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- Additional Crew
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Daniel Booko was born on 17 October 1983 in Three Rivers, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for 21 & Over (2013), iCarly (2007) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He has been married to Nia Sanchez since 17 October 2015. They have three children.- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Felicity Rose Hadley Jones is an English actress and producer. Jones started her professional acting career as a child, appearing at age 12 in The Treasure Seekers (1996). She went on to play Ethel Hallow for one series in the television show The Worst Witch and its sequel Weirdsister College. After Kings Norton Girls School, Jones attended King Edward VI Handsworth School, to complete A Levels and went on to take a gap year (during which she appeared in the BBC series Servants (2003)). She took time off from acting to attend school during her formative years, and has worked steadily since she graduated with a 2:1 from Wadham College, Oxford in 2006, where she read English. While studying English, she appeared in student plays, including Attis in which she played the title role, and, in 2005, Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" for the OUDS summer tour to Japan, starring alongside Harry Lloyd.
On radio, she is known for playing the long-running role of Emma Grundy in The Archers. In 2008, she appeared in the Donmar Warehouse production of The Chalk Garden. Since 2006, Jones has appeared in numerous films, including Northanger Abbey (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), Chéri (2009), and The Tempest (2010). She stars in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) as Jyn Erso. Her performance in the 2011 film Like Crazy (2011) was met with critical acclaim garnering her numerous awards, including a special jury prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, her performance as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014) was also met with critical acclaim, garnering her nominations for the Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 2019, Jones founded her own production company, Piecrust Productions with her brother, Alex Jones.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
David Matthew Macfadyen was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, to Meinir
(Owen), a drama teacher and actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil
executive. He is of Scottish and Welsh descent. Because of his father's
career, he spent at least part of his childhood in Indonesia, before
finishing his education back in England and winning a place at RADA in
1992. He won critical acclaim in the UK with his work with the stage
company Cheek By Jowl in the 1990s and was well established as a stage
actor when he made his first TV appearance in
Wuthering Heights (1998).
A couple more TV roles followed but it was his role as Tom Quinn, head
of Section D, in the hit BBC series
MI-5 (2002) that really made his
name at home. And, indeed, established his home - he met his wife,
Keeley Hawes, while working on the show. A
steady stream of TV and film work followed, with his performance as Mr
Darcy in
Pride & Prejudice (2005) firmly
establishing his name worldwide.- Actor
- Director
- Composer
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").- Actress
- Soundtrack
Before becoming known to millions as Granny on
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962),
Irene Ryan was already an established vaudeville, radio and movie
actress, though not as famous prior to her television stint. She
accompanied Bob Hope on his famous military tours and she was known as
"the gal who makes Bob Hope laugh." After being cast as Granny, she
became famous overnight. When the Hillbillies ended, she co-starred in
the Broadway musical
'Pippin' with
Ben Vereen.
Unfortunately, despite wonderful reviews from critics, Ryan took ill,
was discovered to have an inoperable brain tumor and died soon after at
the age of 70.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Mark Gatiss is an accomplished author, actor and playwright. Originally from Sedgefield, County Durham, he graduated from Bretton Hall Drama College with a BA (honors) in Theatre Arts.
He was one-quarter of the award-winning comedy team The League of Gentlemen (1999), and became heavily involved in the post-television Doctor Who (1963) scene, having written a variety of novels and audio plays, together with a string of short supernatural/science-fiction films (most of which he appeared in). He also co-wrote three sketches for BBC2's "Doctor Who Night" in November 1999.
When Doctor Who (2005) was re-imagined by Russell T. Davies and returned to television, Gatiss became part of the writing team. He had another major success as the co-creator of Sherlock (2010) for the BBC with Steven Moffat and also stars in the series as Mycroft Holmes. He has co-written plays for the Edinburgh Festival and appeared in a number of theatre and radio shows.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Michelle is well known around the world from her early work as a regular cast member on the Australian show "Neighbours" and the hit teen shows "The Tribe" and "Underemployed".
Emmy-nominated for her role of Alex in "Fear the Walking Dead; Flight 462", she won "Best Actress in A Feature Film" at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards 2011 for "My Wedding and Other Secrets" and was nominated for a Logie for her role in "Neighbours".
Her film work has screened in many festivals and won awards including those at Sundance, Cannes and Berlin.
She has worked with Oscar-winning director Jane Campion on BBC mini-series Top of the Lake, Jodie Foster, John Hillcoat and Steven Soderbergh.
Most recently she can be seen in Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone on CBS All Access where she plays a Chinese national marine biologist Dr Ling Hai in "8".- Actress
- Additional Crew
Betty May Adams was the daughter of a travelling Iowa cotton buyer with a penchant for alcohol. Growing up in Arkansas, Betty expressed an early interest in acting and made her performing debut in a third grade play of "Hansel and Gretel." Beautiful, talented and determined, the freshly minted 'Miss Little Rock' left home at the age of 19 to live with her aunt and uncle in California. For three days a week she made ends meet working as a secretary. The remainder of her time was spent taking speech and drama lessons (in due course losing her Southern twang) and making the rounds of the various Hollywood casting departments. Her first screen role was (appropriately) as a starlet in Paramount's Red, Hot and Blue (1949). This was followed by an inauspicious leading role in the B-grade Western The Dalton Gang (1949). Over a period of five weeks she appeared in six further quota quickies of the sagebrush variety for Poverty Row outfit Lippert Productions. Since Lippert owned no actual studio facilities, most of the filming took place at the Ray Corrigan ranch in Chatsworth, California. In the summer of 1950, Betty assisted in a screen test for Detroit Lions football star Leon Hart at Universal-International. While Hart's movie career ended up stillborn, Betty clicked with producers who opted to change her first name to 'Julia.' The initial outing for her new studio was entitled Bright Victory (1951), with the budding actress a little underemployed as 'the other girl' in a love triangle involving a blind war veteran (played by Arthur Kennedy). Her career was significantly better served in her next assignment as co-star opposite James Stewart in Anthony Mann's seminal Technicolor western Bend of the River (1952) (Kennedy this time cast as the arch villain). Adams later recalled her part in this film as "a great learning experience" and one of her "fondest Hollywood memories," It also led to a life long friendship with Jimmy Stewart.
Signed to a seven-year contract (and having her legs insured by Universal to the tune of $125,000 by Lloyds of London), Julia seemed destined to remain perpetually typecast as a western heroine. A comely actress with soft, classical features, she often gave affecting performances in what amounted to little more than bread-and-butter pictures. At the very least, she got to play romantic leads opposite some of Universal's top box-office earners: Rock Hudson (in Horizons West (1952) and The Lawless Breed (1952)), Tyrone Power(The Mississippi Gambler (1953)) and Glenn Ford (The Man from the Alamo (1953)). Having played a succession of 'nice girls,' Julia took a turn as leader of an outlaw gang in Wings of the Hawk (1953), set against the background of the Mexican Revolution (Van Heflin was first-billed as a mining engineer, who, having his gold mine taken over by Federales, joins Julia's band of 'insurrectos'). 'Miss Melon Patch' of 1953 was about to experience another important career change, being famously cast as the imperilled heroine Kay Lawrence in Jack Arnolds cultish monster flic Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), a role Adams initially considered turning down. Shot in 3-D on a shoestring budget, the picture was light on script but strong on atmosphere and proved once again that style can succeed over content. The not inconsiderable physical charms of Miss Adams often dominated the scenery and gave the 'Gill Man' a run for his money. Audiences approved and 'Creature' spawned two further sequels, alas without Julia and with diminishing returns.
In 1955, having generated strong box office heat, Julia changed her moniker (with studio approval) to the less gentle-sounding Julie. Accordingly, she was now offered more varied material ranging from tough melodramas, to comedies and lightweight romances. Adams further established her credentials with roles which included a soft porn model who survives a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies in The Looters (1955); as a cop's wife in Six Bridges to Cross (1955) (a crime drama based on Boston's Great Brinks Robbery); a sympathetic school's doctor in the family-oriented comedy The Private War of Major Benson (1955) and as the wife of an assistant D.A. fighting gangland on the New York waterfront in Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1957). After 1957, her contract with Universal having expired, Adams successfully transitioned into television where she remained a firm favorite in westerns and crime dramas, guest-starring in just about every classic prime-time series covering both genres (Perry Mason (1957) being her personal favorite). Latterly, she had a popular recurring role as real estate lady Eve Simpson in Murder, She Wrote (1984). Adams was still in demand for occasional screen appearances well into her 90s.
She was married twice: first, to writer-producer Leonard Stern, and, secondly, to the actor Ray Danton. Julie Adams passed away in Los Angeles on February 3, 2019 at the age of 92. Her autobiography (co-written with her son Mitchell Danton), entitled "The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon" appeared in 2011.- Actress
- Writer
- Art Department
Nancy Sullivan was born on 17 October 1969 in Utah, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Drake & Josh (2004), The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) and Drake and Josh Go Hollywood (2006).- Actor
- Producer
Harris was born Sherwin David Harris in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Mattie
Harris. However, he works under his nickname, "Wood". Attended New York
University Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School. Has performed
in many films and various stage productions including plays by
August Wilson, William Shakespeare and
Tennessee Williams. He is one of the
stars of the HBO series
The Wire (2002), which was recently
chosen by Time magazine as one of best TV shows of all time. He is
regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. Wood is the
younger brother of Steve Harris,
star of the ABC legal drama
The Practice (1997). Wood, like
his brother, splits his time between New York and California.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Margot Kidder was born Margaret Ruth Kidder in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, to Jocelyn Mary "Jill" (Wilson), a history teacher from British Columbia, and Kendall Kidder, a New Mexico-born mining engineer and explosives expert. Margot was a delightful child who took pride in everything she did. At an early age, she became aware of the great emotions she felt towards expressing herself, and caught the acting bug. As a child, she wrote in a diary that she wanted to become a movie star, and that one day it would happen, but she had to overcome something else first. She was aware that she was constantly facing mood swings, but didn't know why. At odd times, she would try to kill herself - the first time was at age 14 - but the next day she would be just fine. Her father's hectic schedule and moving around so much didn't help matters, either, causing her to attend 11 schools in 12 years. Finally, in an attempt to help Margot with her troubles, her parents sent" her to a boarding school, where she took part in school plays, such as Romeo and Juliet", in which she played the lead.
After graduation, Margot moved to Los Angeles to start a film career. She found herself dealing with a lot of prejudice, and hotheads, but later found solace with a Canadian agent. This was when she got her first acting job, in the Norman Jewison film Gaily, Gaily (1969). This led to another starring role in Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), in which she co-starred with Gene Wilder. After some harsh words from the film's director, Margot temporarily left films to study acting in New York, doing television work to pay her bills, but when the money ran out, she decided it was time to make a second try at acting. When she arrived in Hollywood she met up at a screen test with actress Jennifer Salt, resulting in a friendship that still stands strong today. Margot and Jennifer moved into a lofty beach house and befriended other, then unknown, struggling filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Steven Spielberg and Susan Sarandon, among others. Late nights would see the hot, happening youngsters up until all hours talking around a fire about how they were all going to change the film industry. It was crazy living and within the Christmas season, Margot had become involved with De Palma, and as a Christmas present he gave her the script to his upcoming film Sisters (1972). Margot and Salt both had the leads in the film, and it was a huge critical success.
The film made branded Margot as a major talent, and in the following years she starred in a string of critically acclaimed pictures, such as Black Christmas (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), 92 in the Shade (1975) - directed by Thomas McGuane, who was also her husband for a brief period - and a somewhat prophetic tale of self-resurrection, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975).
After three years of being a housewife, looking after her daughter Maggie and not working, Margot decided it was time to let her emotions take control and get back into acting. Once her marriage to McGuane was over, she eyed a script that would change her life forever. Her new agent referred her to a little-known director named Richard Donner. He was going to be directing a film called Superman (1978), and she auditioned for and secured the leading female role of Lois Lane. That film and Superman II (1980) filmed simultaneously. After the success of "Superman" she took on more intense roles, such as The Amityville Horror (1979) and Willie & Phil (1980). After that, Margot starred in numerous films, television and theater work throughout the 1980s, including Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). When the 1990s erupted with the Gulf War, Margot found herself becoming involved in politics. She made a stir in the biz when she spoke out against the military for their actions in Kuwait. She also appeared in a cameo in Donner's Maverick (1994).
In 1996, as she was preparing to write her autobiography, she began to become more and more paranoid. When her computer became infected with a virus, this gave her paranoia full rein, and she sank into bipolar disorder. She panicked, and the resulting psychological problems she created for herself resulted in her fantasizing that her first husband was going to kill her, so she left her home and faked her death, physically altering her appearance in the process. After an intervention took place, she got back on her feet and started the mental wellness campaign. Since then, she resumed her career in film, television, and theatre, including appearing in a Canadian stage production of "The Vagina Monologues", and in films like The Clown at Midnight (1998).
Margot died on May 13, 2018, in Livingston, Montana.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Chris Lowell can currently be seen in Emerald Fennell's feature PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, opposite Carey Mulligan, for Film Nation and Focus Features, which premiered at Sundance 2020, as well as the hit Hulu series HOW I MET YOUR FATHER. He just wrapped a recurring role on Shonda Rhimes's highly anticipated Netflix series INVENTING ANNA, which will premiere February 11th, Damon Thomas's feature MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM for Amazon, and a role in the Apple series ROAR. Chris last starred in Jenji Kohan's Netflix series GLOW opposite Alison Brie and Marc Maron, which was nominated for the 2018 and 2019 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and was last seen in Tate Taylor's BREAKING NEWS IN YUBA COUNTY for MGM, opposite Allison Janney, the Epix series GRAVES opposite Nick Nolte, Josh Marston's COMPLETE UNKNOWN, opposite Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon and Kathy Bates, as well as Wayne Roberts's KATIE SAYS GOODBYE, opposite Mireille Enos and Olivia Cooke. Chris was also the lead of the critically lauded FOX show, ENLISTED, created by Kevin Biegel. Additional feature credits include VERONICA MARS, THE HELP, and UP IN THE AIR.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Mike Judge is an American actor, animator, film director, screenwriter, and television producer.
In 1962, Judge was born in Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador and the country's main port. His parents were expatriate Americans. His father was archaeologist William James Judge and his mother was librarian Margaret Yvonne Blue. At the time of Mike's birth, William Judge was working for a non-profit organization which promoted agricultural development in Ecuador.
Around 1969, the Judge family returned to the United States, and settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mike spend most of his school years in Albuquerque. He received his secondary education at St. Pius X High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school located in Albuquerque. The school was named after Pope Pius X (1835-1914, term 1903-1914), who is venerated as a saint,
Following his graduation from high school, Judge enrolled at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The UCSD is a public land-grant research university, located in San Diego, California. Judge was interested in a science career, and followed science studies. In 1985, Judge graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics. From 1985 to 1987, Judge held various jobs relating to either physics or mechanical engineering. He was dissatisfied with his work life, because he found that these jobs were boring.
In 1987, Judge was hired by Parallax Graphics, a startup video card company. Its headquarters were located in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara is located at the center of Silicon Valley, and houses the headquarters of several high-tech companies. Parallax only had about 40 employees. Judge quit following only 3 months of work, because he disliked the company's corporate culture and his co-workers. In later interviews, Judge claimed that his co-workers reminded him of the Stepford Wives. His negative experiences contributed to his unflattering portrayal of Silicon Valley in his television career.
Judge next attempted to start a new career as a musician, serving as bass player in a blues band. For a couple of years, Judge was part of a music group headed by blues guitarist Anson Funderburgh (1954-). In the early 1990s, Judge worked alongside singer and drummer Doyle Bramhall (1949-2011). Bramhall was a well-known figure in the Texas music scene. During his musical career, Judge was taking graduate math classes at the University of Texas at Dallas.
In 1989, Judge was shown animation cels on display, and became fascinated with animation. Judge purchased a Bolex 16 mm film camera, and started working on his own animated short films. The amateur animator worked from his home at the time, located in Richardson, Texas. His short films were initially on display in local animation festivals.
In 1991, Judge developed "Milton", a series of short films satirizing the typical life of office workers. Judge voiced all the characters. The films were acquired by Comedy Central, and showcased Judge's talents to a wider audience. In 1992, Judge created the animated short "Frog Baseball", depicting two cruel and stupid teenagers. The short film was featured in the television series "Liquid Television" (1991-1995), which showcased works by independent animators. The network MTV was sufficiently impressed with the short film to order an animated television series featuring its main characters.
Judge's first work as a television producer was the animated series "Beavis and Butt-Head" (1993-1997), a satirical, scathing commentary on modern society. Besides producing the series, Judge voiced the two protagonists. He also wrote and directed most of its episodes. The series was considered quite controversial in its own era, but was commercially successful. In its initial incarnation, it lasted for 7 seasons, and 200 episodes. Judge gave permission for the use of supporting character Daria Morgendorffer in the spin-off series "Daria" (1997-2002), which was also successful. Judge was otherwise not involved in the production of the spin-off.
In 1997, Judge directed the animated feature film "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America". It featured the protagonists in a road trip across the United States. It earned about 63 million dollars in the North American box office, and was critically well-received as a satire of youth culture.
Judge's next television series was the animated sitcom "King of the Hill" (1997-2010), which was broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company. For this series, Judge's partner and co-creator was the experienced comedy writer Greg Daniels (1963-). Daniels was previously a screenwriter on the popular animated sitcom "The Simpsons". Daniels had written several episodes in seasons 5 to 7 (1993-1996), and some of them were considered among the highlights of the series. For "King of the Hill", the duo of creators decided to maintain a relatively realistic depiction of modern life. Much of the humor derived from depicting the frustrations and absurdities of an otherwise mundane existence. "King of the Hill" was both a critical and commercial hit, and commercial hit. It lasted for 13 seasons and 259 episodes.
In the late 1990s, Judge wrote and directed the live-action film "Office Space" (1999). It was loosely based in his own "Milton" series of animated short films,, but featured additional characters. The film under-performed at the box office, only earning about 12 million dollars from its worldwide release. However the film sold surprisingly well in the home video market, and became a cult hit.
In 2003, Judge and fellow animator Don Hertzfeldt (1976-) co-founded the annual film festival "The Animation Show". It showcased animated short films from various eras, with its initial goal being to cover "everything from forgotten classics to the very latest in computer animation". In its first year, the touring festival visited over 200 movie theaters in North America.
Judge's third feature film was the dystopian science fiction comedy "Idiocracy" (2006). It depicted a soldier from the early 21st century who spends 500 years in suspended animation. He awakes in the 26th century, in a future world which has fully embraced anti-intellectualism. The film never received a wide theatrical release, and only earned 495,000 dollars at the box office. However it sold very well in the home video market, and became a cult film.
In 2008, Fox decided to cancel "King of the Hill" despite the series' decent ratings. At the time it was the 105th most watched series on American television. The final group of episodes were broadcast over the following 2 years.
In 2009, Judge directed his fourth (and so far last) feature film. It was the live-action comedy film "Extract". It features a successful flavoring-extracts company who has to deal with a lawsuit by an injured employee, with the schemes of a female con-artist, and with the sexual frustration and impaired judgment of its owners. The film earned about 11 million dollars at the box office, and was critically well-received.
In 2009, Judge developed his third television series, the animated comedy "The Goode Family" (2009) for ABC. Compared to "King of the Hill", this series contained more political satire. The series failed to find an audience, and some critics considered that its humor more properly belonged in the 1990s than the 2000s. It only lasted 1 series and 13 episodes, canceled by ABC due to its low ratings. It was the first series created by Judge to be considered a failure.
In 2011, "Beavis and Butt-Head" was revived for another season, with Judge as a producer and an updated setting. The 8th season only lasted for 2 months (October 27-December 29, 2011) and 2011. The opening audience attracted an audience of 3,3 million viewers. Ratings fell during the season, and the final episode only had 900,000 viewers. MTV decided not to order a 9th season.
Judge next developed his fourth television series, the live-action comedy "Silicon Valley" (2014-2019). The original premise was to focus on the competitive business environment of the Silicon Valley. Following the first season's success, "Silicon Valley" continued in the long-term. The series lasted for 6 seasons and 53 episodes. The series received critical acclaim for its "hilarious" take on the business world and modern technology, and was nominated for several awards. Conversely, a number of critics felt that a number of its characters were stereotypical nerds, and lacked proper character development.
While "Silicon Valley" was still ongoing, Judge developed his fifth television series. It was the animated documentary series "Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus" (2017-2018), which focused on the oral history of professional musicians and their associated musical genres. It presented anecdotes concerning the featured musicians, "as told by their families, band-mates, and close associates". The series lasted 2 seasons and 16 episodes .The series was critically acclaimed, but never attracted a large audience.
In its relatively short run, this series featured biographies of (in order of presentation): Johnny Paycheck (1938-2003), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-), George Jones (1931-2013), Tammy Wynette (1942-1998), Billy Joe Shaver (1939-2020), Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), Blaze Foley (1949-1989), George Clinton (1941-), Rick James (1948-2004), Bootsy Collins (1951-), James Brown (1933-2006), Morris Day (1957-), and Betty Davis (1945-).
In 2021, Judge was 58-years-old. He has never fully retired, though he has yet to make a television comeback. His professional career in television has lasted 30 years so far, and he has gained a reputation for innovative series concepts.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino Reina, was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's American mother, Volga Margaret (Hayworth), who was of mostly Irish descent, met Eduardo in 1916 and were married the following year. Rita, herself, studied as a dancer in order to follow in her family's footsteps. She joined her family on stage when she was eight years old when her family was filmed in a movie called La Fiesta (1926). It was her first film appearance, albeit an uncredited one. Sotted by Fox studio head Winfield R. Sheehan, she signed her first studio contract, and make her film debut at age sixteen, in Dante's Inferno (1935), followed by Cruz Diablo (1934). She continued to play small bit parts in several films under the name of "Rita Cansino". Fox dropped her after five small roles, but expert, exploitative promotion by her first husband Edward Judson soon brought Rita a new contract at Columbia Pictures, where studio head Harry Cohn changed her surname to Hayworth and approved raising her hairline by electrolysis. She played the second female lead, Judy McPherson, in Only Angels Have Wings (1939). After thirteen minor roles, Columbia lent her to Warner Bros. for her first big success, The Strawberry Blonde (1941); her splendid dancing with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) made her a star. This was the film that exuded the warmth and seductive vitality that was to make her famous. Her natural, raw beauty was showcased later that year in Blood and Sand (1941), filmed in Technicolor.
Rita was probably the second most popular actress after Betty Grable. In You'll Never Get Rich (1941) with Fred Astaire, was probably the film that moviegoers felt close to Rita. Her dancing, for which she had studied all her life, was astounding. After the hit Gilda (1946) (her dancing had made the film and it had made her), her career was on the skids. Although she was still making movies, they never approached her earlier success. The drought began between The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and Champagne Safari (1954). Then after Salome (1953), she was not seen again until Pal Joey (1957). Part of the reasons for the downward spiral was television, but also Rita had been replaced by a new star at Columbia, Kim Novak.
Rita, herself, said, "Men fell in love with Gilda, but they wake up with me". In person, Rita was shy, quiet and unassuming; only when the cameras rolled did she turn on the explosive sexual charisma that in Gilda (1946) made her a superstar. To Rita, though, domestic bliss was a more important, if elusive, goal, and in 1949 she interrupted her career for marriage - unfortunately an unhappy one almost from the start - to the playboy Prince Aly Khan. Her films after her divorce from Khan include perhaps her best straight acting performances, Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) and They Came to Cordura (1959).
After a few, rather forgettable films in the 1960s, her career was essentially over. Her final film was The Wrath of God (1972). Her career was really never the same after Gilda (1946). Perhaps Gene Ringgold said it best when he remarked, "Rita Hayworth is not an actress of great depth. She was a dancer, a glamorous personality, and a sex symbol. These qualities are such that they can carry her no further professionally." Perhaps he was right but Hayworth fans would vehemently disagree with him.
Beginning in 1960 (age 42), early onset of Alzheimer's disease (undiagnosed until 1980) limited Rita's ability. The last few roles in her 60-film career were increasingly small. With 20 years of symptoms, Rita was cared for by her daughter, Yasmin Khan, until Rita's death at age 68 on May 14, 1987, in New York City.- Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons is an English-Irish actor and model. He is known for his roles in Red Riding Hood (2011), The White Queen and The Host (2013), Woman in Gold and The Riot Club (2014), his first leading role in Bitter Harvest (2017), and The Wife (2018). Irons also played the lead role of Joseph Turner in the spy thriller series Condor (2018-2020).
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Macdonald was born Norman Gene Macdonald in Quebec City, Quebec on
October 17, 1959. He began his career in stand-up comedy. Macdonald's
first job was writing for
The Dennis Miller Show (1992)
and then Roseanne (1988). While
writing for Roseanne (1988), he was
noticed by Lorne Michaels, who liked
Norm's stand up, and gave him his job on
Saturday Night Live (1975).
Macdonald became widely popular when he became the Weekend Update anchor with his trademark line, "And now the fake news". He lasted from September 24, 1994 until December 13, 1997, when he was fired by Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC on the west
coast. His last weekend update was December 13, 1997 and he officially left the show in March 1998. His movie, Dirty Work (1998), which he began working on in the summer of 1997, came out 2 months later. In March 1999, his show, called Norm (1999), came out on ABC and had a 3-season run. During that time, he also starred in the movie Screwed (2000), opposite Dave Chappelle.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in Santa Cruz, California, Beverly Garland studied dramatics under Anita Arliss, the sister of renowned stage and screen star George Arliss. She acted in a little theater in Glendale then in Phoenix after her family relocated to Arizona. Garland also worked in radio and appeared scantily-clad in a few risqué shorts before making her feature film debut in a supporting part in D.O.A. (1949). Her husbands include actor Richard Garland, and land developer Fillmore Crank, who built 2 hotels which bear her name. Ms. Garland's longest runs were on Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) and My Three Sons (1960). Later on she guest-starred on a number of TV shows, including The Guardian (2001), on CBS, and Weakest Link (2001), on NBC, and maintained her continuing roles on 7th Heaven (1996), on the WB (now the CW), and Port Charles (1997), on ABC, which began in the 1990s.
In 1983, Ms. Garland received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2001, in recognition of her 50 years in show business, the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters inducted her into its Hall of Fame. Ms. Garland has two very significant historical television "firsts": she was television's first policewoman as the star of Decoy (1957), and, more importantly, the series gave her the honor of becoming the first actress to star in a television dramatic series. After her husband of 39 years died in 1999, Beverly continued to operate the 255-room Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood (with the assistance of three of her four children). Beverly Garland died at age 82 in her home in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California on 5 December, 2008.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Erin Karpluk was born in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Being Erica (2009), A Million Little Things (2018) and Holly Hobbie (2018).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Dora Madison was two weeks away from attending college when she landed her breakout role on NBC's Friday Night Lights. Her portrayal of "Becky Sproles," an optimistic pageant girl from a broken home, endeared both critics and fans alike. Dora's tenure on the Emmy-nominated series opened doors for additional recurring arcs on Freeform's The Lying Game, CW's Starcrossed, and Showtime's Dexter.
Soon after, Dora returned to NBC as a guest star on Chicago PD, playing criminal informant "Jelly Bean." Showrunner Matt Olmstead was so impressed with her grounded performance that he cast her in his sister series Chicago Fire as "Jessica 'Chili' Chilton," a series regular role that was written specifically with Dora in mind. Her polarizing performance gripped audiences as they watched Dora's seasoned and troubled paramedic, who longed to find family in Firehouse 51, succumb to alcohol addiction.
After her time on Chicago, Dora next tried her hand at comedy, where she starred in Viceland's first scripted series What Would Diplo Do?. She played "Karen," a sarcastic over-educated personal assistant opposite James Van Der Beek's hyper-realized version of Diplo.
In addition to her extensive television career, Dora has also appeared in numerous feature films, playing an array of diverse characters. She has had the privilege of collaborating with iconic filmmakers Terrence Malick and Richard Linklater, while also making a name for herself in the horror space; a genre that she has been a lifelong super-fan of. Likeminded horror fans will recognize her in Eduardo Sanchez's found-footage Bigfoot film, Exits, the Blumhouse series Into the Dark, a trilogy of features from director Joe Begos (Bliss, VFW, and Christmas Bloody Christmas), as well as the feminist genre festival favorite Alone With You. The physical demands of the horror and action film genres excites Dora and has inspired her love of performing stunt and fight choreography.
Dora took a brief hiatus over the last few years when her daughter was born, but has recently made a return to the big screen in the coming-of-age queer comedy Big Boys, which has already snagged 10 audience awards (and counting) from the 2023 festival season.- Andy Whitfield was born on 17 October 1971 in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Spartacus (2010), Gabriel (2007) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011). He was married to Vashti Whitfield. He died on 11 September 2011 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is a British actress. Kellyman appears as Enfys Nest, leader of the rebel Cloud Riders, in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Eponine Thénardier in the 2019 BBC adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel Les Miserables.
Originally from Tamworth, Staffordshire, Kellyman was a graduate of the Nottingham Television Workshop.
Kellyman appeared in Raised by Wolves, written by Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline Moran for Channel 4. She also appeared in the 2016 BBC sitcom The Coopers Vs The Rest with Tanya Franks and Kerry Godliman, about a trio of adopted children raised by a suburban couple.
The role of Nest in Solo has been reported as the 'anti-hero we deserve' and 'the most important new character introduced in the movie'. This role has reported to have given Kellyman 'global recognition'. For the role Kellyman had to go through three stages of audition.
Kellyman also appears in the BBC's adaptation of Les Misérables as Éponine alongside Olivia Coleman, Lily Collins, David Oyelowo, and Dominic West. Kellyman praised the diversity in the BBC Production admitting she never considered she'd be able to play such a role in a period drama.
Kellyman has has been announced for a BBC Two new dark comedy series Don't Forget The Driver, starring Toby Jones. - Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sharon Leal is a military brat. She was born in Tucson, Arizona. Sharon
then moved with her parents to the Philippines, till she was 6 years
old. She went to prayer-school there. Then, her parents packed up to
move back to the US and settled in Fresno, California. Her mother,
Angelita, who is Filipino, is a homemaker, and her father is
African-American. She has a step-father, Elmer Manankil. Elmer and
Angelita have a daughter, together. So, Sharon has a younger sister,
Kristina Manankil.
How she got started with the desire for performing. At the age of two,
Sharon sang into a microphone, and her parents taped her. This later
led to acting, which she began doing in community theater productions
as a teen. Sharon graduated from "Roosevelt High School of the Arts" in
Fresno. In 1993, she won a vocal scholarship at the "Santa Cruz Jazz
Festival", which enabled her to study with
Seth Riggs
(Michael Jackson's voice coach).
Sharon has also performed in various rap and R&B music videos. She has
sung in cabaret productions at B. Smith's, The Violet, and Steve
McGraw's, all in New York City, and played teenager "Dahlia Creed" on
the daytime soap opera,
Guiding Light (1952),
in the mid-90s. At New York Theatre Workshop: "Bright Lights, Big
City". Regional credits include "Little Shop of Horrors"-Arizona
Theatre Co., "Into the Woods"-Theatre Works CA and other shows like
"Ain't Misbehavin", "West Side Story", "Me and My Girl" and "Nunsense",
to name a few. Last performed on Broadway as "Mimi" in "Rent".- Actor
- Writer
- Stunts
Edward Montgomery Clift (nicknamed
'Monty' his entire life) was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, just after his twin sister Roberta (1920-2014) and eighteen months after his brother Brooks Clift. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). His father made a lot of money in banking but was quite poor
during the depression. His mother was born out of
wedlock and spent much of her life and the family fortune finding her
illustrious southern lineage and raising her children as aristocrats.
At age 13, Monty appeared on Broadway ("Fly Away Home"), and chose to
remain in the New York theater for over ten years before finally
succumbing to Hollywood. He gained excellent theatrical notices and
soon piqued the interests of numerous lovelorn actresses; their
advances met with awkward conflict. While working in New York in the
early 1940s, he met wealthy former Broadway star
Libby Holman. She developed an intense
decade-plus obsession over the young actor, even financing an
experimental play, "Mexican Mural" for him. It was ironic his
relationship with the bisexual middle-aged Holman would be the
principal (and likely the last) heterosexual relationship of his life
and only cause him further anguish over his sexuality. She would wield
considerable influence over the early part of his film career, advising
him in decisions to decline lead roles in
Sunset Blvd. (1950), (originally
written specifically for him; the story perhaps hitting a little too
close to home) and High Noon (1952).
His long apprenticeship on stage made him a thoroughly accomplished
actor, notable for the intensity with which he researched and
approached his roles. By the early 1950s he was exclusively
homosexual, though he continued to hide his homosexuality and
maintained a number of close friendships with theater women (heavily
promoted by studio publicists).
His film debut was Red River (1948)
with John Wayne quickly followed by
his early personal success
The Search (1948) (Oscar nominations
for this,
A Place in the Sun (1951),
From Here to Eternity (1953)
and
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)).
By 1950, he was troubled with allergies and colitis (the U.S. Army had
rejected him for military service in World War II for chronic diarrhea)
and, along with pill problems, he was alcoholic. He spent a great deal
of time and money on psychiatry.
In 1956, during filming of
Raintree County (1957), he ran
his Chevrolet into a tree after leaving a party at
Elizabeth Taylor's; it was she
who saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his
throat. His smashed face was rebuilt, he reconciled with his estranged
father, but he continued bedeviled by dependency on drugs and his
unrelenting guilt over his homosexuality.
With his Hollywood career in an irreversible slide despite giving an
occasional riveting performance, such as in
Stanley Kramer's
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961),
Monty returned to New York and tried to slowly develop a somewhat more
sensible lifestyle in his brownstone row house on East 61st Street in
Manhattan. He was set to play in Taylor's
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967),
when he died in the early morning hours of July 23, 1966, at his home at
age 45. His body was found by his live-in personal secretary/companion
Lorenzo James, who found Clift lying nude on top of his bed, dead from
what the autopsy called "occlusive coronary artery disease." Clift's
last 10 years prior to his death from his 1956 car accident were called
the "longest suicide in history" by famed acting teacher
Robert Lewis.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, to
Deborah R. (Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., who were in a band
together, Daddy Warbucks. He is of English, as well as
some German, Scottish, and Swiss-German, ancestry. Marshall spent his
early childhood being shoved back and forth from Kansas City and
Detroit. He settled on the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12.
Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make
friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble. Marshall attended Lincoln
High School in Warren, Michigan, 1986-1989.
Being a rap fan for most of his life, Marshall began rapping at the
early age of 4. Rhyming words together, battling schoolmates in the
lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. At the
age of 14, he began to get very serious about his rapping but it wasn't
until he was 17 that he actually made a name for himself, becoming M&M,
which he would later respell as "Eminem". Being rejected by most
fellow rappers because of his race, Marshall grew an anger that flows
through his music to this day. After failing the 9th grade for three
times in a row, he quit school, but has remarked that he does not consider
himself stupid and does not advise that people should follow his
example. He says that it just wasn't for him. Forcing himself on radio
shows, freestyle battles, Marshall threw himself head first into the
rap game, where he was swallowed up most of the time. His very first
album was titled "Infinite" and, while the album sold less than a
thousand copies, it was the gearing up stages for the rapper who became
a millionaire. It was then that his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, was
born on December 25th of 1995 with long time girlfriend Kim Scott.
Having nothing to lose at all, flat broke and not knowing where he
would be living the next week, Marshall set out to rant about life in
general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's
difficult-to-please underground. What came out of this was the Slim
Shady EP, the early work for the later Dr. Dre
revised Slim Shady LP. Down to nearly his last dime, he went into the
1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, basically hoping to win the $1,500
cash prize which he badly needed. After battling for an hour and
throwing back every race diss thrown at him, Marshall made it to second
place losing in a slip up. Furious that he had lost, Marshall didn't
even notice that he had been spotted. In the crowd were a few producers
from Interscope, and they were handed a copy of the "Infinite" tape by
way of a demo.
Dr. Dre got to hear it and eventually tracked
him down. The two instantly hit it off, recording four songs in their
first six hours of working - three which made it to his first LP.
After the album was finished, Dr. Dre asked
Marshall to come work with him on his new album. He helped produce
several tracks and was on the best songs of the album. Now officially
making it, Marshall and Dre set to make his second LP. The album became
the Marshall Mathers LP and won 3 Grammies and was the first rap album
ever to be nominated "Album of the Year", selling more than 8 million
records in the United States alone. He also stunned critics when he
shot down all homophobic remarks by performing "Stan" with
Elton John. Eminem made a movie,
8 Mile (2002). Though 2001 was a rough
year for the rapper, being charged with weapon offenses, divorcing his
wife, and almost going to prison, Marshall has explained his life in
one word: "Claimer".- Liam Garrigan was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire,
England. He developed an interest in theatre at an early age taking
part in amateur theatre around the age of five and also attended youth
classes at Hull's Northern Stage Company. Later he attended Hull's Wyke
College and then trained as a professional actor at Guildhall School of
Music and Drama in London. Garrigan has become a notable Theatre and
Television actor making appearances in several BBC television drama
series as well as in RTE's "Raw" and Starz TV's miniseries "The Pillars
of the Earth". Aside from his love for theatre, Garrigan also enjoys
surfing. - Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the early sound era's most attractive young leading ladies,
doll-faced Marian Marsh enjoyed a short yet significant film career as
the star of several memorable 1930s melodramas opposite some of the
cinema's best, most charismatic lead actors. Her youthful, wide-eyed
innocence combined with an innate delicacy to make a storybook heroine
who was the perfect counterbalance to the licentious characters who
often menaced her on film. So successful was she as a damsel in
distress that she quickly became typecast, which impeded her
development as an actress and helped bring her film career to a
premature end.
The youngest of four children of a German chocolate manufacturer and
his French-English wife, the future star was born Violet Ethelred Krauth on
October 17, 1913, on the island of Trinidad, British West Indies. When
World War I ruined his business, Mr. Krauth moved the family to
Massachusetts, where his children developed an appreciation for the
arts and theater.
During the mid 1920s, Violet's older sister Jean Fenwick became a student at
Paramount's Astoria studio and later a Paramount contract player. When
Jean signed a contract with FBO Pictures in Hollywood, the Krauth
family moved to the West Coast, where Violet attended La Conte Junior
High School and later Hollywood High. In 1928 Jean helped her
strikingly attractive golden-haired sister secure a screen test with
Pathe Studios, which promptly signed her but dropped her after a short
film appearance. After another short pact with
Samuel Goldwyn, Violet, now known as
Marilyn Morgan, opted to study acting and voice with Nance O'Neil. In 1929 Warners signed the 16-year-old, who
changed her name once again, this time to Marian Marsh.
Despite appearances in 30 short films starring James Gleason
and a small part in
Hell's Angels (1930), Marian's
career seemed headed to oblivion when she won the role of her life in
Svengali (1931), Warner's film remake of
George L. Du Maurier's 1894 novel "Trilby"; the tragic tale of an artists'
model who becomes a great singing diva under the hypnotic tutelage of
the malevolent Svengali (charismatically portrayed by
John Barrymore). According to
Miss Marsh, she was tested for the plum role several times before being
selected by Barrymore, apparently because she resembled his wife,
Dolores Costello.
The immense critical and financial success of the film combined with
young Miss Marsh's rave reviews to raise her Hollywood stock. Selected
as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1931, she became one of filmdom's
top up-and-coming actresses. Hoping to exploit her growing popularity
and capitalize on her ability to project warmth, sincerity and inner
strength on screen, Warners cast her as virginal heroines in a series
of films. Of special note were her compelling performances as the
daughter of a woman driven to suicide by amoral newspaper editor
Edward G. Robinson in
Five Star Final (1931), a
ballerina menaced by evil clubfooted puppeteer
John Barrymore in
The Mad Genius (1931), a sexy teen
smitten with mature
William Powell in
The Road to Singapore (1931),
and the fast talking Cinderella secretary of skirt-chasing financier
Warren William in
Beauty and the Boss (1932).
Just when it appeared as if Marian was on the verge of superstardom,
she seemed to fall out of favor at Warners. After the critical failure
of the much ballyhooed drama
Under Eighteen (1931), a disappointed,
exhausted Marian rebelled against the studio, which retaliated by not
picking up her option. Her career never fully recovered.
After she departed Warners, the 19-year-old freelance actress
compounded her problems and further diminished her reputation by
accepting film work overseas and at minor studios. Although her
performances in such films as
The Sport Parade (1932), the
British comedy
Over the Garden Wall (1934)
and
A Girl of the Limberlost (1934)
were admirable, low-budget production values and other assorted
problems doomed the projects.
In 1935 Marian signed a two-year pact with Columbia Pictures and tried
with some success to resurrect her foundering career. Of the eight
Columbia pictures she made during the period 1935-36, four were
memorable. She was excellent, if typecast, as a young girl mixed up
with crooks and gangsters in the entertaining melodrama
Counterfeit (1936), as the
bespectacled daughter of a retailer in love with a shyster salesman in
the charming B comedy
Come Closer, Folks (1936), as
an accursed young woman forced to marry murderer
Boris Karloff in the fondly remembered
suspense classic
The Black Room (1935), and notably
as the beautiful prostitute Sonya in
Josef von Sternberg's controversial
film version of Fyodor Dostoevsky's
timeless novel
Crime and Punishment (1935)
starring Peter Lorre. Her
performance in the latter is without a doubt one of the best, if not
the best, of her career.
When her Columbia contract expired in 1936, Marian once again
squandered her momentum and talent by appearing in routine second
features. From 1937 to 1938, she made seven mostly forgettable films,
the best of which was Republic's B drama
Youth on Parole (1937), in which
Marian was poignant as a girl suffering the rejection and prejudice
associated with being a parolee.
In March 1938 Miss Marsh, long one of Hollywood's most eligible
bachelorettes, wed stockbroker Albert Scott, the former husband of
actress Colleen Moore. After the
marriage she made only five more feature films. "I loved acting," she
told author Richard Lamparski, "but I had become a professional because
we needed the money. In 1938 I married a businessman and just drifted
away from acting." PRC's money-starved comedy
House of Errors (1942) is her
last film to date.
In the late 1950s Marian, was briefly
lured back to acting, appearing in an episode of the popular
John Forsythe sitcom "Bachelor
Father" and an episode of
Schlitz Playhouse (1951)
before retiring in 1959. One year later she married aviation pioneer
and wealthy entrepreneur Clifford Henderson and moved to Palm Desert,
California, a town Henderson founded in the 1940s.
In the 1960s Marian founded Desert Beautiful, a non-profit,
all-volunteer conservation organization to promote environmental and
beautification programs. "We planted palm trees along the West Coast
and were the first to plant palms in the lower valley [Coachella] to
Palm Springs. If you want to leave something behind, plant a tree!" she
told author Dan Van Neste in a 1998 interview.
After Cliff Henderson died in 1984, Marian continued to live in the
Henderson ranch house continuing her charitable work. Miss Marsh remained in Palm Desert through 2005 and died in 2006. Near her end, Miss March was less active but still committed to her beloved Desert Beautiful. She retains fond
memories of her filmmaking years and expresses appreciation for the
continuing interest in her career. When asked how she'd like to be
remembered in 1998, the modest, ever-gracious star simply replied, "For
doing my best. I think anything I've ever tried, I tried to do my best.
In the end, that's all you can do!"- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Bill Hudson was born on 17 October 1949 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Hysterical (1982), What The (2011) and The Cindy Williams Comedy Special (1994). He was previously married to Cindy Williams and Goldie Hawn.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
George Robert Wendt III was born and raised in Chicago to Loretta Mary (Howard) and George Robert Wendt II, who was a realtor and navy officer. He attended a strict Jesuit prep school, Rockhurst College (Kansas City, Missouri). He later dropped out of Notre Dame
University after a few uneventful years. He worked with Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe from 1974-1980. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the hit television series, Cheers (1982). He is married to actress Bernadette Birkett, who provided the rare offscreen voice of Norm's unseen wife, Vera. The couple have two sons and a daughter. They met while working at the Second City.- Actor
- Producer
Alimi ("Ali - Me") dazzles as the enigmatic and debonair Marcel Dumas on the Netflix and USA Network smash hit, Queen of The South. Ballard was last seen as Dr. Robert Dubois on the acclaimed original drama series Queen Sugar from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker creator/executive producer Ava DuVernay and executive producer Oprah Winfrey on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
Alimi lit up the screen as Reginald Lennox III, on the ABC and Shondaland drama, THE CATCH. For three seasons Alimi portrayed Detective Kevin Crawford on CBS's Global Sensation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Ballard may best be known for his portrayal of Special Agent David Sinclair, for six seasons as a series regular, on Tony and Ridley Scott's highly successful CBS crime drama NUMB3RS. The 2011 movie season kicked off with Alimi as Fusco in UNIVERSAL'S summer Blockbuster FAST FIVE. His tenure in Hollywood began as a series regular on the ABC sitcom SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH as The Quizmaster. Ballard had a blast recurring as Agent Gayne Levin on CBS's and TV's #1 Hit-Drama NCIS. Other series regular roles have Herbal Thought in James Cameron's cult favorite DARK ANGEL and as Matthew on the ABC sitcom ARSENIO.
An avid comic collector, Ballard was thrilled to lend his voice as Falcon for the Marvel Animated Series & Video Game SUPER HERO SQUAD. Some of his notable guest-starring roles include CRIMINAL MINDS, LUCIFER, ELEMENTARY, CASTLE, SCORPION, IN PLAIN SIGHT, HELLO LADIES, and many more. In other feature work, Ballard has graced the screen with such talent as Cuba Gooding Jr. in 20th Century Fox's MEN OF HONOR and Morgan Freeman in DreamWorks' DEEP IMPACT.
Of all the roles Alimi portrays, two reward him daily, that of Husband and Father. Ballard resides HAPPILY in Los Angeles with his Wife and two wonderful Children.- Actor
- Writer
J.C. MacKenzie was a student at Concordia University when he saw his
first play. Within two years, he was accepted at the London Academy of
Music and Dramatic Art.
He has made over 150 appearances in films and television, and on stage.
He is best known for his role as "Ludlow" in
Martin Scorsese's
The Aviator (2004), "Arnold Spivak"
in the Emmy Award-winning TV series,
Murder One (1995), as well as his
portrait of "Reagan "Normal" Ronald" in
James Cameron's
Dark Angel (2000) series, which
won the People's Choice Award. He made his screen debut in the
TV movie,
Perry Mason Returns (1985),
billed as "John C. MacKenzie" (his birth name).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Harriet Dyer was born on 17 October 1988 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and writer, known for The Invisible Man (2020), Colin from Accounts (2022) and No Activity (2015). She has been married to Patrick Brammall since 2021. They have one child.- Howard E. Rollins Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1950. He was
the youngest of four children born to Howard E. Rollins Sr.
(steelworker) and Ruth R. Rollins (domestic worker). Rollins graduated
from Towson State College, where he studied theater. His first break
into acting came when a friend convinced him to try out for a role in
"Of Mice and Men" at a local Baltimore theater. He surprised himself
with his acting talent.
He left for New York City in 1974 to further his acting career. Rollins
earned an Oscar nomination for the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in
Ragtime (1981) and an Emmy nomination for
Best Supporting Actor on the NBC daytime drama
Another World (1964). He is
also known for his brilliant portrayal of Virgil Tibbs on the long
running hit TV series
In the Heat of the Night (1988),
based on the 1967 movie of the same name. In 1995, he made his final
feature film appearance in Drunks (1995).
Rollins was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 1996. Six weeks later, he
died of complications from the disease at the age of 46. - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Cameron Esposito is a nationally touring stand-up comedian, actor and writer based in Los Angeles known for her appearances on CBS, NBC, Comedy Central, E!, TBS, IFC and the Cartoon Network.
Cameron is the host/creator of Buzzfeed's Ask A Lesbian series and the host of the popular Put Your Hands Together stand-up podcast taped live at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Soundtrack
This marvelous screen comedienne's best asset was only muffled during
her seven years' stint in silent films. That asset? It was, of course,
her squeaky, frog-like voice, which silent-era cinema audiences had
simply no way of perceiving, much less appreciating. Jean Arthur, born
Gladys Georgianna Greene in upstate New York, 20 miles south of the
Canadian border, has had her year of birth cited variously as 1900,
1905 and 1908. Her place of birth has often been cited as New York
City! (Herein we shall rely for those particulars on Miss Arthur's
obituary as given in the authoritative and reliable New York Times. The
date and place indicated above shall be deemed correct.) Following her
screen debut in a bit part in John Ford's Cameo Kirby (1923), she spent several
years playing unremarkable roles as ingénue or leading lady in comedy
shorts and cheapie westerns. With the arrival of sound she was able to
appear in films whose quality was but slightly improved over that of
her past silents. She had to contend, for example, with the
consummately evil likes of Dr. Fu Manchu (played by future "Charlie
Chan" Warner Oland). Her career bloomed with her appearance in Ford's
The Whole Town's Talking (1935), in which she played opposite Edward G. Robinson, the latter in a dual
role as a notorious gangster and his lookalike, a befuddled,
well-meaning clerk. Here is where her wholesomeness and flair for
farcical comedy began making themselves plain. The turning point in her
career came when she was chosen by Frank Capra to star with Gary Cooper in the
classic social comedy Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Here she rescues the hero - thus herself
becoming heroine! - from rapacious human vultures who are scheming to
separate him from his wealth. In Capra's masterpiece Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), she again
rescues a besieged hero (James Stewart), protecting him from a band of
manipulative and cynical politicians and their cronies and again she
ends up as a heroine of sorts. For her performance in George Stevens' The More the Merrier (1943),
in which she starred with Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, she received a Best
Actress Academy Award nomination, but the award went to Jennifer Jones in
The Song of Bernadette (1943) (Coburn, incidentally, won for Best Supporting Actor). Her
career began waning toward the end of the 1940s. She starred with
Marlene Dietrich and John Lund in Billy Wilder's fluff about post-World War II Berlin,
A Foreign Affair (1948). Thereafter, the actress would return to the screen but once,
again for George Stevens but not in comedy. She starred with Alan Ladd and
Van Heflin in Stevens' western Shane (1953), playing the wife of a besieged
settler (Heflin) who accepts help from a nomadic gunman (Ladd) in the
settler's effort to protect his farm. It was her silver-screen
swansong. She would provide one more opportunity for a mass audience to
appreciate her craft. In 1966 she starred as a witty and sophisticated
lawyer, Patricia Marshall, a widow, in the TV series The Jean Arthur Show (1966). Her time
was apparently past, however; the show ran for only 11
weeks.- Veteran character actor John Marley was one of those familiar but nameless faces that television and filmgoers did not take a shine to until the late 1960s, when he had already hit middle age. Quite distinctive with his dour, craggy face, dark bushy brows and upswept silvery hair, John started life in Harlem, Manhattan, New York as Mortimer Marlieb on October 17, 1907. The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, he was a City of New York College dropout heading for trouble when he avoided his omnipresent gangland trappings by joining a theater group.
His young, lackluster career was interrupted after joining the Army Signal Corps during World War II. Upon his return to civilian life, he pursued his acting interest and earned minor roles in the Broadway plays "Skipper Next to God" (1948), "An Enemy of the People" (1950), "Gramercy Ghost" (1951) and "Dinosaur Wharf" (1951). Looking for on-camera work at the same time, Marley obtained atmospheric bits (crooks, reporters, cabbies, etc.) in such post-war films as Kiss of Death (1947), The Naked City (1948), Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950) and Guilty Bystander (1950).
In the mid-1950s, Marley started slowly moving up into featured roles that were often ethnic (Greek, Italian) in origin. He appeared in a number of TV anthologies such as "Colgate Theatre," "Philco Television Playhouse," "Armstrong Circle Theatre," "Omnibus," "Goodyear Playhouse," "The Alcoa Hour" and "Robert Montgomery Presents." As for film work, he seemed best suited for urban drama, earning roles in The Mob (1951), My Six Convicts (1952), The Joe Louis Story (1953), The Square Jungle (1955) and I Want to Live! (1958).
Finding stronger roles on Broadway with "The Strong Are Lonely" (1953), "Sing Till Tomorrow," Marley went on to appear in "Compulsion" (1957) and "The Investigation" (1966). In the late 1950s he became a steady, sobering presence playing both sides of the legal fence with guest parts on "The Red Skelton Show," "The Jackie Gleason Show," "The Phil Silvers," "Cheyenne," "Peter Gunn," "Rawhide," "Maverick," "Hawaiian Eye," "The Untouchables," "Sea Hunt," "Perry Mason," "Dr. Kildare," "The Twilight Zone," "Gunsmoke," "The Wild, Wild West" and "Peyton Place." He was an infrequent player, however, on films -- Pay or Die! (1960), A Child Is Waiting (1963), The Wheeler Dealers (1963), America America (1963) and as Jane Fonda's father in the comedy western Cat Ballou (1965).
A stage director on the side, Marley finally earned acclaim for his starring role as a middle-aged husband who leaves his long-time wife Lynn Carlin for another woman Gena Rowlands in John Cassavetes' stark, improvisational indie Faces (1968). HIs intense, sterling work in the social drama earned him the Venice Film Festival Award for "Best Actor." Thereafter he became more in demand, earning Oscar and Golden Globe support nominations as Ali MacGraw's mournful, blue-collar dad in the box-office smash Love Story (1970) and cult fame as the mouthy movie titan who becomes unexpected bedmates with a horse's head after refusing Mafia Don Marlon Brando's offer in the Oscar-winning epic The Godfather (1972). Thanks to those two pictures alone, Marley, now in his mid-60s, would become a sturdy Hollywood fixture, although none of his subsequent roles would measure up to the importance or fame of the last three pictures mentioned.
Marley was seen frequently on '70s and '80s TV, including "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," "Hawaii Five-O," "SCTV Network," "The Incredible Hulk" and "Hardcastle McCormick," and also played Moses in the TV biblical series Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978). On film, he found work as a sheriff who becomes victim to the murderous title vehicle in The Car (1977); a doctor in The Paris Hat (1908)'s life's drama The Greatest (1977); a father figure producer to aging stuntman Burt Reynolds in Hooper (1978); a business partner to Jack Lemmon's talent agent in Tribute (1980), for which he won a Canadian "Genie" Award; a blackmailing journalist in the crime thriller The Amateur (1981); and an wilderness dweller in the adventure drama Mother Lode (1982). Marley's last film, the marathon sporting drama On the Edge (1985), was released posthumously.
John died on May 22, 1984, following open-heart surgery at age 76. He was survived by second wife, script supervisor Every Move You Make: Part 2 (1992) and his four children, three of them by first wife, TV actress Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds (1967). - Guy Henry is a British stage and screen actor. He is best-known for his
roles in Rome (2005) and
John Adams (2008). He trained at
RADA (1979-1981). He has done most of his work at the Royal Shakespeare
Company. He has appeared in
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
and
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).
He does work on stage, TV, radio and film.
During a two year break from the BBC drama Holby City he learned to drive buses, sitting and passing the PCV test. He enjoys driving motor coaches when not acting. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Veteran comedic actor Tom Poston, he with the bugged-out eyes that commonly accentuated a vague look of bewilderment, was born in Columbus, Ohio, on October 17, 1921. By age nine, the young boy was appearing with an acrobatic troupe.
Poston later attended Bethany College in West Virginia when World War II broke out and he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He
won medals for his courage under fire, and rose to the rank of captain. While he never returned to Bethany College, he would later receive an honorary doctorate from the institution. Following his military service, Poston went to New York and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), training with acting guru Sanford Meisner, among others. Making his Broadway debut in 1947 in José Ferrer's production of "Cyrano de Bergerac", Poston had the makings of a serious dramatic actor, appearing in such classics as "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" and "King Lear".
Although he also appeared seriously in TV drama in the early stages, comedy would become his forte. Hosting the amusing daily
TV show "Entertainment" led to his biggest break on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956). He, Louis Nye, Don Knotts, and other members of Allen's stock company became famous for their hilarious characters in Allen's famed sketch sequences. Poston himself would be best remembered as the "Man on the Street" interviewee who could never remember his own name. Winning an Emmy during those four seasons (1956-60), Poston went on to host another program, this time a game show, entitled Split Personality (1959).
He developed an affinity for parlor games and appeared as a panelist on other quiz shows as well, notably To Tell the Truth (1956). Given a chance to star in his own comedy films by the early 1960s, Poston went completely unnoticed in such blah vehicles as Zotz! (1962) and The Old Dark House (1963), which failed to capitalize on his delightfully bungling, eccentric humor, although he did turn in a very funny supporting performance as a perpetually soused playboy in the Dick Van Dyke comedy Cold Turkey (1971).
After his movie career dried up, television again became the object of his affection, usually in service to other stars. Alongside such top comedians as Bob Newhart (Newhart (1982)) and Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy (1978)), Poston's absent-minded "second banana" foils found their engaging niche. The comedic actor also continued with light comedy theater vehicles such as "Forty Carats", "Come Blow Your Horn", "Plaza Suite", and "Mary, Mary", and even managed a few musicals ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof").
Poston had a pre-fame first marriage that ended in divorce. His second wife was film actress Jean Sullivan. Their daughter, Francesca Poston, also became an actress. He had two other children by third wife Kay, who was 22 years his junior: son Jason and daughter Hudson. They divorced in 1975, but remarried in 1980 and remained together until her death at age 54 in 1998 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He and Kay appeared on many telethons to discuss the crippling disease. Three years later, Poston found happiness again when he married Suzanne Pleshette (they originally met while appearing in the 1959 Broadway comedy "Golden Fleecing", then worked again together on the old The Bob Newhart Show (1972)). He continued to provide glum, baggy-eyed comedy relief on TV as an octogenarian up until the end. Sadly, while wife Suzanne was battling cancer, Poston passed away unexpectedly of respiratory failure at his Los Angeles home on April 30, 2007, after a brief illness. Pleshette died on January 19, 2008.
The stalwart actor may not have nabbed top comic superstardom in his heyday, but he certainly enjoyed a long, durable
career doing what he did best -- acting goofy and giving audiences a reason to smile.- Actress
- Producer
Laura Regan was born on 17 October 1977 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Minority Report (2015), Mad Men (2007) and Dead Silence (2007). She has been married to Farhad Safinia since 2007.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Vincent Van Patten was born on 17 October 1957 in Bellerose, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for 7 Days to Vegas (2019), World Poker Tour (2003) and The Break (1995). He has been married to Eileen Davidson since 15 April 2003. They have one child. He was previously married to Betsy Russell.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Stardom somehow eluded this vastly gifted actress. Had it not perhaps
been for her low-level profile compounded by her McCarthy-era
blacklisting in the early 1950s, there is no telling what higher tier
Marsha Hunt might have attained. Perhaps her work was not
flashy enough, or too subdued, or perhaps her intelligence too often
disguised a genuine sex appeal to stand out among the other lovelies.
Two studios, Paramount in the late 1930s and MGM in the early 1940s,
failed to complete her star. Nevertheless, her talent and versatility
cannot be denied. This glamorous, slimly handsome leading lady offered
herself to well over 50 pictures during the 1930s and 1940s alone.
Christened Marcia Virginia Hunt, the Chicago-born actress was the
younger of two girls born to an attorney and voice teacher/accompanist.
The family relocated to New York when she was quite young and she
attended such schools as PS #9 and Horace Mann School for Girls. She
developed an interest in acting at an early age (3), performing around
and about in school plays and at church functions. Following her high
school graduation the young beauty found work as a John Powers model
and as a singer on radio, a gift obviously inherited from her mother.
Marcia (she later changed the spelling of her first name to Marsha)
studied drama at the Theodora Irvine Drama School (one of her fellow
students was Cornel Wilde).
Encouraged to try Hollywood by various New York people in the business,
the young photogenic hopeful moved there in 1934. She was only 17 but
was accompanied by her older sister. It didn't take long for the
studios to take an interest in her and she was signed up by Paramount
not long after. Marsha's very first movie was in a featured role
opposite Robert Cummings and
Johnny Downs in the old-fashioned
The Virginia Judge (1935).
Displaying an innate, fresh-faced sensitivity, she moved directly into
her second film, playing the title role in
Gentle Julia (1936), this time with
Tom Brown as her romantic interest.
Marsha continued to show promise but these well-acted roles were, more
often than not, overlooked in mild "B"-level offerings. Appearing in
co-starring roles in everything from westerns
(Desert Gold (1936) and
Thunder Trail (1937)) to folksy or
flyweight comedy
(Easy to Take (1936) and
Murder Goes to College (1937)),
she could not find decent enough scripts at Paramount. Though she was
once deemed one of the studio's promising starlets, one of her last
films there was another prairie flower
role--[error]--with
cowboys John Wayne and
Johnny Mack Brown vying for her
attention. At about this time (1938) she married
Jerry Hopper, a Paramount film editor who
turned to directing in the 1950s. This marriage lasted but a few years.
Freelancing for a time for many studios, Marsha's more noticeable
war-era work in sentimental comedy and staunch war dramas came from
MGM, and she finally signed with the studio in 1939. The roles offered,
which included a featured part as one of the sisters in
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
starring Greer Garson, and again as a
sister to Garson in
Blossoms in the Dust (1941),
which showed much more promise. Some of her better war-era roles came
in the films
Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941),
Kid Glove Killer (1942) and
The Affairs of Martha (1942).
During this time she also sang on extended USO tours and stayed busy on
radio. Her best known film is arguably
The Human Comedy (1943) but she
wasn't the star. Other film roles had her in support pf others, such as
Margaret Sullavan in
Cry 'Havoc' (1943), little
Margaret O'Brien in
Lost Angel (1943) and Garson again in
The Valley of Decision (1945).
Leading roles did not come in "A" pictures.
Her MGM contract was allowed to lapse in 1945 and a second marriage in
1946, to screenwriter
Robert Presnell Jr., became a higher
priority. The marriage was long and happy (exactly 40 years) and lasted
until his passing in June of 1986. The few pictures she made were,
again, uneventful or in support of the star, although she did have a
catchy, unsympathetic role in the
Susan Hayward starrer
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947)
as a scheming secretary. In
Raw Deal (1948), starring
Dennis O'Keefe, she got the "raw
deal" being overshadowed as a "good girl" by the "bad girl" posturings
of Claire Trevor. At this point of her
career she decided to try the stage and made her Broadway debut in "Joy
to the World" (1948). Other plays down the road would include "The
Devil's Disciple" with
Maurice Evans, "The Lady's Not for
Burning" with Vincent Price and
"The Little Hut" with Leon Ames. She even had
a chance to return to her beloved singing as Anna in a production of
"The King and I" and (much later) in productions of "State Fair" and
"Meet Me in St. Louis". TV also yielded some new work opportunities,
including a presentation of "Twelfth Night" in which she portrayed
Viola.
The seams of her film career fell apart in the early 1950s. During the
late 1930s and into the 1940s she signed a number of petitions
promoting liberal ideals, and was a member of the Committee for the
First Amendment. A strong supporter of freedom of speech, these
associations led to her name appearing in the pamphlet "Red Channels",
a McCarthy-era publication that "exposed" alleged Communists and
"subversives". Although she and her husband were never called before
the House Un-American Activities Commission, their names were
nevertheless smeared all over Hollywood as "Reds". While she still
found film work on occasion, it was rare. Although she had worked
steadily from 1935 until 1949, appearing in over 50 films, she made
only three films in the next eight years. Her screenwriter husband
would be credited for only one film from 1948 to 1955.
Semi-retired by the early 1960s, stage and TV became Marsha's focal
points. She also devoted herself to civil rights causes and such
humanitarian efforts as UNICEF, The March of Dimes and The Red Cross.
She became actively involved with the United Nations. On the acting
front she appeared only in smaller roles in five films but in numerous
TV programs and made-for-TV movies, playing everything from judges to
grandmas. She became the Honorary Mayor of Sherman Oaks, California, in
1983, and published a book on fashion entitled "The Way We Wore" in
1993. Widowed in 1986, the ever-vibrant Marsha, in her 90s, continues
to serve on the Advisory Board of Directors for the San Fernando Valley
Community Mental Health Center, a large non-profit that advocates for
adults and children affected by homelessness and mental illness. As
recently as 2006, she appeared to good advantage in the movie
Chloe's Prayer (2006) and, at age 91, was seen in Empire State Building Murders (2008).- Since her acceptance into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at just 16 years old, Angel
Parker has enjoyed a thriving and respected career through her talent, hard work, and
sophisticated charisma. Angel's body of work reflects her ease with both comedy and drama
across an array of networks and platforms.
Angel's recent and upcoming work includes a starring role in "Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic
Christmas" on NBC and recurring roles on the CW's "Superman & Lois," ABC's "The Rookie,"
and "The Recruit" for Netflix. Previous series regular and recurring roles include "Marvel's
Runaways," "Lab Rats," "The Strain," "Trial & Error," "ER," and the FX Emmy Award-winning
"American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson." She has also achieved a formidable list of
lead roles and guest-star appearances, including Hulu's "The Dropout," the pilot of "La Brea,"
Kevin Costner's ABC pilot "National Parks," "The Good Doctor," "Grand Crew," "Animal
Kingdom," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "911: Lone Star," "REL," "Teachers," "Castle," and
"Criminal Minds," among others. In film, Angel's work includes the lead role in "You Are My
Home" opposite Alyssa Milano for Netflix and the independent feature "Prisoner's Daughter"
starring Kate Beckinsdale and Brian Cox.
Angel's roots also remain in the theater, having studied and worked with the British American
Drama Academy, Independent Shakespeare Company, and Will & Company. She has performed
with the Blank Theatre's Young Playwright's Festival for over a decade. Angel currently lives in
Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is represented by Innovative Artists and
Joel Stevens Entertainment. - Actress
- Additional Crew
Fern Sutherland was born on 17 October 1987 in New Zealand. She is an actress, known for The Almighty Johnsons (2011), The Brokenwood Mysteries (2014) and A Mistake.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sanjay Kapoor was born on 17 October 1965 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. He is an actor and assistant director, known for Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Luck by Chance (2009) and Soch (2002). He is married to Maheep Kapoor. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sam Bottoms was born on 17 October 1955 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Seabiscuit (2003). He was married to Laura Bickford and Susan Arnold. He died on 16 December 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Rob Marshall was born on 17 October 1960 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Chicago (2002) and Into the Woods (2014).- Dee Jay Daniels was born on 17 October 1988 in Montclair, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Sky High (2005), The Hughleys (1998) and Cold Case (2003).
- Sandra Mae Trentman, known as Sandy, was a typical small-town girl. She was in grade school when her parents divorced. It was during her seventh-grade year when her mother decided that a change was needed and they left Delphos, Ohio, and headed first to Van Wert, Ohio, for two years and then out west to Arizona. While attending high school in Tucson, her high school algebra teacher asked her to marry him. At 15, she thought this was her only chance and if she said no she would never get asked again so she said yes. They eloped later in San Diego where Sandy's mother had taken a job at Scripps Hospital. It became clear that a 15-year-old high school girl wasn't ready to settle down as a housewife and the marriage was annulled after three years.
After a short time studying pre-med at the University of Arizona, a newly-single Sandy recreated herself, now going by Sabrina Scharf (taking her mother's maiden name) and drove to New York, where she stopped at a Greenwich Village diner for a burger and ended up at a long table with members of a local off-Broadway theater group. When they found out she hadn't any lodgings, they invited her to stay at their theater and become an assistant. She had no intention of being an actress but soon landed a small role in one of the theater's productions. During rehearsals, it became apparent she was not a born thespian and that if she wished to pursue a career onstage, acting classes were in her future.
The Neighborhood Playhouse had the best acting program but had a strict rule that you had to be a full-time student. During a visit to California to see her mother, her New York agent asked her to meet their West Coast agents in Los Angeles. At that time, Columbia Studios was developing a company of low-salaried contract players. Scharf, a former Playboy Bunny by that time, and eleven other actors were signed by the studio. Her film career began in an episode of Gidget (1965) in 1965.
In 1972, Scharf ran for California State Senate in a bid to become the first woman ever elected to the upper house of that state's Legislature, losing by only 700 votes from more than 250,000 votes cast. Her husband, Bob Schiller (with whom she had two children), and his writing partner, Bob Weiskopf, were writing for the sitcom Maude (1972) at the time and used the experience as the basis for the "Maude Runs for Congress" episodes. Scharf later worked as a real estate developer in the Greater Los Angeles Area. - Thomas Kopache is an actor born in Manchester, New Hampshire on October
17, 1945 who is best known for his role as Assistant Secretary of State
Bob Slatterly on
The West Wing (1999) and for
appearing in many roles on all of the various "Star Trek" spin-off
television shows. Kopache has played seven characters on the "Star
Trek" spin-offs Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987),
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993),
Star Trek: Voyager (1995),
and "Star Trek: Enterprise". He also appeared in the Star Trek movie
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
and the "Star Trek"-inspired sci-fi TV series
Babylon 5 (1993). - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Rizwan Manji was born on 17 October 1974 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for The Dictator (2012), Charlie Wilson's War (2007) and Transformers (2007). He has been married to Taslim Manji since 12 June 2002. They have three children.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Bianca Bree grew up in the film industry watching her father, martial
artist/actor Jean-Claude Van Damme
perform on sets all over the world and is extremely athletic due to her
mother, ex-bodybuilder and fitness competitor
Gladys Portugues.
Having two very athletic parents, Bianca was thrown into sports at a
young age such as karate, kick-boxing, boxing, ballet and figure
skating. After repetitively watching the Olympics on television, she
realized that going to the Olympics was a dream of hers. The cattiness
of figure skating made Bianca dislike the sport, many times she was
close to quitting but the love she had for the ice kept her sane.
Fortunately she came across short track speed skating and that's when
she decided her goal was the 2010 winter Olympics. Within the year of
2002, Bianca trained like an animal, she was entered in many
competitions winning all but two. She was also given many awards
including one of the hardest awards to receive, "Most improved". Her
motivation was manic until she was told by her parents that they were
moving to Vancouver, Canada. Bianca fell into a depression causing a
back injury from a crash during her last race, placing first. Bianca
continued skating with the Canadian Olympic team until she couldn't
handle the pain from her injury, causing her to make the choice she
never thought she would consider.
Bianca graduated high school at the age of 16, she then went to John
Casablanca's in Vancouver to study acting. When she got offered a
scholarship, she made the quick decision to assist her father around
the world from film sets to business trips. Knowing she had an
advantage, Bianca was very adamant when it came to educating herself
about the film industry.
In 2007, Bianca was asked to make her first film debut in
The Shepherd (2008)
as Kassie Robideaux. In 2010 she appeared in
The Eagle Path (2010) as Bianca
Banks, which was written, directed, produced and starred by her father,
Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 2010 she
played the role of Anna Flint in
Assassination Games (2011).
Bianca moved back to California and started speed skating again. But in
2011 a British TV network, ITV, approached Bianca's family to do a
documented reality show titled;
Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors (2011).
After the TV show was released, Bianca got an email from director
Dominic Burns offering her the part of
Carrie, lead role of his film
Alien Uprising (2012). Being her
first genuine offer, Bianca took the chance and went to the UK to start
shooting, given the opportunity to do her own stunts and gained a great
relationship with Dominic Burns, as well
as being in his next upcoming projects. When
Alien Uprising (2012) wrapped,
Bianca was sent straight to Romania to play the role of Amalia in
6 Bullets (2012). After shooting two
back to back films, Bianca made the smart decision to take her acting
career more serious. The next year of 2012, Bianca played the role of
Ashley in the film
Welcome to the Jungle (2013).
Until Bianca starts her next upcoming projects, she occupies herself by
staying in shape and expressing herself through poetry.