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- Actor
- Soundtrack
Aaron Moten was born on 28 February 1989 in Austin, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Fallout (2024), Father Stu (2022) and Emancipation (2022).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Alice Kremelberg is a film, television and theater actor born and raised in New York. Alice has most recently starred in the final season of The Sinner as Percy Muldoon, and played Bernadine in Aaron Sorkin's Oscar nominated The Trial of the Chicago 7 for Netflix/Dreamworks. She recurred as Nicole Eckelcamp on the last two seasons of Jenji Kohan's Orange is the New Black for Netflix. Alice was nominated for an Emmy for their performance as Kat in The Feels, which they both co-wrote and acted in. Upcoming, Alice will be playing Abby in Monsterland for Hulu/Annapurna, and Duff in the independent film Bleecker. They can also be seen as Sorrell in Doomsday (ITV Fest, Brooklyn Web Fest + HollyWeb Fest winner). Her other film and television credits include New Amsterdam, The Taking of Pelham 123, NCIS, Nurse Jackie, Blue Bloods, The Big C, Smash, Law and Order: SVU, and 30 Rock.
On stage she originated the role of Reba in Ruby Rae Spiegel's breakout play Dry Land (NYSAF+HERE, Adrienne Campbell-Holt of Colt Coeur). Alice had the pleasure of playing 'Cassandra' opposite Austin Pendleton in Dress of Fire (The Abingdon). Other theater credits include 'Catherine' in Suddenly Last Summer (ATNYC), 'Missy' in Road Veins, 'Maggie' in Lend Me a Tenor and 'Beth' in A Lie of the Mind. Alice has trained at The Atlantic Acting Conservatory, Fordham University, UCB, The Professional Performing Arts School and studied with Tanya Berezin, Ted Sluberski, Larry Moss and Bob Krakower among others.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Ali began modeling at age thirteen, and traveled the world before moving to Los Angeles to study acting. Her first professional acting job was a role on the television series Chicago Sons (1997). She received her breakthrough in the high school football drama Varsity Blues (1999) which included her infamous whipped cream bikini scene. Roles in the horror films House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Final Destination (2000) further transitioned her career as an actress.
Acting alongside Colin Farrell, Larter starred in the Western comedy, American Outlaws (2001) which performed poorly at the box office. That year, she also starred as "Brooke Taylor Windham" in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) with Reese Witherspoon.
Not happy with how things were going, Larter moved to New York in 2002 to reassess her life and career. She reprized her role as "Clear Rivers" in the sequel Final Destination 2 (2003) for which she received star billing. A year later, she made a cameo appearance as herself on the pilot to the HBO comedy drama Entourage (2004) and starred in Three Way (2004) as "Isobel Delano". She had a role in A Lot Like Love (2005) as "Gina."
Larter moved back to Los Angeles in 2006 where she auditioned for a role in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes (2006). The pilot premiered on September 25, 2006 to successful ratings and many critics declaring it "the new Lost (2004)". The series ran for a total of 77 episodes in 4 Seasons when it was canceled due to diminishing ratings and high production costs. There has been interest in a mini-series or a movie to wrap up story lines.
During her time on Heroes (2006), Larter made several appearances on film. The first was the Bollywood film Marigold (2007) where she received a seven-figure salary. The movie was met with primarily negative reviews. She also starred in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), part 3 of the popular film franchise based on the Capcom video games. She played "Claire Redfield", based on the video game character of the same name. The movie was a box office success tripling its production budget, albeit being a critical flop. Larter also appeared in the caveman comedy Homo Erectus (2007) which was released direct-to-DVD. The film co-starred Hayes MacArthur, an actor whom she was engaged to marry in December 2007.
In 2009, Larter starred opposite Beyoncé and Idris Elba in the thriller Obsessed (2009). The film opened at number one at the box office but was met with negative reviews, with some critics comparing it to Fatal Attraction (1987). It was also this year that Larter and MacArthur married in a small ceremony in Maine, among the guests was Larter's close friend, Amy Smart. The couple has two children.
She reprised her role as Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.- Actor
- Soundtrack
One actor who has deserved much acknowledgment and fame and has had to do without it on a number of occasions is Robert Sean Leonard, known by most as Dr. James Wilson on House (2004). But his career has spanned a number of classic films, alongside such greats as Daniel Day-Lewis, Christian Bale, Paul Newman, and Denzel Washington.
Born Robert Lawrence Leonard in Westland, New Jersey, he attended first Fordham University and then Columbia University. Afterwards he was accepted into the Screen Actor's Guild, changing his middle name to 'Sean'. Leonard's first acting role was My Two Loves (1986) where he was cast in a small role. That same year he was also in The Manhattan Project (1986). The film is a suspense thriller starring John Lithgow and is about a science experiment taken too far.
Leonard continued on from these firsts and landed a role in Bluffing It (1987) and then acted in another teen comedy: My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1987). His next role is easily one of his most memorable. He took the second billing in Dead Poets Society (1989) opposite Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke. His character of Neil Perry is a young student whose passion for acting is smothered in fear of his father's wrath and his parents' domination of his life. While Robin Williams earned himself an Oscar nomination, Leonard gave a truly Oscar-worthy performance.
The 20-year old actor was well on his way now, and he proceeded to act in another Oscar-nominated film: Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) starring Paul Newman. Leonard resumed the rebellious youth act from "Dead Poets" as he played one of the children caught between their father's conservative ways and their own ideas. Leonard followed up with the not-so successful Married to It (1991). Two years after that Leonard found massive success in three different films.
Firstly, he acted in Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing (1993). Pulling in 60 million on an 8 million dollar budget, it remains one of the most successful films based off of a play by Shakespeare. Leonard was surrounded by other talents apart in addition to Branagh, such as Brian Blessed, Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Emma Thompson. Leonard played the character of Claudio and was sadly criticized by several critics for his acting. However others such as Roger Ebert defended the young lead whose character is deceived into thinking his betrothed is unfaithful.
In the same year, Leonard took the lead in Swing Kids (1993), which also starred Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey and Kenneth Branagh who, rather than upstage Leonard, Bale and Whaley, refused any credit in the film. The film, another success for Leonard, told the story of a group of friends in the Hitler Youth attempting to hold onto something they love-- the Lindy hop. Reviews were mixed, but the film has a faithful following to this day.
Also that year Leonard took a smaller role in Martin Scorsese's elaborate and artistic film The Age of Innocence (1993) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film is about the aristocrat who must choose between two women and risk scandal. The film earned Ryder an Oscar nomination and a win for Best Costume. Leonard himself played the young son of Danny Archer and plays a crucial role at the end of the film.
After these three great films Leonard's career slowed down. Despite acting in three different films in 1996 (the Oliver Stone-produced Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995) starring James Woods, the light-hearted The Boys Next Door (1996), and the romantic I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)) none were as successful as those he made in 1993. Leonard moved onwards to act in (among other things) The Last Days of Disco (1998) and the thriller Ground Control (1998) opposite Kiefer Sutherland, Henry Winkler, and Bruce McGill.
Leonard's work changed as the new millennium began. He turned to television as well as continuing film. He acted in the series The Outer Limits (1995) and Wasteland (1999) as well as making movies such as the dramatic film Tape (2001) by Richard Linklater, A Glimpse of Hell (2001) opposite James Caan, and the box office bomb Driven (2001) starring Sylvester Stallone and Burt Reynolds. After a few more films Leonard was cast in the series that gave him much fame.
House (2004) is a drama series about a cynical, antisocial, crippled doctor who is almost always correct in his solutions to medical problems. Leonard, the first actor to be cast in the series, plays the character of Dr. Wilson, the only person that House considers a friend. Wilson is a much more humane person than House, which leads to many debates between himself and House, though he is plagued by his own problems. It is the best known face that Leonard has ever portrayed in his career, and hopefully he will take on other fantastic roles and obtain the honors he so richly deserves.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sarah Lee Bolger (born 28 February 1991) is an Irish actress. She is best known for her roles in the films In America (2002), Stormbreaker, and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), as well as her award winning role as Lady Mary Tudor in the TV series The Tudors (2007), and for guest starring as Princess Aurora in Once Upon a Time (2011).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Highly talented, lightly built American actor who always looks unsettled and jumpy has become a favourite of cult/arthouse film aficionados with his compelling performances in a broad range of cinematic vehicles.
Turturro was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian-American parents, Katherine (Incerella), a jazz singer, and Nicholas Turturro, a construction worker and carpenter, who was born in Giovinazzo. His brother, also named Nicholas Turturro, is an actor, and actress Aida Turturro is his cousin.
Turturro has become a regular in the thought provoking films of Spike Lee and the off the wall comedies of Joel Coen & Ethan Coen. His wonderful performances include as the highly agitated "Pino" in Do the Right Thing (1989), as an intellectual playwright in Barton Fink (1991), a pedophile tenpin bowler in The Big Lebowski (1998), a confused boyfriend in Jungle Fever (1991) and as the voice of Harvey the dog in Summer of Sam (1999).
Turturro has continued to appeal to audiences despite his unconventional looks and the often annoying onscreen mannerisms of his characters which he used to great effect in films such as his blue collar tale of warring brothers in the construction business, Mac (1992), as the irate, dumped game show contestant, Herbie Stempel, in Robert Redford's dynamic Quiz Show (1994). One of modern American cinema's gems of acting, Turturro remains in strong demand for his high calibre thespian talents.- Jennie Jacques is an English actress. Her first major role was as Annie Miller in Desperate Romantics (2009), a six-part BBC Two television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood that was broadcast in July and August 2009. From 2013-2014 she played the lead role of WPC Gina Dawson on the BBC television series WPC 56. From 2015 to 2019 Jacques has played the recurring role of Saxon Queen Judith on the television series Vikings.
- Actor
- Director
- Editor
Rudy Mancuso was born on 28 February 1992. He is an actor and director, known for Rim of the World (2019), A Celebration of the Music from Coco (2020) and The Flash (2023).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Rae Dawn Chong was born February 28, 1961 in Edmonton, Canada. After a few film and television spots, Rae Dawn earned a Genie for her performance in Jean-Jacques Annaud's prehistoric-drama Quest for Fire (1981). She played the young, Ivaka prisoner, Ika. Other notables roles include Harpo's girlfriend "Squeek", aka, Mary Agnes in Steven Spielberg's five-time Academy Award-nominated film, The Color Purple (1985), and James Remar's beautiful and mysterious wife, Carola in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Rory Cochrane was born in New York, however he spent his childhood years in England. He later returned to New York City and was educated at the renowned High School of The Performing Arts. Soon after graduating, he got his first substantial role as Jeff Goldblum's son in Fathers & Sons, followed by Richard Linklater's sophomore film Dazed and confused...- Actress
- Soundtrack
Throughout her illustrious career, Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert, and on recordings. She is one of the most critically-acclaimed Broadway performers, having received nominations for seven Tony Awards, winning two, and eight Drama Desk Awards, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards. Recently, she has been starring on Broadway as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the hit musical, Hello, Dolly!
Bernadette was born Bernadette Lazzara on February 28, 1948 in Queens, New York City, to Marguerite (Maltese) and Peter Lazzara, a bread delivery truck driver. She is of Sicilian descent.
Bernadette first performed on the stage as a child and then a teenage actor in the 1960s, and in film and television in the 1970s. She was praised for this early work and for appearances on The Muppet Show (1976), The Carol Burnett Show (1991) and in other television work, and for her roles in films like Silent Movie (1976), The Jerk (1979), Pennies from Heaven (1981) and Annie (1982). In the 1980s, she returned to the theatre, where she became one of the best-known Broadway stars over the next three decades. She also has recorded six solo albums and several singles, as well as many cast albums, and performs regularly in her own solo concert act. Peters is particularly noted for her starring roles in stage musicals, including "Song and Dance", "Sunday in the Park with George", "Into the Woods", "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Gypsy", becoming closely associated with composer Stephen Sondheim.
Peters continues to act in films and on television, where she has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, winning once. Her career boasts an impressive list of television credits, which includes Amazon Prime's highly popular, Mozart in the Jungle, which won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best TV Comedy or Musical series. She also co-stars in the new CBS All Access series, The Good Fight, a spin-off of the network's popular series, The Good Wife. One of Broadway's most critically acclaimed performers, Peters has won numerous accolades including being the recipient of three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, three Grammy nominations, three Emmy nominations and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Peters' albums include the Grammy nominated I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall, and Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, in addition to numerous Grammy Award winning Broadway Cast recordings. Peters devotes her time and talents to numerous events that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Her "pet project" Broadway Barks, co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore, is an annual, star-studded dog and cat adoption event that benefits shelter animals throughout the New York City area. She is a New York Times bestselling author who has penned three children's books, Broadway Barks, Stella Is a Star and Stella and Charlie: Friends Forever. All of her proceeds from the sale of these books benefit Broadway Barks.
She had a four-year romantic relationship with comedian Steve Martin and was married to investment adviser Michael Wittenberg for over nine years until he was killed in a helicopter crash on September 26, 2005. Peters is known for her charitable work, including as a founder of the Broadway Barks animal charity. Peters resides in New York with her rescue dogs, Charlie and Rosalia.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Denise was born in Ireland in 1980 to a father who was an electrician - later a fisheries expert - and a mother who "was pregnant for nine and a half years" since Denise is the seventh of twelve children, her younger sister Kelly, born in 1987, also being an actress. At school she had no theatrical aspirations, leaving at age fifteen and moving to London a year later "to follow a boy." After several years in menial jobs she took a Saturday acting class and won a place at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in Wandsworth - having borrowed the audition fee - and graduated in 2003. In 2004 she made her television debut in Casualty (1986) and has since appeared in many populist series from New Tricks (2003) to Stella (2012). However she has attracted more notice as a stage actress, being nominated in 2012 by the Evening Standard Awards for her roles in 'Our New Girl' and 'Desire Under the Elms' and in 2015 winning universal plaudits as the recovering drug addict in 'People, Places and Things' at the National Theatre.- Amanda Abbington was born on 28 February 1974 in North London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Sherlock (2010), Crooked House (2017) and After You've Gone (2007).
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Quinn Shephard is a writer, director and actress based out of the New York area, with a career spanning two decades. At age 15, Shephard began writing her debut feature Blame (2017), inspired by playing Abigail Williams in a New Jersey regional production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. She went on to direct, produce, edit, and star in the film at age 20. It premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, making Shephard the youngest female filmmaker ever to screen a feature there. Shephard is a 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Listmaker and in 2019 received a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay for Blame.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
At the tender age of 15, Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at open mike nights in New York City and, after a few short years, became known around town as "the comedian's comedian". After spending several years mastering the art of stand-up comedy, producers of the legendary NBC late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975) became aware of Gottfried and, in 1980, hired him as a cast member. It was not until a few years later that his notoriety began after MTV hired him for a series of improvised and hilarious promos for the newly formed channel. This led to several television appearances on The Cosby Show (1984).
Gottfried's work in television soon led to roles in film. Most notable was his improvised scene as business manager "Sidney Bernstein" in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). The New York Daily News critic wrote that "Gilbert Gottfried steals the picture with a single scene". Aside from his glowing reputation in comedy clubs, Gottfried gained a reputation as the king of quirky roles in both movies and television. He appeared in such movies as Problem Child (1990), Problem Child 2 (1991), Look Who's Talking Too (1990), and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). He was also the host of the very popular late night movie series Up All Night (1989).
After his performance as the wise cracking parrot "Iago" in the Disney classic Aladdin (1992), Gottfried became one of the most recognizable voice-over talents. His signature voice was heard in several commercials, cartoons and movies, including the frustrated duck in the AFLAC Insurance commercials. Gottfried was the voice of Digit in the long-running PBS series Cyberchase (2002).
Gottfried was a regular on the new Hollywood Squares (1998) and was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) and Howard Stern on Demand (2005). He appeared in the hit comedy documentary The Aristocrats (2005), with Entertainment Weekly opining that, "out of the 101 comedians who appear on screen, no one is funnier - or more disgusting - than Gilbert Gottfried".
"Gilbert Gottfried Dirty Jokes" was recently released on both DVD and CD, featuring 50 non-stop minutes of Gottfried telling the funniest and filthiest jokes, ever. The show was filmed live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. Also featured on the DVD are some of the funniest bonus features ever, including wild stories, indignant ranting and celebrity impressions. For this live performance, Gottfried put aside political correctness and fires an onslaught of jokes that know no boundaries. At the end of the show, Gottfried told what is known among comedians as the "Dirtiest Joke of All Time", the basis for The Aristocrats (2005). He was one of the most sought-after comedians, and regularly performed live to sold-out audiences across North America.
Gottfried died of ventricular tachycardia at the age of 67, leaving behind his wife, his two children, and his sister, Karen.- Actress
- Art Department
- Writer
Mimsy Farmer first began acting at age 16, when a press agent noticed her and offered her work in the film, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), an unbilled bit with one line as a girl in the lobby. Her first billed film was a featured part in Spencer's Mountain (1963), starring Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and James MacArthur. After her first acting role, Mimsy took acting lessons after graduation and landed a few more roles, playing featured characters in the films, Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965), Hot Rods to Hell (1966), Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) and Devil's Angels (1967). After spending a year in Canada and working in a research hospital, she returned to the USA, moved to Los Angeles, and was soon cast for a role in Roger Corman's The Wild Racers (1968), which was directed by Daniel Haller. Her experience on that film was to her 'a pleasant one' because she first traveled to Europe and experienced the various countries, and to England to visit her older brother, who worked as a math teacher at a university in London.
After appearing in the film, More (1969), Mimsy traveled to Italy for a vacation and met her future husband, screenwriter Vincenzo Cerami, who wanted to write her a part in a film. He was later fired as the scriptwriter and her role was not cast. After spending time in Italy, and disillusioned by the civil unrest and political problems with the USA and its involvement in the Vietnam War, Mimsy, a liberal left-winger, settled in Italy to continue her acting career there.
Mimsy Farmer first became an international star when Dario Argento cast her to appear alongside Michael Brandon in 'giallo' mystery-thriller, Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) (aka "Four Flies on Grey Velvet"), in 1971. After her success with "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" (1971), Mimsy remained in Italy and a steady stream of acting roles followed with dramatic parts in dramas and thrillers, including Allonsanfan (1974), and The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974), directed by Francesco Barilli. One of her best roles was a starring role in the horror-mystery-thriller, Autopsy (1975) (aka "Autopsy"), directed by Armando Crispino, where she played a pathologist investigating a murder.
She also appeared in two films, directed by Ruggero Deodato, titled Concorde Affaire '79 (1979) and Body Count (1986). Lucio Fulci even cast her, in 1981, for a co-starring part in The Black Cat (1981) (aka "The Black Cat") (1981), playing the heroine/victim. She also appeared in a number of French language films and TV. After her divorce from Vincenzo Cerami in the 1980s, Mimsy and her teenage daughter, Aisha Cerami, settled in France, where she also did some French-language movie and TV roles and she considers French an easier language to learn and speak than Italian.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Stephanie Sigman is a Mexican actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 2011 crime drama film Miss Bala. She has gone on to appear in Pioneer (2013), Spectre (2015), Going Under (2016), and Annabelle: Creation (2017). On television, Sigman starred as Valeria Vélez in the first and second seasons of Netflix crime thriller, Narcos (2015).
Sigman was born in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, to a Mexican mother and an American father, Lee Sigman, a New York Yankees scout from Kansas. She is a U.S. citizen through her father.
Sigman began her career appearing on Mexican television, before making her film debut in Rio de Oro. In 2011, she played the leading role of Laura Guerrero in the Mexican crime drama film, Miss Bala. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. Sigman was nominated for a Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award in 2011 for her performance in film. The following year, she played Catalina Aguado in the Canadian documentary film Flight of the Butterflies. In 2013, Sigman co-starred in the Norwegian thriller Pioneer.
In 2013, Sigman played the leading role in the USA Network drama pilot The Arrangement opposite Bryan Greenberg. It not was ordered to series. Later that year, she was cast in a recurring role on the FX crime drama series, The Bridge. She also starred in the Arctic Monkeys music video for "Snap Out of It" in 2014. In 2015, Sigman played Valeria Vélez, character based on Virginia Vallejo, in the Netflix crime thriller, Narcos.
In 2015, Sigman appeared in the James Bond film, Spectre, becoming the second Mexican actress to play a Bond girl after Linda Christian first played the role of Valerie Mathis in the 1954 TV adaptation of Casino Royale. She later was cast as a female lead in the action comedy Going Under, and well as War on Everyone.
In 2016, Sigman had a recurring role as Monica Ava during the second season of the ABC anthology drama series, American Crime created by John Ridley. Ridley later cast Sigman in the leading role as Presence Foster, the former Army veteran who finds herself as unlicensed Private Investigator, in the ABC detective drama pilot, Presence.
In 2017, Sigman began playing Jessica Cortez, captain and commanding officer of the LAPD Metropolitan Division in S.W.A.T..
Sigman starred as Sister Charlotte in Annabelle: Creation, opposite Miranda Otto. The horror film was released on 11 August 2017.- Actress
- Stunts
Avaah Blackwell is a multilingual actress and versatile stunt performer. Classically trained in Europe, Blackwell began her career as a performer after graduating Prague Film School's "Acting for Film" program at the top of her class. One of ten actors globally selected for PFS's innovative program, Avaah is equally captivating performing for stage and screen. Blackwell is the co-founder of a series of industry related events entitled "Behind the Camera" at Soho House Toronto. Avaah utilizes her international training & experience to infuse her work with unique physical, emotional, and mental discipline. Versatile in her character choices, Blackwell is known best for playing strong female leads, as well as interesting supporting characters. Blackwell's performances are described as "magnetic, electric and enchanting" by producers and audiences across Europe ( Cannes Film Festival, The Bear Theatre Company), Asia (Pi Fan) and North America (TIFF, Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, New York City International Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, Golden Panda, Studio 35 Festival, et al.). Blackwell's exceptional comedic performance in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival earned her recognition from CBC. Blackwell's love for improvisation and comedy allows her amiable personality to shine both on and off camera. When not working on screen, Avaah can be found supporting her love for film by working for TIFF and Sundance Film Festival. She also spends her time training in acrobatics, martial arts, learning new languages and loves riding horses with her sister Mick in Alberta.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ruehl received her first Academy Award nomination and win for her performance as Anne Napolitano, the emotionally driven girlfriend to fallen radio personality, (played by Jeff Bridges), in Terry Gilliam's masterpiece, The Fisher King (1991). In addition to an Oscar, and a Golden Globe, Ruehl's performance garnered several accolades. Los Angeles Times commended the performance, calling it "a bravura performance that runs from high, bantering comedy to an intense projection of pain and sorrow."
Notable film credits include The Fisher King (1991), Lost in Yonkers (1993) and For Roseanna (1997).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Karen Robinson was born on 28 February 1968 in Leslieville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Narc (2002), Schitt's Creek (2015) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007).- Actor
- Producer
Kicking off an impressive career in front of the camera at the tender age of five, Bobb'e J. Thompson rose to fame as a child actor well before his teens, initially with a small but colorful and energetic supporting role as the pint-sized Tupac in My Baby's Daddy (2003). He subsequently appeared in television and film efforts such as "The Tracy Morgan Show" (2004), Shark Tale (2004), "That's So Raven" (2004), and "Joey" (2005). Thompson contributed to OutKast mainstay Bryan Barber's offbeat, inventive musical drama Idlewild (2006), before teaming up with Vince Vaughn in the holiday comedy Fred Claus (2007). Thompson then starred in the acerbic farce hit comedy Role Models as the hilarious, wisecracking Ronnie Shields, for which he was nominated for Best Breakthrough Performance - Male at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.
2009 is proving to be a break out year for Thompson. He appeared in Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell and the family comedy Imagine That, in which he plays a junior extortionist that hazes Eddie Murphy. Thompson is also a semi-regular on NBC's "30 Rock," stealing scenes and showing perfect comic timing in his role as Tracy Jr., the son of Tracy Morgan's character. Not stopping, Nike recruited Thompson for multiple commercials as the fast-talking Lil Dez, who gives NBA greats Kobe Bryant and LeBron James a run for their money while babysitting.
Alongside his film work, Thompson culled favorable attention for his prominent contributions to the youth-oriented urban dance video JammX Kids: Can't Dance Don't Want To, which afforded him the opportunity to show off his flair for urban music and footwork.
Up next for Thompson is Snowmen with Ray Liotta and a hosting gig on the Cartoon Network show Bobb'e Says.
Additionally, Reveille has entered into a talent holding deal with the 13-year-old. Reveille's first project with Thompson will be a half-hour scripted comedy. Reveille is a leading independent television studio with a major presence in scripted and unscripted television and digital entertainment. Reveille's scripted entertainment programming includes "The Office" (NBC), "Ugly Betty" (ABC), "The Tudors" (Showtime), and many more.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kelly Bishop was born on 28 February 1944 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. She is an actress, known for Gilmore Girls (2000), Dirty Dancing (1987) and Friends with Kids (2011).- Actress Noureen DeWulf was born in New York and raised in Georgia. Her parents are from Pune, India. She was educated at Boston University's School of the Arts. One of DeWulf's first roles was in the Oscar winning short West Bank Story (2005). Acting success continued with roles in TV hits such as CSI: NY (2004), Numb3rs (2005), Outsourced (2010) and Hawthorne (2009). Feature film projects include Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). In 2012, DeWulf was cast alongside Charlie Sheen in the TV series Anger Management (2012).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gavin MacLeod's pleasing, agreeable manner on two hit TV series in the 1970s and '80s belied a number of shady villains he portrayed in his early career. Born Allan George See in Mt. Kisco, New York, on February 28, 1931, and raised in Pleasantville, he was the son of Margaret (Shea) and George See, a gas station owner who was part Chippewa Indian (Ojibwa). He followed his 1952 graduation from Ithaca College (Fine Arts major) with Air Force military duty, then moved to New York City and worked for a while as an usher and elevator operator at Radio City Music Hall. Focusing on acting, he changed his stage name to "Gavin McLeod."
A solid break on Broadway in "A Hatful of Rain" in 1956 led to a move to Los Angeles in an attempt to break into film and TV. MacLeod began to earn a minor reputation as a second-string heavy in such crime shows as "The Thin Man," "Steve Canyon," "Manhunt," "Mr. Lucky," "Peter Gunn," "Michael Shayne," "The Untouchables" and "Perry Mason." This led to a regular comedy role as part of the McHale's Navy (1962) TV series. He also managed several film roles, although far down the credits, with I Want to Live! (1958), Compulsion (1959), Pork Chop Hill (1959), Operation Petticoat (1959), Twelve Hours to Kill (1960), High Time (1960), War Hunt (1962) and McHale's Navy (1964). He was a member of the superb supporting cast of The Sand Pebbles (1966). He returned to Broadway in "The Captains and the Kings" in 1962.
MacLeod's career more or less flowed and ebbed until 1972, when his shiftless typecast was shattered forever. As Murray Slaughter, the balding, beaming, wisecracking, gleaming-toothed news writer on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), MacLeod became a happy household name. From then on, he could only be envisaged as a lovable schmuck and nice guy. From there he went on to another benign starring role with the TV series, The Love Boat (1977), as the ingratiating Captain Stubing.
On the down side, "Love Boat" marred MacLeod's chances to be considered for more challenging work, and his inability to cope with success led to alcoholism and divorce from second wife Patti. However, he later turned his life around, remarried his wife, and they both wrote a book called "Back on Course" (1987). MacLeod continued sporadically on the musical stage ("Gypsy," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Gigi"), in TV reunions ("Love Boat" specials) and as a TV guest ("Murder, She Wrote," "Touched by an Angel," "The King of Queens," "Oz," "That 70s Show," "JAG" and "The Comeback Kid").- Actress
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Katy Wix was born on 28 February 1980 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Torchwood (2006), Big Boys (2022) and The Windsors (2016).- Actor
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WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors.
Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, to Louise Marie (Leonard), a laundress, and James Gerald Durning. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. He scored minor roles over the next decade until he really got noticed by film fans as the sneering, corrupt cop "Lt. Snyder" hassling street grifter 'Robert Redford' in the multi award winning mega-hit The Sting (1973). Durning was equally entertaining in the Billy Wilder production of The Front Page (1974), he supported screen tough guy Charles Bronson in the suspenseful western Breakheart Pass (1975) and featured as "Spermwhale Whalen" in the story of unorthodox police behavior in The Choirboys (1977).
The versatile Durning is equally adept at comedic roles and demonstrated his skills as "Doc Hopper" in The Muppet Movie (1979), a feisty football coach in North Dallas Forty (1979), a highly strung police officer berating maverick cop Burt Reynolds in Sharky's Machine (1981), and a light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). Durning continued a regular on screen association with Burt Reynolds appearing in several more feature films together and as "Dr. Harlan Elldridge" in the highly popular TV series Evening Shade (1990). On par with his multitude of feature film roles, Durning has always been in high demand on television and has guest starred in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Monk (2002) and Rescue Me (2004). Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies.- Actress
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Stephanie Beacham is without a doubt one of Britain's most talented, beautiful and well-known actresses. Despite becoming world famous and an icon of the 1980s due to her role as Sable Colby in the American soap operas Dynasty (1981) and The Colbys (1985) and going on to have starring roles in shows such as Sister Kate (1989), SeaQuest 2032 (1993), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and Bad Girls (1999), Stephanie Beacham had already carved a solid acting career back in her home country. Born in Hertfordshire in southern England, one of the four children of an insurance executive and a housewife, Beacham began an interest in acting at a young age and studied mime at the respected and renowned school of Étienne Decroux in Paris before completing her studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Guest roles on British television followed in the late 1960s such as The Saint (1962) and UFO (1970), however Beacham's breakthrough was her starring role opposite Marlon Brando in the cult horror film The Nightcomers (1971) that brought her critical acclaim and widespread attention. She became a regular staple in British horror films for the remainder of the 1970s and early 1980s such as Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), The Confessional (1976), Schizo (1976) and Inseminoid (1981), however she was still a commonly seen face on television, such as being given her own soap opera in Marked Personal (1973) as well as regular modelling work. It was in the 1980s however that Beacham's career became supercharged. She had starring roles in the acclaimed television series Tenko (1981) and Connie (1985), the latter gaining particular interest in the US. Beacham moved to Hollywood in the mid-1980s and was given the role of Sable Colby in the ABC soap opera The Colbys (1985), and then joined it's parent show Dynasty (1981) where she remained until the show's cancellation. Both shows made Beacham a household name on both sides of the Atlantic as the glamour-puss wife of Charlton Heston's character Jason and cousin of Joan Collins' Alexis, with the two regularly involved in a 'battle of the bitches' scenario. Following the cancellation of Dynasty, Beacham headlined the sitcom Sister Kate (1989) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, before going on to have main roles in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as Iris McKay, Steven Spielberg's SeaQuest 2032 (1993) as Dr. Kristen Westphalen and Countess Bartholomew in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) as well as film roles opposite Christopher Plummer in Secrets (1992) and Anthony Hopkins in To Be the Best (1991). Beacham maintained a regular presence on television and in theatre both in the US and the UK for the remainder of the 1990s until she played Phyllida Oswyn in the prison series Bad Girls (1999), a role she would play until the show's end in 2006. She would later have parts in films such as Love and Other Disasters (2006), Moving Target (2011) and Wild Oats (2016) and played Martha Fraser in Coronation Street (1960).- Actor
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Rodger Corser is well known to Australian audiences having worked extensively in television, theatre, and film. Over recent years Rodger has been nominated for six Silver and three Gold TV WEEK Logie awards for his portrayal of Dr Hugh Knight in the Nine Network's DOCTOR DOCTOR, which ran for five seasons
Rodger's earlier television productions include his portrayal of Detective Steve Owen in the Nine Network's smash hit first season of UNDERBELLY, and the lead role of Lawson Blake in the popular Network Ten John Edwards' series RUSH which ran for four successful seasons between 2008 and 2011. During this time Rodger also starred alongside Claudia Karvan in two series of Foxtel's SPIRITED. Rodger has appeared on our television screens in two popular murder mystery series, MISS FISHERS MURDER MYSTERIES and THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES. Rodger has also appeared in some of Australia's most iconic TV series such as STINGERS, McLEOD'S DAUGHTERS, HOME & AWAY, and WATER RATS. Rodger's first leading role in a television series was as Adam Logan in Network 7's LAST MAN STANDING in 2005.
More recently Rodger has played leading roles in numerous television productions including Network Ten's 1970s drama series PUBERTY BLUES and opposite Asher Keddie in political drama PARTY TRICKS. Rodger starred alongside Sarah Snook in the acclaimed ABC series of the modern-day retelling of Tolstoy's novel ANNA KARENINA, THE BEAUTIFUL LIE, and in three seasons of the Netflix/ABC paranormal series GLITCH as John Doe from 2015-2019
In 2007 Rodger appeared in the U.S. NBC mini-series THE STARTER WIFE alongside Debra Messing and Judy Davis. The series received 10 Emmy award nominations including Most Outstanding Mini-Series. His other U.S. television credits include the NBC series CAMP, opposite Rachel Griffiths. Rodger's film credits include roles in Jonathan Teplitsky's BURNING MAN, and Simon Wincer's THE CUP, both released in 2011.
Rodger's work in theatre includes his break-out lead role in the 1998 hit Australian season of the Broadway musical RENT. He followed this with other theatre roles in BELOW, LEADER OF THE PACK and SECRET BRIDESMAID'S BUSINESS.
Rodger has most recently been seen on our screens in the second and third series of the Paramount+ television drama FIVE BEDROOMS and has just completed filming his role as host of Network Ten's brand new reality format THE TRAITORS.
In the second half of 2022 Rodger will feature in world wide release of Netflix's six part limited series telling the story of the 2018 THAI CAVE RESCUE, playing Australian anaesthetist and Cave Diver Dr Richard "Harry" Harris.- Dorothy Stratten's story was brief, glorious and tragic. She was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child, nor early teen, Stratten came into her own out of high school and attracted the attention of Paul Snider, a promoter and wannabe star. He started dating her and after seeing an advertisement for Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate search in 1978, convinced her to pose for photos. Playboy saw the potential in Stratten and flew her out to Los Angeles, California, where she became a candidate. Although she lost out to Candy Loving, Stratten was made a Playmate in the August 1979 issue of Playboy. Soon after, she was pressured into marrying Snider, who had a Svengali-like influence on her.
After her centerfold came out, Stratten found work in a few movies, notably Americathon (1979) and Skatetown U.S.A. (1979), as well as being the object of Richard Dawson's affection in an ABC-TV special shot at the Playboy mansion. Clearly, her star was on the rise. In 1980, it was revealed that Stratten would be tabbed as the Playmate of the Year by Playboy publisher and founder Hugh Hefner. While this was one of the crowning achievements of her career, things were not going well in her marriage to Snider. He bothered her on the set of the movie Galaxina (1980) and when Snider found out she was developing more than a friendly relationship with director Peter Bogdanovich, Snider grew increasingly frustrated.
After a separation, Snider bought a shotgun and talked Stratten into coming to the apartment they used to share in West Los Angeles. Snider tied her up, sexually assaulted her and put the shotgun next to her face and pulled the trigger. Snider then turned the shotgun on himself to complete the murder-suicide. Since her death, Stratten has become something of a minor cult fixture, and has had two (one a television) movies, a song, and a couple of books written about her. The last movie she was in, They All Laughed (1981), was released after her death. - Producer
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Born in Hollywood, the son of actor Lyle Talbot, Stephen Talbot became a child actor, appearing as Beaver's friend, Gilbert, in more than 50 episodes of the iconic baby boomer series "Leave It To Beaver." He also appeared in many TV shows of the late '50s and early '60s, including "Perry Mason," "Lassie," "The Twilight Zone," "Wanted: Dead of Alive," "The Donna Reed Show," and "The Lucy Show."
As an adult, Talbot turned to reporting and documentary filmmaking. He began as a producer and on-air reporter for KQED, the public television station in San Francisco. He had early success with two documentaries that set the tone for his career: "Broken Arrow" (1980) an investigation of nuclear weapons accidents, and "The Case of Dashiell Hammett" (1982), a portrait of the mystery writer. Both films won George Foster Peabody Awards.
Talbot began producing documentaries for the critically acclaimed PBS series, "Frontline," in 1992 with his film on the Bush-Clinton presidential race, "The Best Campaign Money Can Buy," which won a DuPont / Columbia University Award. It was the start of a long association with "Frontline," where he produced and wrote ten documentaries for the series, including "News War: What's Happening to the News" (2007), "Justice for Sale" (1999), "Spying on Saddam" (1999), "The Long March of Newt Gingrich" (1996), "Rush Limbaugh's America" (1995) and "The Heartbeat of America" (1993) about the travails of General Motors.
When "Frontline's" executive producer David Fanning launched an international news magazine series, "Frontline World," in 2002, he named Talbot as the Series Editor with a mandate to increase global reporting in the wake of 9/11 and to develop a new generation of younger reporters and producers. From 2002-2008, Talbot was instrumental in recruiting new talent and in commissioning and supervising over 100 broadcast stories for 30 hour-long episodes of the Emmy award-winning series. He also went to Lebanon and Syria to produce his own report, "The Earthquake," about Lebanon's Cedar Revolution with correspondent Kate Seelye. Talbot also oversaw "Rough Cuts," a series of original videos for the "Frontline World" website.
Throughout his career of more than 40 years in public television, Talbot has continued to produce history documentaries and biographies, alongside his broadcast journalism work. With David Davis, Talbot wrote and directed "The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation," a two-hour history special that aired nationally on PBS in 2005. It was based on Talbot's earlier film, "1968." Talbot has also written and co-produced several biographies of noted writers, including Ken Kesey, Carlos Fuentes, Beryl Markham, Maxine Hong Kingston and John Dos Passos.
In 2008, he formed The Talbot Players, an independent media company in San Francisco, with his brother David and sister Margaret, and executive produced two music show specials for PBS, "Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders," in 2010 and 2012 with host Marco Werman, as well as an online companion series of music performances and interviews.
Talbot also continues to serve as senior producer or executive producer for a number of independent documentaries, such as director Mimi Chakarova's expose of sex trafficking in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, "The Price of Sex" (2011). He has consulted and senior produced for public media organizations, including the Center for Investigative Reporting and the PBS series Independent Lens.
Talbot's recent documentaries include a one-hour biography he wrote for public television about the late San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, "Moscone: A Legacy of Change" (2018) and four documentaries he co-wrote and co-produced for the NBC series "Bay Area Revelations," including regional Emmy winners , "Loma Prieta Earthquake: 30 Years Later" (2019) and "Riding the Waves" (2020) about surfing in northern California.
Talbot's latest film, "The Movement and the 'Madman,' " (2023) debuted on the PBS series American Experience. It tells the story of how two major anti-war demonstrations in the fall of 1969 pressured President Nixon to call off his "madman" plans for a major escalation of the war, including threats to use nuclear weapons.- Actress
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Madisen Beaty was born in Centennial, Colorado, USA. She is an actress and music artist, known for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019), The Master (2012) and The Clovehitch Killer (2018).- Actor
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Geoffrey Arend was born on 28 February 1978 in Manhattan, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for 500 Days of Summer (2009), Garden State (2004) and Super Troopers (2001). He was previously married to Christina Hendricks.- Actress
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Tasha Smith is a multifaceted actress and director whose work brings style and intensity to the projects she works on, whether in front of or behind the camera. From her roles as "Carol" on Fox's hit drama Empire, "Brenda" in Netflix's Running Out Of Time, to her critically-acclaimed portrayal of the drug-addicted "Ronnie Boyce" in HBO's Emmy Award winning mini-series The Corner, Tasha embodies her characters and gives them life. Tasha's memorable portrayal of "Angela" in Why Did I Get Married? and its sequel Why Did I Get Married, Too? sparked the creation of the spin-off series For Better Or Worse on OWN, for which she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series." Other feature credits include Lionsgate films Addicted and Daddy's Little Girls (opposite Idris Elba), Sony's Jumping The Broom, and Universal's romantic comedy Couples Retreat, among others.
Most recently, Tasha has directed episodes of 9-1-1 for Fox, Black Lightning for The CW, the Untitled Tracy Oliver project for Amazon, Star on Fox, P-Valley on Starz, Tales on BET, as well as her directorial debut feature film for TV1 titled When Love Kills, which was nominated for a NAACP Award.
Tasha Smith's infectious optimism and enthusiasm command attention in her professional and private lives. She takes time to share her inspirational life story through motivational speaking and mentoring emerging actors through the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW).- Actress
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Anabelle Acosta is an American film and television actress. She was born in Havana, Cuba to Cuban-American parents and has a younger brother named Jason Acosta. Anabelle is both a Meisner and Method trained actress. Her extensive training also includes dance and stage. She started her early acting and modeling career in New York City appearing in a series of national commercials and print ads. Her first big break into the acting world came in 2010 when after a long and arduous casting process across LA and NY Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman finally discovered and cast Anabelle for the lead role of Kelly in their independent film "We Made This Movie".- Actor
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Charles Halford was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is an actor, known for his work as the unsettling red herring Reggie Ledoux in season one of the HBO's award winning crime drama True Detective (2014), as Chas the hard-to-keep-down cabby, and wing-man to John Constantine (2014) on NBC's short-lived horror series, and for his diverse yet crucial supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky (2017) and [link+tt14128670]. He is also known to many as Big John, the catalyst, and father to protagonist John B, of Netflix's popular sun-soaked, multi-generational, treasure-hunting adventure Outer Banks (2020), among many other outstanding roles in much beloved projects, from network shows, to streamers, to cinemas. As a voice actor he is known for Reign of the Supermen (2019), Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017), and Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) among many other video game and animation titles. He has lived and worked in between Los Angeles and the Southeast markets since 2009. He began working professionally in film and television in 1999.
Charles credits working as a local (stock) cast member for The Sundance Institute Directing Lab over the course of about five years in the early 2000s as his most profound and relevant professional training. It was at these labs where Charles would meet and work with some of the most established industry creative professionals as mentors, as well as hottest up-and-coming directors of the 21st century, some of whom have collaborated with Charles professionally since working together at the labs. One of these instances culminated in the small but outstanding, and deeply unsettling, role of Reggie Ledoux, in Season One of True Detective (2014) the gas-mask wearing, machete carrying boogeyman of "black stars, "flat circles," and "Carcosa,' dialogue and infamy. This character and Halford's embodiment of him, received instant industry attention, and would help establish Charles as a bold and noteworthy character actor at the forefront of "The Golden Age of Television." Charles was subsequently cast as a series regular on network television, in the straight role, the right-hand-man-and-muscle to the titular character of NBC's Constantine, a short-lived but well-received adaptation of the cult-classic DC/Vertigo horror comic "John Constantine: Hellblazer." He has also brought to life, and very often died for, pivotal and dynamic characters within some of the most buzzed-about, beloved, and iconic shows of the 21st century such as NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Sundance/AMC's critically-acclaimed original series Rectify (2013), and AMC's behemoth The Walking Dead (2010).- Actress
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Angela Yeung Wing, also known by her stage name Angelababy, has made a career in Hong Kong as an actress and a model. Born in Shanghai to her half-Chinese, half-German father and Chinese mother, she moved to Hong Kong at thirteen years old and took her stage name Angelababy as a composition of her legal given name Angela and her family given nickname "Baby".- Actor
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The athletically gifted 6' 7" Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith played defensive end / defensive tackle for the National Football League's Baltimore Colts (1967-1971), Oakland Raiders (1973-1974), and Houston Oilers (1975-1976). After the conclusion of his football career, Smith moved into a TV & film career, with initial guest appearances on prime time TV shows including Wonder Woman (1975), Charlie's Angels (1976) and Eight Is Enough (1977).
Smith is best known to international film audiences as the softly spoken police officer "Moses Hightower" from the Police Academy (1984) series of comedies, in which he has appeared in all but one of the numerous sequels.- Actress
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While at high school she wanted to be a vet. She moved to New York to earn money for medical school by modeling and was soon appearing in magazines and advertisements. An agency sent her for a film audition resulting in her getting a role in 'Grasslands' filmed in South Dakota in 1971. The title was changed to 'Hex' but wasn't released. She fell in love with her Grassland co star Keith Carradine in 1972, moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career and to be with Keith.- Director
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Guy Maddin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Herdis Maddin (a hair-dresser) and Charles "Chas" Maddin (grain clerk and general manager of the Maroons, a Winnipeg hockey team). Maddin studied economics at the University of Winnipeg, working as a bank manager, house painter, and photographic archivist before becoming a film-maker. Maddin produced his first film in 1985, and since then his distinctive style of recreating and renovating silent film conventions and international critical acclaim have made him one of Canada's most celebrated directors. In 2003, Maddin also expanded his career to become an author and an installation artist.- Director
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Born Lester Anthony Minnelli in Chicago on February 28 1903, his father Vincent was a musical conductor of the Minnelli Brothers' Tent Theater. Wanting to pursue an artistic career, Minelli worked in the costume department of the Chicago Theater, then on Broadway during the depression as a set designer and costumer, adopting a Latinized version of his father's first name when he was hired as an art-director by Radio City Music Hall. The fall of 1935 saw his directorial debut for a Franz Schubert revue, At Home Abroad. The show was the first of three, in the best Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. spirit, before receiving Arthur Freed's offer to work at MGM. This was his second try at Hollywood -- a short unsuccessful contract at Paramount led nowhere. He stayed at MGM for the next 26 years. After working on numerous Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland vehicles, usually directed by Busby Berkeley, Arthur Freed gave him his first directorial assignment on Cabin in the Sky (1943), a risky screen project with an all-black cast. This was followed by the ambitious period piece Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) whose star Judy Garland he married in 1945. Employing first-class MGM technicians, Minnelli went on directing musicals -- The Band Wagon (1953) - as well as melodramas -- Some Came Running (1958) - and urban comedies like Designing Woman (1957), occasionally even working on two films simultaneously. Minnelli is one of the few directors for whom Technicolor seems to have been invented. Many of his films included in every one of his movies features a dream sequence.- Actor
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Stanley Baker was unusual star material to emerge during the Fifties - when impossibly handsome and engagingly romantic leading men were almost de rigueur. Baker was forged from a rougher mould. His was good-looking, but his features were angular, taut, austere and unwelcoming. His screen persona was taciturn, even surly, and the young actor displayed a predilection for introspection and blunt speaking, and was almost wilfully unromantic. For the times a potential leading actor cast heavily against the grain. Baker immediately proved a unique screen presence - tough, gritty, combustible - and possessing an aura of dark, even menacing power.
Stanley Baker came from rugged Welsh mining stock - and as a lad was unruly, quick to flare, and first to fight. But like his compatriot and friend Richard Burton, the young Baker was rescued from a gruelling life of coal mining by a local teacher, Glyn Morse, who recognized in the proud and self-willed lad a potent combination of a fine speaking voice, a smouldering intensity, and a strong spirit. And like Burton, Stanley Baker was specially and specifically tutored for theatrical success. In fact, early on, Burton and Baker appeared together on stage as juveniles in The Druid's Rest, in Cardiff, in Wales. But later, by way of Birmingham Repertory Theatre and then the London stage, Stanley Baker charted his inevitable course toward the Cinema.
Film welcomed the adult Baker as the embodiment of evil. Memorable early roles cast the actor in feisty unsympathetic parts - from the testy bosun in Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) to his modern-day counterpart in The Cruel Sea (1953), to the arch villains in Hell Below Zero (1954) and Campbell's Kingdom (1957) to the dastardly Mordred in Knights of the Round Table (1953) and the wily Achilles in Helen of Troy (1956). For a time there was a distillation of Baker's screen persona in a series of roles as stern and uncompromising policemen - in Violent Playground (1958), Chance Meeting (1959), and Hell Is a City (1960). But despite never having been cast as a romantic leading man, and being almost wholly associated with villainous roles, Stanley Baker nevertheless became a star by dint of his potent personality.
Although now enthroned by enthusiastic audiences Stanley Baker was obviously aware he need not desert unsympathetic parts - and his relish in playing the scheming Astaroth in Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) and the unscrupulous mobster Johnny Bannion in The Concrete Jungle (1960) was readily evident. But soon there were more principled, if still surly characters, in The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Games (1970), Eva (1962), and Accident (1967), the latter two films reuniting Baker with the American expatriot director of The Criminal, Joseph Losey. Stanley Baker also established a fruitful working relationship with the American director Cy Endfield, following their early collaboration on Hell Drivers (1957). When Baker inaugurated his own film production company - it was Endfield he commissioned to write and direct both Zulu (1964) and Sands of the Kalahari (1965), with Baker allotting himself the downbeat roles of the martinet officer John Chard in Zulu and the reluctant hero Mike Bain in The Sands Of The Kalahari.
Baker must have felt more assured in disenchanted roles - as further films from Baker's own stable still promoted the actor in either criminal or villainous mode - as gangster Paul Clifton in Robbery (1967) and the corrupt thief-taker Jonathan Wild in Where's Jack? (1969). The success of Baker's own productions was timely and did much to enhance the prestige of what was then considered an ailing British film industry. Stanley Baker also took the opportunity to move into the realm of television, appearing in, among other productions, the dramas The Changeling (1974) and Robinson Crusoe (1974), and also in the series How Green Was My Valley (1975).
Knighted in 1976 it was evident that Stanley Baker may well have continued to greater heights, both as an actor and a producer, but he succumbed to lung cancer and died at the early age of forty-eight. But his legacy is unquestioned. He was a unique force on screen, championing characterizations that were not clichéd or compromised. He established his own niche as an actor content to be admired for peerlessly portraying the disreputable and the unsympathetic. In that he was a dark mirror, more accurately reflecting human frailty and the vagaries of life than many of his more romantically or heroically inclined contemporaries. There have forever been legions of seemingly interchangeable charming and virile leading men populating the movies - but Stanley Baker stood almost alone in his determination to be characterized and judged by portraying the bleaker aspects of the human condition. Consequently, more than twenty-five years after his death, his sombre, potent personality still illuminates the screen in a way few others have achieved.- Actress
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Vaudeville comedienne Billie Bird Sellen was discovered at an orphanage at the age of eight years and hired to tour theater circuits with a vaudeville troupe. During the Vietnam War she accompanied 12 USO tours entertaining the troops in the war zone in the 1960s and 1970s. She had worked as recently as 1995 when she appeared in Jury Duty (1995), starring Pauly Shore. Other notable performances were in Dennis the Menace (1993) and Home Alone (1990).
One of her best-known film appearances was in the 1968 movie The Odd Couple (1968). Her last appearance was a cameo in 1997 in the short-lived television comedy George & Leo (1997) with Judd Hirsch and Bob Newhart. She had also been a regular from 1988-1992 in the sitcom Dear John (1988), and in a series of performances as a cheerful and sassy senior citizen in such productions as Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987).- Karolina Kurkova is a supermodel best known for her work as a Victoria's Secrets lingerie model. She has appeared in nine Victoria's Secret Fashion shows between 2000 and 2010 and was named a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2005. She has graced the covers of such notable fashion magazines as Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair, and Esquire among others. In 2002, she was named Model of the Year at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. She also has worked as an actress in movies such as G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and TV series, Chuck, 30 Rock and Person of Interest. She was born on February 28, 1984 in Deçín Czech Republic. She married Archie Drury in 2009 and the couple have two children together. She was discovered at age fifteen when a friend sent picture of her to a Prague modeling agency.
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A man who has many irons in the entertainment fire, hirsutely handsome Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician Don Francks (also known as "Iron Buffalo") was born Donald Harvey Francks on February 28, 1932, in Vancouver, British Columbia. One can, with confidence, add drummer, poet, motorcyclist, author and peace activist to his many lists of accomplishments. He grew up quite adept at athletics (soccer, lacrosse and rugby) and performed in vaudeville and in summer stock shows before relocating to Toronto. On stage from age 11, he landed an early job singing on the radio, then moved into television in 1954. While acting in both variety shows and dramas, he was also a writer and penned several documentaries and public affairs specials in both Toronto and Montreal. On the nightclub scene, Don was featured as a jazz vocalist, a DJ, a trombonist in a country western band and a member of a barbershop quartet called "Model-T Four".
In the mid-1960s, he focused on small screen acting and racked up a number of rugged, adventurous guest-star turns on TV episodes of The Wild Wild West (1965), Mannix (1967), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Mission: Impossible (1966). A promising lead that could have led to stardom in the NBC series, Jericho (1966), was cut short when the show was bowled over by its ABC competition -- Batman (1966) -- and quickly canceled. He also appeared on- and off-Broadway, which included a stint with the musical, "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever".
Don contributed one strapping co-starring turn in a big-budgeted musical film during his less-than-a-decade stay in Hollywood. As the robust "Woody Mahoney", he dallied with the likes of beguiling Petula Clark, who played his lady love in Finian's Rainbow (1968). Their enchanting and sensuous duet on "That Old Devil Moon" is only one of the film's highlights. The film was not successful, however, in launching Don's movie career.
Afterwards, he moved his family to the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve, near North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and is an honorary Cree and named "Iron Buffalo". Since 1974, he has been living in Toronto with his wife, Lili Francks (Red Eagle), a member of the Plains Cree First Nation and also a dancer. Their children are voice artist and actress Cree Summer, best-known for her regular role on the TV sitcom, A Different World (1987), and actor/songwriter Rainbow Sun Francks.
In later years, Don gained some attention after being cast as "Walter", an arms expert, on the hit TV series, La Femme Nikita (1997). More recently, he traveled to Montreal for a part in the film, I'm Not There (2007), filmmaker Todd Haynes' meditative take on the famous singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan.
Don continued to perform in Canada in both films (He Never Died (2015) and The Second Time Around (2016)) and as a recurring presence of series TV (Hemlock Grove (2013) and Gangland Undercover (2015)) until the end. He passed away at age 84 on April 3, 2016, in Toronto, Ontario.- Actor
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Peter Stebbings holds an extensive acting career spanning over 20 years. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, born on February 28, 1971, Peter's screen career began in 1989 after spending time cultivating his craft in theatre at age 12. He is perhaps best known to local audiences of his home country for his role in the television series Madison (1993), aired originally in the 1990s. Other notable Canadian productions include Traders (1996) and the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi drama Jeremiah (2002). He played a sinister yet appealing werewolf neighbor in the horror feature Never Cry Werewolf (2008) starring opposite Nina Dobrev and Kevin Sorbo. He has made a substantial showing across numerous television series produced by Canada, including the crime/mystery drama Rabbit Fall (2007), Cra$h & Burn (2009), Murdoch Mysteries (2008) and the fantasy crime-drama The Listener (2009). Peter has also appeared in the Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson historical film drama-thriller K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) and in the mythological epic Immortals (2011) starring Henry Cavill. Peter has also endeavored in writing, contributing a screenplay for the film Defendor (2009) in which he also directed.- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Annika Boras was born on 28 February 1981 in New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and assistant director, known for The Post (2017), Law & Order (1990) and Time After Time (2017).- Georgina Leonidas was born on 28 February 1990 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Nine (2009) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010).
- Actor
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Distinctive American actor, screenwriter, and producer of Lebanese ancestry, born Richard Joseph Romanos to Dr. Raymond Daniel Romanos and his wife Eileen Dorothy ((née Maloof). His younger brother, Robert, is also an actor. Richard attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating with a degree in philosophy in 1964. He initially set out to pursue a career in law. After studying for a year at the University of Connecticut Law School, he dropped out, moved to New York and enrolled in drama classes with Lee Strasberg at the renowned Actor's Studio. He made his screen debut in 1968 and quickly established himself as a versatile character player in high profile TV shows, commencing with Mission: Impossible (1966). Often cast as Latinos or Italians, he was reputedly considered for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972). In fact, he did play a gangster named Michael (Longo) in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973).
In episodic television, Richard came to be equally adept at portraying good guys (Detective Sam Carlucci in Kojak (1973)) and black Hats (Johnny Noah in Hawaii Five-O (1968)). He had recurring roles in the short-lived, underrated detective series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980) as the aptly named Crazy Tommy Tedesco, and, conversely, as tough police captains in Foul Play (1981). He was also a regular in the cast of Strike Force (1981) as the wry ladies' man Charlie Gunzer. In The Sopranos (1999), Richard played the ex-husband of psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) who strongly disapproved of her treating Mafia don Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini).
Richard's first wife was the actress Tina Romanus (aka Bohlman, aka Bowman). Their marriage produced a son but ended in divorce in 1980. In 1985, he married the Oscar-nominated costume designer Anthea Sylbert. Together, they wrote the TV comedy Giving Up the Ghost (1998) and the Christmas fantasy If You Believe (1999), the latter receiving a nomination for a Best Original Screenplay Award from the Writers Guild of America in 1999. In 2004, the couple sold their home in Los Angeles and resettled on the Greek island of Skiathos. Henceforth, Richard concentrated on writing novels on Greek historical themes, an interest he had developed during his college years. He published 'Chrysalis' in 2011 and 'Matoula's Echo' in 2014, as well as a memoir, 'Act III', in 2012. A 2013 book, 'Sketches of Skiathos', was a homage to his new home and its inhabitants.
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America, and a fellow of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Richard Romanus died on December 26 2023 on Skiathos at the age of 80.- Maxine Bahns was born in 1971 in Vermont, the daughter of a German-American father and a Chinese-Brazilian mother. Maxine left home at 16 and traveled to Barcelona, Valencia, Paris and Rome. Returning to New York, she attended NYU, where she majored in Latin and Greek language and literature, also attending acting classes at Three Arts Studios. During this time, she auditioned for Edward Burns' The Brothers McMullen (1995) and was cast as the female lead opposite Edward Burns. Over the next few years, she has appeared in various low budget independent films, such as She's the One (1996), Dangerous Curves (2000), Cutaway (2000), Vice (2000), and Spin Cycle (2000).
On moving to Los Angeles, Maxine became involved in triathlons and, in 2001, she competed in the Hawaii Ironman Championships. She has also competed in numerous other triathlons, such as the Wildflower 1/2 Ironman and the Keauhou 1/2 Ironman. She has appeared on the covers of Runner's World, Triathlete Magazine, and Fit magazine. - Director
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When young he lived with his four brothers and sisters in a council house in Newcastle Upon Tyne then when 14 the family moved to Thornyburn near Bellingham where he made his first film, 'Redheugh'. He qualified in Newcastle as a music teacher and played in a band, 'The Gasboard' with Brian Ferry before going to London to study music for 3 years and played with The People Band who recorded one album which was produced by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and later made a cameo appearance in the film Stormy Monday as The krakow Jazz Ensemble. In the early 70 s he joined an avant garde theatre group -The People Show as a musician but soon found himself lured into acting and spent the next 10 years touring the world earning great success and critical acclaim. Mike left the show in 1980 to concentrate on writing and directing and formed his own theatre company The Mike Figgis Group. He crafted multimedia productions which incorporated an extensive use of film. Among his early projects were Redhugh, Slow Fade and Animals of the City which won awards for the innovative blend of live action with music and film. Redhugh caught the eye of Channel 4 which financed his first feature =The House. His next film was Stormy Monday he wrote, directed and scored and which advanced him into full length features. He next made his debut in American films with Internal Affairs which he directed and co scored, He next coaxed Kim Novak out of retirement to star in Liebestraum which he directed and scored. A few films down the line he wrote, directed and scored One Night Stand which won Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival