Advanced search

Slapstick comedian known for his charming, white-painted face and clownish smile, mugged his way to being a very highly paid and popular actor. His career was marred by personal problems, and his fortune was lost to high spending. By the time he died, he'd already been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown and was penniless. He was 39 years old.

Apart from his obsession with cats, gardening, and aspirations to become a hobbit, Michael Williams is a writer, director, cinematographer, and producer known for "OzLand" (2015), "The Atoning" (2017). Williams began creating short films in 2004 while in high school, and later graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts in Film where Williams was awarded the Top Film Student of 2009 Award.

When Williams was offered his first job in the industry in 2007, he was hired as a PA. However, upon arriving to prep, he was informed that he would now be the 1st AC. Over a few days of prep, he learned the definition of an assistant camera and how to pull focus... for a feature... with a lot of handheld. This sparked a 9 year career as a 1st AC that rack focused into a career as a cinematographer starting in 2010. During this time, Williams wrote, directed, and produced over 20 short films of his own while waiting for an idea worthy enough to attempt the terrifying task of making a feature. That film became "OzLand", an award-winning feature that premiered and screened theatrically in Hollywood, CA before gaining distribution throughout the U.S. and U.K.

His second feature film, "The Atoning", was released in September of 2017 via Redbox, Hulu, Best Buy, and all major VOD and Cable on Demand outlets before releasing in various international markets including Brazil, Germany, South East Asia, Mexico, Russia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Williams' desire to tell unique and meaningful stories visually fuels his career as a visual storyteller. Williams writes, directs, and works as a cinematographer so that he can bring his passion for visual storytelling to every production giving the story a unique voice. Since coming out of the closet in 2016, Michael's voice as a storyteller has evolved, and it continues to develop with each new project. His passion for storytelling has always been present in his scripts and cinematography, however, discovering and living his true self continues to bring authenticity to his own work and how he interprets his work for other collaborators. His latest scripts, "Rosemary" and "Out in the Open", reflect the personal and creative growth Williams has experienced since coming out, and these in-development projects are just the beginning of a new era of cinematic expression for Williams' passion to share stories with the world.

Soul music singer and songwriter Barrett Strong was born on February 5, 1941, in Westpoint, Mississippi. He moved to Detroit, Michigan, and was one of the first artists to sign with Berry Gordy's legendary Motown Records label in the early 1960s. In fact, his recording of "Money (That's What I Want)" on the Anna Records label in 1960 was so successful (it peaked at #2 on the R&B radio charts and almost cracked the Top 20 pop charts) that it produced the necessary capital for Gordy to start his Motown label (the song has been covered by such artists as The Beatles, The Searchers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Guy and The Flying Lizards). Strong wrote, played piano and sang vocals on many early Motown recordings. He frequently collaborated on songs with noted producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield. Among the many classic soul songs Barrett co-wrote for Motown are "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "War", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", "Cloud Nine", "I Can't Get Next to You", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)", "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", "Just My Imagination" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." In addition, he co-wrote "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me" for Gladys Knight and The Pips. In 1972 Strong left Motown and signed with Epic Records. After one failed single with Epic, he went on to record two albums for Capitol Records in the mid-'70s. Strong continued to work in the 1980s: he recorded the single "Rock It Easy" on an independent label in 1981 and both wrote and arranged "You Can Depend on Me" for the album "The Second Time" by The Dells in 1988. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

Michael Ming was born and raised in rural Mississippi where he was instilled with old-fashioned family values. Growing up he was a member of the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and a stand out Baseball player. Michael also studied Martial Arts and competed in various competitions across the U.S. and abroad. He fell in love with acting when asked to do a few regional commercials for local businesses. Since then he has studied and worked in both New York and Los Angeles.

Bubba Phillips was born on 24 February 1928 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (1981) and 1959 World Series (1959). He died on 22 June 1993 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA.

Charlie Dimino was born on 9 September 1980 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. He is a writer, known for Bad Mofos (2011), Four the Roses (2006) and Spaceboy (2006).

Brad Smith was born on 29 September 1968 in West Point, Mississippi, USA.

Barrie Oliver was born on 12 January 1899 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Big Business (1930), The Midnight Patrol (1932) and The Musical Beauty Shop (1930). He died on 24 July 1991 in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.

Rogers Stevens was born on 31 October 1970 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. He is an actor, known for Without a Paddle (2004), Private Parts (1997) and Being Erica (2009).

Mary Jepp was born on 1 October 1898 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. She was an actress, known for The Evil Eye (1920). She died on 28 April 1980 in Carmel, California, USA.

Ricky Baldwin IV was born on 15 September 2000 in West Point, Mississippi, USA. He is an actor, known for Ghoul Mates (2006).

Johnny Green was born on 12 October 1937 in West Point, Mississippi, USA.