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1-50 of 474
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in Burbank, California, USA on October 18, 1960, Erin Moran was the youngest daughter of Sharon and Edward Moran, who have five other children. She attended Walter Reed Junior High School for one year and North Hollywood High School for another year. Her first professional acting job was in a TV commercial. She played Richie Cunningham's baby sister, Joanie Cunningham, on ABC's Happy Days (1974), however, this was not Erin's first major TV series. She was a regular on the series, Daktari (1966). She has also made guest appearances on TV series such as The Waltons (1972), Family Affair (1966), My Three Sons (1960), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969), Gunsmoke (1955), The Smith Family (1971) and The F.B.I. (1965).
Erin Moran has worked on feature films with Debbie Reynolds in How Sweet It Is! (1968), with Godfrey Cambridge in Watermelon Man (1970) and with Wayne Newton in 80 Steps to Jonah (1969).
Like many other child actors, Erin had difficulty finding roles as an adult. Following the cancellation of Happy Days (1974) in 1984, she made occasional guest appearances on scripted and reality shows. She eventually moved away from Hollywood after her home was foreclosed on.
On April 22, 2017, she died in Corydon, Indiana where she had been living with her husband of 23 years. She was 56 years old.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Born in Seattle, Frances Farmer studied drama at the University of Washington, Seattle. In 1935, she went to Hollywood where she secured a seven-year contract with Paramount. In 1943, she was wrongfully declared mentally incompetent and committed by her parents to a series of asylums and public mental hospitals, leading to a false rumor that she received a lobotomy. After seven years she was released, and spent some of the remaining years of her life tending the parents who had committed her and taking odd jobs. She appeared on This Is Your Life (1950), and then her own TV show, Frances Farmer Presents (1958) for six years. She died of cancer in 1970.- Actor
- Director
Ken Kercheval was born on 15 July 1935 in Wolcottville, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Dallas (1978), Network (1976) and The Secret Storm (1954). He was married to Cheryl Paris, Ava Ruth Fox and Judith Peters Launt. He died on 21 April 2019 in Clinton, Indiana USA.- Actress
- Writer
Dorothy Tristan was born on 9 May 1934 in Yorkville Heights, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Klute (1971), The Looking Glass (2015) and Scarecrow (1973). She was married to John D. Hancock and Aram Avakian. She died on 7 January 2023 in LaPorte, Indiana, USA.- Thomas Hill was born on 2 June 1927 in Landour, Mussoorie, India. He was an actor, known for The NeverEnding Story (1984), The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) and Firefox (1982). He died on 20 April 2009 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
- Brunette French actress of Russian or Polish ancestry. A former model, she got her big break in films courtesy of an affair with the notorious womanizing mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, who cast her as a member of the French Resistance in The Longest Day (1962). She played seven roles of diverse ethnicity in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965), but thereafter pretty much faded from the scene.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
David Emge was born in 1946 in Evansville, Indiana. Emge studied drama at the University of Evansville and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending college David got drafted and served in the army during the Vietnam war. He began his acting career on stage at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in 1971. Emge made his film debut in the lowbrow comedy "The Booby Hatch." In addition, he briefly lived in Washington, D.C., where he performed in dinner theater. Emge moved to New York City in 1976. David was working as a chef at a New York City restaurant when he was cast as the meek and bumbling helicopter pilot Stephen in George Romero's outstanding "Dawn of the Dead." Emge went back to acting in live theater following his "Dawn of the Dead" stint. David Emge has acted in only two other movies to date: he's grotesquely malformed freak Half Moon in "Basket Case 2" and activist reporter Robert in "Hellmaster."- Irene Vernon was born on 16 January 1922 in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Fireside Theatre (1949), Bewitched (1964) and The Sound of Fury (1950). She was married to Emmanuel Rosenberg. She died on 21 April 1998 in South Bend, Indiana, USA.
- Robert Swan was born on 20 October 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Natural Born Killers (1994), The Untouchables (1987) and Hoosiers (1986). He was married to Barbara. He died on 9 August 2023 in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, USA.
- Kent Poole was born on 9 December 1963 in Lebanon, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Hoosiers (1986) and Fresh Horses (1988). He was married to Judi Johnson. He died on 11 September 2003 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA.
- Timothy McVeigh was born on 23 April 1968 in Lockport, New York, USA. He died on 11 June 2001 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA.
- Tiffany Leigh Smith was born on 31 October 1979 in Greenfield, Indiana, USA. Tiffany Leigh died on 2 January 1987 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Mark Dodson was born on 1 February 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Gremlins (1984), Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). He was married to Teresa Kay Willey and Tanya Lee Christopherson. He died on 2 March 2024 in Evansville, Indiana, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Otis Harlan was born on 29 December 1865 in Zanesville, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Show Boat (1929), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and Nine and Three-Fifths Seconds (1925). He was married to Nellie Harvey. He died on 21 January 1940 in Martinsville, Indiana, USA.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Peter Spellos was born on 1 March 1954 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for City of Angels (1998), Men in Black II (2002) and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). He was married to Linda Hautala. He died on 19 November 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.- Ryan White was born in Kokomo, Indiana in 1971. A hemophiliac, Ryan regularly needed injections of blood products to survive. In 1985 at the age of 13, it was discovered that Ryan contracted the AIDS virus, sometime during the previous year, from tainted blood. His case got national attention when his school expelled him when they learned about his disease. Not wanting to lie down and die that easily, Ryan and his parents took the school to court, where they won the right for him to return to class. As a result of Ryan's courage and outspokenness to take on his own school board, be became one of the USA's most visible spokesperson on the AIDS crisis. During 1985-1989, he appeared at schools and AIDS fundraisers throughout the country and gave moving testimony before the President's Commission on AIDS. He was befriended by many celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Elton John, Phil Donahue and Elizabeth Taylor, AIDS activists themselves. Despite overwhelming international attention, Ryan never lost his sense of priorities with his schoolwork or life in general. AIDS finally claimed Ryan's life on April 8, 1990 at the age of 18.
- Gloria Dorson was born on 25 May 1931 in the USA. She was an actress, known for Total Recall (1990), Hoosiers (1986) and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997). She was married to Richard M. Dorson. She died on 19 January 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Jordan Lee Williams recieved his BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied under Mel Shapiro. He has done a lot of theater work as well as his starring roles in the X-Files game and The Sounding.
- Actress
- Composer
Lil Bub is a celebrity cat who was born on June 21, 2011. The runt of her litter, she was born with several genetic mutations, including having a shorter lower jaw (causing her tongue to always hang out), no teeth, and dwarfism. She also suffers from the bone disorder osteopetrosis and is polydactyl, having an extra toe on each paw. She gained fame on the internet after her owner, Mike Bridavsky, posted pictures of her on Tumblr. She frequently makes appearances for charity and has traveled to promote her book "Lil Bub's Lil Book: The Extraordinary Life of the Most Amazing Cat on the Planet", her documentary "Lil Bub & Friendz", and her record Science & Magic. A portion of all profits made on her merchandise sales goes to animal rescue groups.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Cannonball Adderley was born on 15 September 1928 in Tampa, Florida, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Mindhunters (2004) and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). He was married to Olga James. He died on 8 August 1975 in Gary, Indiana, USA.- Michael Peter Spilotro was born in Chicago on September 12, 1944 to parents Pasquale and Antoinette. He had five brothers, Vincent, Victor, Pasquale Jr, Tony, and John. Michael was the youngest of the six sons. His father owned a restaurant in Chicago where all the brothers were required to help out. However, most of the brothers preferred to hang with the wrong crowd, the petty thieves and hoodlums. In the following years Michael's brother Tony became involved in gambling, collecting and other criminal activity with people affiliated with organized crime. In later years his brother Tony became a "made" member of the Chicago La Cosa Nostra otherwise known as The Outfit and was sent to Las Vegas to oversee and control the mobs business there within the casinos. Michael was brought into the mob's activities by his brother as well as activities of Tony's that were forbidden by the Chicago Outfit. On June 13, 1986, Tony was called back to Chicago from Las Vegas to attend a "meeting" with some of the top brass of the mob. Michael who shuttled to and from Las Vegas but kept his main residence in Chicago, was also required to attend this supposed meeting.
On June 14, 1986, Michael and his brother Tony met with some of their people and were driven to what they originally thought was another members home in Indiana but instead were driven to an Indiana cornfield and beaten to a pulp with "bats, fists and feet" as the news reports stated when their bodies were found on June 23, 1986 in a shallow grave in the cornfield.
Michael had been introduced to acting by his friend Robert Conrad whom he had met while managing a bar on the West side of Chicago. The movie Casino is the true story, with the real names changed, of his brother Tonys (portrayed by Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro) and everyone around him including Michael (portrayed by Philip Suriano as Dominick Santoro) and basically the entire Chicago Outfits rise and fall from power and control in Las Vegas. The final scene is a reenactment of the two brothers' final moments here on earth. - Sylvia Likens was born on 3 January 1949 in Lebanon, Indiana, USA. She died on 26 October 1965 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Bobby Knight was born in Massillon, Ohio, and grew up in Orrville, Ohio. He began playing organized basketball at Orrville High School. Knight continued at Ohio State in 1958 when he played for Basketball Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor. Despite being a star player in high school, he played a reserve role as a forward on the 1960 Ohio State Buckeyes team that won the NCAA Championship and featured players John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas. After completion of graduation from Ohio State University in 1962, he coached junior varsity basketball at Cuyahoga Falls High School in Ohio for one year. Knight then enlisted in the United States Army and accepted an assistant coaching position. In six seasons at West Point, Knight won 102 games, with his first as a head coach coming against Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
In 1979 Knight guided the United States Pan American team to a gold medal in Puerto Rico. In 1984 Knight led the U.S. national team to a gold medal in the Olympic Games as coach of the 1984 basketball team. - Tony Spilotro was born on 19 May 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was married to Nancy Stuart. He died on 14 June 1986 in Indiana, USA.
- Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. was born on 30 June 1951 in Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, USA. He died on 26 June 2019 in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, USA.
- The son of the governor of Indiana, Lew Wallace lived in Indianapolis as a young boy. He served in the Mexican War, and afterwards became a lawyer and was elected to the state Senate. He served again in the Union army during the Civil War, reaching the rank of major general. He was noted for repulsing an attempted raid by Confederate Gen. Jubal Early on Washington, DC, in 1864. After the Civil War, Wallace was appointed governor of New Mexico Territory and later minister to Turkey. He was a prolific author, although he is most famous for "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ", which was turned into a play that was produced on Broadway and later filmed several times, the most famous one being Ben-Hur (1959).
- Actor
- Composer
- Director
Jack Rooney was born in Hammond, Indiana. The son of an Indiana Ironworker, Jack grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, and after completing military service in the US Army, Jack returned to Terre Haute and attended Indiana State University, majoring in Philosophy and English. In 1976 Jack entered Graduate School at Northern Arizona University, majoring in English/Creative writing and American Literature. After completing Graduate studies, Jack returned to Indiana to begin his present career in filmmaking. To date, Jack has worked on and appeared in more than twenty feature films, at first as a crewmember and bit part player in large productions, such as, "Natural Born Killers", "The Negotiator", "I Love Trouble", "Blue Chips", "Rudy", and the highly rated television series, "The Untouchables". Armed with this extensive educational background and work experience, Jack quickly moved up the ladder of showbusiness to Writer/Director/Actor, and has starred in and directed a number of feature motion pictures, including "Deadly Discovery", "Our Burden Is Light", and the classic film, "Pushed Too Far" starring the late Claude Akins. Jack presently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Red Foley made his professional debut as a singer in Chicago. He was later discovered by a talent scout at Kentucky's Georgetown College. His mother and father operated a little store at the crossroads in Blue Lick, Kentucky. His father took an old guitar as part payment on an account and gave it to Red. By the time he was seven he was playing with the best of them. Later his family moved Berea, Kentucky while Red continued his "musical education'. In high school he played basketball and ran track. At this time he entered an Atwater-Kent amateur contest and reached the state finals in Louisville. Red was on his way. In the 1930's Red shared the stage on "National Barndance", with Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and a pint-size yodeling cowboy named George Goebel. He left there in 1937 and moved to Cincinnati, and joined the cast of a cross-the-board network show on which he starred with Red Skelton and singer Jeannette Davis. Red signed with Decca records in 1939 and had only ordinary success for several years. Red thought he needed greater exposure and in 1944, he headline R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's Saturday night portion n Nashville "Grand Ole Opry. " From that time he was one of America's best loved country singers. Some of his all-time great hits included "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy", "Peace In The Valley", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", and "Steal Away". After the death of his first wife, Eva, in 1952, he departed the "Grand Ole Opry", to care for his remaining three unmarried daughters. He remained in virtual retirement until 1954 when Razorback Productions of Springfield, Mo., then the nation's largest producers of country music shows, persuaded Red to star in a new quarter hour series. Sparking Red's interest, he wanted to produce an "Opry" type show. The result was "The Ozark Jubilee", which opened in Springfield's Jewell Theater on July 17, 1954. Only three weeks after the show debuted, the ABC radio network began carrying a 25 minute portion every Saturday night. It's immediate popularity led to the new ABC TV show "Ozark Jubilee". Red remarried to Sally Sweet and made his home in Springfield, Mo. Red sang in the Inaugural Ball for President Truman in 1949 and also in a federal court(as a witness to the ownership rights to "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy".- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Ray Brown was born on 13 October 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Just Cause (1995), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and Bird (1988). He was married to Cecilia Brown and Ella Fitzgerald. He died on 2 July 2002 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.- Wil Dewitt was born on 2 April 1921. He was an actor, known for Hoosiers (1986). He died on 2 January 2003 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Giorgio Tozzi was born on 8 January 1923 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1971), South Pacific (1958) and Amahl and the Night Visitors (1978). He was married to Monte Amundsen and Catherine Dieringer. He died on 30 May 2011 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.- Curley Myers was born on 1 April 1920 in Boone County, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Three Stooges Show (1960) and Harlow Hickenlooper (2010). He was married to Anne Gordon and Algilee Wright. He died on 19 May 2013 in Mulberry, Indiana, USA.
- Alan Roger Currie was born in Gary, Indiana, and is the youngest of two sons born to Clarence & Mildred Currie;
Currie was the Grand Prize Winner of the 1989 Chicago Miller Lite Beer Comedy Search Contest, the same contest that launched the career of well-known comic Sheryl Underwood, and one year later, provided a jump start to the career of the late Bernie Mac, who was the 1990 Grand Prize Winner.
Currie is the author of the popular paperback, "Mode One: Let The Women Know What You're REALLY Thinking" which has attracted attention both domestically and internationally. He has appeared in a number of local and regional television commercials in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s, and has also hosted his own talk radio show entitled "Upfront & Straightforward with Alan Roger Currie." - Actress
- Soundtrack
Lyn Wilde was born on 10 October 1922 in East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Twice Blessed (1945), Campus Honeymoon (1948) and Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944). She was married to Dwight Oberlink and Jim Cathcart. She died on 11 September 2016 in Michigan City, Indiana, USA.- Sandra Elaine Allen was born on 18 June 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Casanova (1976), Side Show (1981) and Being Different (1981). She died on 13 August 2008 in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA.
- Wally Bruner was born on 4 March 1931 in Ames, Iowa, USA. He was a producer, known for Wally's Workshop (1972), What's My Line? (1968) and He Said, She Said (1969). He was married to Natalie Bruner and Patricia Ray Thomas. He died on 3 November 1997 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Dottie Collins was born on 23 September 1923 in Inglewood, California, USA. She was married to Harvey Collins. She died on 12 August 2008 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
Tex Terry was born on 22 August 1902 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Death Valley Days (1952), Sweethearts on Parade (1953) and Rough Riders of Cheyenne (1945). He was married to Isabel Draesemer and Dorothy Peters. He died on 18 May 1985 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA.- Sammy Terry was a television horror host based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The role was originated by Robert "Bob" Carter in 1962, and Carter's son Mark Carter took over the role from his father in 2010. Bob Carter (1929-2013) was a television personality who appeared mostly on Indianapolis local television station WTTV, regularly during the 1960s and 1970s, and sporadically through the late 1980s. The format of Carter's show as Sammy Terry, Nightmare Theater, usually involved the showing of two films. During the commercial breaks, Carter, in character as Sammy Terry (a pun based on the word "cemetery"), would engage in camp banter with the audience and his floating rubber spider, "George". This banter often included some commentary on the films being shown, which included classic films as well as many less-than-stellar productions common to the horror film era of the 1930s through the early 1960s. Carter died on June 30, 2013.
- Al Wiggins was born on 4 July 1936 in Waller County, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Road Trip (2000), Drumline (2002) and Nell (1994). He was married to Barbara Stum. He died on 22 February 2017 in Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
J.J. Johnson was born on 22 January 1924 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was a composer, known for Shaft (1971), Sea of Love (1989) and Cleopatra Jones (1973). He was married to Carolyn and Vivian. He died on 4 February 2001 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.- Maurice Leon Havis was born on 6 July 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Cooley High (1975). He died on 1 January 2017 in Michigan City, Indiana, USA.
- Carl Erskine was born on 13 December 1926 in Anderson, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Hoosier Legends (2013), 1949 World Series (1949) and Roogie's Bump (1954). He was married to Betty. He died on 16 April 2024 in Anderson, Indiana, USA.
- Additional Crew
First President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America, Will H. Hays had a distinguished career as a politician before that, most notably as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1918-21) and as U.S. Postmaster General under Warren Harding (1921-22). As Postmaster General, he was an outspoken opponant of sending obscene materials through the mails. Thus, when Hollywood's producers and studio heads decided to form their own watchdog organization after several major scandals during the early 1920's (Arbuckle, Wallace Reed), they felt that Hays was the perfect man for the job. Beginning in 1922, and for more than two decades thereafter, it was a job that Hays took very seriously, and it reached its apex with the adoption of the so-called, highly restrictive Hays Code in 1934. By the late 1940's, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that films were protected under the First Amendment, and Hays felt his power starting to slip. As American films went in new and different directions, the various restrictions in the Hays Code began to erode under Hays and his immediate successors, Joseph Breen, Eric Johnson, and Jack Valenti, the latter of whom essentially scrapped the Hays Code in 1967 in favor of the present-day rating system. For good or ill, Will Hays was a force to be reckoned with in the history of American films, and his influence is still being felt, and debated, today.- Harold Piest Jr. was born on 11 May 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was married to Elizabeth Piest. He died on 2 November 2006 in Michigan City, Indiana, USA.
- George Willeford was born on 27 November 1920 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Rifleman (1958). He died on 15 July 1994 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actor
John D. Craig was born on 10 November 1935 in Brazil, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Eight Men Out (1988) and The F.B.I. (1965). He died on 20 November 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Ivan Rogers was born on September 20, 1954, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is one of the three sons of Paul B. Rogers, an independent building contractor, and Ola M. Rogers, a professional secretary. He attended Pike High School in Indianapolis, graduating in 1972. Immediately after graduation he attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, on a music scholarship as a percussion major. While there he began studying karate in his spare time, eventually achieving the level of second-degree black belt. Academic life began to pale compared to performing professionally, so he left the university to go on the road and play music. He traveled extensively with various bands until he tired of the night life and living out of a suitcase. It was then he decided to leave the music business and further pursue his interest in karate. He began fighting (kickboxing) professionally and rose to the status of world-rated light-heavyweight. After one of his bouts Rogers was approached by an executive from a video disc company and asked to write, produce and star in an educational video disc teaching basic karate and self-defense. He accepted the offer and completed the project, which proved to be successful for both Rogers and the company. Rogers followed the disc with a similar program for the videotape market, and it, too, was successful. Rogers, now infatuated with the entire creative filmmaking process, decided to accept a new challenge: writing a dramatic script for a feature film, as opposed to writing an educational script for video. Though he had many ideas for stories, he realized putting them into the correct format on paper required more knowledge than he had at the time, so he began to read everything he could lay his hands on about writing scripts for feature films. He enjoyed the process of scriptwriting and decided to seek and live more of the "writer's life". He moved to Maui, Hawaii, where he managed a youth center, taught karate and wrote. In 1984 Rogers completed his first feature-length script, entitled "The Pivot". He entered it in an international scriptwriting contest sponsored by Writer's Digest magazine. The results were very favorable. Out of thousands of contestants, his script placed in the top 70, which was designated as the Winner's category. This further motivated him to pursue scriptwriting as a career. He began to miss his involvement in karate and the "fight game" in general, however, so he began promoting kickboxing bouts in the islands. During one of his promotions he was approached by a health club owner and asked to teach karate and train fighters at the health club. After he learned more about the health and fitness business, he decided to buy into the club and become a part owner. he helped build the Atlantis Health and Fitness Center into one of the largest health, fitness and professional karate training centers in the South Pacific. Word of Rogers' success spread to Los Angeles, where Maui native Mike Stone heard of Rogers and his work. On a visit back to Maui, Stone arranged to meet with Rogers and subsequently learned of his aspirations and writing abilities. Stone, who had experience in the filmmaking business on both sides of the camera, shared his knowledge and experience with Rogers and urged him to move to Los Angeles to further his film career. Rogers took Stone's advice, and when he arrived in Los Angeles the two collaborated on a script entitled "The Angkor Rescue", which was later retitled and filmed as Tigershark (1987). Funding was put together and Stone starred in the film with John Quade, with Emmett Alston as director. The movie was shot in the Philippines and distributed worldwide by Manson International. With one screenwriting credit to his name, Rogers had the good fortune to meet screenwriter James R. Silke and, under Silke's tutelage, Rogers further honed his screenwriting skills. He then began to shop his properties to various producers in Los Angeles. It was this experience that made Rogers aware of how little control writers in general, and he in particular, had over his projects and his future in the film industry. He knew the solution to his problem was to produce the films himself. While in a meeting with Stone, Rogers made the acquaintance of producer and production manager Robert E. Waters. A subsequent conversation with Waters in which Rogers restated his ideas and eventual goals reinforced his belief that producing his own films was in fact a necessity. Waters shared all he knew about the process of making a feature film with Rogers, who in turn combined his own writing skills and all that Waters taught him about filmmaking to make a movie of his own. Rogers wrote an action feature script entitled "No Way Out" (eventually filmed under the title One Way Out (1987) due to a title dispute with 20th Century-Fox). Rogers put together a promotional package to raise funds to produce the film. In an attempt to arouse interest in that package, Rogers approached several Hollywood stars about participating in the project, and--in another lesson learned--realized he was not interested in working with prima donna agents and/or talent. It was not until he met producer/director/actor Fred Williamson that Rogers considered starring in the film himself. As Williamson had long worn many hats simultaneously in his various film projects, Rogers felt he could duplicate the same feat. Though Williamson strongly encouraged Rogers to move forward with the project and star in it, he also cautioned Rogers that such an undertaking can be a tremendous "strain on the brain". Taking that advice to heart, Rogers hired director Paul Kyriazi to helm the picture, with Rogers producing and starring. After being schooled on the basics of acting for the movie camera by Williamson and Kyriazi, and with funding in place, Rogers returned to his hometown of Indianapolis to shoot his first feature film. Once there, he received great cooperation from the city and state governments, the Indianapolis police and fire departments and tremendous support from family and friends. Kyriazi shot the film in three weeks. The picture was screened at the Cannes International Film Festival and Market in May of 1987 and not only did Rogers receive a positive review from film industry trade paper "Variety", but the movie went on to achieve great commercial success internationally. Having been accepted by international audiences, Rogers followed with another action film that he wrote, produced and starred in, entitled Two Wrongs Make a Right (1987). Unfortunately, he learned from this picture that not everyone in "the business" is honest or necessarily sincere. He found himself in a legal dispute over revenues from pre-sales of the film, as well as distribution rights for overseas territories. This delayed the completion of the picture by an entire year. Rogers quickly learned the value of knowing the intricacies of distribution and doing business in the international marketplace. After resolving the legal issues, Rogers completed the film and not only distributed it himself, but began acquiring the rights to films from other producers throughout the world and provided the same service to them. Rogers, still making his own films, was approached by a Welsh production company while attending a film market, and asked to star in a Canadian/UK co-production entitled Slow Burn (1989). He accepted the offer and the picture was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. It starred Rogers, William Smith and Anthony James and was directed by John Eyres. The movie was released internationally and was quite successful. Eyres and Rogers met yet again in Milan, Italy, where Eyres, now acting in the capacity of executive producer, requested Rogers star with Terence Ford and Paris Jefferson in another action film, The Runner (1992). Rogers accepted. The film was shot in Wales and England under British director Chris Jones. Once again, the movie was released worldwide and did great business. Producer/actor Ronald L. Marchini approached Rogers and requested he co-star with Marchini and Joe Estevez in a military action film. Rogers traveled to the exotic jungles of Los Banos in the Philippines to shoot Karate Raider (1995). Unfortunately, while performing one of his own stunts with pyrotechnics, Rogers broke his left arm. Though he finished the film, he started looking more closely at his status as an "international action film star". Though Rogers continued to receive offers from producers around the world to participate in independently made action films, he began to tire of the genre. He was looking for a new challenge. It was then that he was contacted by German film distributors Gerhard P. Huck and Jurgen Zitzmann to get involved in a co-production with them. The film was entitled Caged Women II (1996), a sequel to an Italian production made some years before. Rogers' job was to co-produce, write and direct the movie. The challenge he was looking for had now presented itself--he would be directing for the first time. Rogers enlisted the aid of Swedish businessman Kjell Larsson and shot the film, which utilized a host of beautiful models from Penthouse and Playboy magazines, in Indianapolis and Palm Coast, Florida. Now, having momentarily made the departure from action films and the "action film star" label, Rogers embarked on a journey that would promote growth in his career. He started looking at offers to participate in movies other than those in the action and/or exploitation genres. Today Rogers is active acting in, producing and distributing feature films all over the world. He also conducts seminars and workshops on the creative and business aspects of film making.- Virginia Bradford was born on 7 November 1899 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for Atta Boy (1926), Chicago (1927) and Two Lovers (1928). She was married to Thomas Prentice, Cedric Belfrage, Joseph Petrie Lyons and Frederick Minter. She died on 30 October 1995 in Indiana, USA.
- Booth Tarkington was born on 29 July 1869 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Presenting Lily Mars (1943) and Cameo Kirby (1914). He was married to Laurel Louise Fletcher and Susanah Robinson. He died on 19 May 1946 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.