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Gaunt character actor Brad Dourif was born Bradford Claude Dourif on March 18, 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia. He is the son of Joan Mavis Felton (Bradford) and Jean Henri Dourif, a French-born art collector who owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif was three years old, after which his mother married Bill Campbell, a champion golfer, who helped raise Brad, his brother, and his four sisters. From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina, where he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a professional artist, he finally settled on acting as a profession, inspired by his mother's participation as an actress in community theater.

Beginning in school productions, he progressed to community theater, joining up with the Huntington Community Players, while attending Marshall University of Huntington. At age 19, he quit his hometown college and headed to New York City, where he worked with the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including Milos Forman who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Although this film is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first big-screen appearance with a bit part in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975). Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Forman's film was undoubtedly his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Acting Debut, a British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Skeptical of his instant stardom, Dourif returned to New York, where he continued in theater and taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University until 1988 when he moved to Hollywood. Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, his intensity destined him to play eccentric or deranged characters, starting in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), John Huston's Wise Blood (1979) (arguably his best performance to date), and Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981). Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch for Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986). His high-strung style also served him well in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of the evil doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels.

Dourif broke from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990) and London Kills Me (1991). Recent film work includes the role of Grima Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since his television debut in the PBS film The Mound Builders (1976), Dourif has made sporadic appearances on a number of television series, such as The X Files (1993), Babylon 5 (1993), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Millennium (1996) and Ponderosa (2001). He also appeared in the music video "Stranger in Town" (1984) by the rock band TOTO.

Jeri Ryan was born Jeri Lynn Zimmerman on February 22, 1968 in Munich, West Germany, to Gerhard Florian Zimmerman, a Master Sergeant in the United States Army, and his wife Sharon, a social worker. She and her older brother Mark grew up on several military bases, including Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Georgia and Texas. Finally, at age 11, her father retired from the Army and her family settled down in Paducah, Kentucky. After graduating from Lone Oak High School in 1986, she attended Northwestern University Chicago as a National Merit Scholar. While studying there, she won a number of beauty contests (a.o.- sixth annual Miss Northwestern Alpha Delta Phi Pageant in 1989).

With a B.S. degree in Theatre, she came to Los Angeles, California and since then she has been on several television series and films - including popular series like Matlock (1986), Melrose Place (1992) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995) as well as Dark Skies (1996). Her television experience also includes roles in a variety of telefilms including Victim of Beauty (1991), NBC's In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco (1993), Co-ed Call Girl (1996), The Sentinel (1996), Men Cry Bullets (1998), Dracula 2000 (2000), The Last Man (2000) and Down with Love (2003). Jeri Ryan resides in an area of Los Angeles, California with her husband chef Christophe Eme, her son Alex and daughter Gisele.

Robert Knepper, the son of a veterinarian, was born in Fremont, Ohio, and was raised in Maumee (near Toledo). When he was growing up, his mother worked in the props department for the community theater, and because of her involvement, he became interested in acting. Robert began his career in theater in his hometown before majoring in theater at Northwestern University. He has performed in over one hundred professional theatrical productions around the world. He is a resident of Southern California.

Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, to Mary Margaretta Phyllis (nee Jones), a nurse, and Rhys Davies, a mechanical engineer and Colonial Officer. He graduated from the University of East Anglia and is probably best known to film audiences for his roles in the blockbuster hits Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He was introduced to a new generation of fans in the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)) in the role of Gimli the dwarf. He has also had leading roles in Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987) and King Solomon's Mines (1985).

Rhys-Davies, who was raised in England, Africa and Wales, credits his early exposure to classic literature for his decision to pursue acting and writing. He later refined his craft at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (of which he is now an Associate Member). His television credits include James Clavell's James Clavell's Shogun (1980) and Noble House (1988), Great Expectations (1989), War and Remembrance (1988) and Archaeology (1991). An avid collector of vintage automobiles, Rhys-Davies has a host of theater roles to his credit, including "The Misanthrope", "Hedda Gabler", and most of Shakespeare's works. He divides his time between Los Angeles and the Isle of Man.

McKean was born in New York City at Manhattan Women's Hospital, now part of the Mt. Sinai St. Luke's complex on Amsterdam Avenue. He is the son of Ruth Stewart McKean, a librarian, and Gilbert S. McKean, one of the founders of Decca Records, and was raised in Sea Cliff, New York, on Long Island. McKean is of Irish, English, Scottish, and some German and Dutch descent. He graduated from high school in 1965. In early 1967, he was briefly a member of the New York City "baroque pop" band The Left Banke and played on the "Ivy, Ivy" single (B-side: "And Suddenly").

Alice Maud Krige was born on June 28, 1954 in Upington, South Africa where her father, Dr. Louis Krige, worked as a young physician. The Kriges later moved to Port Elizabeth where Alice grew up in what she describes as a "very happy family", a family that also included two brothers (both of whom became physicians) and her mother, Pat, a clinical psychologist. Interestingly, Alice also grew up without television, something which the actress calls a "huge black hole in my education" (South Africa did not start getting television until 1976, a year after Alice left the country to pursue an acting career in London).

While growing up, she had no dreams or aspirations of pursuing an acting career, in fact as a child she had wanted to become a dancer, but her father disapproved. Instead, she prepared to follow in the footsteps of her mother by attending Rhodes University in Grahamstown where she pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology and literature (graduating in 1975). However, as luck or fate would have it, Alice decided to "take up a bit of timetable" by enrolling in a drama class in order to make use of a free credit. This decision would prove to be a life-altering one, resulting in an honors degree in drama from Rhodes, a move to London and a new career path. As Alice explains, "I really got into it and it took over my life... it became my life-calling, all consuming."

After arriving in England, she began three years of study at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. Her first professional acting performance was a tiny television role in a 1979 BBC Play for Today. In 1980, Alice made her feature film debut as Sybil Gordon in the Academy Award winning Best Picture, Chariots of Fire (1981). She then appeared in the television adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1980), which was followed by her memorable, dual role as the avenging spirit in Ghost Story (1981). Also in 1981, she debuted in a West End theatre production of Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, for which she received the honors of both a Plays and Players Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer. It was this early success in theatre that she decided to focus her career on next by spending some time working with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company.

During her two seasons with the RSC (1982-83), Alice performed in such productions as "King Lear", "The Tempest", "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Cyrano de Bergerac". After her stint with the Royal Shakespeare Company, she returned to work in film and television. Her career could best be described as an eclectic mix of both mediums. She appeared in a diverse range of films, such as King David (1985), Barfly (1987), Haunted Summer (1988), Spies Inc. (1992) and See You in the Morning (1989). Her work in television included critically acclaimed miniseries, such as Ellis Island (1984) and Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (1985), as well as a healthy dose of what Alice herself calls, "kitchen sink dramas".

This eclectic trend continued into the 1990s. In addition to numerous roles in television (including appearances on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and Becker (1998), Alice also appeared in the films Sleepwalkers (1992), Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life (1995), Donor Unknown (1995), Amanda (1996), Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997), Habitat (1997), The Commissioner (1998) and Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999). However, one notable standout was the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996) for which she won a 1997 Saturn Award for her portrayal of the Borg Queen. This is without a doubt the most commercial, mainstream film with which she has been involved. However, due to the amount of make-up and prosthetics that the role required, Alice claims that even today she is still most recognized from her role in Ghost Story (1981).

One obvious and lasting impact of her experience with Star Trek: First Contact has been her initiation into the world of Star Trek/sci-fi conventions. These weekend-long conventions take place all over the United States and Europe (primarily in the United Kingdom and Germany). They feature "guests", such as Alice, who give presentations, sign autographs, etc. The new millennium finds her with several new projects to her credit, which include such works as The Little Vampire (2000), the Star Trek: Voyager (1995) series finale "Endgame", Attila (2001), Dinotopia (2002), Reign of Fire (2002), Children of Dune (2003), The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) and a recurring guest role in the HBO series Deadwood (2004). Current projects include a film about the life of Julius Caesar, the horror film Silent Hill (2006), Lonely Hearts (2006) and The Contract (2006). In addition, she continues to make sporadic convention appearances and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Rhodes University.

Alice Krige is married to writer/director Paul Schoolman, and lives what she describes as an "itinerant" lifestyle. Although she and her husband maintain a permanent home in the United States, they spend much of their time living and working abroad.

Perhaps best known for his chilling performance as "Candyman", the charismatic 6' 5" actor Tony Todd has consistently turned in compelling performances since his debut in the fantasy film Sleepwalk (1986). Born in Washington, D.C., Todd spent two years on a scholarship at the University of Connecticut, which, in turn, led to a scholarship from the renowned Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Institute. It proved to be the foundation for intense stints at the Hartman Conservatory in Stamford, Connecticut and the Trinity Square Repertory Theatre Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. Todd appeared in dozens of classical and many experimental plays, yet still managed to find time to teach playwriting to high school students in the Hartford public school system.

Todd's extensive credits exemplify his versatility. They include such film classics as The Rock (1996), The Crow (1994), Lean on Me (1989), Bird (1988), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Final Destination (2000), the multiple Academy Award winning Oliver Stone film Platoon (1986) and The Secret (2000), which was nominated and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Todd's recent films include the independent film Silence (2002) and Final Destination 2 (2003). He has had prominent guest starring roles in numerous critically-acclaimed television series, including recurring on Boston Public (2000), For the People (2002) and The District (2000), as well as NYPD Blue (1993), Smallville (2001), Law & Order (1990), Crossing Jordan (2001), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and The X Files (1993). Todd recurred on three incarnations of "Star Trek" and guest starred on Xena: Warrior Princess (1995) and episodes of CSI: Miami (2002) and Andromeda (2000). His television movies include starring roles in True Women (1997), Black Fox (1995), Butter (1998), Ivory Hunters (1990), Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (1999) and Control Factor (2003).

Todd's considerable theatre credits include the world premiere of award-winning playwright August Wilson's "King Hedley II", where he originated the title role in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Boston. Variety commented: "Todd's King Hedley dominates the stage. A sour-faced mix of rage and resolve, anger and vulnerability. Todd's Hedley was a memorable tour-de-force even on opening." He also received a coveted Helen Hayes nomination for his performance in Athol Fugard's "The Captain's Tiger at La Jolla, the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Kennedy Center. Other theatre credits include "Les Blancs", "Playboy of the West Indies", "Othello", "Zooman and the Sign", award-winning playwright Keith Glover's "Dark Paradise", "Aida" (on Broadway), and most recently, "Levee James" for the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference and The New Dramatist Guild.

Katherine Kiernan Mulgrew, or Kate Mulgrew, was born on April 29, 1955. She grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, the second oldest child (and oldest girl) in a large Irish Catholic family. When Kate expressed an interest in acting as a child, her mother, Joan, encouraged her to audition for local theater productions. Kate left Iowa for New York City at age 17 to pursue a career in acting. Kate was accepted into the Stella Adler Conservatory (part of New York University's acting program) and studied there for only a year, as she landed the lead role in the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope in 1975, vaulting her to instant stardom.

At the same time she was filming Ryan's Hope, Kate played the role of Emily in the American Shakespeare Theatre's production of "Our Town" in Stratford, Connecticut. At age 23, following her success on Ryan's Hope, Kate was offered the lead role of Kate Columbo in "Mrs. Columbo," playing the wife of one of television's most beloved detectives, Lt. Columbo, as made famous by actor Peter Falk. While critically successful, the series was canceled after two seasons.

In 1981, Mulgrew co-starred with Richard Burton and Nicholas Clay in Lovespell, a film set in the era of Arthurian legend, as Irish princess Isolt, whose love story with Tristan is a classic tale of doomed love. That same year, Kate co-starred with Pierce Brosnan in the six-hour miniseries, The Manions of America, set in 19th century America just before the start of the Civil War. In 1985, she had a notable role in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins as officer Major Fleming. In 1986, Kate appeared in a number of of Cheers episodes as congresswoman Janet Eldridge, a love interest for series lead Sam Malone (Ted Danson). In 1987, she appeared in Throw Momma from the Train as Margaret, Billy Crystal's ex-wife.

In 1992, Kate appeared on several episodes of Murphy Brown as Hillary Wheaton, a Toronto-based anchorwoman brought in to replace Murphy Brown during her maternity leave, but who also struggled with alcoholism (just as Brown did at the beginning of the series). Also in 1992, she played a guest-starring role as a soap opera star who kills her husband and tries to cover it up, on Murder, She Wrote, episode #170, titled "Ever After". Kate also guest-starred in three episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as the terrorist Red Claw. Kate has gone on to do a great deal of voice work for animated series and video games.

Shortly after, Kate married theater director Robert H. Egan in 1982. They have two sons, Ian Thomas and Alexander James. The two officially divorced in 1995.

More notably in 1995, Kate received a call that a part for which she'd auditioned but another actress had been chosen for - Captain Kathryn Janeway, the first female Star Trek captain. The first actress quit within two days of beginning production, leading producers to call Kate back and offer her the role. Star Trek: Voyager, as the newly-created UPN's flagship network show, had found its captain. Kate portrayed Janeway for seven seasons, and also appeared briefly in Star Trek: Nemesis as Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

Mulgrew played Katharine Hepburn in the one-woman play "Tea at Five", debuting in Hartford, Connecticut in 2002 and going on to tour across the U.S. after a stint on Broadway. For this role, Kate received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress, an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance, Broadway.com's Audience Award for Favorite Solo Performance, and won the award for Best Actress at the 29th Carbonell Awards for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, all in 2003.

Kate married Tim Hagan, former Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former commissioner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in April 1999. The two divorced in 2014.

From 2003 to 2013, Kate had many memorable television appearances, including stints on The Black Donnellys, Mercy, cult favorite Warehouse 13, and NTSF:SD:SUV. In 2013, Kate began work on Netflix breakout out Orange Is The New Black as the wildly popular prison chef Galina "Red" Reznikov. OITNB is set to conclude in the summer of 2019.

Kate is also an author of two memoirs - 2016's Born With Teeth (Little Brown) and 2019's How To Forget: A Daughter's Memoir (Harper Collins). She is filming the newest season of Mr. Mercedes, a serial killer drama based on Stephen King's Bill Hodges trilogy. Mr. Mercedes airs on the AT&T Audience network and can be streamed on DirecTV.

Wendy Schaal is an American actress best known for her work in Joe Dante films such as Innerspace, The 'Burbs, and Small Soldiers. Since 2005, she has primarily worked in cartoon voice acting, most notably voicing Francine Smith in the animated comedy American Dad!

Schaal was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Lois (née McCullough) and actor Richard Schaal (1928-2014). She is the former stepdaughter of actress Valerie Harper.

Wendy Schaal is married to Michael P. Hogan.

Andrew Jordt Robinson was born in New York City and attended the University of New Hampshire, later receiving his B.A. in English from the New School for Social Research in NYC. After graduation, he spent a year in England at the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts on a Fulbright Scholarship. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. Robinson performed a wide variety of theater, movie and television roles. These included the infamous Scorpio killer in Dirty Harry (1971), a stint on Ryan's Hope (1975), which earned him an Emmy nomination, and the title role in a TV movie about Liberace. He was chosen for the continuing guest role of "Elim Garak", the Cardassian tailor/spy on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), after first reading for the part of "Odo"! In the early 90s, Mr. Robinson helped found The Matrix Theatre Company in Los Angeles. In addition to acting in several of the company's productions, in 1995 and 1996 his direction of "Endgame" and "The Homecoming" at the Matrix earned him two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. This led to his TV directing debut on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), and Mr. Robinson has since gone on to direct episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (1995). 1997-1998 directorial projects at The Matrix were "Dangerous Corner" and "A Moon for the Misbegotten".

Raphael Sbarge has been a working actor for more than five decades. Growing up in New York City's Lower East Side, Raphael began working on Sesame Street (1969) at the age of four. His did his first Broadway show at 16, opposite Faye Dunaway and his first big film, Risky Business (1983) starring Tom Cruise, as he was graduating high school at 18. His mother, Jeanne Button, was a Broadway costume designer and his father, Stephen Sbarge, was an artist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker.

He has performed in theaters all over the country, including at Yale Rep, Long Wharf, Mark Taper, and Kennedy Center. He has performed on stage with Al Pacino, Frank Langella, Gwyneth Paltrow, as well Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst in the Bway revival of Ah, Wilderness.

He has been in many successful films, including Independence Day (1996) with Will Smith, Pearl Harbor (2001) with Ben Affleck and the cult classic Carnosaur (1993) for Roger Corman. He will be in the new Universal/Blumhouse film, The Exorcist: Believer (2023), with Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr. and Ann Dowd which opens on Friday, October 13th, 2023.

Raphael's resume includes more than 100 guest appearances and series regular roles on network television shows, including the long-running ABC hit Once Upon a Time (2011) as Dr Hopper, Stephen Bochco's Murder in the First (2014) for TNT, and The Guardian with Simon Baker, for CBS. He has recurred on many series including Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Dexter (2006), Prison Break (2005), Longmire (2012), 24 (2001), among many others. He has done extensive voice work in video games including lead roles in Mass Effect - The New York Times Game of the Year - and its two sequels, as well Knights of the Old Republic, a popular Star Wars game.

As a director, Raphael received his first Emmy nomination for LA Foodways (2019), for PBS. His recent feature film, Only in Theaters (2022), opened in Los Angeles and NYC to critical acclaim, played 80 theaters around the country and is now available on Amazon and on DVD, distributed by Kino Lorber. Other films and series Raphael has directed include The Bird Who Could Fly (2017), The Tricky Part (2019), A Concrete River: Reviving the Waters of Los Angeles (2015), Watts Action (2023), and more.

Charles Rocket was born on 28 August 1949 in Bangor, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Hocus Pocus (1993) and Dances with Wolves (1990). He was married to Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Crellin. He died on 7 October 2005 in Canterbury, Connecticut, USA.

A veteran actor for over 30 years, Patrick is best known for his portrayal of "Howard Hamlin" for six seasons on AMC's Peabody Award winning series "Better Call Saul"

Patrick has worked with everyone from Angela Lansbury to Xena recurring on shows "The Gordita Chronicles", "Special", "Carols' Second Act", "Black Monday", "Grey's Anatomy", "The Newsroom", "Big Love","Code Black", "Desperate Housewives", "Veronica Mars","Joan of Arcadia", "24" & "Providence" to name a few.

Guest star roles: "Scandal", "Castle", "Lucifer", "Agents of Shield", "Criminal Minds", "Elementary","Longmire", "NCIS", "Hot in Cleveland", "Burn Notice", "Bones", "Friends", "Will & Grace","The Mentalist", "Pushing Daisies" and all of the CSI franchise.

Fabian starred as the Exorcist in the low-budget horror film "The Last Exorcism", which grossed over $70 million worldwide and garnered him Best Actor at the Sitges International Film Festival.......other movies include "Driver X", "The Way We Speak", Eat! Brains! Love!", "Jimmy", "Bad Ass", "Send It", "Must Love Dogs", "My Eleventh", & "Underdog Kids"

On Disney & ABC Family, Patrick has been a go-to bad guy, playing evil Thantos in Disney Channel's "Twitches" & "Twitches Too" & the reindeer hunting Buck in the Christmas movies "Snow" and "Snow 2: Brain Freeze" as well as Dove Cameron's Dad in "Cloud 9".

And yes, he is fondly remembered as Professor Lasky from "Saved By The Bell:The College Years".

Stage-wise, Fabian has worked with some of the best playwrights and directors around: having toured America with John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation" directed by Jerry Zaks; Eric Bogosian's "Humpty Dumpty" directed by Jo Bonney at The McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton; and Nicky Silver's "The Food Chain" directed by Robert Falls at the Westside Theatre in NYC.

He loves living in Los Angeles with his wife, 2 kids & 2 dogs and is currently looking for the next gig.

Robert Duncan McNeill was born on November 9, 1964 in North Carolina, but raised in Washington, D.C. until his family finally settled down in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he attended a local high school and, after he graduated, he moved to New York City and enrolled at Juilliard where he spent two years studying the trade. While he was attending Juilliard, he got the role of "Charlie Brent" on the popular ABC daytime drama All My Children (1970). He has also been on many TV shows and movies - including popular shows such as The Twilight Zone (1985), L.A. Law (1986), Sisters (1991), Murder, She Wrote (1984), The Outer Limits (1995), Crossing Jordan (2001), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Lucky Chances (1990), Homefront (1991), Going to Extremes (1992), among others. After he left All My Children (1970), he landed a role in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Into the Woods". His theater background also includes performances in "The Fantastiks - The Boy", "Lucy's Lapses", "Romeo and Juliet", "Six Degrees of Separation", "The Family of Mann", "The Four-H Club", among others.

McNeill's television experience also includes roles in a number of movies such as Masters of the Universe (1987), Mothers, Daughters and Lovers (1989), Spies (1993), One More Mountain (1994), Infested (2002). He made his directorial debut on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and continued on shows such as Dawson's Creek (1998), 9mm of Love (2000), The Battery (1998), Enterprise (2001), Dead Like Me (2003), among others.

The award-worthy actor, now enjoying an over five decade career, has a resume that includes everything from Shakespeare to Seinfeld -- from the villainous Senator on Ozark to the wise judge on Lincoln Lawyer.

Born on June 28, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Clair, an architect and musician, and Marian (Holman) Davison, a secretary, Bruce's parents divorced when he was just three. He developed a burgeoning interest in acting while majoring in art at Penn State and after accompanying a friend to a college theater audition. Making his professional stage debut in 1966 as Jonathan in "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Bad" at the Pennsylvania Festival Theatre, he made it to Broadway within just a couple of years (1968) with the role of Troilus in "Tiger at the Gates" at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. The year after that he was seen off-Broadway in "A Home Away from Home" and appeared at the Lincoln Center in the cast of "King Lear."

Success in the movies came immediately for the perennially youthful-looking actor after he and a trio of up-and-coming talents (Barbara Hershey [then known as Barbara Seagull], Richard Thomas and Catherine Burns) starred together in the poignant but disturbing coming-of-age film Last Summer (1969). From this he was awarded a starring role opposite Kim Darby in The Strawberry Statement (1970), an offbeat social commentary about 60s college radicalism, and in the cult horror flick Willard (1971) in which he bonded notoriously with a herd of rats.

Moving further into the 70s decade, his film load did not increase significantly as expected and the ones he did appear in were no great shakes. With the exception of his co-starring role alongside Burt Lancaster in the well-made cavalry item Ulzana's Raid (1972) and the powerful low-budget Short Eyes (1977) in which he played a child molester, Bruce's film roles were underwhelming, such as his elder Patrick Dennis in the Lucille Ball musical film version of Mame (1974), as well as The Jerusalem File (1972), Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), Grand Jury (1976) and Brass Target (1978).

As such, Bruce wisely looked elsewhere for rewarding work and found it on the stage and on the smaller screen. Earning strong theatrical roles in "The Skin of Our Teeth," "The Little Foxes" and "A Life in the Theatre," he won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for his work in "Streamers" in 1977. On TV, he scored in mini-movie productions of Mourning Becomes Electra (1978), Deadman's Curve (1978) (portraying Dean Torrence of the surf-era pop duo Jan and Dean) and, most of all, Summer of My German Soldier (1978) co-starring Kristy McNichol as a German prisoner of war in the American South who falls for a lonely Jewish-American girl. In 1972 Bruce married actress Jess Walton who appeared briefly as a college student in The Strawberry Statement (1970) and later became a daytime soap opera fixture. The marriage was quickly annulled the following year.

The 1980s was also dominated by strong theater performances. Bruce took over the role of the severely deformed John Merrick as "The Elephant Man" on Broadway; portrayed Clarence in "Richard III" at the New York Shakespeare Festival; was directed by Henry Fonda in "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial"; played a moving Tom Wingfield opposite Jessica Tandy's Amanda in "The Glass Menagerie"; received a second Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for his work in the AIDS play "The Normal Heart"; and finished off the decade gathering up fine reviews in the amusing A.R. Gurney period piece "The Cocktail Hour". While hardly lacking for work on film (Kiss My Grits (1982), Crimes of Passion (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), and The Ladies Club (1985)), few of them made use of his talents and range.

It was not until he was cast in the ground-breaking gay drama Longtime Companion (1989) that his film career revitalized. Giving a quiet, finely nuanced, painfully tender performance as the middle-aged lover and caretaker of a life partner ravaged by AIDS, Bruce managed to stand out amid the strong ensemble cast and earn himself an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor". Although he lost out to the flashier antics of Joe Pesci in the mob drama GoodFellas (1990) that year, Bruce was not overlooked -- copping Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics awards. Other gay-themed films also welcomed his presence, including The Cure (1995) and It's My Party (1996). The actor eventually served as a spokesperson for a host of AIDS-related organizations, including Hollywood Supports, and has been active with foundations that assist abused children.

Bruce has been all over the screen since his success in Longtime Companion (1989). Predominantly seen as mature, morally responsible dads and politicians, his genial good looks and likability have on occasion belied a weak or corrupt heart. Bruce married actress Lisa Pelikan in 1986 and they have one son, Ethan, born in 1996. (Color of Justice (1997)). Popular films have included Six Degrees of Separation (1993) starring Will Smith, the family adventure film Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and the box-office hit X-Men (2000) and its sequel in the role of Senator Kelly. More controversial art-house showcases include Dahmer (2002), as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's father, and Hate Crime (2005), as a bigoted, murderous pastor.

Into the millennium, Bruce has played mature gents and several high-level officials in such films as The Dead Girl (2006), Christmas Angel (2009), Camp Hell (2010), Black Beauty (2015), Displacement (2016), 9/11 (2017), Along Came the Devil (2018), Itsy Bitsy (2019)

Divorced from second wife Lisa Pelikan, Bruce is happily married to Michele Correy and has a daughter with her, Sophia Lucy, born in 2006. They live in the Los Angeles area.

Len Cariou was born on 30 September 1939 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for About Schmidt (2002) and Blue Bloods (2010). He has been married to Heather Summerhayes since 25 October 1986. He was previously married to Susan Barbara Kapilow and Patricia Otter.

A Dutch South African, Musetta Vander was raised without that most basic of modern conveniences--television! Radio programming, childhood books and weekend trips to the drive-in introduced her to the magical world of movies. It was not until the mid-'70s that South Africa finally got television, and the big black box in the family living room "miraculously" sprang to life.

However, as the daughter of a ballet teacher, Musetta was no stranger to the entertainment world and debuted on stage at the age of four. Her childhood was filled with numerous dance performances including "Giselle", "Coppelia", "The Student Prince" and "Showboat", and, shortly after completing school, she qualified as a ballet teacher herself.

After earning a BA in Communications and Psychology, she landed the plum job as anchor host for an MTV-like television show in South Africa. One day, a handsome visiting American, Jeff Celentano, spotted her on television, made her his bride, and whisked her off to the very place she had always dreamed of--Hollywood.

Shortly after her arrival, she became part of the very world she used to host, appearing as the "dream girl" in more than 20 music videos for such top recording artists as Rod Stewart, Amy Grant, Tina Turner, Elton John and Chris Isaak.

It was her critically acclaimed stage performance in the original South African play "Soweto's Burning", about the trials of an interracial friendship in that racially segregated country, that provided her transition to the big screen. Musetta has since performed in numerous feature films, including collaborating with her husband on Under the Hula Moon (1995) and Gunshy (1998). She has also worked alongside such screen veterans as Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and Will Smith in Wild Wild West (1999), George Clooney and John Turturro in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and John Hurt and Louis Gossett Jr. in Monolith (1993). She's also added a slew of television credits to her arsenal, including guest appearances on the hit shows Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Stargate SG-1 (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).

Recently Musetta made a return to the stage, combining both her dance and acting background in an extremely successful adaptation of Molière's "The Bourgeois Gentleman" at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Robert Pine is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series CHiPs (1977-1983). Including CHiPs, Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. Pine was born in New York City on July 10, 1941, the son of Virginia (née Whitelaw) and Granville Martin Pine, a patent attorney. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1963. He is married to Gwynne Gilford, who appeared in several episodes of CHiPs as Betty Getraer, the wife of Pine's character. They have two children, actors Chris and Katie.

Kevin most recently recurred in LAW AND ORDER: SVU on NBC and guest starred in COMPLICATIONS for USA Network. He is well known for his recurring role as "Anthony Cooper" in LOST and lead role of "Roy DeSoto" in Emergency! He also starred in the feature film, I AM I, directed by Jocelyn Towne. He has worked prolifically in film, television and on-stage.

Kate Vernon was born to the celebrated actor John Vernon. As her father's career began to take off in the USA, the family moved from their home in Canada to Hollywood when Kate was 7 years old.

With the ever growing career success of the late John Vernon (Dirty Harry (1971), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)), Kate's childhood enabled her to be influenced and surrounded by many of Hollywood's leading actors, writers and artists. With these early experiences and influences, her decision to study to become an actress came as no surprise.

After successfully completing her acting school studies, Kate's beautiful features, zest for life, easy-going and fun personality coupled with her dedicated work approach to her profession did not go unnoticed. During the early 80's, doors began to open for Kate as she secured a number of roles.

It was during the mid-1980's that Kate landed her first feature film break with her role as "Benny" in the box office hit, Pretty in Pink (1986). In its success, it led to more TV work, box office and independent movie roles allowing Kate to star alongside some of Hollywood's leading men such as Denzel Washington, Willem Dafoe, Edward James Olmos, Christopher Lee and Richard Thomas.

To date, Kate's long career as a busy actress has enabled her to play an engaging and wide variety of roles from the beautiful, funny, the love interest, dramatic, comedic, the misunderstood, the mistress, the mother and the dynamic. With her most recent roles in movies including the box office smash The Last Song (2010) which features Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Liam Hemsworth, Kelly Preston and the comedy, National Lampoon's Snatched (2011), sees her alongside Andrew McCarthy and the acclaimed film legend Ernest Borgnine.

Her versatility as an actress has seen Kate recently star in the hit TV series Heroes (2006), Bones (2005), as well as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), The Mentalist (2008), Saving Grace (2007) and her recurring role as "Ellen Tigh" (2004-2009) in the award-winning Battlestar Galactica (2004) (2004-2009) has won her an international fan base.

Never one to be typecast, Kate's career has allowed her to work alongside many of TV and Film Industry leading writers, directors & producers such as Spike Lee, Peter Medak, Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, Joe Cacaci, David Weddle, Michael Nankin and John Woo.

Her 40-year career has allowed her to feature in regular, recurring and guest roles in a number of major TV series including Heroes (2006) (2010), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) (2004-2009), Star Trek: Voyager (1995) (1995), Nash Bridges (1996) (1996-1997), Battlestar Galactica (2004) (2004-2009), L.A. Law (1986) (1994), Bones (2005) (2010), Tales from the Crypt (1989) (1993), Who's the Boss? (1984) (1990) and many others.

Some of her TV & Box Office Movies credits include The Last Song (2010), Malcolm X (1992), Roadhouse 66 (1984), National Lampoon's Snatched (2011), Blackjack (1998), Pretty in Pink (1986), Dangerous Touch (1994), Last Chance Cafe (2006) and The Plan (2009) to name but a few.

With a timeless beauty and meticulous approach to her characters, these qualities have enhanced Kate's reputation not only as an on-screen beauty, but as an actress with experience to adapt to any kind of role.

George Takei was born Hosato Takei in Los Angeles, California. His mother was born in Sacramento to Japanese parents & his father was born in Japan. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he & his family were relocated from Los Angeles to the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas. Later, they were moved to a camp at Tule Lake in Northern California. His first-hand knowledge of the unjust internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II, poignantly chronicled in his autobiography, created a lifelong interest in politics & community affairs.

After graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1956, he studied architecture at UC Berkeley. An ad in a Japanese community paper led to a summer job on the MGM lot where he dubbed 8 characters from Japanese into English for Rodan (1956). Bitten by the acting bug, he transferred to UCLA as a theater arts major. Contacting an agent he had met at MGM led to his appearance as an embittered soldier in postwar Japan in the Playhouse 90 (1956) production. Being spotted in a UCLA theater production by a Warner Bros. casting director led to his feature film debut in Ice Palace (1960), various roles in Hawaiian Eye (1959) &other feature work. In June 1960, he completed his degree at UCLA and studied at the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-Upon-Avon in England that summer.

After starting a master's degree program at UCLA, he was cast in the socially relevant stage musical production Fly Blackbird! but was replaced when the show moved to New York. He took odd jobs until returning to his role at the end of the run. Getting little work in Manhattan, he returned to Los Angeles to continue his studies, once again appearing in TV & films. He earned his master's in 1964. Wanting a multi-racial crew, Gene Roddenberry cast him in Where No Man Has Gone Before, the second Star Trek (1966) pilot. Mr. Sulu remained a regular character when the series went into production. In the hiatus after the end of shooting the first season, he worked on The Green Berets (1968), playing a South Vietnamese Special Forces officer.

After Star Trek (1966) was canceled, he did guest stints in several TV shows, voiced Sulu for the animated Star Trek series & regularly appeared at Star Trek conventions. He also produced & hosted a public affairs show Expression East/West, which aired in Los Angeles from 1971-1973. That year, he ran for the L.A. City Council. Although he lost by a small margin, Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District, where he served until 1984 & contributed to plans for the subway. During this period, he co-wrote a sci-fi novel Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe. He campaigned to get more respect for his character in the Star Trek features, resulting in Sulu finally obtaining the rank of captain in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), a role reprised in the Star Trek: Voyager (1995) episode Flashback.

He has run several marathons and was in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Torch Relay. He received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame in 1986. He also left his signature & hand print in cement at the Chinese Theater in 1991. His 1994 autobiography, To the Stars, was well-received. He remains active as a stage, TV & film actor as well as as an advocate for the interests of Japanese Americans.

LeVar Burton was born on 16 February 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He is an actor and director, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). He has been married to Stephanie Cozart Burton since 3 October 1992. They have one child.

From his breakout role in "The Boy Who Could Fly to 'Sonny Bono' in "The Sonny and Cher Story" to appearances at the Sundance Film Festival, Jay Underwood has enjoyed a career of much diversity both in the parts he's played and the mediums he's played in.

Underwood began his theatrical pursuits while growing up in the San Francisco Bay area and then went to a performing arts high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was there that Underwood received his "big break" into the movie business when he was chosen from a national casting search to play opposite Annabeth Gish, and Jon Voight in executive producer Robert Redford's "Desert Bloom." From there he moved to 'tinseltown' where, for over 20 years, he made his living as a working actor.

Underwood's film credits include three Sundance Film Festival participants "Dancing in September", "Valerie Flake", and "Possums." Other highlights are Billy Graham's "Road to Redemption", Alan Rudolph's "Afterglow", the Roger Corman cult classic "The Fantastic Four" (as Johnny Storm, The Human Torch), 'Bug' in "Uncle Buck," with John Candy, and Underwood's personal favorite, the title character in "The Boy Who Could Fly."

On the small screen Underwood had the incredible opportunity of portraying 'Sonny Bono' in "The Sonny and Cher Story" for ABC. He also is remembered for that lovable android 'Chip' in the Disney Channel trilogy "Not Quite Human". Other favorites would include young 'Ernest Hemingway' in "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," the mini-series "Blind Faith" with Robert Urich and "Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone" with the original marshal himself, Hugh O'Brien. Notable guest appearances include "Miracles", "X-Files," "E.R.," "The West Wing," "Star Trek Voyager" and "Millennium." And finally, (but certainly not least), the voice of 'Chester' the Goat in the classic animated Christmas special "The Legend of the Candy Cane."

His theater highlights include studying and performing at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco as well as the Minneapolis Children's Theater Company. In Los Angeles he was seen in "Grand Junction" and "Fortune in Men's Eyes" both at the Coast Playhouse and had a devilish good time playing 'Geoffrey' in the Pasadena Playhouse production of "The Lion in Winter."

More recently, Underwood felt God's call on his life to pursue full time Christian ministry. After starting seminary in 2003, he became a youth pastor and then after graduation in 2007, a full time pastor in a small northern California mountain town. He now lives in "God's country" with his wife, six children and a menagerie of pets. Says Underwood, "I imagine someday standing before the Lord and if He were to ask me what I did with the life that He gave me, I don't want to merely list off my acting credits which are things that really don't have a lot of eternal value, but I want to hear those words from Jesus, "Well done good and faithful servant" because I used the gifts that He gave me to serve Him." That being said, Underwood was convinced to come out of "retirement" to participate in the Christian movie "No Greater Love," produced by Coram Deo Studios, of which he is particularly proud to be a part of. To God be the glory!

Born in Arundel, Sussex, in 1948, Judy's father moved the family to London when she was 10 years old and enrolled her and sister Sally Geeson into the Corona Academy, Chiswick. Judy initially wanted to be a ballet dancer but had to change course when she suffered from terrible headaches as a result of some of the moves. Acting had always been a great interest, however, and she chose to pursue this, making her first TV appearance in Dixon of Dock Green (1955) aged 12. Her first major film role was as wayward teenager Pamela Dare opposite Sidney Poitier in To Sir, with Love (1967) at the age of 18.

After a very successful film run during the 1960s and 1970s, Judy took a trip to the US in October 1984, choosing to stay on for a while. By May 1985 she had met and married Kristoffer Tabori and moved to California. However, the marriage had broken down by 1989. Despite this, Judy chose to stay in the US, making her home in Los Angeles.

A tall, lean, sometimes bearded actor with a career lasting more than forty years, David Clennon is also a very vocal political agitator. In 1967, during the most savage years of U.S. aggression against Vietnam, Clennon turned in his Selective Service System identification card (a federal felony) and joined the draft resistance movement. His anti-war, anti-draft activities are included in the book "Confronting the War Machine," by Michael Foley. Appearing in Sam Shepard's "The Unseen Hand" in 1970, he began to establish himself in off-Broadway theater. He also performed in several regional theatres, and on Broadway, in Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" (1977). He began his film career as a background actor in "The Way We Were" (1973). His first speaking role was in "The Paper Chase" (also 1973).

As his career developed, he always tried to follow his moral and political convictions. He has turned down roles in films (e.g., "Just Cause," which promoted the death penalty) and television (e.g., Fox's "24," which promoted torture). In 2018, Clennon engaged in a campaign to alert Emmy voters to the half-truths, distortions and omissions in Ken Burns' PBS series "The Vietnam War," which is nominated for four Emmys. (It received none.) He has been arrested for civil disobedience, and he has clashed with the Hollywood establishment.

In spite of the prevalence of type-casting, David has managed to demonstrate considerable versatility. To every role that he plays, he tries to bring a sense of reality and a spark of humanity. He tends to be cast as educated, white-collar characters, but he occasionally breaks that mold with working class characters like Palmer in John Carpenter's "The Thing (1982)." He got his first film role in 1973 in "The Paper Chase" and followed up with Bound for Glory (1976), "Coming Home" (1978), and "Being There" (1979). In his movies, he has worked with Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, and Susan Sarandon. He moved into TV in the drama "The Migrants" and, with several roles, in the classic comedy "Barney Miller. He is most famous for his role as Miles Dentrell on the acclaimed drama thirtysomething (1987).

David was a regular on the CBS series "The Agency" (2001) playing the computer and forgery expert Joshua Nankin. When he publicly criticized the show for its pro-CIA slant, and its propaganda supporting George Bush's invasion of Iraq, he was attacked by Sean Hannity (with actor James Woods piling on) and political consultant Dick Morris.

Clennon appeared in three films by the late Hal Ashby and four by Costa-Gavras. He lists among his favorite films (or roles) "Being There," "Coming Home," "Go Tell the Spartans," "Missing," "Sweet Dreams," "Dos Crimenes" (Mexico), "Silver City," (Mort Seymour) "Syriana" and, of course, "The Thing" (Palmer).

In 2019, Clennon refused to audition for the upcoming Netflix series "Hit and Run" because it is co-produced by an Israeli company and he chose not to work under the authority of what he calls "a racist, apartheid state."