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1-50 of 54
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Vera Farmiga is an American actress who has received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Up in the Air (2009) and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in Bates Motel (2013) and When They See Us (2019).
She was born Vera Ann Farmiga, the second of seven children, on August 6, 1973, in Clifton, New Jersey, USA, to Ukrainian parents. She did not speak English until the age of six, and was raised in the Ukrainian Catholic home of her mother, Luba (Spas), a schoolteacher, and her father, Michael Farmiga, a computer systems analyst. Her younger sister is actress Taissa Farmiga, who is 21 years her junior. Young Vera was a shy, nearsighted girl, who played piano and folk danced with a Ukrainian touring company in her teens.
In 1991, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Farmiga initially dreamed of becoming an optometrist, but she later changed her mind and studied acting at Syracuse University's School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1995. The following year, she began her professional acting career, making her Broadway debut as an understudy in the play "Taking Sides". Her stage credits included performances in "The Tempest", "Good", "The Seagull", and in a well-reviewed off-Broadway production of "Second-Hand Smoke" (1997). That same year, she made her television debut as the female lead, opposite a then-unknown Heath Ledger, in Fox's adventure series Roar (1997).
In 1998, Farmiga made her big screen debut in the drama Return to Paradise (1998), then played the daughters of Christopher Walken in The Opportunists (1999) and Richard Gere in Autumn in New York (2000). She starred as a working-class mother struggling to keep her life and marriage together while hiding her drug addiction in Down to the Bone (2004), for which she was awarded Best Actress from the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Farmiga's acting talent shone in a range of characters, from her role as a senator's daughter in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the wife of a mobster in Running Scared (2006), a humorous prostitute in Breaking and Entering (2006), and a police psychiatrist in The Departed (2006).
In 2010, Farmiga received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Up in the Air (2009). In 2011, she made her directorial debut with the drama Higher Ground (2011), in which she also appeared in the leading role. Although the film had a limited release, Farmiga's direction and performance received attention at several festivals. In 2013, she began starring in the drama thriller series Bates Motel (2013), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in the first season. In 2019, she received a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination, this time in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie category, for her role in the drama miniseries When They See Us (2019).
Farmiga was formerly married to actor Sebastian Roché, whom she met during production of Roar (1997). The two eloped to the Bahamas after the series ended in 1997. They separated and subsequently divorced in 2004. On September 13, 2008, she married musician Renn Hawkey, with whom she has two children, son Fynn McDonnell (b. 2009) and daughter Gytta Lubov Hawkey (b. 2010). Farmiga lives with her family in Hudson Valley, New York. Her other activities, outside her acting profession, include reading, playing piano, boxing, jujitsu, and spending time with her pet angora goats.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors of his generation both in his native Great Britain and internationally, Benjamin John Whishaw was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, to Linda (Hope), who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James. He is of French, German, Russian (father) and English (mother) descent.
Ben attended Samuel Whitbread Community College where his interest in theatre grew and he became a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. During his time there he rose to prominence in many productions, most notably If This Is a Man, based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of Nazi World War II prisoner of war camp. The play was taken to the Edinburgh Festival in 1995 where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim with Ben Whishaw getting rave reviews for his portrayal of Levi.
Ben then enrolled in, RADA from where he graduated in 2004 and soon landed the role of Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production making him one of the youngest actors to portray Hamlet on-stage. Hamlet opened to rave reviews with many critics hailing Ben as the next Laurence Olivier and applauding his portrayal of Hamlet with leading critics haling the birth of a star. Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake (2004) and Christopher Morris 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley (2005), in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards (for My Brother Tom (2001)) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Stephen Woolley biopic Stoned (2005). Whishaw played in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly getting raves once again for his stunning portrayal. Whishaw appeared in 2007's I'm Not There (2007) as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations and in 2008 in Criminal Justice (2008) a TV series. He appears in the forthcoming films The Tempest (2010) and Bright Star (2009).- Sofia Black-D'Elia grew up in northern New Jersey with her parents and older brother, Kyle. Her mother is of Russian Jewish descent and her father is of Italian ancestry. Prior to graduating Clifton High School, Sofia booked her first role in All My Children and discovered an affinity for acting. Soon after, she began her study of the craft at The William Esper Studio under the wonderful instruction of Mr. Bill Esper. Now a dedicated graduate of his two year Meisner program, Sofia happily lives in New York City.
- Lisa Arturo was born on 21 May 1968 in Clifton, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for American Pie 2 (2001), Bullets Over Broadway (1994) and NYPD Blue (1993).
- Actress
- Writer
- Sound Department
Jessie James Grelle was born in Clifton, Texas, USA as Joshua James Ervin Grelle. They are an actor and writer, known for Attack on Titan (2013), Psycho-Pass: The Movie (2015) and Infinite Stratos (2011). They have been married to Joanna Beatty since April 22, 2017. Jessie James Grelle uses they/them pronouns.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Challis is an accomplished character actor, personality and raconteur whose wide-ranging career has gone from classical roles on the stage to heavies in television drama, a multitude of policemen, sitcom stardom, pantomime performances and even a one-man show.
He wanted to act from a young age but was encouraged to get a "proper" job, so he worked as a trainee estate agent for a short time. He also had a job delivering groceries. He got into acting through a travelling children's theatre and never attended drama school. Performances in regional repertory theatre followed. He ended up in the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1960s and made his television debut in The Newcomers (1965). His imposing physical stature helped him gain roles as police officers in Softly Softly (1966) and Crown Court (1972). He was also cast in a recurring role in the BBC's long-running police drama Z Cars (1962) as Sergeant Culshaw. He then played heavies in The Sweeney (1975) and Doctor Who (1963) (both for director Douglas Camfield, who would also later cast him in Beau Geste (1982)).
He worked with David Jason for the first time in the sitcom Open All Hours (1976). In 1980, he landed a guest role (as another policeman) in Citizen Smith (1977). His performance impressed the writer, John Sullivan, so much that he promised he would find another part for him. This led to him being cast as Boycie, the second-hand car salesman, in the first series of Only Fools and Horses (1981). It would go on to become one of the longest-running and most popular sitcoms of all time and Challis would be a regular in it. In 2005, Challis began starring in a spin-off, The Green Green Grass (2005). In 2011, he released his autobiography, "Being Boycie", which was followed by "Boycie & Beyond" in 2012. These led to Challis entertaining audiences by touring a one-man show, "Only Fools and Boycie".- Sandra Purpuro was born on 10 April 1969 in Clifton, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for The Shield (2002), NYPD Blue (1993) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Robert Leeshock recently executive produced the award winning, Sci-Fi, cult classic, StarLeaf. He trained with Wynn Handman of the American Place Theater in New York City. With more than 30 years experience in tv/film, voice-over and modeling, he was excited to add producer to his list of credits. He is best known for his portrayal of lead character Liam Kincaid in Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" derivative series Earth: Final Conflict. He is still recognized on the streets for his early work on the original 90210. Robert has starred in 40 national commercials and counting. Robert continues to pursue his acting and producing opportunities here in Los Angeles and in New York City.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Paige Sciarrino is an Italian & Syrian actor, screenwriter, and producer born & raised in Northern New Jersey. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with her BFA in Acting from Montclair State University and went on to found 501(c)3 Non Profit theater company, Normal Ave, based in NYC, as well as Writer in the Dark, a film collective based in NJ. She wrote, produced, and starred in short films "Rolling" and "the blue light stays on". The latter won "Best Original Idea" at the Reale Film Festival and her work on screen in the film was nominated for "Best Actress" at the New Jersey Film Awards. The film also took home awards for "Best Female Filmmaker" and "Best Supporting Actress" and was then picked up for distribution and is available on Amazon Prime. "Where the Light Enters", her latest short film, deals with her real life experiences of being an actress who recently suffered from third degree burns that left visible scars on her hands, neck, and face. The film was a finalist at the New York Short Film Festival and an Honorable Mention at the Blackbird Film Festival.- Actor
- Soundtrack
I.M. Hobson was born on 11 August 1935 in Clifton, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). He died on 29 December 2003 in Evanston, Wyoming, USA.- Harry Strang was born on 13 December 1892 in Clifton, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Come on, Leathernecks! (1938), Calling Philo Vance (1940) and The Ghost Walks (1934). He died on 10 April 1972 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Shanann Watts was born on 10 January 1984 in Clifton, New Jersey, USA. She was married to Chris Watts. She died on 13 August 2018 in Frederick, Colorado, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
Kathleen Howard was born on 27 July 1884 in Clifton, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress and writer, known for It's a Gift (1934), Ball of Fire (1941) and Death Takes a Holiday (1934). She was married to Edward Kellogg Baird (lawyer). She died on 15 August 1956 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was boxing's most feared middleweight contender in the early 1960s. Standing only 5' 8" tall and weighing 160 lbs., he nevertheless had one of the most muscular builds in the sport. With a shaved head, Fu Manchu mustache and bulging muscles, he sent shudders and shakes through his opponents. A self-proclaimed "wild" child, Carter was from a family of four girls and four boys. He spent much of his youth in reform schools. He escaped from Allendale Reformatory in 1953 and joined the U.S. army. He credits the army with straightening him out. He served as a paratrooper and was stationed in Europe, where he started fighting for the Army Boxing Team. However, when it was learned he had escaped from jail, he was returned there to serve an additional nine months. After being released he admitted to becoming a heavy drinker and street brawler. He was sentenced to six years in prison for beating a man so badly that the man was sent to the hospital. After serving 4-1/2 years, Carter was released and introduced to Carmine Tedeschis by his uncle. Tedeschis, who had a local construction business, gave Carter a job and began managing him to a professional career. Carter turned pro in 1961, and by June 1963 after only 19 fights (16-3), was rated 10th in the world. After scoring brutal first-round knockouts over Florentino Fernandez and World Welterweight Champion Emile Griffith, Carter received his title fight. He lost a 15-round nod to champion Joey Giardello. Carter's career was in and out over the next year before he and another man were arrested for a triple murder and convicted in an ensuing trial. After serving almost 30 years in prison he was finally released when a judge ruled that he had been wrongly convicted. He wrote a best-selling novel entitled the 16th Round.
- Katie Layman was born on 9 July 1949 in Clifton, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Say Anything (1989), Another World (1964) and Moonlighting (1985). She died on 26 October 2014.
- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Composer
Jake Bugg was born on 28 February 1994 in Clifton, Nottingham, England, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Dumb and Dumber To (2014) and Alex Rider (2020).- Actor
- Casting Department
Lawrence Shagawat was born in Clifton, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Crown Prince of Christmas (2022), Scarier Than Jason Voorhees at a Camp Fire (2023) and Freaks.- Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author with roots in Scotland. She lost her mother at an early age, and was raised by her maternal grandparents. She began to keep a diary and discovered at the age of 10 that she could write poetry. After college she became a teacher but kept writing. In 1908 her first novel, "Anne of Green Gables", was published after having been rejected by several publishers. It was a success. She followed up with a whole series of novels about Anne, and many other stories as well, including a second series starting with "Emily of New Moon". The novels about Anne and Emily are semi-autobiographical and contain many of her own memories from the 1880s and 1890s on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Her novels have been published in over 40 languages, and Anne is known all over the world. Mongomery's books are particularly popular in Japan.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
New York native Keith Collins is an award winning actor, producer and advocate. Collins has starred in and produced numerous feature films and has also worked alongside multiple Academy Award and Emmy winners and nominees. Over the years, Collins has appeared in diverse projects spanning film, television, national print advertisements, commercials and media publications.
Most recently, Collins starred in and produced the award winning 2019 thriller, The Samaritans which has been distributed by VIVA Pictures and available on all major VOD platforms. Collins also starred in and produced the horror / thriller The Evangelist which signed for distribution with ITN Films & Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released worldwide in 2017. Collins was the lead in the comedy film's The Jersey Devil & The Coffee Shop as well as the horror/thrillers Awake in the Woods, Gravedigger and The Meat Puppet a film (Collins created, starred and produced; was awarded best actor in a feature film at the 2012 Atlantic City Cinefest Film Festival) all of these films were distributed worldwide in 2015. Collins' latest project "Rock, Paper, Scissors" a suspenseful thriller is currently in post production.
Collins' additional film credits include the national theatrically released film Games People Play: New York (a memorable role where his character has Tourette Syndrome), Stuck in the Middle, Echelon 8, controversial film O.B.A.M Nude, theatrically released An Affirmative Act, The Life Zone, The Great Fight, Little Big Boy, A Fight For Survival, international released film Avantgarde, Reunion 108 and many more.
Collins appeared in a nationally televised Coors Light commercial alongside basketball legend Charles Barkley, has been featured on Sex & the City and the soap Guiding Light. He also had a recurring role on Fuse TV The F List.
Collins was the face of underwear line "Play" and was featured nationally in 2006. He has also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Wilke Rodriguez, Ron Chereskin, French Connection and Nike. He has been featured in numerous national fashion and industry magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Surface, Gotham, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Ocean Drive, DNR, Vegas, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, & Show Business Weekly.
Collins has also been billed as one of NYC's former top celebrity party promoters and A-list event planner. He is the founder of KCM, Inc. and has been named in national publications and gossip columns such as New York Post's Page Six, The New York Daily News' Confidential and Rush & Molloy.
Keith Collins is an advocate for Tourette Syndrome and brings this disorder to light by sharing his own personal struggles with the disorder.- Music Department
- Composer
PJ Ramirez is a composer and musician based out of Texas. He writes, records, performs, and produces music for film and television as well as for various artists including his own music projects "Fervent Roze" and "The Crossroad Turnaround". He graduated from Tarleton State University with a degree in Music. He aims to be the very best, like no one ever was. His dream is to land an animated series some day.- Betsy Ames was born on 26 October 1942 in Clifton Springs, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Wedding Crashers (2005), Pecker (1998) and Kennedy (1983). She was married to William J. McFarland and Sheppard K. Ames Jr.. She died on 14 March 2009 in Oxford, Maryland, USA.
- Editorial Department
- Editor
- Actress
Elizabeth Czyzewski was born in Clifton, New Jersey, USA. She is an editor and actress, known for Maleficent (2014), Safe House (2012) and Get Smart (2008).- Michael Noel was born on 13 May 1954 in Clifton Forge, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Dudley Town (2006) and The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1998). He died on 12 October 2006 in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Born in New Jersey, he moved with his family to Nebraska when he was 16 years old. Graduated from high school in Elkhorn, Nebraska. After graduation, he performed in regional theater. He is a company member of Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre, where he serves as technical director. He is adapting Bram Stoker's "Dracula" for performance in October 2003. Has two brothers and two sisters.
He does impressions of Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Keanu Reeves, Sylvester Stallone and has a near photographic memory. He auditioned for "A Scent of a Woman" and was second in the running. Has starred in a short film by Nik Fackler.- Peter France was born on 2 April 1931 in Clifton, near Brighouse, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Tales from the Madhouse (2000), Family Portrait (1976) and Everyman (1977). He was married to Felicia Sproule Lambe and Charlene Osmond-Jones. He died on 27 March 2021 in Patmos, Greece.