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Nina Repeta was born on 10 September 1967 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress, known for The Black Phone (2021), Bloodmoon (1997) and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002). She has been married to Mike Repeta since 30 June 1990. They have one child.

Earl Scruggs was born on 6 January 1924 in near Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Love Guru (2008) and Penguins of Madagascar (2014). He was married to Louise Scruggs. He died on 28 March 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Don Gibson was born on 3 April 1928 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Blood Simple (1984), The Departed (2006) and Casino (1995). He was married to Bobbi Patterson. He died on 17 November 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

American novelist, writer and minister Thomas Dixon was born in Shelby, NC. His father was a Baptist minister and, by inheritance, a slave-owner. As a young boy Dixon helped out on the farms the family owned; although he would later say he detested farm labor, he admitted that it helped him to better understand the life of the working class Southerner after the Civil War. He came to despise what he saw as the collaboration among corrupt local politicians, occupying Union troops and an oppressive federal government that worked to keep down the defeated South. While still a young boy he became aware of the Ku Klux Klan when a local Confederate widow had accused a freed slave of raping her daughter. Getting no help from the authorities, the woman turned to Dixon's family--his uncle commanded the unit the widow's husband served in during the Civil War. The Klan found the accused rapist and dragged him to the town square, where they hanged and shot him. The incident made a deep impression on the young Dixon, who believed that the Klan's actions were justified since the woman--and, by extension, all Southerners--could not trust the governing authorities to protect them. Dixon's uncle and father were both Klan members, who joined because they saw the Klan as the only way to bring order to a South still embroiled in violence and outlawry after the war. However, they saw the Klan eventually turn into the kind of corrupt and brutal gang it was supposed to be protecting people against, and they soon left it.

Young Dixon entered the Shelby Academy in 1877, getting his diploma two years later, at which time he enrolled in Wake Forest University. An excellent student, it took him just four years to earn his masters degree in history and political science. After graduation he received a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University, where he befriended another student who went on to great success--future US President Woodrow Wilson (I).

In 1884 Dixon left Johns Hopkins for New York City, where he intended to have a career as a journalist and also act on the Broadway stage. His acting career was a bust, however, and he soon returned to North Carolina. He enrolled in Greensboro (NC) Law School, and in 1885 obtained his law degree. He then became involved in local politics, and was elected to the North Carolina legislature. However, he declined to run for re-election when his term was up, saying he was shocked and disgusted by the corruption and shady dealings he saw. He then became an advocate for the rights of Confederate veterans, and that gained him a following all through the South. After a short time practicing law, Dixon left the profession to become a minister. In 1886 he was ordained as a Baptist minister and moved to Greensboro, NC, then to Goldsboro. A year later he took over the Second Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC, then later was hired to take over a church in Boston, MA. In 1889 he took a position at a church in New York City. It was there that he ran into the "big time", associating with such well-known figures as John D. Rockefeller and Theodore Roosevelt (who he helped in Roosevelt's campaign for Governor of New York). However, Dixon eventually tired of what he saw as the corruption of the church, business and politics, and in 1895 he resigned from the Baptist ministry altogether, preferring to preach at nondenominational churches. He began preaching and lecturing all over the country, gaining an even bigger following, especially in the South. At one point he attended a production of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel of the pre-Civil War South, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Infuriated at what he considered the distortions, misrepresentations and falsehoods about the South in the play, he wrote his first novel, "The Leopard's Spots" (1902), which was meant as a refutation of Stowe's novel, and actually incorporated several of that novel's characters, including Simon Legree.

If there is one thing Dixon is famous for, however, it is his novel "The Clansman", a heavily romanticized fictional accounting of life in the post-Civil War South, in the period known as Reconstruction. It portrayed the Ku Klux Klan as the protectors of Southern womanhood against the ravages of newly freed black slaves and a force for law and order, instead of the murderous terrorist gang they actually were. The book was turned into a film by famed director D.W. Griffith (I)--the controversial The Birth of a Nation (1915).

Thomas Dixon died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Raleigh, NC, on April 3, 1946, at 82 years of age.

Tor Ramsey graduated from North Carolina State University, lettering as a Manager in Men's Varsity Basketball under legendary coach Jim Valvano before discovering his true passion of writing for the entertainment media.

"Ramsey in Reality" hit the airwaves on WKNC in Raleigh, featuring outlandish sketch comedy and parody in the vein of Stan Freberg and "Saturday Night Live". Ramsey received a Certificate in Filmmaking from New York University before signing with several literary agents in the process of writing screenplays that never sold. In 1995, Ramsey threw out the rule book and wrote a movie after his own heart and personality, _Urban Mythology (1999)_. After moving to Los Angeles shortly after production of the film, Ramsey gathered the resources to shoot a 30 minute episodic, which eventually became the series pilot for "The White Chick and The Haole Crew". Ramsey later found work as a script doctor for several projects such as the kid's caper movie Snoopers, then returned to familiar territory directing and producing outrageous comedy sketches for E!'s Talk Soup (1991). In 2000, Ramsey earned his second gig as director, for the feature _Children of the Living Dead (2001)_ in which he learned how to survive under the worst of all possible conditions while still delivering a completed film. 'Children' was released by Artisan Entertainment in October 2001. Ramsey considers himself to be first a writer, then an Editor and then a Director --- in that order. He is currently developing a series concept called "Dead Michigan" and a new feature about con artists called Gypies Tramps And Bail-Jumpers.

Johnny Best was born on 20 October 1913 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor. He died on 19 September 2003 in La Jolla, California, USA.

Patricia Selznick is filmmaker, writer and actress. Her short film Chocolates premiered at the Soho International Film Festival in June of 2017. She was nominated for 'Best Actress' at the Kew Garden Festival of Cinema screening and won the 'Silver Whiskers Award' plus 'Best Ensemble Performance' at IndieWorks. She was a producer on 'Con Spirito'.

American Actress, Singer, Writer and Model Brandy Maddox began her career singing soulfully in her local church choir under the watchful eye of her father, a Southern Baptist preacher. It was at the tender age of 14 Brandy discovered her innate ability to perform as she played her first stage role as Tina Turner in a local production winning the coveted and respected North Carolina Theatre Conference Award for Best Actress.

Brandy went on to attend and create a footprint at Howard University majoring and graduating in Musical Theater and Film. It was at Howard she encountered and worked with icons such as Spike Lee, Bill Duke and Debbie Allan, that changed her life forever.

From a firm footprint at Howard Brandy followed her dreams and journeyed to infamous streets of Hollywood, where her star truly began to shine as she was quickly cast in her auspicious debut film in The Kiss. Her next on screen role showcased her diversity in the film 'Aimee Semple McPherson'.

In 2008 Brandy was cast in a traveling musical entitled 'Cheaters' starring Grammy nominated recording artist Brian McKnight, and James Avery. With a hectic schedule and rare beauty on the road Brandy adopted the name Gypsy Purl and began working on her solo recording career. Brandy quotes her strong musical influences from Prince and Apollonia, along with Billie Holiday, Donna Summer and Michael Jackson.

While juggling a music career Brandy Maddox continued to work as a stage actress becoming an NAACP Image Award Award winner for her role in Sunshine For A Midnight Weary.

Gypsy Purl performed her controversial single Make the Money at the 2008 Multicultural Motion Picture Association's Diversity Awards Show where she received rave reviews. In 2011, Gypsy Purl ventured out on a club tour throughout the states and abroad that resulted in a barrage of devoted fans.

Without explanation Brandy Maddox dropped her stage name of Gypsy Purl in 2015 and went on to open up for Frankie Beverly and Maze under her birth name Brandy Maddox. In 2016 Brandy Maddox created an acting workshop called Driven Dreams Actor's Workshop servicing the South East Acting Communities.

Brandy continued to tour and perform her debut album Precious Cargo.

John Best was born on 20 October 1913 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (1985) and Artie Shaw: Quest for Perfection (2003). He died on 20 September 2003 in San Diego, California, USA.

Alan J. Van Dyke was born on 9 December 1983 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The People in Andy (2004), In the Pines (2016) and Avoiding Awkward Eye Contact (2014).

Mel Phillips was born on 6 January 1942 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA.

Bobby Bell was born on 17 June 1940 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA.

Kay Hagan was born on 16 May 1953 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. She was married to Charles T. Hagan III,. She died on 28 October 2019 in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

Tyler Suggs was born on 23 July 1990 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He is a director and cinematographer, known for M is for Mommy: Requiem (2015), Torrent (2017) and Silver Lining by Remembrance (2016).

Richard Waldrop was born on 19 May 1953 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor, known for Stay Alive (2006), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991).

Tripp grew up in Shelby, NC and graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1993. He moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 1999 to open a boutique production company and pursue filmmaking. While in Wilmington Tripp wrote and directed several commercials, industrials and cable television episodes.

In 2006 Tripp made the move to Los Angeles to further pursue writing and directing. He is a partner at LA Grip Productions and spends his mornings trading options. He is an avid comic book collector and loves a good pick up basketball game.

Tripp lives in Sherman Oaks, CA with his wife, Holland, a Casting Director for Reality Television.

Chris was born in Shelby, North Carolina and started performing in theatre in the early 1980s. Since then he has lived in several parts of the country and performed in many TV shows, movies, commercials, radio and plays as well as numerous print modeling jobs. He is a former college football/track athlete at North Carolina State Univ. He has spent several years working as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. He has a vast amount of talent in the area of video production and computer graphics and actually spent many years working for several television studios such as ABC, UPN, and FOX. Chris loves martial arts and still actively fights in competitions. He also competes in power lifting events. Chris was also a contestant on NBC's "Fear Factor". He was the morning show comedian on Radio's 98.7 Simon's Wicker In The Morning Show. Having lived in both urban and rural America makes Chris an extremely versatile performer with a lot of range and diversity.

Alvin Beam was born on 29 August 1927 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Omnibus (1952). He died on 15 January 1989 in New York, New York, USA.