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- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa was born on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the son of Coni (Lemke), a photographer, and Joseph Momoa, a painter. His father is of Native Hawaiian and Samoan descent; and his mother, who is from Iowa, is of German, Irish, and Native American ancestry. Jason was raised in Norwalk, Iowa, by his mother. After high school, he moved to Hawaii, where he landed a lead role, beating out of thousands of hopefuls in the TV series Baywatch (1989) (known as "Baywatch Hawaii" in its 10th season). When the show ended, he spent the next couple of years traveling around the world. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to pursue an acting career. In 2004, after the short-lived TV series
North Shore (2004), he was cast as the popular character "Ronon Dex" in the TV series Stargate: Atlantis (2004), which achieved a cult-like following. In 2010, he appeared in the Emmy-nominated HBO series Game of Thrones (2011), playing the Dothraki king, Khal Drogo. To illustrate to the producers that he was Khal Drogo, he performed the Haka, a traditional war dance of the Maori of New Zealand. The audition was with the same casting director who was casting the titular role in the reboot of Conan the Barbarian (2011). Four weeks after being cast as the popular Robert E. Howard character, Momoa began shooting in Bulgaria. His approach, like that of the filmmakers, was to pull from the eight decades of comics and stories as well as the Frank Frazetta images rather than the hugely popular 1982 movie. Jason has a production company, Pride of Gypsies, in which he is expanding his career from actor to filmmaker. He has directed a couple of short films and is working on his feature film debut Road to Paloma (2014), which is pulled from a series of stories that he's been developing over the years, which he calls the Brown Bag Diaries: Ridin' the Blinds in B Minor (2010). Jason lives with his wife, actress Lisa Bonet, with whom he has two children, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf.- Jack O'Connell was born in Alvaston, Derby, England, to Alison J. (Gutteridge) and John Patrick O'Connell. His mother is English, and worked at British Midland, and his father was Irish (from County Kerry), and worked on the railways for Bombardier. Jack went to Saint Benedict Catholic School, and began acting professionally playing Connor Yates in a 2005 episode of the television series Doctors (2000). His subsequent TV roles included 4 episodes of The Bill (1984), 6 of The Runaway (2010), and 18 of the popular teen drama Skins (2007).
He made his film debut playing Pukey Nicholls in 2006's This Is England (2006), later co-starring in Eden Lake (2008), Harry Brown (2009), Private Peaceful (2012) and The Somnambulists (2011), before receiving critical acclaim for his lead roles as a jailed teenager in Starred Up (2013) and a British soldier in Belfast in '71 (2014).
O'Connell made his Hollywood debut as Greek soldier Calisto in the graphic novel-based action-war film 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), and then played Olympic distance runner and World War II POW Louis Zamperini in the Angelina Jolie-directed war drama Unbroken (2014). His upcoming roles include The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) and Money Monster (2016), the latter with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. - Producer
- Director
- Writer
Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England,
UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and
Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their
marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam
was just 5-years-old. Sam was educated at Cambridge University and
joined the Chichester Festival Theatre following his graduation in
1987. Afterwards, he directed Judi Dench in
"The Cherry Orchard", for which he won a Critics Circle Award for Best
Newcomer. He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he
directed such productions as "Troilus and Cressida" with
Ralph Fiennes and "Richard III". In 1992,
he became artistic director of the reopened Donmar Warehouse in London,
where he directed such productions as "The Glass Menagerie" and the
revival of the musical "Cabaret", which earned four Tony Awards
including one for Best Revival of a Musical. He also directed "The Blue
Room" starring Nicole Kidman. In 1999, he
got the chance to direct his first feature film,
American Beauty (1999). The movie
earned 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for
Mendes, which is a rare feat for a first-time film director.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Honeysuckle Weeks was born on 1 August 1979 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Foyle's War (2002), The Wicker Tree (2011) and The Five (2016). She has been married to Lorne Stormonth-Darling since July 2007. They have one child.- Actor
- Director
- Editor
John Carroll Lynch was born August 1, 1963 in Boulder, Colorado, and was raised in Denver. It was there John found a passion for acting and became a Denver Broncos fan. He graduated in the mid-80s with a B.F.A. in theatre from the The Catholic University of America / Hartke Theatre Acting program. From then, he continued to work in theatre around the country, but concentrated mostly on his work at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, acting in many plays from Shakespeare to Shaw to Chekhov. In the early nineties, John was able to find time away from the theatre to work in film, as productions came through Minnesota. In 1996, he received critical acclaim for his role as Marge Gunderson's simple husband Norm Gunderson in Fargo (1996). He went on to make two more films that year, both of which were conveniently set in Minnesota, the acclaimed Beautiful Girls (1996) and Feeling Minnesota (1996). Since then, John's film career has been on an amazing climb. Much like other well respected actors from the theatre, such as John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, he chooses to play very interesting and diverse roles.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Television and film actor. Pentathlon Champion. Father. Werewolf...
Born in Scarborough, Ontario and raised in a farm town northeast of
Toronto, Kris' driven spirit has garnered success in many areas of his
life. Kris knew he wanted to be an actor early on, however acting
wasn't a widely-supported career choice in his family. Instead of
pursuing it right away, Kris opted to attend Montreal's Concordia
University School of Business to study international commerce. While
continuing his education, Kris also competed in sports, as he was a
strong athlete throughout grammar and high school. Quickly, he excelled
as an athlete, becoming a member of the Canadian National Pentathlon
Team and achieving silver medals from both the Pan American and Pan
Pacific Pentathlon Championships for riding and fencing. Although Kris
was an extremely talented athlete, both his financial situation and his
interests lead him into the acting world.
In 1994, Holden-Ried joined a small agency in Montreal in the hopes of
making some money, so he could continue his education. His first
audition that came up was for the title/leading role in "Young
Ivanhoe," a 12th century dramatic, children's period piece TV movie.
Kris had the skills, the look, and luckily, as it turns out, the
talent. He landed this first audition and has been working as an actor
ever since.
Kris currently stars as 'Dyson,' in the Syfy series Lost Girl, where he
portrays a very likable werewolf-shifter, working in the human world as
a police detective. You can also see Kris as Quint in the fourth
Underworld installment, Underworld Awakening, and The Returned.
Viewers may also know Kris as 'William Compton,' on Showtime's former
hit series, The Tudors, (2007,) as he has been working nonstop for
nearly two decades. Other credits include multi-episode arcs on
Degrassi: The Next Generation, M.V.P. and The Bridge. His film credits
also include K-19: The Widowmaker, Gossip, amongst others. To improve
his craft, Holden-Ried has trained with Uta Hagen's Master Class Scene
Study, and with Janine Manatis of the Actor's Studio NY and the National Film Acting School.
When Kris isn't acting, he enjoys adventure, traveling, and being
outdoors. Some of his interests include sailing, scuba diving, surfing,
and yoga, with one of his favorite films being Gandhi. If he could work
with anyone, it would be some of the great, classic directors, such as
Scorcese, Scott and Spielberg, as Kris would love to transition behind
the camera one day. Kris lives in Toronto with his son and his Black
Labrador, Hopper.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Nathalie Delon was born on 1 August 1941 in Oujda, French Protectorate Morocco [now Morocco]. She was an actress and writer, known for The Samurai (1967), They Call It an Accident (1982) and The French Dispatch (2021). She was married to Alain Delon and Guy Barthelemy. She died on 21 January 2021 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Giancarlo Giannini is an Oscar-nominated Italian actor, director and
multilingual dubber who made an international reputation for his
leading roles in Italian films as well as for his mastery of a variety
of languages and dialects.
He was born August 1, 1942, in La Spezia, Italy. For 10 years he lived
and studied in Naples, earning a degree in electronics. At 18 he
enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Art D'Amico in Rome and made
his stage acting debut there. His credits included performances in
contemporary Italian plays as well, as in Italian productions of
William Shakespeare's plays
"Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer's Night Dream". In 1965 he made
his television debut starring as David Copperfield in the TV miniseries
made by RAI ,the Italian national TV company. He made his big-screen
debut in Libido (1965), a Freudian psychological thriller. Since 1966
he has been in a successful collaboration with legendary Italian director
Lina Wertmüller, who made several
award-winning films with Giannini as a male lead. He appears as peasant
Tonino who prepares to assassinate dictator
Benito Mussolini in
Love & Anarchy (1973),
as a sailor in the irony-laden comedy
Swept Away (1974),
and as a concentration-camp survivor in the Oscar-nominated
Seven Beauties (1975).
He also starred as a Jewish musician arrested by the Nazis in
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's
masterpiece Lili Marleen (1981).
Giannini also made a reputation for dubbing international stars in
films released on the Italian market, such as
Jack Nicholson,
Al Pacino,
Michael Douglas,
Dustin Hoffman,
Gérard Depardieu, and
Ian McKellen, among others. He received a
compliment from Stanley Kubrick for his dubbing of Nicholson in
The Shining (1980). Giannini's
fluency in English and his mastery of dialects has brought him a number
of supporting roles in Hollywood productions, such as
A Walk in the Clouds (1995),
Hannibal (2001),
Darkness (2002), and
Man on Fire (2004), among many
others. He appears as Rene Mathis in the 21st James Bond film
Casino Royale (2006), and reprises the role in the sequel,
Quantum of Solace (2008).- Director
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Virgil L. Fabian was born on 1 August 1963 in Orlando, Florida, USA. He is a director and producer, known for The Brothers Garcia (2000), All That (1994) and Kenan & Kel (1996).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
As might be said for the late and great comedians
Harvey Korman and
Madeline Kahn, it seems that
Mel Brooks was the only director on
the planet who knew how to best utilize this funnyman's talents on
film. Brooks once remarked that, whenever he cast Dom in one
of his films he'd add an extra two days to the shooting schedule because of delays between takes due to the constant laughter from cast and crew at Dom's improvisations.
The lovable, butterball comedian was a mainstay on 1960s and '70s TV
variety as a "second banana," or comic-relief player. While his harsher
critics believed his schtick would be better served in smaller doses, Dom
nevertheless went on to find some range in a few moving, more
restrained projects. Those few glimpses behind all the mirth and
merriment revealed a dramatic actor waiting to be unleashed. As they
say, behind every clown's smile, one finds tears.
He was born Dominick DeLuise on August 1, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York,
to parents John, a sanitation engineer, and Vicenza (DeStefano)
DeLuise, both Italian immigrants. A natural school-class clown, his irrepressible sense of humor helped Dom
fit in at school, and he started drawing belly laughs fairly young in his very first school play that had him portraying an inert copper penny! He later attended New York's High School of Performing Arts, but
when it came to college, he decided to major in biology at Tufts
University, outside Boston. That decision failed to expunge the idea of being a comedian from his head and heart, however, and that determination finally prevailed.
Dom's formative years as an actor were spent apprenticing at the
Cleveland Playhouse, where which he gamely played roles in everything from
contemporary shows like "Guys and Dolls" and "Stalag 17" to classics like "The School for Scandal" and
even "Hamlet." He earned his first professional paycheck playing the titular Bernie the
dog in "Bernie's Last Wish." Dom also got a taste
of what it was like in front of the camera in Cleveland, appearing on the local TV kiddie's show "Tip
Top Clubhouse."
Back in NYC, he took over the lead role of Tinker the toymaker in
another children's local program,
Tinker's Workshop (1954),
for one season in 1958. He also started making noise on the
off-Broadway scene. Appearing in the plays "The Jackass" and "All in
Love," he became part of the featured ensemble of the 1961 musical
revue "An Evening with Harry Stoones," which included 19-year-old
Barbra Streisand. More outlandish
musical roles came his way in the early 1960s with "Little Mary
Sunshine" (as Corporal Billy Jester) and "The Student Gypsy, or the
Prince of Liederkrantz" (his Broadway debut as Muffin T. Raggamuffin).
While appearing in the lighthearted summer stock spoof "Summer &
Smirk" in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Dom met fellow performer
Carol Arthur (née Carol Arata). They
married on November 23, 1965. Their three sons,
Peter DeLuise,
Michael DeLuise and
David DeLuise all eventually found their way into show
business. In 1971, Dom returned successfully to Broadway in a
perfectly-suited Neil Simon vehicle,
"The Last of the Red Hot Lovers."
Dom was first noticed on the smaller screen, creating the sketch
character of Dominick the Great, a magician who tries in vain to mask
his inept prestidigitations with feigned dignity on
Garry Moore's popular show. The comedian truly thrived in this TV variety atmosphere and soon
began popping up seemingly everywhere:
(The Hollywood Palace (1964),
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967),
The Jackie Gleason Show (1966)).
Balding, blushing, dimpled and moon-faced (comparisons to a ripe tomato
were not wide of the mark), he was readily equipped with a high-wattage,
Cheshire Cat smile that became his trademark. At his best, looking
embarrassed or agitated, the laughs usually came at his own expense,
whether playing a panic-stricken klutz or squirming nervous-Nelly type.
Dom took his magician character to the ensemble comedy show
The Entertainers (1964),
which also showcased Carol Burnett and
Bob Newhart, and found more regular
employment as a bumbling private eye in puppeteer
Shari Lewis' daytime children's
program, and as a foil for
Dean Martin on the entertainer's
regular and summer replacement shows. Dom again repeated his Dominick
the Great character on Martin's show and received great reception. He
later found himself part of Martin's "in-crowd" of comedians on his
"celebrity roasts."
Dom's obvious comic genius was more readily evident, and succeeded better, in
tandem with other performers than it was on its own. Hosting duties for his very
first comedy/variety program
The Dom DeLuise Show (1968),
which featured wife Carol as part of the regular roster, lasted only
one summer. The sitcom
Lotsa Luck! (1973), which showcased
Dom as bachelor Stanley Belmont having to contend with a live-in mother
(a harping Kathleen Freeman)
and sister (an ungainly
Beverly Sanders), was canceled after its
first season. He gave it a rest for awhile before trying once again
with the sketch-like sitcom
The Dom DeLuise Show (1987),
but it, too, quickly faded. Another brief stint was as host of a
revamped Candid Camera (1991).
While Dom made an unlikely film debut as a high-strung Air Force technician in the
gripping nuclear drama Fail Safe (1964)
starring Henry Fonda, it was in zany,
irreverent comedy that he found his true calling. Appearing in support
of others such as Sid Caesar and
Mary Tyler Moore, respectively, in the
so-so comedies The Busy Body (1967)
and
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968),
he proved a delight as an inept, dim-witted spy in the
Doris Day caper
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).
Mel Brooks first cast Dom as the
miserly Russian Orthodox priest, Father Fyodor, in his film
The Twelve Chairs (1970), and
found plenty of room for the comedian after that -- as campy director
Buddy Bizarre in
Blazing Saddles (1974), the
silly-ass director's assistant in
Silent Movie (1976), Emperor Nero in
History of the World: Part I (1981),
the voice of the cheese-oozing Pizza the Hutt in the "Star Wars" parody
Spaceballs (1987), and as Sherwood
Forest's very own puffy-cheeked Godfather, Don Giovanni, in
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).
A very close friend of action star
Burt Reynolds, Dom romped through
a number of Reynolds' freewheeling films as well, including
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980),
The Cannonball Run (1981) and
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).
One of his finest scene-stealing film roles, in fact, was as Reynolds'
schizo pal in The End (1978). Dom
went on to direct a number of stage productions for his close friend at
the Burt Reynolds Theatre in Jupiter, Florida -- among them
"Butterflies Are Free," "Same Time, Next Year" (starring Burt and
Carol Burnett), "Brighton Beach Memoirs"
(starring son Peter), and the musical "Jump" (featuring wife Carol).
Still another comic buddy, Gene Wilder,
handed Dom the roles of the indulgent opera star in
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)
and harassed movie mogul Adolf Zitz in
The World's Greatest Lover (1977).
Dom later joined Wilder once again, along with Wilder's wife
Gilda Radner, in the leaden comedy
Haunted Honeymoon (1986), a clumsy haunted-house spoof that even Dom, in full drag, could not salvage.
Change-of-pace roles were few and far between. One that did come Dom's way was
the compulsive-eating protagonist in
Fatso (1980). Directed by and co-starring
Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft, Dom
managed to mix comedy with pathos. Obesity was also a chronic,
real-life problem for the comedian and, at one point in 1999, it was
reported that he had tipped the scales at 325 lbs. On a positive note,
this passion for food actually fed into a more lucrative sideline -- as
a respected chef and culinary author ("Eat This" and "Eat This Too") in
which he appeared all over the tube cooking and demonstrating his
favorite recipes. He also found time to write children's books on the side.
Dom tackled broad comedy films with great abandon -- a wallflower he
was not -- but they were hit-or-miss. Some of his biggest misses
were the Mae West disaster
Sextette (1977), the
Dudley Moore showcase
Wholly Moses! (1980) (although Dom
was arguably the best thing in it),
Loose Cannons (1990), in which he
appeared as portly pornographer Harry "The Hippo" Gutterman,
Driving Me Crazy (1991),
which filmed far away in Germany, and
The Silence of the Hams (1994), a parody on the horror genre in which he
played Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza.
Films could also be a family affair. True to life, Dom played a
sympathetic kiddie show host in the moving TV-movie
Happy (1983). Also the executive
producer, he was joined by wife Carol and all three sons in the cast.
In addition, Dom offered a cameo in
Between the Sheets (2003), a
film written by Peter, directed, edited and
executive-produced by Michael, and featuring roles for the rest of the
family.
Dom's voiceover skills did not go untapped, either, in films including
the animated features
The Secret of NIMH (1982),
An American Tail (1986) and
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989),
plus all of their offshoots. The heavily-bearded DeLuise even displayed
scene-stealing antics on the operatic scene, once playing the speaking
part of Frosch the Jailer in Johann Srauss II's operetta "Die ," at the
Metropolitan Opera.
Suffering from various physical ailments in later years, some of which
were exacerbated by his chronic obesity and diabetes, Dom's health
declined, and he died in 2009 at age 75. His wife and three children
survive him, as do three grandchildren.- Actor
- Director
- Stunts
Excellent, prolific and dependable character actor Terry Kiser was born
in Omaha, Nebraska. Terry attended the University of Kansas on both
football and dramatic scholarships. He graduated with a degree in
Industrial Engineering and worked for three years in this profession in
his hometown of Omaha. Kiser also acted in some 50 plays around this
same time. Terry then moved to New York and studied his craft at the
Actors Studio, where he was mentored by legendary Method acting teacher
Lee Strasberg. Following several gigs in
television commercials, he made his film debut as a preacher in the
film Rachel, Rachel (1968).
Although often cast as sleazy and unlikable scoundrels, Terry has shown
on occasion that he can portray more sympathetic parts with equal skill
and conviction.
Kiser gave an especially strong and engaging performance in a rare
substantial starring role in the little seen drama
Lapin 360 (1972). Best known as the
deceased, but still active Bernie Lomax in the hilarious "Weekend at
Bernie's" films, Terry's other memorable roles include Chuck Norris'
ill-fated cop partner Dave Pierce in the exciting
An Eye for an Eye (1981), shady
businessman Freddy Barrett in the entertaining science fiction disaster
film
Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983),
petty worthless hoodlum Jesse Hardwick in the superior horror anthology
opus From a Whisper to a Scream (1987), sneaky
psychiatrist Dr. Crews in
Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988),
and the evil Count Gunther Spretzle in
Mannequin: On the Move (1991).
Kiser had a recurring part on the daytime soap opera
The Doctors (1963).
Among the many television series Terry has done guest spots on are
Will & Grace (1998),
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993),
Baywatch Nights (1995),
Dream On (1990),
The Golden Girls (1985),
L.A. Law (1986),
Hunter (1984),
Murder, She Wrote (1984),
Riptide (1984),
Knight Rider (1982),
The Fall Guy (1981),
Magnum, P.I. (1980),
Hill Street Blues (1981),
CHiPs (1977),
Diff'rent Strokes (1978),
All in the Family (1971),
Maude (1972),
Hawaii Five-O (1968),
The Bionic Woman (1976),
The Six Million Dollar Man (1974),
and Baretta (1975). In addition to
his film and television work, Kiser has acted on stage in the Broadway
plays "God's Favorite" (Terry received a Tony Award nomination for his
performance in this Neil Simon
comedy), "Shelter", "The Castro Complex", and "Paris Is Out!". Terry
won both an Obie and a Theater World Award for his exemplary acting in
the dramatic play "Fortune and Men's Eyes".
Terry currently resides in Colorado and co-founded the premiere
acting school The Actors Arena in Austin Texas with Joy Leigh.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Demián Bichir Nájera was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to Maricruz Nájera (María de la Cruz Najera Botello), an actress, and Alejandro Bichir (Alejandro Bichir Batres), a theatre director. His parents met in the theatre. He has two brothers who are also actors, Bruno Bichir and Odiseo Bichir. His paternal grandfather was from Mlij, Lebanon. Demián began acting, at age 3 at the Palace of Fine Arts in his native Mexico City. He became a member of the National Theater Company of Mexico at age 13 and acted in several plays directed by renowned international masters such as José Tamayo, Clifford Williams and José Quintero. He starred in the Spanish versions of Ah! Wilderness, Equus, Broadway Bound, The Ghost Sonata and Malcolm VS the eunuchs. He made his Amrican stage debut in By the waters of Babylon at the Geffen Play House in Los Angeles.
At age 22, he moved to New York. He decided he wanted a break from acting, so that he could experience life and learn English. He got a job as a busboy at Rosa Mexicano, where he would make guacamole at customer's tables. He then moved to Los Angeles for four years, attempting to land acting roles. But, unsuccessful, he was tempted back to Mexico with the offer of role in Hasta Morir, for which he won an Ariel (the Mexican equivalent of an Oscar). His career took off in Mexico. In 1991, his movie Sexo, pudor y lágrimas broke Mexican box office records becoming the #1 movie in the history of Mexican cinema.
He decided to try his luck again in America. His American debut occurred in the television movie In the Time of the Butterflies (2001), starring Salma Hayek. Later, he went on to play Fidel Castro in Che: Part One (2008) and Che: Part Two (2008). In 2012, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in A Better Life (2011).- Actress
- Editor
- Writer
Landry Allbright is an American actor, writer, and editor known for her childhood work in hits like How The Grinch Stole Christmas (as Martha May Who-Vier), Con Air (as Casey Poe). She also had recurring roles on hit shows Will & Grace (as Nancy), and Malcolm in the Middle (as Julie Houlerman).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gayle Rankin is a Scottish actress, best known as Sheila the She-Wolf in the TV series Glow. She also played the role of Queen Victoria in The Greatest Showman and Emily Dodson in HBO's Perry Mason. Rankin trained at the Juilliard School in New York City, the first Scot to win a place there.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American actress who is best known for originating the role of Matilda Wormwood in Matilda on Broadway alongside Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, and Sophia Gennusa. She is a New York City-based child actress with credits in film, theatre, and television.
After several appearances in regional theatre productions and minor roles in short films and television episodes, in 2012, Laurence auditioned for the new musical Matilda on Broadway. Laurence landed the role of Matilda, performing in the show from March 4 to December 15, 2013.
After Matilda, Laurence transitioned to film acting appearing in Tumorhead, A Little Game, The Grief of Others, I Smile Back, Damsel, Lamb, and Southpaw, portraying the daughter of Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams' characters.
She has appeared on television in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Orange Is the New Black.
In 2015, Laurence co-starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams in Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw. In 2016, she co-starred as Natalie in the film Pete's Dragon, and portrayed Jane Mitchell, the daughter of Mila Kunis' character Amy Mitchell, in Bad Moms.
In 2017, Laurence co-starred opposite Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning in Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled.
She is the voice of Hedgehog and additional characters in the Cartoon Network series Summer Camp Island. She also performs the theme song.
Laurence lives in New York City and has two younger sisters, Aimee and Jetè, who are also actresses.- Mrunal Thakur is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, and Marathi television and films. She began acting through television and was best known for her role in the serial, Kumkum Bhagya.
Thakur first entered films with her performance in the Marathi film, Vitti Dandu (2014). Soon after, she took on a role in another Marathi production, Surajya (2014). Her foray into Hindi films began with Tabrez Noorani's Love Sonia (2018). In the film, Thakur played the lead character in a story about the realities of human trafficking and prostitution. Her next major Hindi film would be Super 30.
Thakur made her debut in the Telugu film industry with the romantic drama Sita Ramam (2022). - Actor
- Soundtrack
Henry Burk Jones was born in New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Helen (Burk) and John Francis Xavier Jones, and the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk, a Prussian immigrant. He graduated from
St. Joseph's College. His Broadway debut was in 1938 in
Maurice Evans' "Hamlet" (Reynaldo
and the second gravedigger). He served in the army in World War II. His
highly-reviewed stage appearances included the murdered handyman in
"The Bad Seed," which he reprised in the film version
(The Bad Seed (1956)), and the part
of Louis Howe, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's confidant
in
Sunrise at Campobello (1960).
Though very ordinary in appearance ("The casting directors didn't know
what to do with me. I was never tall enough or good looking enough to
play juvenile leads"), he had a long and varied career on Broadway, in
movies and television. His parts included a wide range of second-string
roles (ministers, judges, janitors), often with a dark and even
frightening underside. His television career, which included over 150
appearances, began early, in 1950. Though his movies included such
well-known titles as
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957),
3:10 to Yuma (1957),
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969),
The Grifters (1990), and
Dick Tracy (1990) no doubt his most
recognizable screen performance was in the brief role of the
methodical, nearly cruel coroner in
Alfred Hitchcock's
Vertigo (1958). He lived in Santa Monica,
CA, and died 17 May 1999, aged 86, at the UCLA Medical Center.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Taylor Negron was born Brad Stephen Negron in Glendale, California, to Lucy (Rosario) and Conrad Negron, who was mayor of Indian Wells, CA. His parents were both of Puerto Rican descent. Negron attended UCLA,
studied acting with Lee Strasberg, and studied comedy at a private seminar
taught by Lucille Ball. He went on to join the cast of an improvisational
comedy group, whose ranks included talents like Robin Williams, Martin Short and
Betty Thomas. In 1982 Negron made his motion-picture debut as a love-struck,
pill-popping, dancing intern in Young Doctors in Love (1982) and as the obviously peeved Mr.
Pizza Guy in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He also played Rodney Dangerfield's son-in-law in Easy Money (1983).
Negron was honored with the distinction of being asked to teach one of
the first comedy courses offered at UCLA.
Negron died of cancer on January 10, 2015.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Adrian Dunbar was born on 1 August 1958 in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for The Crying Game (1992), Line of Duty (2012) and Hear My Song (1991). He has been married to Anna Nygh since 1986. They have one child.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Daisy May Cooper was born on 1 August 1986 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Am I Being Unreasonable? (2022), This Country (2017) and Avenue 5 (2020).- Lewis Smith was born on 1 August 1956 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Wyatt Earp (1994) and Southern Comfort (1981).
- Actor
- Producer
Whitfield has starred in dozens of prime-time shows and feature films,
but one of his proudest professional moments so far is his leading role
in the Emmy-winning mini-series, "The Temptations." Nominated for an
NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Otis Williams, Whitfield says
people still applaud his performance, years later.
Despite his impressive body of work, Whitfield could have easily ended
up on a dramatically different path, if it weren't for critical
decisions he made as a teenager. A native of the Bronx, New York,
Whitfield admits, "I came up through the journey of selling drugs. I
made my first million dollars at age 14. It's not something I'm proud
of, but it's an unfortunate part of my past." A high school teacher
introduced Whitfield to acting, which became an outlet for him to
channel his energy and passion. He realized that acting was his true
calling after performing a monologue about losing his best friend to
the drug wars, at a group home for boys.
In addition to raising his children, Whitfield also finds time to teach
an acting class, in an effort to help aspiring thespians develop their
craft. He's in pre-production on an autobiography of his professional
and personal journey, which he intends to direct.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
British actress Sasha Jackson is primarily based in London (whilst also having Los Angeles and Atlanta bases) and travels worldwide for work commitments. Sasha has an EB1 Green Card in recognition of her talent and body of work and is a member of British Equity. Sasha has trained with some of LA's most respected and renowned acting coaches, among them: Ivana Chubbuck (as a Masterclass member), Andrew Magarian, Taylor Sheridan and Warner Loughlin and has had intensive one-to-one dialect coaching with the master of voices, Bob Corff, which has given her a US accent that is widely regarded among the casting community as "flawless". She has also perfected numerous other accents and is a skilled mimic, which further increases her suitability to fill a wide range of characters of various nationalities. Through her professional training in weapons and martial arts as the lead female in both Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016), The Perfect Weapon (2016) and "Snapshot", Sasha is fast gaining a strong reputation as an action heroine whilst being equally comfortable using her comedic timing in roles for Fuller House (2016) and The Royals (2015). Sasha, who has proven herself to be a versatile and talented actor in a wide variety of roles and genres, relishes learning new physical skills for projects and, indeed, embraces the challenges that such roles bring, including surfing the huge winter waves in South Africa for Blue Crush 2 (2011) and learning multiple dance disciplines and styles for the lead in a dance movie. Sasha, who competitively represented the South of England in High Board Diving and who is also a former District Trampolining champion, has already had a diverse career encompassing projects which saw her take the lead in several successful independent feature films, UK television series as an actress, presenter and herself as well as commercials, modelling assignments, as a Government-backed singer and also as the "face" and Worldwide Ambassador of two companies in the UK and Dubai.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Composer
Dancer, choreographer and actor Geoffrey Holder was born on August 1,
1930, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, into a middle-class family. One of
four children, he was taught painting and dancing by his older brother
Boscoe Holder, whose dance troupe, the
Holder Dance Company, the young Geoffrey joined when he was seven years
old. Geoffrey assumed direction of the company in the late 1940s after
Boscoe moved to London.
Holder moved to the US in 1954, two years after being "discovered" by
Agnes de Mille, the choreographer
daughter of director-producer
Cecil B. DeMille, after she saw the
Holder Dance Company perform in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Holder, a
talented painter, sold a score of his paintings to raise the funds to
bring the Holder Dance Company to New York City in 1954 (in 1957 Holder
won a Guggenheim Fellowship to study painting). He would appear with
his dance company, now titled Geoffrey Holder and Company, in New York
through 1960.
On December 30, 1954, Holder made his Broadway debut (as did
Diahann Carroll) at the Alvin Theatre in
the Caribbean-themed original musical "House of Flowers", with music by
Harold Arlen, who also co-wrote the book
with Truman Capote. The cast included
Pearl Bailey and
Alvin Ailey, and the show was directed by
Peter Brook.
Herbert Ross did the choreography
but the "Banda Dance" was choreographed by Holder. The show ran for 165
total performances but, more importantly, Holder met and married fellow
cast member 'Carmen DeLavallade', a dancer, and the two had a son
together. From 1955 through 1956 Holder was a principal dancer with the
Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
Holder played the role of Lucky in a revival of
Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot"
directed by Herbert Berghof on Broadway
in January 1957. The all-black cast also included
Geoff Searle as Vladimir,
Rex Ingram as Pozzo and
Mantan Moreland as Estragon. The show
only lasted six performances, but it established Holder as an actor,
and he made his film debut four years later in
All Night Long (1962), a modern
gloss on
William Shakespeare's
"Othello". His most famous role was as the heavy "Baron Samedi" in the
James Bond movie
Live and Let Die (1973),
Roger Moore's first turn as 007.
Holder won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his
staging of the Broadway musical "The Wiz" (1975), the all-African
American retelling of "The Wizard of Oz." He also won the Tony for best
costume design (he would be nominated again for a Tony for best costume
design for the original 1978 Broadway musical "Timbuktu!", which he
also directed and choreographed). As a choreographer he has created
dance pieces for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater.
Holder has written two books, one on folklore and one on Caribbean
cuisine. In the 1970s and 1980s, he put his striking 6'6" presence and
bass voice to good use hawking various products in TV commercials,
including soft drinks.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Max and his twin brother, Charlie, were first discovered by a talent agent while shopping together in Los Angeles. Within weeks of being spotted, the two made their professional acting debuts as series regulars on the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives. Max has since appeared in multiple series and films including The Leftovers, Teen Wolf and The Office.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Tempestt Bledsoe was born on 1 August 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Cosby Show (1984), ParaNorman (2012) and N-Secure (2010).- Actress
- Producer
Taapsee Pannu was born on August 1, 1987 in Delhi, India. She made her acting debut with the 2010 Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Since then, she has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films such as Aadukalam, Vastadu Naa Raju and Mr. Perfect. Her Tamil film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards at the 58th National Film Awards. She has also worked in a Malayalam film and has been signed on for three Telugu films and several Hindi films. She was awarded Most Enthusiastic Performer-Female Award at the 2014 Edison Awards for her performance in the Tamil film Arrambam (2013). Taapsee went on to star in several commercially successful films including Pink (2016), Badla (2019) and Game Over (2019), and received critical acclaim for her performances in Naam Shabana (2017), Mulk (2018), Manmarziyaan (2018) and Saand Ki Aankh (2019).- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Luke Eisner is an actor, musician, and model. He stars as the romantic lead in Netflix's original film Tall Girl. Luke's modeling portfolio includes campaigns with international brands like Ralph Lauren, American Eagle, Calvin Klein, H&M, Revolve, and Stuart Weitzman. Luke's music career, as half of the Pop/Rock duo "VOILÀ" , has captured the attention and praise from media such as Billboard, BBC Music Introducing, Pandora, and Live Nation's "One's to Watch". VOILÀ has also supported acts such as Kesha, The Fray, and X Ambassadors on their North American tours.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Borrego studied theatre and
dance at The University of Incarnate Word; he studied acting at The
California Institute of the Arts. In the 1980s he attended an open
audition for the TV Series "Fame" where he won the role of "Jesse
Velasquez", a role he would have for three years. Borrego, however,
would return to the stage appearing in productions at the noted Joseph
Papp Theatre in New York City and The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
In addition to standout performances on stage and in films such as
"Blood In, Blood Out" and "Follow Me Home", he began Lupita Productions
in 1990. Lupita has produced theatrical productions and concerts;
additionally, Lupita has produced two 16mm short films: "El Suendo de
Simon" (1993) by James Borrego and "Flattime" (1995) by Jimmy Santiago
Baca. At home in front of the camera, on stage, or in the producer's
seat, Borrego continues to be one of the most versatile and resilient
talents of our time.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
David Wain was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
He met the other members of the comedy troupe The State while a film
student at NYU, where he graduated from in 1991.
As part of The State, he co-created and co-starred on their self-titled
MTV sketch comedy show in the mid 90's. He then continued to work with
his State partners on many other projects, beginning with
Stella (2005), a nightclub show which
then became a series of web shorts and a Comedy Central Series.
His first film as co-writer and director was the indie summer camp
comedy
Wet Hot American Summer (2001), which was then turned into two mini-series on Netflix.
He has subsequently co-written and directed a total of five feature
films, the most successful being
Role Models (2008).
His most recent feature, A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018), is a biopic about Doug Kenney, the founder of National Lampoon.
He is executive producer of the Emmy award winning series
Childrens Hospital (2008)
as well as its spin-offs
Newsreaders (2013) and Medical Police (2020).
He's also worked consistently over the years as an actor, including the
recurring role of Rabbi Jewy McJewJew on "Childrens Hospital", a
version of himself in his semi-autobiographical web series
Wainy Days (2007), and as "Yaron" in the Netflix series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015).- Classically-trained veteran actor David Calder was born on 1 August 1946 in Portsmouth, England. His impressive career in acting began as early as 1968 around the age of 22. Easily known to British audiences for his work in film and television, Calder perhaps is better known to American audiences with his appearances in high profile movies such as the James Bond spy-action film The World Is Not Enough (1999) as Sir Robert King, the on-screen father of French actress Sophie Marceau. He also appeared in Rob Cohen's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), the third installment to the Stephen Sommers-directed Mummy films starring Brendan Fraser. During the 2010s, Calder has appeared in further A-list films and television series, including the Ron Howard-directed car-racing film drama Rush (2013), starring Chris Hemsworth. His continued work in British television includes appearances on The Wrong Mans (2013) and Casualty (1986). Calder appeared in the 2016 miniseries The Moonstone (2016) and guest-starred in Emerald City (2016).
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Thomas was born in Brooklyn, New York, but moved to Los Angeles,
California, and now resides there.
At age 10 he made his Broadway debut in 2003 as Young Simba in the
Broadway production of
The Lion King (1994). In 2004, he
appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of
Tony Kushner's "Caroline, or Change." He
also toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles
and San Francisco. Thomas also performed in the Broadway production of
the musical version of
Alice Walker's
The Color Purple (1985).
In 2007, he appeared alongside
Robin Williams and
Terrence Howard in the film
August Rush (2007) as Arthur, in
which he performed the song "La Bamba," and he was the singing voice of
Tyrone in
The Backyardigans (2004).
Thomas has also guest-starred on
Jack's Big Music Show (2005)
and Just Jordan (2007). He also
appeared as Harper in the
iCarly (2007) episode "iCarly Saves
TV" and was featured on
The Naked Brothers Band (2007)
Christmas special. He is a main character on
Victorious (2010), in the role of
André, which premiered on Nickelodeon on March 27, 2010.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Ana Girardot was born on 1 August 1988 in Paris, France. She is an actress and director, known for Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014), The Returned (2012) and Babyphone (2023).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Sally Pressman was born on 1 August 1981 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for My Best Friend's Girl (2008), Army Wives (2007) and Person of Interest (2011). She has been married to David Clayton Rogers since 17 September 2011. They have two children.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Montserrat Lombard was born on 1 August 1982 in England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Love Soup (2005) and Imager.- Jude Hill is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for his leading role in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast (2021), based on Branagh's childhood, for which he won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actor.
Hill made his feature film debut in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast. The film's story is told mostly through the eyes of Hill's character Buddy, described by Jeanette Catsoulis of the New York Times as "a bright, cheerful 9-year-old and a fictionalized version of Branagh himself". Hill was nine when he was chosen as the film's lead out of 300 young actors who auditioned, ten when filming took place, and eleven when the film was released in 2021.
Hill was born in Gilford, a village in County Down, near Armagh, to Shauneen and Darryl. He has a younger sister and a younger brother. He attended St John's Primary School. From the age of four, she took drama classes at Shelley Lowry School in Portadown.
Hill also played the lead role in the World War II-themed short film Rian, which premiered at CineMagic 2021.
In the 2023 film "A Haunting in Venice", they worked with Branagh again. - Canadian-born actor Arthur Hill was raised in the Saskatchewan town of Melfort. The son of a lawyer, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII before receiving his college education at the University of British Columbia. Intending on following in his father's footsteps in the field of law, he supported himself in school with a job doing radio theatre with the Canadian Broadcasting Co.
Continuing to pursue his interest in acting for a time in Seattle, he married fellow actress Peggy Hassard and subsequently made a major move in 1948, at age 26, to England where he slowly built up a fine, steadfast theatre reputation for himself along with occasional radio, film and TV roles. Making his London stage debut with "Home of the Brave" in 1948, he achieved major attention playing Cornelius Hackl in the Thornton Wilder classic "The Matchmaker", a role he took successfully to Broadway. Other important work on stage included "Man and Superman" (1951) and "Look Homeward Angel (1957).
In 1962, he, Uta Hagen, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon bowled over Broadway audiences as the vitriolic foursome in Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' Hill won both the Tony and New York Drama Critics awards for his role as George, the browbeaten academician and husband of Hagen's emasculating Martha (played by theatre legend Uta Hagen, who also won a Tony Award for her performance), who manages to turn the tables on her in front of two young guests invited for an ill-fated nightcap .
This led to stable work in Hollywood films in the 1960s with stalwart support roles in The Ugly American (1963), Harper (1966), Rabbit, Run (1970) and The Andromeda Strain (1971). This, in turn, led to an abundance of television work in the 1970s where Hill found a comfortable white-collar niche as mild-mannered, gray-haired professionals and an occasional shady villain. He earned star status with his own series Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971), and in such quality mini-movies as Death Be Not Proud (1975) and Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys (1976), among others.
He retired in the 1990s and later was suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which claimed his life at an assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, California. At the time of his death on October 23, 2006, he was survived by his second wife, Anne-Sophie Taraba, and his son, Douglas. (Hill's first wife, Peggy, had died in 1998, also of complications from Alzheimer's disease.) - Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Sean Price Williams was born on 1 August 1977 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Sweet East (2023), Good Time (2017) and One Man Dies a Million Times (2019).- Actor
- Additional Crew
Khamani Griffin was born on 1 August 1998 in Oakland, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Daddy Day Care (2003), Rise of the Guardians (2012) and Norbit (2007).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Eduardo Noriega Gómez was born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain. The
youngest of 7 siblings, he had shown a very big talent for artistic
activities since he was a child. He began taking piano lessons and got
into the Santander Music Conservatory, where he studied for five years.
His music professors discovered that he had many conditions for playing
piano, so they would keep him practicing for hours until he got tired
of it and quit. After finishing high school, he decided to become a
lawyer and majored at University of Santander, one of the most
prestigious universities in Europe.That wouldn't last long either,
because he got the acting bug by chance when attended an acting class
alongside a friend that wanted to be an actress, he was invited to
participate and enjoyed it enough to do that for living. At 19, he
relocated to Madrid to start his drama classes at the R.E.S.A.D.
(Madrid Acting Conservatory) and tried to continue with Law School
attending the U.N.E.D. (a college where people can study even if they
live far away), but due to the time the acting classes demanded him,
couldn't focus on his other career and quit after passing the first
signature. Once at the Conservatory he met
Mateo Gil and
Alejandro Amenábar, who was searching
for good average students to make his first short films. Noriega shot a
few shorts with both of them until he landed one of the starring roles
in Amenábar's opera prima Thesis (1996).
This movie became the most successful movie of the year in Spain and
Eduardo Noriega and Fele Martínez became
huge stars. In 1996, Eduardo had a tiny part in
Pedro Olea's
Más allá del jardín (1996)
and the main role in
Question of Luck (1997),
shot in San Sebastián. During the making of this movie, his mother
passed away and he channeled his grief into work by making
Open Your Eyes (1997), another
Amenábar's movie that became one of the suspense classics worldwide.
This part gave Noriega his first Goya Award nomination, but he lost to
Fernando Fernán Gómez, although he
was consecrated as a very promising actor. Soon after, he tried himself
in comedy by taking part in the movie
Cha Cha Cha (1998) where he showed
his skills as a comedian and met who would be his girlfriend for two
years: Ana Alvarez. The relationship
ended in good terms and afterward, he arrived to Argentina to make
another movie that would become a cult one:
Burnt Money (2000). This flick
won the Goya Award in 2001 and Eduardo met his now friend
Leonardo Sbaraglia. Between 2001 and
2004, he made movies in France, Madagascar and Spain. 2004 was the year
that gave him the chance to play a real life character for first time
in the movie El Lobo (2004). He played
Txema, an insider infiltrated in ETA who gave information to the
government to dismantle the terrorist group. Critics and people loved
his interpretation and earned him a second Goya nomination. Next year,
he had the chance to play another controversial character: Che Guevara,
becoming the first Spanish actor to play it. In 2006
Master Kowalski (2006) was released at the
same time that the theater play and became a blockbuster in Spain and
Argentina, Marcelo Piñeyro was the
director and also had directed
Burnt Money (2000). His most
challenging role was yet to come, nevertheless:
Vicente Aranda was preparing to direct
Canciones de amor en Lolita's Club (2007)and
also looking for an actor who dared play twins who where identical in
the outside but totally different inside, because one was a violent
smart cop and the other one a mentally retarded sweet man. On December
3, 2007 he won the GQ award as the "Actor of the Year". In 2008 he
participated in two American movies:
Vantage Point (2008) and
Transsiberian (2008). In 2009 he
re-teamed with Amenábar (this time as a producer, not director) in
El mal ajeno (2010), where he had to
look older to play an apparently cold-blooded doctor that used to deal
with terminal patients, but his life is stricken when his teenage
daughter becomes his patient. With this movie, Eduardo showed his
maturity as an actor and next year he could fulfill a dream: making a
western. Blackthorn (2011) told the
story of Butch Cassidy in exile while staying in Bolivia.
Sam Shepard and
Stephen Rea were part of this superb
cast as well. During the half of 2011 a new suspense TV series called
Homicidios (2011) began to be
promoted on channel Tele5. This thriller meant the return of
Eduardo Noriega to television
(he had only had a small part in the 1994-1996 show "Colegio Mayor").
"Homicidios" premiered on 20 September 2011 in prime-time with a very
high rating. Although it was switched to different times until even
midnight, it had the highest audience of his all time branches. In 2013
he will release the movie The Last Stand, alongside
Arnold Schwarzenegger.- Remmie Milner was born on 1 August 1989 in Croydon, Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress, known for His Dark Materials (2019), Save Me (2018) and A Christmas Carol (2019).
- Actress
- Producer
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ortiz grew up in Orlando, Florida. An early love of dancing led to roles in local theater productions. As her interest in theatre and acting grew, Valery eased out of dancing and began focusing on acting. Eventually, she enrolled in the University of Central Florida to obtain a Bachelor's in Fine Arts Degree.
After a hosting gig for Nickelodeon's Splat! ended, Valery took a road trip to Los Angeles for a two-week vacation and ended up relocating permanently when she quickly started working on a local television show called LATV Live as a VJ. She was next cast in one of her most memorable roles to date in the cult comedy hit 'Date Movie' as Jell-O, a Jennifer Lopez impersonator.
Over the years, Ortiz has worked on several popular television series. She starred as Raquel on VH1's one-hour scripted series 'Hit the Floor', Madison Duarte, on the groundbreaking teen drama 'South of Nowhere', and more recently, Dina Duran on the live action-comedy series 'Gabby Duran and The Unsittables' on Disney Channel.
Valery recently completed production on the feature film 'Skeletons In The Closet' starring opposite Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Clifton Powell along with a starring role in the Lifetime movie 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Christmas' directed by Jake Helgren. Off screen, Valery is working on her bilingual children's book series and an exciting new partnership.
In her free time, Valery enjoys reading, decorating, writing and pushing herself to new heights in fitness. She also enjoys lending her time to different charities and organizations. Ortiz currently resides in Los Angeles.- Jennifer is best known for her roles on The Bold & the Beautiful as Donna Logan & The Young & the Restless as Grace Turner. She has also worked with stars such as James Caan, Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sandra Bullock starring in many movies. Jennifer has won many titles including Miss New York USA, earned All-American status in swimming, graced magazine covers as a model & earned her MBA from Pepperdine University.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
With over 17 million records sold worldwide, Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum recording artist Coolio is an artist known around the world as a musical and cooking master of extraordinary reinvention.
Growing up during the time of tremendous change in Compton, Calif., Coolio fed on struggle and used it as a launching pad of continual reinvention that led to selling over 17 million records globally and a long list of concerts to adoring fans in Africa, Israel, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Australia, Turkey, the United States and throughout Europe. He gave back to the community by serving as the spokesman for the Asthma and Allergies Foundation.
Coolio initially took over the world rap scene through the "Gangsta's Paradise" release, which won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Performance, Solo. "Gangsta's Paradise" would also be featured on the "Dangerous Minds" soundtrack and movie. "Gangsta's Paradise," also featuring LV on vocals, was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Song of the Year and it sold over six million copies and was Billboard Magazine's number one single in 1995.
The world recognition led to his music being featured Coolio for several major motion pictures including: Space Jam, Clueless, The Big Payback, Panther, New Jersey Drive, The Jerk Boys, Eddie, Half Baked and many more. He also composed the theme song for the popular kids TV series Kenan and Kel on Nickelodeon.
The awards for his hard-hitting style are many. Coolio has won an American Music award, three MTV awards, two Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and a World Music award. He has received six Grammy award nominations (1994, 1995 and 1996), two Billboard Music awards (1994 and 1996), two ASCAP awards (1996, 1997), three MTV video awards (1996 and 1997), four American Online awards (1996) and was the Playboy Music Poll winner in 1997.
Coolio successfully made the transition from performer to actor during the 90s. He co-stared in the motion picture Retirement with Bill Cobb, Peter Falk, Charlie Murphy and Rip Torn. The film featured music from Coolio's "Return of the Gangsta" album. Coolio has also starred in several HBO films and series as well as making cameos in Bateman Dare Devil.
His television accomplishments have included the reality TV show on the Oxygen network, "Coolio's Rules," and the ghetto funk cooking web series, "Cooking with Coolio," which logged over four million hits on the web. Television appearances included programs like Celebrity Cook Off and Celebrity Chopped.
His musical collaborations continued with "From the Bottom to the Top." Coolio changed his style and opened up to working with many European and International disc jockeys such as Benny Benassi, Ives la rock, and Paul Oakenfold just to name a few. He also got the aide of his son A.I., who was a featured artist on the album. The first single is collaboration with Coolio and the Oscar-winning "Ennio Morricone," one of the most famous soundtrack composers of the last 50 years.
Coolio's Album "El Cool Magnigico" was released in Europe on Jan 15, 2003. Featured artists on that album included hip-hop performer Miss Toi, country legend Kenny Rogers, Krazye Bone from Bone thugs n Harmony, B-real of Cypress Hill and Daz Dillinger. Associated Press stated that, "Coolio returns to Hip-Hop with El Cool Magnifico, and every track on the disc is a winner." The New York Post praised the album and wrote, "El Cool Magnifico is excellent from top to bottom". The album sold over 1.8 million copies worldwide.
No stranger to the world of cartoons, Coolio recorded the single and music video "Dexter" (what's his name) for "Dexter's Laboratory: Home Boy Genius - The Hip-Hop Experiment." This was a creative and fun album featuring big name hip-hop artists such as De La Soul and Will I Am. "The Hip-Hop Experiment" album features original songs inspired by Dexter's Laboratory, the top rated, Emmy nominated Cartoon Network series.
An ingenious chameleon, Coolio launched his book, "Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price," in 2009, which would become a New York Times bestseller. This move expanded his audience base from the stage to kitchens across the globe. Branding himself as the "ghetto gourmet," Coolio used his creativity and the inspiration of his mother to refine old-school recipes into accessible, fresh options.
Coolio's interest in cooking started as a youngster. After a failed grilled cheese, his mother chose to make him pay her back for the charred mess by helping out in the kitchen. Rather than hate every minute of cleaning and scrubbing, Coolio fell in love with cooking.
Later in life, when his mother passed, the love of cooking turned into an obsession with rediscovering and reinventing all her old recipes. He interviewed aunts, friends and relatives until he found her lost secrets. Then, Coolio took the lessons of his elders and morphed the recipes into healthier options that remained affordable.
The secret ingredient of Coolio's recipes is his unconventional approach to culinary instruction. His style is brash and in your face for which he doesn't apologize. "People learn better when they're entertained. Cooking isn't just for the starched-stiff elite. Everyone should know how to cook something," said the ghetto gourmet.
Performing and touring worldwide as a musical artist, Coolio is also working on a new cookbook with his best friend and band mate, hip hop jazz saxophonist Jarez. The recipes will continue on the theme of insane deliciousness that anyone can recreate. The recipes are designed to be accessible with easy to assemble ingredients that everyone will recognize. From the tang of balsamic vinegar to the freshness of chopped peppers, the new cookbook is something that everyone needs in their kitchen.- Actress
Emma J. Berman is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Giulia Marcovaldo in Pixar's animated feature film Luca. She also voices Ginny in the Disney Junior television series SuperKitties and Nash Durango in the Disney Junior television series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. As a guest star, Emma appears in Season 3 of Spidey and his Amazing Friends as Squirrel Girl on Disney Jr. and in Go! Go! Cory Carson as Winifred Wings on Netflix. Emma began her acting career at the age of 9 performing in professional theatre productions with the American Conservatory Theatre and 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco. She also voiced toys for LeapFrog, Playmates Toys and Spin Master. In her free time, Emma loves to sing, draw, play guitar and race go-karts.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Susan Lanier, also known as Suze Lanier-Bramlett, was born in Dallas, Texas. This multi-talented and sassy actress, producer, director, writer, vocalist and musician is most known for starring in The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Welcome Back, Kotter (1975) and Cut! (2014). She has performed everywhere from Broadway with Tennessee Williams to the big screen with Wes Craven to the small screen opposite John Travolta. She was married to musical icon Delaney Bramlett.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Elijah Kelley was born on 1 August 1986 in LaGrange, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Hairspray (2007), Strange Magic (2015) and The Butler (2013).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Julie Bovasso was born on 1 August 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Saturday Night Fever (1977), The Verdict (1982) and My Blue Heaven (1990). She was married to Len Wayland and George Earl Ortman. She died on 14 September 1991 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
- Writer
American actress, voice-over artist and host, Dana Sparks has an extensive television and film career. In her early teens, she booked her first commercial audition in her home city of San Francisco and used that momentum move to Los Angeles. Dana went on her first network audition, for the CBS series
Cover Up (1984), and was given a
contract role. Soon after, her neighbor, producer/director
Blake Edwards, "discovered" her on
the beach in Malibu and cast her as "Fanny" in her first feature film
That's Life! (1986).
A regular on
Falcon Crest (1981) she
spent three seasons as the "sexy vixen" "Vicki Gioberti."
Other credits Dana is best know for include
Melrose Place (1992),
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987),
Thirtysomething (1987) and
L.A. Law (1986). She was "Lt. Cmdr. Carolyn Imes" on the hit series
JAG (1995).
A magazine cover-girl and favorite of ad agency's, Dana was the face of many international campaigns.
By far the youngest of 3 siblings, Dana grew up riding her pony across the hills of Orinda, California to visit her friends. This freedom created an adventurous, sporty, animal lover. A swimmer, boogie-boarder, horseback rider and golfer, Dana would always prefer be outside enjoying Venice Beach, California where she lives.- Actress
- Producer
Devanny Pinn is an award winning actress and producer hailing from Los Angeles, California who is best known for her work in independent horror cinema. A performer since the age of 3, Devanny grew up in New Jersey appearing in ballets and musicals. Starring as Clara in South Jersey Ballet Theaters production of "The Nutcracker", she continued on to appear in the Moscow Ballet's production during their US Tour. At 17 she moved to Arizona where she landed the role of Eva Peron in Scottsdale Theaters "Evita". She entered college with an Opera scholarship and appeared as Christine Daae in their televised review of "Phantom of the Opera."
During college, reality show producers recruited Devanny for a variety of shows in Los Angeles including Rock of Love, Shot at Love, Paris Hiltons New Bff and Vh1's Scream Queens. Fascinated by production, she decided to seek out acting opportunities in movies. It was then that she landed her first lead role in feature film, a horror movie that would introduce her to genre fans and press that soon after dubbed her their 'scream queen'.
She has since appeared in over 80 horror movies and has shared the screen with genre icons including Linda Blair, Danny Trejo, Vivica A. Fox, Sid Haig and Tara Reid. She has received critical acclaim for her portrayal of infamous true-to-live individuals including Susan Atkins in the Charles Manson biopic "House of Manson" and murder suspect Casey Anthony in ID mini series "Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery", which received the highest rating debut in the networks history. Psychological thriller "The Dawn", in which she stars opposite Stacey Dash (Clueless) and Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) debuted in American theaters January 2020 and is playing around the world.
Having found a love for film behind the camera as well, Devanny began producing feature films in 2012. She became VP for an international sales agency and worked in acquisitions for a United States-based distribution company. Devanny has since produced 10 feature films which are available on Television, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Video on Demand platforms worldwide and have been featured in major industry trades such as Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, and Rolling Stone. She has aspirations to be a studio executive and is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America.
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