicken Shack debuted with "It's Okay With Me Baby", written by and featuring McVie. With two albums in, Chicken Shack found success with "I'd Rather Go Blind", a song originally recorded by Etta James in 1967. The song featured McVie on lead vocals. McVie earned a Melody Maker award for female vocalist of the year and lauded for having one of the "top 10 pairs of legs in all of Britain".
While touring with Chicken Shack, the band would often meet with Fleetwood Mac (they shared the same label at Blue Horizon). Fleetwood Mac asked her to play piano as a session musician for Peter Green's songs on the band's second album, Mr. Wonderful. McVie left Chicken Shack after marrying Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie. She continued her career with the recording of a solo album, Christine Perfect; following her success as a member of Fleetwood Mac, the album was reissued under the name of the Legendary Christine Perfect Album. By the time she had joined Fleetwood Mac full-time, she had already contributed backup vocals and painted the cover for Kiln House (the fourth studio album recorded by Fleetwood Mac). Peter Green had left the band, leaving Fleetwood Mac with reservations to perform live without him. Having been a huge fan of the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac; and versed in all the lyrics to their songs, she joined in.
In 1974, with the band, McVie reluctantly relocated to the United States in effort to make a fresh start. Within a year, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band. With a new lineup, their first album together, titled Fleetwood Mac, found success with McVie's songs "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me" both reaching Billboard's top-20 singles chart. The band sold 4 million copies of Fleetwood Mac and over 15 million of its follow-up, Rumours. From the album, McVie's "You Make Loving Fun" found a place on the top-10, and "Don't Stop" peaked to the #3, and years later became the song President Bill Clinton played for his Presidential campaign, and at his 1993 inaugural Gala (McVie and her band mates performed there, as well as as the Super Bowl a few days later). The success of Rumours earned the band many accolades; however, by the end of touring for the album, McVie divorced from John Mcvie. In 1979, the band released Tusk, the album was considered a disappointment, merely because it was impossible for any future releases to meet the success of Rumours. Three years later, the band reunited to record Mirage, which featured the top-5 hit "Hold Me"; McVie's inspiration for the song was her tumultuous relationship with Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the The Beach Boys. Wilson drowned in accident a few years later, leaving McVie heartbroken.
In 1984, McVie released her second solo album, simply titled, Christine McVie. The album featured the hit "Got a Hold on Me", positioning in the Top 10 pop, and #1 adult contemporary. She also met keyboardist Eddy Quintela (12 years her junior), they married two years later (October 1986). Although they divorced a decade later, they wrote several songs together, including "Little Lies" and "As Long as You Follow", two songs that became hits for Fleetwood Mac. The solo album also features McVie's cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love", the song was featured in the Howie Mandel film A Fine Mess (1986). A year later, she reunited with Fleetwood Mac for the recording of the band's fourteenth studio album, Tango in the Night. The album went on to become the band's biggest success since Rumours, ten years earlier.
Always reluctant to tour, preferring to stay close to home and friends and family, and upon the death of her father, (while she was touring for Behind the Mask) (Fleetwood Mac's fifteenth studio album), McVie made the decision to retire from touring altogether. In 1998, she reunited with the band for the release of the live album, the Dance, which reached #1 on the US album charts. The same year, despite her reservations, she toured with the band for the group's 1998 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the Grammy Awards show, and the BRIT Awards. McVie returned to England to be near her family and stayed out of public view until 2000, when she appeared to accept an Honorary Doctorate in music from the University of Greenwich. 2000 also saw the release of In the Meantime, McVie's third solo album. No tour was organized, but McVie delivered several press interviews in both Britain and the United States. In 2013, she appeared on stage in Maui, Hawaii performing with the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band (her first live appearance in 15 years). Later in September, McVie performed live with Fleetwood Mac in London (also, for the first time in 15 years) to perform "Don't Stop". Shortly after, Mick Fleetwood announced during a concert in Maui that McVie would be rejoining the band, it was officially announced two days later, she had rejoined. The original Rumours lineup (Nicks, Buckingham, Fleetwood, McVie, and McVie). In June, 2017, McVie teamed up with Lindsey Buckingham for the recording and release of Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie; the album sold over 22,000 units in the US in its first week and debuted within the top 20. More successful in the UK, where it debuted within the top 5. McVie continues to record and perform live with Fleetwood Mac.- Director
- Editor
- Producer
Monte Hellman was born on July 12, 1929, in New York City, where his parents were visiting, but he grew up in Los Angeles. He studied drama at Stanford University--on an NBC scholarship--and film at UCLA. After a few years directing in summer theater, Hellman hooked up with legendary "B" movie producer Roger Corman in the late 1950s. Corman helped finance Hellman's production of "Waiting For Godot", the the first time that Samuel Beckett's play had been staged in Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Times said it was "directed with wisdom, devotion and perception." Hellman made his film directorial debut with Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) and directed portions of Corman's The Terror (1963).
Hellman joined forces with frequent collaborator Jack Nicholson for two pictures shot back-to-back in the Philippines: Back Door to Hell (1964) and Flight to Fury (1964), then re-teamed with Nicholson for two existential westerns filmed in Utah under similar conditions: The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966). After editing several films for Corman, including The Wild Angels (1966), Hellman directed what many consider to be his best work, Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), which starred Warren Oates and featured singer James Taylor and The Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson in dramatic roles. It was included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012.
Hellman's next film was Cockfighter (1974), an adaptation of Charles Willeford's novel, also starring Oates. Hellman collaborated with the actor once more on the European western China 9, Liberty 37 (1978). After completing Avalanche Express (1979) following the death of its original director, Mark Robson. Hellman made Iguana (1988) and the darkly humorous Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989).
Hellman's work was a major influence on Quentin Tarantino, and he served as executive producer on Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992). After a lengthy absence from the screen, he returned to directing with the short Stanley's Girlfriend (2006), included in the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2006), and the feature film Road to Nowhere (2010), which won a Special Golden Lion at Venice: the award was presented by jury president Tarantino, who introduced Hellman as "a great cinematic artist and a minimalist poet".
Hellman was one of 70 directors asked to contribute a 90-second movie to _Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013), which opened the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013. His latest project is "Love or Die", which is scheduled to commence shooting in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2014.
-------------- Biography by Woodyanders. Corrected by A. Nonymous. Revised, corrected and updated by Brad Stevens, author of 'Monte Hellman: His Life and Films', in 2014. Corrected by A. Nonymous.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Kevin Kreider is an Actor, Speaker and Founder and CEO of Sans by Taejin Beverage Inc and Taejin Entertainment LLC. Starting off in the fitness industry, he was signed with one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in NYC. He left Philly in 2008 to navigate his way in entertainment as a Korean American adoptee. In 2014, the stress and non-stop nature of the modeling industry took a toll on his body and Kevin was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. He took a few years off, got sober in 2015, and took a leap of faith by moving to Los Angeles. There he was offered a role in Netflix's international hit, "Bling Empire", the first all Asian and Asian American reality show.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Guitarist/vocalist of Dr. Feelgood, a 70's pub rock band. The live album "Stupidity" reached number 1 on the UK album chart. He created his iconic style called the "Duck Walk" where he zig-zagged across the stage while playing his vintage 1962 Fender Telecaster. Wilko marked a profound influence in the British punk rock movement.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actor
Mayer was born Lazar Meir in the Ukraine and grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after his parents fled Russian oppression in 1886. He had a brutal childhood, raised in poverty and suffering physical and emotional abuse from his nearly-illiterate peddler father. In the early 1890s, he changed his name to Louis and fudged his birth date to reflect the more "patriotic" date of July 4, 1885. He moved to Boston in 1904 and struggled as a scrap-metal dealer until he was able to purchase a burlesque house. Although he made large sums by showing films (he made a sizable fortune off The Birth of a Nation (1915)), his early business ventures favored legitimate theater in New England. As his theater empire expanded, he had acquired and refurbished enough small movie theaters that he was able to move his business to Los Angeles and venture into movie production in 1918. Along with Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures, he formed a new company called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Over the next 25 years, MGM was "the Tiffany of the studios," producing more films and movie stars than any other studio in the world. Mayer became the prime creator of the enduring Hollywood of myth, home to stars like Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and Jean Harlow. Mayer became the highest-paid man in America, one of the country's most successful horse breeders, a political force and Hollywood's leading spokesman. Both he and MGM reached their peaks at the end of World War II, and Mayer was forced out in 1951. He died of leukemia in 1957.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Tak Fujimoto was born on 12 July 1939 in San Diego, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Jeffrey Reddick is best known for creating the Final Destination (2000) film franchise. He also co-wrote the story for, and executive produced, Final Destination 2 (2003). Jeffrey lives in Los Angeles. He grew up in Eastern Kentucky and attended Berea College. Jeffrey made his first connection to the film industry at age 14, when he wrote a prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and mailed it Bob Shaye, the President of New Line Cinema. Bob returned the material for being unsolicited. But the young man wrote Bob an aggressive reply, which won him over. Bob read the treatment and got back to Jeffrey. Bob, and his assistant, Joy Mann, stayed in contact with Jeffrey for over five years. When he went to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York at age 19, Bob offered him an internship at New Line Cinema. This internship turned into an 11-year stint at the studio.
Aside from Final Destination (2000), which spawned four successful sequels, Jeffrey's other credits include Lions Gate's thriller, Tamara (2005) and the remake of George Romero's classic, Day of the Dead (2008).
Jeffrey has several feature and TV projects in development and he directed his first short, Good Samaritan (2014) in 2014.- Robert Anderson was born on 12 July 1920 in Casey Township, North Dakota, USA. He was an actor, known for Coronado 9 (1960), My Friend Flicka (1955) and Death Valley Days (1952). He died on 4 January 1996 in Desert Hot Springs, California, USA.
- American character actor Joe Higgins was most prominent playing the character of a sheriff in commercials and public service announcements. An actor from the age of nine, he attended the University of Dayton (Ohio) and worked in radio while a student. He entered television and played recurring roles on such television series as The Rifleman (1958) and Arrest and Trial (1963). His 1969 automobile commercial as a gravel-voiced sheriff became enormously popular, and Higgins played the character in scores of commercials, print ads and public appearances, twice winning the CLIO award for commercial actors. In addition to his acting, he earned a Ph.D. in Aviation Education from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He died in 1998. Services were held at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the channel Islands north of Los Angeles by his two children; Brian and Valerie.