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- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Often considered hip-hop's first lady, the woman behind the moniker Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Rita (Bray), a teacher, and Lancelot Owens Sr. She came from a police family-both her father and her older brother were cops-which would later influence her rhyming style and life philosophy. Her brother died in a motorcycle accident in 1992. Owens witnessed both sides of black urban life in the USA while growing up. After a brief stint as a Burger King employee, she soon found herself making waves in the hip-hop music scene.
After working as the human beatbox alongside Ladies Fresh, she was just 18 years old when she broke through in the late 1980s with a style that picked selectively from jazz, reggae, and soul traditions, from beats produced by D.J. Mark the 45 King. Her debut single, "Wrath of My Madness," was released in 1988. A year later, her debut long-player, "All Hail the Queen," enjoyed favored reviews: an old, wise head was evident on the top of her young shoulders. The former Burger King employee maintained her early commitment to answering the misogynist armory of some of her male counterparts and, at the same time, imparted musical good times to all genders. Her name means "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic, but she has often been anything but in her rhymes and the messages she sends out through them. One of the most prominent female hip-hop artists on the scene for over a decade, Queen Latifah has also made tremendous inroads in movies, television, and artist management, with her management company, Flavor Unit, alongside her business partner Shakim Compere. A role model who takes the responsibility to heart, Latifah has carefully constructed a fine career for herself-one that is constantly moving upward.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis. In addition to the duo's popular nightclub work, they starred in a successful series of comedy films for Paramount Pictures. Lewis was also known for his charity fund-raising telethons and position as national chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Lewis won several awards for lifetime achievements from The American Comedy Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and Venice Film Festival, and he had two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, he received the Governors Award of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors, which is the highest Emmy Award presented. On February 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Jerry died on August 20, 2017, in Las Vegas.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted by Mary (Edgar), a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto parts store owner. He studied acting at the University of Miami, where he became friends with Steven Bauer (Scarface (1983), Thief of Hearts (1984)). He spent his first years acting in TV: Another World (1964), a TV movie and several short-lived series. He broke into movies with the black comedy Something Wild (1986), which garnered him rave reviews. Originally unable to get a reading, he was recommended for the part by Melanie Griffith (then married to Bauer).
Following the success Something Wild (1986), he received more offers in the "psycho" vein, but refused them to avoid being typecast. Instead, he made "little movies" like Dominick and Eugene (1988), which earned him standing as an actor's actor, and Field of Dreams (1989), whose success always surprised him. When he heard Martin Scorsese was casting Goodfellas (1990), he lobbied hard for the part of Henry Hill. The film's huge success brought him wide popularity and garnered him star billing in future films such as Article 99 (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), and Unforgettable (1996).
Liotta died on May 26, 2022, aged 67, in his sleep while filming on location in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Compact Italian-American actor Joe Pesci was born February 9, 1943 in Newark, New Jersey, to Mary (Mesce), a part-time barber, and Angelo Pesci, a bartender and forklift driver. Pesci first broke into entertainment as a child actor, and by the mid-1950s, was starring on the series "Star Time Kids". In the mid-1960s, he released a record under the stage name Joe Ritchie titled "Little Joe Sure Can Sing", and was also playing guitar with several bands, including Joey Dee and The Starliters. He even joined with his friend Frank Vincent to start a vaudeville-style comedy act, but met with limited success (interestingly, Pesci and Vincent would later go on to co-star in several gangster films together, including Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995).
Pesci's first film role was as an uncredited dancer in Hey, Let's Twist! (1961) and then he had to wait another 15 years for a minor role in The Death Collector (1976). His work in the second film was seen by Robert De Niro, who convinced director Martin Scorsese to cast him as Joey LaMotta in the epic boxing film Raging Bull (1980), which really got him noticed in Hollywood. He played opposite Rodney Dangerfield in Easy Money (1983), was with buddy DeNiro again in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), nearly stole the show as con man Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) and scored a Best Supporting Actor Oscar playing the psychotic Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990).
His comedic talents shone again in the mega-popular Home Alone (1990), and he put in a terrific performance as co-conspirator David Ferrie in JFK (1991). Pesci was back again as Leo Getz for Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and was still a bumbling crook in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and had a minor role in the Robert De Niro-directed A Bronx Tale (1993). He was lured back by Scorsese to play another deranged gangster named Nicky (based on real-life hood Tony Spilotro [aka "The Ant"]) in the violent Casino (1995), and starred in the comedies 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997) and Gone Fishin' (1997), although both failed to fire at the box office.
Pesci returned again as fast-talking con man Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). In 1999, he announced his retirement from acting and since then, he appeared only occasionally in films, including a cameo appearance in The Good Shepherd (2006). He also appeared in the music documentary I Go Back Home: Jimmy Scott (2016).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, film director, and television presenter. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld (1989), for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. His other well-known roles include Phillip Stuckey in the film Pretty Woman (1990), comic relief gargoyle Hugo in the Disney animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and the title character in the animated series Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (1994). He has also made guest appearances on shows such as Dream On (1994), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019). For his role in Dream On, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in 2020 for "The Bad Guys?" on Brainwashed By Toons.- Actress
- Director
- Additional Crew
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is the daughter of Sydney Anne, an artist, and
Lee Paul Neuwirth, a mathematician. Born and raised in Princeton, New
Jersey, she started out as a dancer. Her New York career started out in
"A Chorus Line". She won a Tony Award for her part in "Sweet Charity"
and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
for playing Lilith Sternin Crane of
Cheers (1982).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American family. Originally entering university as a physics student, De Palma became attracted to films after seeing such classics as Citizen Kane (1941). Enrolling in Sarah Lawrence College, he found lasting influences from such varied teachers as Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.
At first, his films comprised of such black-and-white films as To Bridge This Gap (1969). He then discovered a young actor whose fame would influence Hollywood forever. In 1968, De Palma made the comedic film Greetings (1968) starring Robert De Niro in his first ever credited film role. The two followed up immediately with the films The Wedding Party (1969) and Hi, Mom! (1970).
After making such small-budget thrillers such as Sisters (1972) and Obsession (1976), De Palma was offered the chance to direct a film based on Stephen King's classic novel "Carrie". The story deals with a tormented teenage girl who finds she has the power of telekinesis. The film starred Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta, and was for De Palma, a chance to try out the split screen technique for which he would later become famous.
Carrie (1976) was a massive success, and earned the two lead females (Laurie and Spacek) Oscar nominations. The film was praised by most critics, and De Palma's reputation was now permanently secured. He followed up this success with the horror film The Fury (1978), the comedic film Home Movies (1979) (both these films featured Kirk Douglas), the crime thriller Dressed to Kill (1980) starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson, and another crime thriller entitled Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta.
His next major success was the controversial, ultra-violent film Scarface (1983). Written by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino, the film concerned Cuban immigrant Tony Montana's rise to power in the United States through the drug trade. While being a critical failure, the film was a major success commercially.
Moving on from Scarface (1983), De Palma made two more movies before landing another one of his now-classics: The Untouchables (1987), starring old friend Robert De Niro in the role of Chicago gangster Al Capone. Also starring in the film were Kevin Costner as the man who commits himself to bring Capone down, and Sean Connery, an old policeman who helps Costner's character to form a group known as the Untouchables. The film was one of De Palma's most successful films, earning Connery an Oscar, and gave Ennio Morricone a nomination for Best Score.
After The Untouchables (1987), De Palma made the Vietnam film Casualties of War (1989) starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. The film focuses on a new soldier who is helpless to stop his dominating sergeant from kidnapping a Vietnamese girl with the help of the coerced members of the platoon. The film did reasonably well at the box office, but it was his next film that truly displayed the way he could make a hit and a disaster within a short time. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) starred a number of well-known actors such as Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, however it was still a commercial flop and earned him two Razzie nominations.
But the roller coaster success that De Palma had gotten so far did not let him down. He made the horror film Raising Cain (1992), and the criminal drama Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn. The latter film is about a former criminal just released from prison that is trying to avoid his past and move on. It was in the year 1996 that brought one of his most well-known movies. This was the suspense-filled Mission: Impossible (1996) starring Tom Cruise and Jon Voight.
Following up this film was the interesting but unsuccessful film Snake Eyes (1998) starring Nicolas Cage as a detective who finds himself in the middle of a murder scene at a boxing ring. De Palma continued on with the visually astounding but equally unsuccessful film Mission to Mars (2000) which earned him another Razzie nomination. He met failure again with the crime thriller Femme Fatale (2002), the murder conspiracy The Black Dahlia (2006), and the controversial film Redacted (2007) which deals with individual stories from the war in Iraq.
Brian De Palma may be down for the moment, but if his box office history has taught us anything, it is that he always returns with a
major success that is remembered for years and years afterwards.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Mj Rodriguez is an actress, best known for her work in Nurse Jackie (2011), Carrie Diaries (2013), Dear Pauline (2014), new internet series [Blank] My Life (2016) and Netflix show Luke Cage (2016). She is also known for her Musical Theater credit as Angel Dumont Schunard in the Original Off-Broadway Revival of Rent in 2011.- Dennis Boutsikaris is an American character actor who has won the Obie Award twice. He is also a narrator of audio-books, for which he has won 13 Golden Earphone Awards and 8 Audie Awards. He won Best Audiobook of the Year from Amazon for his reading of American Gods.
Boutsikaris was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Greek American father and Jewish mother, and grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He took up acting while a student at Governor Livingston High School, because he felt he was too small to succeed in athletics. A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Boutsikaris toured the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company doing classical theatre.
Boutsikaris' film credits include leading roles in *batteries not included, The Dream Team, Crocodile Dundee II, Boys on the Side and In Dreams, among many others. His most recent indie films include Cherry Crush, The Education of Charlie Banks, Calling It Quits," The Bourne Legacy" and "Money Monster". He is Paul Wolfowitz in Oliver Stone's "W." In 2012, he co-starred in The Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment of the successful Bourne franchise.
On television, he had the lead in the series Stat, The Jackie Thomas Show, and Misery Loves Company. He has also had recurring roles on Sidney Lumet's 100 Centre Street, Nurse, Trinity, ER, Law & Order and Showtime's Shameless. Boutsikaris had a leading part in episode twenty of the second season of the hit CBS show Person of Interest which aired in the USA on Thursday, April 26, 2013. He was part of NBC's State of Affairs, the TV series that marks the return to series television of Katherine Heigl. In 2012, he also made an appearance as Jack Quayle in the season 2 episode "Collateral Damage" of the CBS show Blue Bloods. From 2015 to 2022, he played the role of lawyer Rich Schweikart in the first, second, then fourth through sixth seasons of the American series Better Call Saul. In 2017, Boutsikaris was cast in the recurring role of Henry Roarke on the ABC thriller series Quantico.
He has starred in over 20 TV movies, including Chasing the Dragon, And Then There Was One, Three Faces of Karen, Survival on the Mountain, Beyond Betrayal, and as Woody Allen in the miniseries Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (with Patsy Kensit).
On Broadway Boutsikaris became the first American to play Mozart in Amadeus and was directed by Sir Laurence Olivier in Filumena. He starred in the Off-Broadway production of Sight Unseen to great critical acclaim.
He has been seen on Broadway in Bent, Filumena (directed by Sir Laurence Olivier), and Amadeus (as the first American to play Mozart) with Frank Langella. He was seen in the Delacorte Theatre's production of Julius Caesar as Cassius. He was in the original New York productions of The Boys Next Door, A Picasso, and the revival of That Championship Season.
Off-Broadway he is probably best known for playing Jonathan Waxman in the original production of Sight Unseen at the Manhattan Theatre Club and later at the Orpheum Theatre. He received the Obie Award and a nomination for a Drama Desk Award for this performance. At the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles, he appeared in the premiere of David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood and in 2007 Jane Anderson's The Quality of Life with Laurie Metcalf and Jo Beth Williams. For that performance he received the Backstage West Garland Award for Best Actor and was nominated for Best Actor by the L.A. Critics Drama Circle and by the LA Alliance Ovation Awards.
In 2009 he was in the Broadway revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound again with Laurie Metcalf. The former opened to wide critical acclaim and then closed one week later. The latter never opened.
He continued his association with Laurie Metcalf appearing with her in The Other Place Off-Broadway.
He can be heard in over 160 audio-books and has received eight Audie Awards and two Best Voices of the Year Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He was voted Best Narrator of the Year by Amazon for "THE GENE".
Boutsikaris has received two Obie Awards: one in 1985 for Outstanding Performance in Nest of the Woodgrouse at the New York Shakespeare Festival, directed by Joseph Papp; and one in 1992 for Outstanding Performance in Sight Unseen at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He also received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Actor for Sight Unseen, as well as a Cable ACE nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Chasing the Dragon in 1995. He was nominated for a People's Choice Award as best Newcomer. He received the Best Actor Award at the Staten Island Film Festival and the Long Island Film Festival for his role in Calling It Quits. - Actor
- Producer
- Composer
The legendary gangsta hip-hop emcee Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow on
February 16, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles,
California, to live with his paternal aunt after the death of his
father while he was in the sixth grade; his mother had died earlier
when he was in the third grade. His aunt lived in the South Los Angeles
district of Crenshaw, colloquially referred to as South Central. He
became immersed in the street life of the inner-city and eventually
became a member of the West Side Rollin 30s Original Harlem Crips.
In 1979, Marrow joined the Army after leaving Crenshaw High School, but
his 4-year hitch was enough for him, as he was a leader, not a
follower. "I didn't like total submission to a leader other than
myself," he said. After ETSing from the Army in 1983, he returned to
South Central with the intention of becoming a hip-hop musician. More
than music, his life got caught up in street life as as a jewel thief
and as a pimp. (His nomme de guerre, Ice T, is an homage to the fabled
pimp and raconteur Iceberg Slim (Robert Beck). He committed himself totally
to his music after a 1985 car crash.
As a musician, Ice-T played a major role in the creation of the gangsta
incarnation of hip-hop music and was a colossus of the West Coast
hip-hop scene, despite his East Coast, greater New York, origins.
Though his music displays a political consciousness, like the
indictments of racism that were a hallmark of seminal hip-hop group
Public Enemy, it also is nihilistic as befits a chronicler of street life.
His most infamous song, the heavy metal "Cop Killer," was one of the
major battle in the cultural wars of the 1990s, in which cultural
conservatives enlisted the Moses of the right wing, Charlton Heston, to get
Ice-T dropped from his then-label, Sire/Warner Bros.
The charismatic Ice-T has also achieved success as an actor in movies
and on TV. He plays Detective Odafin Tutuola on the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999),
which is ironic for someone famous for "Cop Killer" and his feud with
the L.A.P.D. Ice-T currently resides in North Bergen, New Jersey, with
his wife, Coco Austin.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Actress and producer Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4, 1924 on Newark, New Jersey. She is known for starring in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). Her film career also includes roles in Raintree County (1957), Exodus (1960), The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), Grand Prix (1966), Nothing in Common (1986), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Superman Returns (2006) and Winter's Tale (2014).
Saint made her feature film debut in On the Waterfront (1954), starring Marlon Brando and directed by Elia Kazan - a performance for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was a major success and launched her movie career. She starred in the pioneering drug-addiction drama A Hatful of Rain (1957) with Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa. She also starred in lavish the Civil War epic Raintree County (1957) with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.
Director Alfred Hitchcock surprised many by choosing Saint over dozens of other candidates for the femme fatale role in what was to become a suspense classic North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant and James Mason. Written by Ernest Lehman, the film updated and expanded upon the director's early "wrong man" spy adventures of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, including The 39 Steps (1935), Young and Innocent (1937), and Saboteur (1942). North by Northwest (1959) became a box-office success and an influence on spy films for decades.- J.D. Williams was born on 22 May 1978 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Pootie Tang (2001), The Kill Point (2007) and Oz (1997).
- Podcaster
- Writer
- Actor
Joe Rogan was born on 11 August 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a podcaster and writer, known for The Joe Rogan Experience (2009), NewsRadio (1995) and Zookeeper (2011). He has been married to Jessica Rogan since 2009. They have three children.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Taye Diggs was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Marcia
(Berry), a teacher and actress, and Andre Young, a visual artist. When he was a child, his mother married Jeffries Diggs, whose surname Taye took. He received a BFA
degree in musical theater from Syracuse University. Taye made his show
business debut in the ensemble cast of the five-time Tony Award winning
play "Carousel." Taye Diggs is the oldest of five. His two brothers are
musicians, one sister is a dancer and the other is going to college to
be a veterinarian.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Okieriete Onaodowan was born on 16 August 1987 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Hamilton (2020), Station 19 (2018) and Grey's Anatomy (2005).- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Harlan Coben was born on 4 January 1962 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Tell No One (2006), Harlan Coben's Shelter (2023) and Safe (2018).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Retta was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Parks and Recreation (2009), Fracture (2007) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jack Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter, Jr. on September 18, 1920 in Newark,
New Jersey, to Laura M. (Costello) and John Warden Lebzelter. His father
was of German and Irish descent, and his mother was of Irish ancestry.
Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, at the age of seventeen, young Jack Lebzelter
was expelled from Louisville's DuPont Manual High School for repeatedly
fighting. Good with his fists, he turned professional, boxing as a
welterweight under the name "Johnny Costello", adopting his mother's
maiden name. The purses were poor, so he soon left the ring and worked
as a bouncer at a night club. He also worked as a lifeguard before
signing up with the U.S. Navy in 1938. He served in China with the
Yangtze River Patrol for the best part of his three-year hitch before
joining the Merchant Marine in 1941.
Though the Merchant Marine paid better than the Navy, Warden was
dissatisfied with his life aboard ship on the long convoy runs and quit
in 1942 in order to enlist in the U.S. Army. He became a paratrooper
with the elite 101st Airborne Division, and missed the June 1944
invasion of Normandy due to a leg badly broken by landing on a fence
during a nighttime practice jump shortly before D-Day. Many of his
comrades lost their lives during the Normandy invasion, but the future
Jack Warden was spared that ordeal. Recuperating from his injuries, he
read a play by Clifford Odets given to
him by a fellow soldier who was an actor in civilian life. He was so
moved by the play, he decided to become an actor after the war. After
recovering from his badly shattered leg, Warden saw action at the
Battle of the Bulge, Nazi Germany's last major offensive. He was
demobilized with the rank of sergeant and decided to pursue an acting
career on the G.I. Bill. He moved to New York City to attend acting
school, then joined the company of Theatre
'47 in Dallas in 1947 as
a professional actor, taking his middle name as his surname.
This repertory company, run by
Margo Jones,
became famous in the 1940s and '50s for producing Tennessee Williams's
plays. The experience gave him a valuable grounding in both classic and
contemporary drama, and he shuttled between Texas and New York for five
years as he was in demand as an actor. Warden made his television debut
in 1948, though he continued to perform on stage (he appeared in a
stage production in
Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman (1966)).
After several years in small, local productions, he made both his
Broadway debut in the 1952 Broadway revival of Odets' "Golden Boy" and,
three years later, originated the role of "Marco" in the original
Broadway production of Miller's "A View From the Bridge". On film, he
and fellow World War II veteran,
Lee Marvin (Marine Corps, South
Pacific), made their debut in
You're in the Navy Now (1951)
(a.k.a. "U.S.S. Teakettle"), uncredited, along with fellow vet
Charles Bronson, then billed as
"Charles Buchinsky".
With his athletic physique, he was routinely cast in bit parts as
soldiers (including the sympathetic barracks-mate of
Montgomery Clift and
Frank Sinatra in the Oscar-winning
From Here to Eternity (1953).
He played the coach on TV's
Mister Peepers (1952) with
Wally Cox.
Aside from
From Here to Eternity (1953)
(The Best Picture Oscar winner for 1953), other famous roles in the
1950s included Juror #7 (a disinterested salesman who wants a quick
conviction to get the trial over with) in
12 Angry Men (1957) - a film that
proved to be his career breakthrough - the bigoted foreman in
Edge of the City (1957) and one
of the submariners commended by
Clark Gable and
Burt Lancaster in the World War II drama,
Run Silent Run Deep (1958).
In 1959, Warden capped off the decade with a memorable appearance in
The Twilight Zone (1959)
episode,
The Lonely (1959),
in the series premier year of 1959. As "James Corry", Warden created a
sensitive portrayal of a convicted felon marooned on an asteroid,
sentenced to serve a lifetime sentence, who falls in love with a robot.
It was a character quite different from his role as Juror #7.
In the 1960s and early 70s, his most memorable work was on television,
playing a detective in
The Asphalt Jungle (1961),
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965)
and N.Y.P.D. (1967). He opened up
the decade of the 1970s by winning an Emmy Award playing football coach
"George Halas" in
Brian's Song (1971), the
highly-rated and acclaimed TV movie based on
Gale Sayers's memoir, "I Am Third". He
appeared again as a detective in the TV series,
Jigsaw John (1976), in the
mid-1970s,
The Bad News Bears (1979)
and appeared in a pilot for a planned revival of
Topper (1937) in 1979.
His collaboration with
Warren Beatty in two 1970s films
brought him to the summit of his career as he displayed a flair for
comedy in both Shampoo (1975) and
Heaven Can Wait (1978). As the
faintly sinister businessman "Lester" and as the perpetually befuddled
football trainer "Max Corkle", Warden received Academy Award
nominations as Best Supporting Actor. Other memorable roles in the
period were as the metro news editor of the "Washington Post" in
All the President's Men (1976),
the German doctor in
Death on the Nile (1978), the
senile, gun-toting judge in
And Justice for All (1979),
the President of the United States in
Being There (1979), the twin car
salesmen in Used Cars (1980) and
Paul Newman's law partner in
The Verdict (1982).
This was the peak of Warden's career, as he entered his early sixties.
He single-handedly made
Andrew Bergman's
So Fine (1981) watchable, but after that
film, the quality of his roles declined. He made a third stab at TV,
again appearing as a detective in
Crazy Like a Fox (1984) in
the mid-1980s. He played the shifty convenience store owner "Big Ben"
in Problem Child (1990) and its two
sequels, a role unworthy of his talent, but he shone again as the
Broadway high-roller "Julian Marx" in
Woody Allen's
Bullets Over Broadway (1994).
After appearing in Warren Beatty's
Bulworth (1998), Warden's last film was
The Replacements (2000) in 2000.
He then lived in retirement in New York City with his girlfriend,
Marucha Hinds. He was married to French stage actress
Wanda Ottoni, best known for her role as
the object of Joe Besser's desire in
The Three Stooges short,
Fifi Blows Her Top (1958). She
gave up her career after her marriage. They had one son, Christopher,
but had been separated for many years.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Brunette Millie Perkins began her career as a New York photographer's model and one-time receptionist at an advertising agency. Her waif-like images in fashion magazines seemed to project both innocence and shyness and made such an impression on the director George Stevens, that he invited her to audition for the lead role in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Despite her total lack of acting experience, Perkins won out over 10,000 other hopefuls and went on to star in, what would become, her most famous role. An overnight sensation, she received numerous plaudits for her performance but never subsequently succeeded to parlay this into a more enduring stardom.
She was born as Mildred Frances Perkins in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother, Catherine Louise, was of Irish and French-Canadian extraction. Her father, Adolph Perkins, was a captain in the merchant marine, born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Millie was schooled in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. After relocating to New York, she studied drama under Jeff Corey. Following her role as diarist and holocaust victim Anne Frank, she was signed by 20th Century Fox. However, her tenure at the studio turned out to be brief, prematurely ending in her suspension for refusing to play the lead in the bucolic drama Tess of the Storm Country (1960), which she viewed as a retrograde step in her career. Diane Baker went on to star in the role, while Millie's sole credit for Fox was a supporting part in the lacklustre Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country (1961).
Free-lancing, she next appeared in Joshua Logan's box-office flop Ensign Pulver (1964) and as the female lead in two modestly budgeted, off-beat westerns, The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966) (both starring Jack Nicholson, who also co-produced). None of these would have been particularly career enhancing and may have contributed to Millie's six-year long hiatus from screen acting. She made a comeback as a character actress from the mid-70s, latterly in maternal roles (notably in At Close Range (1986), Wall Street (1987) and The Lost City (2005)). On TV, she played Presley's mother Gladys in Elvis (1990), a biopic of the star's early life. She also had recurring roles in the soap Knots Landing (1979), and, as a grandmother, in the drama series Any Day Now (1998). She has taught drama classes at Southern Oregon University at some point in the early 80s, as well as addressing high school drama groups in and around Jacksonville, her adopted home town since 1976.
Millie Perkins retired from screen acting in 2006. She divorced her first husband, the actor Dean Stockwell, after two years of marriage in 1962. She was separated from her second husband, writer-director Robert Thom, with whom she had two daughters.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John
Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong,
forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better
roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. He has
found it a constant uphill battle to further himself in an industry
that tends to diminish an actor's talents with severe and/or demeaning
stereotypes and easy pigeonholing. A tough, often hot-headed guy with a
somewhat tender side, John would succeed far better on stage than on
film and TV...with one extremely noteworthy exceptions.
Born on December 27, 1939, John was first employed as an advertising
copywriter, a social worker at New York's Vera Institute of Justice,
and an American and Canadian semi-professional football player before
receiving his calling as an actor. A stand-up comic on the Greenwich
Village circuit, the work eventually took him West and, ultimately, led
to his hiring as a staff writer on
Leslie Uggams' musical variety show in
1969. Making his legit stage debut in a 1971 L.A. production of the
comedy "Norman, Is That You?", John went on to earn a Los Angeles Drama
Critics nomination for "Best Actor". As such, he formed his own theater
company and produced "Norman, Is That You?" on tour.
The following year he returned to New York to take his first Broadway
bow in "Tough To Get Help". By this time he had secured secondary work
on the classic
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) as
Gordy the weatherman. His character remained on the periphery, however,
and he left the show after three discouraging seasons. On the bright
side, he won the recurring role of the sporadically-unemployed husband
of maid Florida Evans (played by
Esther Rolle) on
Norman Lear's
Maude (1972) starring
Bea Arthur. The two characters were spun-off
into their own popular series as the parental leads in
Good Times (1974).
Good Times (1974), a family sitcom
that took place in a Chicago ghetto high-rise, initially prided itself
as being the first network series ever to be created by
African-Americans. But subsequent episodes were taken over by others
and John was increasingly disgruntled by the lack of quality of the
scripts and the direction Lear was taking the show. Once focused on the
importance of family values, it was shifting more and more toward the
silly antics of Jimmie 'JJ' Walker, who
was becoming a runaway hit on the show as the aimless, egotistical,
jive-talking teenage son JJ. John began frequently clashing with the
higher-ups and, by 1976, was released from the series, with his
character being killed in an off-camera car accident while finding
employment out of state.
Amos rebounded quickly when he won the Emmy-nominated role of the adult
Kunte Kinte in the ground-breaking epic mini-series
Roots (1977), one of the most powerful
and reverential TV features ever to hit television. It was THE TV role
of his career, but he found other quality roles for other black actors
extremely difficult to come by. He tried his best to avoid the
dim-headed lugs and crime-motivated characters that came his way. Along
with a few parts (the mini-movie
Willa (1979) and the films
The Beastmaster (1982) and
Coming to America (1988)), he
had to endure the mediocre (guest spots on The Love Boat (1977), "The A-Team",
"Murder, She Wrote" "One Life to Live"). John also toiled through a
number of action-themed films that focused more on grit and
testosterone than talent.
He found one answer to this acting dilemma on the proscenium stage. In
1985, the play "Split Second" earned him the NAACP Award as Best Actor.
He also received fine reviews in a Berkshire Theater festival
production of "The Boys Next Door", a tour of O'Neill's towering play
"The Emperor Jones", and in a Detroit production of
Athol Fugard's "Master Harold...and The
Boys". In addition, John directed two well-received productions, "Miss
Reardon Drinks a Little" and "Twelve Angry Men", in the Bahamas. He
took on Shakespeare as Sir Toby Belch in "Twelfth Night" at
Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare and
earned strong notices in the late
August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning
play "Fences" at the Capital Repertory Company in Albany, New York.
Overseas he received plaudits for his appearance in a heralded
production of "The Life and Death of a Buffalo Soldier" at the
Bristol's Old Vic in England. Capping his theatrical career was the
1990 inaugural of his one-man show "Halley's Comet", an amusing and
humanistic American journey into the life of an 87-year-old who
recalls, among other things, World War II, the golden age of radio, the
early civil rights movement, and the sighting of the Comet when he was
11. He wrote and has frequently directed the show, which continues to
play into the 2007-2008 season.
In recent years, John has enjoyed recurring parts on "The West Wing"
and "The District", and is more recently appearing in the offbeat
series Men in Trees (2006)
starring Anne Heche. John Amos has two
children by his former wife Noel Amos and two children. Son
K.C. Amos director, writer, producer, editor
and daughter Shannon Amos a
director, writer and producer. Amos has one grand child,a
grand-daughter, Quiera Williams.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Producer
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9 August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston (née Emily Lee Drinkard) and John Russell Houston, Jr., and cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick.
She began singing in the choir at her church, The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, as a young child and by the age of 15 was singing backing vocals professionally with her mother on Chaka Khan's 1978 hit, 'I'm Every Woman'. She went on to provide backing vocals for Lou Rawls, Jermaine Jackson and her own mother and worked briefly as a model, appearing on the cover of 'Seventeen' magazine in 1981.
She began working as a featured vocalist for the New York-based funk band Material and it was the quality of her vocal work with them that attracted the attention of the major record labels, including Arista with whom she signed in 1983 and where she stayed for the rest of her career.
Her debut album, 'Whitney Houston', was released in 1985 and became the biggest-selling album by a debut artist. Several hit singles, including 'Saving All My Love For You', 'How Will I Know', 'You Give Good Love', and 'The Greatest Love of All', were released from the album, setting her up for a Beatles-beating seven consecutive US number ones. The album itself sold 3 million copies in its first year in the US and went on to sell 25 million worldwide, winning her the first of her six Grammies.
The 1987 follow-up album, 'Whitney', which included the hits 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' and 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', built on her success but it was the 1992 film The Bodyguard (1992) that sealed her place as one of the best-selling artists of all time. While the movie itself and her performance in it were not highly praised, the soundtrack album and her cover of the Dolly Parton song 'I Will Always Love You' topped the singles and albums charts for months and sold 44 million copies around the world.
That same year she married ex-New Edition singer Bobby Brown with whom she had her only child, their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in March 1993. It was about this time that her much documented drug use began and by 1996 she was a daily user.
Her 1998 album, 'My Love Is Your Love' was well reviewed but the drug abuse began to affect her reputation and press reports at the time said that she was becoming difficult to work with, if she turned up at all. She was dropped from a performance at The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) because she was "out of it" at rehearsals. Her weight fluctuated wildly - she was so thin at a 'Michael Jackson' tribute in 2001 that rumors circulated the next day that she had died - and her voice began to fail her. She was twice admitted to rehab and declared herself drug-free in 2010 but returned to rehab in May 2011.
Her 2009 comeback album 'I Look To You' was positively received and sold well, but promotional performances were still marred by her weakened voice. Her final acting performance was in Sparkle (2012) (a remake of the 1976 movie, Sparkle (1976)), released after her death.
She was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room on 11 February 2012.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Dave Sheridan is an American actor, producer and writer. He is best known for playing Special Officer Doofy in the comedy "Scary Movie" (a spoof of deputy sheriff Dewey Riley from "Scream").
Dave began his career as an intern at "Saturday Night Live" during the 1991-1992 season. From there, he entered Chicago's famed comedy troupe, "The Second City", where he wrote, directed, and produced "Dave Sheridan's America", a multimedia stage show. He created "Buzzkill", a 1995 MTV reality series that featured three slacker buddies staging elaborate pranks and catching it all on video. Sheridan appeared in the 2002 music videos for "By the Way" (playing a crazy taxi driver) and "Universally Speaking" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also toured with his band that formed in 2004, Van Stone. Dave hosted a series called "Smile...You're Under Arrest!" on the Fox Reality Channel in 2008-09. In 2014, he portrayed Sheriff Lincoln in the parody film The Walking Deceased, inspired by The Walking Dead.
Sheridan is well known for his role in "Scary Movie" (2000) as Officer Doofy. To this day, Dave continues to wear the Officer Doofy attire and poses with fans for photos at pop culture conventions. Since then, Dave has starred in a number of films produced by the Wayans Brothers, Including "Little Man", "50 Shades of Black", and both "A Haunted House" films. He also portrayed the character Doug in the 2001 film "Ghost World". Dave has also starred in many well-known comedies, including "Bubble Boy" and "Sex Drive." He is also well known for his work in the horror genre, with films such as Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects", Adam Green's fourth installment of the "Hatchet" franchise, "Victor Crowley", and the 2024 Fuzz on the Lens Productions film "Stream."- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Dayton Callie was born on 18 July 1946 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Volcano (1997), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and Halloween II (2009).- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Born on October 13, 1941, in Newark New Jersey, Paul Simon is one of the
greatest singer/songwriters ever. In 1957, he and high school pal,
Art Garfunkel, wrote and recorded the
single, "Hey Schoolgirl", under the name "Tom and Jerry". After some
failures, they broke up. Simon still wrote and recorded music as "Tico
and The Triumphs" and "Jerry Landis". He also attended Queens College
and got a B.A. in English. He also studied law but quit to pursue a
music career in 1964.
He and Art Garfunkel got back together as
Simon & Garfunkel and recorded
"Wednesday Morning 3 a.m.". After the commercial failure of the album,
they broke up again. Simon left America to go to England, where he
played in folk circuits and he made a solo album. Back in America, the
producer of their first album, Tom Wilson, dubbed bass, electric
guitar, and drums to the all-acoustic song, "Sound of Silence", which
propelled them into the folk-rock scene.
Simon & Garfunkel were back and, in
1966, they had popularity with the album, "The Sound of Silence", which
features songs such as "I am a Rock", "Richard Cory" and "Kathy's
Song". Their next album, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme", had songs
such as "Homeward Bound" "The 59th Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)".
In 1967, Mike Nichols asked Simon
to write a score for his upcoming movie,
The Graduate (1967). Their next
album, "Bookends", which is considered one of the greatest albums of
the sixties, featured songs such as "Mrs. Robinson" from
The Graduate (1967), "Hazy Shade of
Winter", "At The Zoo", "America". Their last album, "Bridge Over
Troubled Water", featured songs such as the title song, "The Boxer",
"Cecilia".
In the seventies, Simon emerged as a singer/songwriter with albums such
as "Paul Simon", Still Crazy After All These Years", "Hearts and
Bones", "Graceland", and "Songs from the Capeman". Aside from music, he
wrote and starred in the movie,
One-Trick Pony (1980), and
reunited with friend, Art Garfunkel, in
1981, to give a concert in Central Park.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Ian Ziering (pronounced 'EYE-an, Zare-ring') was born on March 30, 1964, and was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. By the mid-1970s, young Ian was landing spots in national commercials at the age of 12, which led to roles in various soap operas and stage plays, most notably Guiding Light (1952), the Broadway production of I Remember Mama and, in a national touring production of Peter Pan. In 1981 he made his feature film debut in Endless Love (1981) (as Brooke Shields's little brother) - a film that also marked the big-screen debuts of Tom Cruise and James Spader.
However, in 1990, Ziering landed the role that would change his life - 'Steve Sanders' on the teen drama, Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). The show brought instant, worldwide fame to the cast. Ian was suddenly an international heartthrob and played the role for the show's entire ten-year run. During his years on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) he was also featured in various films and television shows, including Russell Crowe's No Way Back (1995), What I Like About You (2002) and Melrose Place (1992), to name a few.
Since Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Ziering has appeared on numerous television shows including CSI: NY (2004), JAG (1995) and Fran Drescher's Happily Divorced (2011). In addition, he has continued to be one of the most in-demand actors for various animated films and television shows including Spider-Man (2003), Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series (1996), Batman Beyond (1999) and Biker Mice from Mars (1993). In 2005, in a real change of pace from his normal acting roles, Ziering also appeared in the Tony Scott feature film thriller, Domino (2005), with Keira Knightley. Other film credits include National Lampoon's: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus (2011), That's My Boy (2012) with Adam Sandler, An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012) with Nia Vardalos, Snake & Mongoose (2013), and, Christmas in Palm Springs (2014).
In 2007, Ziering showed the world that he was a true triple threat when he signed on to the fourth season of the hit ABC series, Dancing with the Stars (2005). A fan and judge favorite with his partner, two-time Mirror Ball Champion Cheryl Burke, the pair eventually danced their way into the show's semifinals. In addition to his ongoing acting roles and voice over work, Ian is a much sought-after television host and, was most recently seen hosting HGTV's A-List Pets.
2013 proved to be a pivotal year for Ziering both professionally and personally. At the age of 49, Ian became a Las Vegas headliner when he starred as the celebrity guest host of the award-winning production of Chippendales at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Taking on this new role, the actor hit the gym and dropped 30 pounds, transforming himself into a fit and muscled man, thrilling the sold-out audiences. His Chippendales engagement brought him a new wave of fans and international acclaim, thrusting him once again into the limelight. The engagement was such a huge success, establishing Ian as a major Las Vegas box-office draw, he was asked to return to the show in Summer 2014 for another sold-out run at the Rio with the world-famous brand.
However, it was during his final week with the Chippendales in 2013 that Ian's small-budget film Sharknado (2013) aired on the SyFy Channel and instantly became a social media and worldwide phenomenon. Garnering more than 5,000 Tweets per minute during its initial broadcast - more than any other television show to date - Sharknado (2013) became an instant science fiction, cult classic and, even received a theatrical release in movie theatres around the world due to its popularity with fans.
The franchise exploded so much that in July 2014 Ian reprised his role as Fin Shepard in SyFy's Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014), and the film went on to devour the world and become an even bigger pop culture phenomenon than the first. The record-setting sequel had nearly 4 million viewers in its first broadcast and went on to claim the title as the "Most social movie on TV ever" by garnering one billion (that is NOT a typo) Twitter impressions. At one point, Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) held all top 10 trending topics in the United States with more mentions on Twitter than #MileyCyrus on the day of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards (2013), and #kimye on Kim Kardashian and Ye's wedding day. Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) stormed the world in July 2015 and chomped its way to over 2 billion Twitter impressions - doubling those of Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014). Generating more Twitter activity than every episode of the final season of Mad Men (2007), every episode of last Season's The Bachelor (2002) and Hillary Clinton's Presidential announcement, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) trended #1 in the United States and #2 worldwide. The latest film in the hit franchise, Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens (2016), debuted on July 31, 2016 on SyFy.
A true philanthropist, Ian used his brains, brawn (and his heart) when he competed on NBC's 7th Season of the hit series, The Celebrity Edition of The Apprentice (2004). Along with his other contestants, Ian endured challenging tasks that tested his ability to work with his colleagues while ultimately raising over $320,000 for the EB Medical Research Foundation (www.ebkids.org). Ian is proud to be the fourth highest celebrity fundraiser in the history of The Celebrity Edition of The Apprentice (2004). Inspired by his entrepreneurial tasks during The Celebrity Edition of The Apprentice (2004), Ian has created a new clothing line, Chainsaw Brands (ChainsawBrands.com), featuring classic American style athletic leisure and apparel. In keeping with his philanthropic nature, a portion of all proceeds from the sale of his signature line will benefit those less fortunate. In addition, in February 2016, Ian launched CelebrityHideaways.com, a luxury destination based website for the discerning traveler looking for unique experiences typically frequented by the rich and famous. His extensive travel over the last 30 years lends itself to revealing the less beaten path for site visitors to browse, get information, and book their perfect vacation.
And, it's not just his professional career that is soaring. Ian's personal life has seen some wonderful changes as well over the last few years. He and his wife, nurse Erin Ziering, welcomed their second daughter, Penna Mae in 2013. Their first daughter, Mia Loren, was born on the same day, two years earlier. The quintessential father and family man, Ian was named DaddyScrubs "Daddy of the Year 2013," an award which recognizes fathers who are extremely proactive in raising their children. In June 2016, Ian and his wife launched the family blog, AtHomeWithTheZierings.com, a creative resource for other families. Ian currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters. Follow Ian on Twitter and Instagram- @IanZiering.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Shaquille O'Neal is a retired professional American basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT. He is considered one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. He was one of the tallest and heaviest players ever. O'Neal played for six teams over his 19-year career.
O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999-2000 MVP award, the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. Largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%). O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. O'Neal is an electronic music producer, and touring DJ, known as Diesel. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Keshia Knight Pulliam was born on 9 April 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Cosby Show (1984), House of Payne (2006) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009). She has been married to Brad James since 25 September 2021. They have one child. She was previously married to Ed Hartwell.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Todd Solondz was born in Newark, New Jersey. One of his earliest jobs
in the film industry was when, as a young man, he worked as a messenger
for the Writers' Guild of America. During this time, he wrote several
screenplays.
Solondz's first color film with sync sound was the short "Schatt's Last
Shot" (1985). Solondz played a high schooler who wants to get into
Stanford, but cannot because his sadistic gym teacher fails him. He
also has no luck seducing the girl he desires. It was a student film,
and is still screened at NYU, where Solondz made it.
Solondz's first feature was Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989), a piece
about a writer (Solondz) writing a play and sending it to Samuel
Beckett.
Solondz found great critical acclaim with his second feature, Welcome
to the Dollhouse (1995), a film about the cruelty of junior high
school, parents, adult figures, and suburban life. The film won awards
at Sundance, Berlin, and countless other festivals for its cruel
realism, bitter humor, and unflinching portrayal of adolescence.
His third feature effort, Happiness (1998), was a wildly edgy and
provocative film. The film revolves around a group of people who are
miserable in their conventional lifestyles and pursue happiness in
various forms of perverse sexuality. It featured a murderer, a rapist,
a pedophile, and a man who harasses others with sexually obscene phone
calls The film incited major controversy and was dropped by its
original distributor, only to be picked up by another company. One of
the particularly controversial aspects of the film was the element of
the child psychologist as a repressed pedophile. In the film, he
molests his son's friend at a sleep-over; but the character was
sympathetic and deftly presented. Once again, the film was lauded with
numerous awards and strong critical praise.
Solondz made it clear he was not softening up with his next effort,
Storytelling (2001), which was about the artistic process. The film is
divided into two halves, "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction." "Fiction" centers
on a character in a creative-writing class, and "Non- Fiction" on a
desperate filmmaker making a documentary about a depressed, listless,
unmotivated teenager. "Fiction" concerns how fictional stories can be
used to distort rather than illuminate reality, which is displayed via
the exploits of the protagonist, a college student in a creative
writing class. The film was in danger of being rated NC-17due to a
racially charged sex scene. Solondz's response to the threat of the
NC-17 was quite clever (and a bit tongue-in-cheek). Instead of trimming
the scene, he simply blocked the image of the copulation with a large
orange box. The film got an R rating. "Nonfiction" was loaded with
social commentary. Topics covered in this part included a listless
teenager and his overbearing family, homosexuality's current parallels
to the scarlet letter, drug use, gun control in the home, and one's
capability to murder.
Solondz's next film was Palindromes (2004), which was also
controversial, due to the fact that the protagonist was played by eight
people of differing size, race, and gender.
Solondz has established himself as a consistently engaging and unique
filmmaker, as opposed to just one more cookie-cutter conformist
director making his movies on the Hollywood assembly line. He is a real
writer and filmmaker, agent provocateur, and a force with which to be
reckoned.- Actress
- Producer
- Stunts
Christina Jackson was born on 14 July 1987 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Devotion (2022), The Night House (2020) and Deception (2013).- William Campbell was born on 30 October 1923 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954) and Star Trek (1966). He was married to Tereza Pavlovic, Barbara Bricker and Judith Campbell Exner. He died on 28 April 2011 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.
- Producer
- Actress
- Director
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith was born on 7 April 1971 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019). She has been married to Kevin Smith since 25 April 1999. They have one child.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Eleanor Audley was an American actress, with a distinctive voice that helped her find work as a voice actress in radio and animation. She is primarily remembered as the first actress to voice Lady Tremaine and Maleficent, two of the most memorable Disney villains.
Audley's real name was Eleanor Zellman, and she was from New York City. She was Jewish, but little is known about her family background and she apparently never married.
She made her acting debut in 1926, aged 20, at the Broadway production of "Howdy, King". She remained primarily a theatrical actress through the 1920s and the 1930s. During the 1940s, Audley started playing a number of prominent roles in radio serials. Among them was mother-in-law Leticia Cooper in "My Favorite Husband" (1948-51), receptionist Molly Byrd in "The Story of Dr. Kildare" (1949-51), and neighbor, Elizabeth Smith in "Father Knows Best" (1949-54).
Audley was hired by Disney to play the role of wealthy widow Lady Tremaine in the animated feature film "Cinderella" (1950). Audley was also used as the live-action model of the character, and her facial features were used by the animators who designed the character. In the film, Lady Tremaine is depicted as the abusive stepmother of Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) and the domineering mother of Anastasia Tremaine (voiced by Lucille Bliss) and Drizella Tremaine (voiced by Rhoda Williams). The film was a box office hit, and its profits helped rescue the Disney studio from a financial decline that had lasted for almost a decade.
For the rest of the decade, Audley appeared regularly in supporting roles in film, and guest roles in television. She returned to animation when hired to voice the evil fairy Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). As before, Audley was also used as a live-action model for the character. During the film's production, Audley was struggling with tuberculosis, While nominally the villain, Maleficent received more screen-time in the finished film than titular protagonist Princess Aurora (voiced by singer Mary Costa).
"Sleeping Beauty" had box office receipts of more than $51 million in the U.S. and Canada, against a budget of $6 million. It finished the year second in ticket sales, behind the number one film, "Ben-Hur." Audrey was not invited to voice other villains. The film earned critical and popular acclaim through later re-releases, and Maleficent has been revived many times by Disney. But never with her original voice actress.
In the 1960s, Audley played supporting roles in then-popular television series. Among her most prominent roles were Irma Lumpk in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", Peggy Billings in "The Dick Van Dyke Show", Millicent Schuyler-Potts in "The Beverly Hillbillies" , Aunt Martha in "Mister Ed", Jenny Teasley in "Pistols 'n' Petticoats", Eunice Douglas in "Green Acres", and Beatrice Vincent in "My Three Sons".
Audley worked with Disney again to voice psychic medium Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion attractions in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Leota is depicted as a ghost who communicates with the living, and other actresses have since voiced the character.
Her long career ended prematurely in the 1970s, due to increasingly poor health. She lived in retirement until her death in 1991, at the age of 86. The cause of death was respiratory failure. Audley was interred at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her character of Madame Leota received its own tombstone in 2001. The epitaph reads: "Dear sweet Leota, beloved by all. In regions beyond now, but having a ball."- Additional Crew
- Actress
- Sound Department
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is a voice over actress, writer, singer and director. As an actress, she plays Governor Pryce in Star Wars: Rebels (2014), Dr. Maheswaran in Steven Universe (2013), Valkyrie in Lego Marvel's Avengers (2016), Talis in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (2010), Johanna in Heroes of the Storm (2015), and Brooha in Smile PreCure! (2012). She voiced Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), for which she won the American Anime Award for Best Actress. You can also hear her as the Female Crusader in Diablo III (2012), Kurutsu in Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 1: Ghost Pain (2013), and Sei in Alpha Protocol (2010). Some of her other popular roles are Kurenai from Naruto (2002), Zanpakuto from Bleach (2004), Helba from .hack//SIGN (2002), Jagura from Wolf's Rain (2003) and Caroline from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000). She also portrays Zahra on Geek & Sundry's Critical Role (2015).
Mary is voice directing the Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017) television series; Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer (2017); Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014) for Disney XD, starring Thomas Middleditch, Adam Devine, Alfred Molina and Larry Wilmore and Smile PreCure! (2012) for Saban Entertainment. She has directed the 6 Naruto movies, as well as Naruto (2002), for which she received the 2008 SPJA Award for Best Director. Among her many other directing credits are Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001), Tenkai Knights (2013), Digimon Fusion (2013), Stitch! (2008), Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014), Wolf's Rain (2003), and was a co-writer for the American adaptation of "Metropolis". She also directed the original animated series, Boing the Play Ranger (2013) and Gormiti: The Lords of Nature Return! (2008).
Mary Elizabeth has had the great honor of singing the music of Akira Yamaoka for the movies Julia X (2011) and Silent Hill (2006) as well as the games: Silent Hill 3 (2003), Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004), Silent Hill: Origins (2007), Shadows of the Damned (2011), Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009) and Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2012), which she also voice directed.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ms. Blaine is most noted for having portrayed Miss Adelaide, the
long-suffering, perpetually engaged chorus girl, in the Broadway and
film versions of
Guys and Dolls (1955). She
originated the role in 1950 on Broadway and stopped the show each night
with her rendition of "Adelaide's Lament," in which she complains about
having a bad cold because of her long engagement to gambler Nathan
Detroit. Ms. Blaine also originated roles on Broadway in "Say Darling"
and "Enter Laughing." She also starred on Broadway in "Hatful of Rain,"
"Company," and, briefly, in "Zorba." She starred in many national
tours, including "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Don't Drink the Water,"
"Hello Dolly," and "Gypsy." Before going to Broadway, Ms. Blaine was a
starlet at 20th Century-Fox, appearing in many musical comedy films,
including Jitterbugs (1943),
Greenwich Village (1944), and
State Fair (1945). In the mid 1950s,
Ms. Blaine reprised her role as Adelaide in the film version of
Guys and Dolls (1955) with
Frank Sinatra and
Marlon Brando. After her Broadway
appearance in "Company" in 1972, she appeared on national television at
the 25th Tony anniversary special. This led to a revival of her TV
career, and she continued to appear in guest roles on TV and in
independent films and theater until her retirement in 1984.- Scott Marlowe was an American film, stage and television actor.
His first feature film role was in the 1954 production of Attila. Two years later, he starred as John Goodwin in an episode "In Summer Promise" on General Electric Theater. In 1957 he appeared as Private Meredith in the war movie Men in War. He appeared as Jimmy Budd, along with Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Davis, in the episode "The Long Shadow" in Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater directed by Budd Boetticher.
Marlowe often took film roles of dysfunctional juveniles in a series of films made during the 1950s and 1960s, including The Scarlet Hour (1956), The Restless Breed (1957), The Cool and the Crazy (1958), Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959), The Subterraneans (1960), and A Cold Wind in August (1961). Marlowe appeared four times between 1963 and 1966 on James Arness's CBS western Gunsmoke. In 1964, Marlowe appeared as Lee Hewitt in the episode "The Roper" on the NBC western, Bonanza. In 1970, he guest starred as Billy Kells in the episode "The Experiment" on CBS's Lancer series.
Marlowe also appeared on stage. His most highly acclaimed such performance was at the Chicago Civic Theatre in a production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. He was a founding member of Theatre West in Los Angeles. - Music Artist
- Actor
- Music Department
Frankie Valli was born on 3 May 1934 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Grease (1978), Free Guy (2021) and Bumblebee (2018). He has been married to Jackie Jacobs since 26 June 2023. He was previously married to Randy Clohessy, MaryAnn Hannigan and Mary Mandel.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Two-time 'Emmy Award' winner Judy Gold is a veteran of stand-up comedy, known for her edgy wit, sharp timing, and infamous crowd work. Consistently appealing to all generations and backgrounds, Judy can be found throughout most mediums of entertainment: TV; Film; Web-Series'; Stage; Storytelling; Radio/Podcasting; Writing and thanks to her music degree in piano from Rutgers University - Music:Combining many of her talents into two critically acclaimed Off-Broadway solo-shows: The Judy Show - My Life As A Sitcom and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. Off-Broadway: Clinton the Musical; Love, Loss and What I Wore; Disaster! the Musical; The Vagina Monologues; and most recently, Clinton the Musical at New World Stages.
You can find her on most episodes of 'truTV's:World's Dumbest,'many episodes of 'The View,' 'The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,' 'Today with Katie Lee and Hoda' and 'The Wendy Williams Show.' She's appeared on The Food Network's 'Chopped All-Stars' as a competitor (don't ask), 'Rachel vs Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off' and 'The Next Food Network Star' as well as TLC's 'The Next Great Baker.'
Judy was also featured on 'Louie,' 'The Jim Gaffigan Show,' episodes of 'NBC's '30 Rock' and 'Morning Joe,' ABC's 'Melissa & Joey' and 'Celebrity Wife Swap,' (as the first same-sex couple in the show's history), CBS's '2 Broke Girls,' and 'The Doctors,' and Showtime's 'The Big C,' as well as 'Ugly Betty', 'Law & Order,' 'SVU,' 'Hollywood Squares,' and was featured in an episode of 'The Glades' on A&E and 'Are We There Yet?' on TBS.
She hosts a free, weekly podcast, 'Kill Me Now' that focuses on everything that annoys her and her guests & can be heard regularly on several other podcasts and radio programs including 'Opie & Anthony,' 'Keith and the Girl', 'WTF with Marc Maron', 'NPR's The Moth,' 'I Hate My Wife,' and more.
Gold's stand-up specials include 'Comedy Central Presents: Judy Gold', Comedy Central's 'Tough Crowd Stands Up,' and Judy's own HBO half-hour special for which she received 'The Cable Ace Award.' She's appeared on 'The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson,' 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,' 'The Conan O'Brien Show,' and in a half-hour comedy special for LOGO.
Along with stepping in as host for 'The Wendy Williams Show,' 'Anderson Cooper' and 'The View.' She's also hosted Comedy Central's '100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time,' 'NickMom Night Out,' 'The GLAAD Media Awards' on VH1 and HBO's 'At the Multiplex with Judy Gold,' which ran for nearly a decade. You can also see her in films, This is Where I Leave You,The Aristocrats and the documentaries Making Trouble, I am Comic and HBO;s All Aboard! You can also catch her in NYC hosting the Funny People Series at the 92Y.
Judy Gold won her two Emmy Awards for writing and producing 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show' and was nominated twice for The American Comedy Award's 'Funniest Female Stand-Up.'
In addition to her 2 plays, stand-up shows and at least a couple bar mitzvahs, Judy's opinions, interviews, blogs and articles have contributed to several notable publications including The Huffington Post, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wondertime Magazine, Momlogic and The Advocate.
A solo-performance instructor at ESPA Primary Stages, Judy also coaches privately, via skype and in group workshops focused on sharpening skills in public speaking, speech-writing and solo-performance. She also has a session focused on developing and creating dynamic communication and speech-writing for executive women.
Gold lives in New York City with her two children and fiancée. She frequently tours theaters and comedy clubs around the country with her stand-up and solo-shows.
Her CD, Judith's Roommate Had a Baby, is available on Amazon.com, as well as the printed version of 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.
JudyGold.com
@jewdygold
Kill Me Now free on iTunes & for download.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bob Clendenin was born in Newark, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Cougar Town (2009), Scrubs (2001) and Dude, Where's My Car? (2000). He has been married to Erin Fiedler since 27 May 2001. They have two children. He was previously married to Greer Shephard.- Actor
- Sound Department
- Composer
Alex Vincent was born in New Jersey. He first appeared as Andy Barclay in Child's Play (1988) when he was a six-year-old. Two years, later during the filming of Child's Play 2 (1990), the young actor endured long days and demanding action that would have tried the patience of many an older person. But Vincent persevered, winning the respect and affection of both cast and crew. In addition to his role of Andy, Vincent has appeared on television in commercials, daytime dramas, and in the feature film, Wait Until Spring, Bandini (1989). In high school, he tried to live down the image of a child star but two years later decided to give acting another try.- Actor
- Director
- Editor
Mr. Marciano is a professional actor, writer, director who has achieved
considerable success in a vast career that has spanned over three decades. As a series regular, Mr. Marciano has had the honor of working
with such entertainment luminaries as Steven Bochco, who brought David
into America's homes on a weekly basis in "Civil Wars" as the poet
bicycle messenger, Jeffrey Lassick.
His second series was the CBS drama, "Due South", created by Oscar
winner Paul Haggis. Here David was able to bring his flare for comedy
to the Buddy Cop genre on the streets of Chicago as Detective Ray
Vecchio. While on "Due South", the Canadian Academy nominated David,
two years consecutively, for a Gemini Award.
Next David completed a four year run as a regular cast member of the FX
Emmy Award winning drama "The Shield" as old school Detective Steve
Billings. He then moved on to the critically acclaimed
Showtime series "Homeland" created by Howard Gordon "24" and Alex Gansa
where David plays Virgil opposite the multi-award winning Claire Danes.
Mr. Marciano's other credits include numerous television guest spots
and movies, as well as a starring role as Giorgio, in the CBS
mini-series "The Last Don" and "The Last Don II". Among the projects of
which he is most proud, was his participation in director Leslie
Dektor's Cleo Award winning commercial campaign for "Partnership for a
Drug Free America".
In 1991, David married the woman of his dreams, Katayoun A. Marciano,
an accomplished writer and mother of their three amazing children;
Ariana, who attended Hamilton High School in Los Angeles,
Mina, their daughter who attended Walter Reed Middle School in
Studio City, and their youngest son, Marcello. It is because of Marcello that David
and his wife, Katayoun have devoted much of their time and resources to
help educate and raise awareness of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Mark Blum was born on 14 May 1950 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Crocodile Dundee (1986) and The Sopranos (1999). He was married to Janet Zarish. He died on 26 March 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Brittany Underwood was born on 6 July 1988 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for One Life to Live (1968), Hollywood Heights (2012) and The Goldbergs (2013).- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
New Jersey-born Allen Garfield was trained at the Actors Studio in New
York City. He had a prolific career on the stage before making his film
debut in 1968. His stocky build and nervous, jumpy mannerisms fit well
with the weaselly criminals, lecherous villains and corrupt businessmen
and politicians he excels in playing - a perfect example of which is
the Beverly Hills police chief in 1987's Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Midway through his
career he reverted to his real name of Allan Goorwitz, but not long
afterwards decided to stay with his stage name, and went back to Allen
Garfield.
In the early 2000s, Garfield suffered from a series of strokes that prevented him from acting again.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
1 brother (deceased) - per TV series "UnSung Hollywood - Bill Bellamy" (S3 Ep7)
Recently aired on TVOne as a repeat on 11/16/2016, It's a Documentary show which details archival film footage and personal, revealing interviews, about the lives and careers of some of the world's most highly talented but sometimes forgotten celebrities from the industry.
Credits: Gary Anthony Williams (Narrator).- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Gerard Way was born on 9 April 1977 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The Umbrella Academy (2019), Premium Rush (2012) and Never Back Down (2008). He has been married to Lindsey Ann Ballato since 3 September 2007. They have one child.- John S. Ragin was born on 5 May 1929 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Earthquake (1974), Quincy M.E. (1976) and The Parallax View (1974). He was married to Frances A Rasmussen. He died on 14 April 2013 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Elizabeth Rider was born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Line of Duty (2012), Care (2018) and Doc Martin (2004).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Paul Greco was born on 21 October 1955 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Warriors (1979), The Cable Guy (1996) and Broadway Danny Rose (1984). He died on 17 December 2008 in Red Hook, New York, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
He was a notably short, Italian, nasal-toned and mischievous-looking
fellow, a perfect type for the stand-up comedy circuit and for playing
Brooklynesque characters in T.V. sitcoms and films...which is just what
Ron Carey did. He was born Ronald Joseph Cicenia in Newark, New Jersey,
on December eleventh, 1935, into a huge Italian family; his father was
a singing waiter at one time. Ron earned his Bachelor's degree in
communications from Seton Hall University in South Orange in 1956, but
it didn't take him long to change directions. Together his pint-sized
frame (actually, he was 5'7", but "acted" much shorter), pushy attitude
and elastic face seemed like an ideal blend for inducing laughs, so he
decided to begin a career in entertainment instead.
Ron moved to near-by New York and took to the comedy stage, finding
work in such prime clubs as "The Improvisation". He soon earned notice
for his "little man" humor, which was built around Italian family and
Roman Catholic "guilt" jokes (in reality, he once considered being a
priest). Ron finally gained some momentum on T.V. making various
funnyman appearances on the talk/variety show formats hosted by the
best of the best -- Jack Paar,
Merv Griffin,
Mike Douglas,
Ed Sullivan and
Johnny Carson. He also found
lucrative work in commercials playing various feisty or hapless
characters.
Ron finally broke into films with the
Jack Lemmon/Sandy Dennis
comedy
The Out of Towners (1970) as a
Boston taxi driver, then continued on with other minor bits in
Who Killed Mary Whats'ername? (1971)
and the cult film
Made for Each Other (1971)
starring Joseph Bologna and
Renée Taylor. Earlier Ron appeared
on Broadway in the couple's 1968 hit comedy "Lovers and Other
Strangers." It wasn't until his work as a secondary staple in
Mel Brooks' madcap company that he
earned even a modicum of success in films. His participation in the
zany parodies Silent Movie (1976),
High Anxiety (1977) and
History of the World: Part I (1981)
occurred during the height of his T.V. fame. Likewise, he went on to
deliver a substantial role as plus-sized
Dom DeLuise's unsympathetic brother Frankie
in Fatso (1980), directed by Brooks' wife
Anne Bancroft.
As for the smaller screen, a regular player on the summer variety
series
The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show (1972)
led to his being cast in the New York-area sitcom
The Corner Bar (1972) and the
ethnic family comedy
The Montefuscos (1975). A
steady pay-check was not to be had, however, until he was added to the
second season ensemble of
Barney Miller (1975) headed by
Hal Linden and
Abe Vigoda. Ron earned sympathy strokes as
Carl Levitt, a brown-nosing, eager-beaver patrolman who yearned to be a
plainclothes detective in Barney's police agency, but just didn't
measure up because of his vertically challenged stature. Ron, whose
character finally received a promotion after the long haul, stayed with
the popular show until its cancellation in 1982.
His on-screen visibility decreased following the end of the police
show. He was spotted in a few supporting roles
(Johnny Dangerously (1984) and
Lucky Luke (1991)) here and there both
here and in Italy, and attempted to cash in on his
Barney Miller (1975) fame with
a follow-up sitcom, playing a priest in
Have Faith (1989), but things
didn't quite pan out. His final film was a major role in the
eleven-minute piece
Food for Thought (1999). Ron
died of complications from a stroke at seventy-one years old in Los
Angeles and is survived by long-time wife Sharon.- The son of a Newark dentist, Robert Ellenstein grew up in that New
Jersey city and saw his father go on to become its two-term mayor. He
got his feet wet acting-wise prior to serving with the Air Corps during
World War II; earning a Purple Heart during his service, he began
acting, directing and teaching in Cleveland, Ohio. A veteran of the
"Golden Age" of live television (he played Quasimodo in a live
Robert Montgomery Presents (1950)
version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), he made his first film in
1954 (MGM's Rogue Cop (1954)) and was
still active in television and regional theater. He taught theatre
professionally and academically for over 50 years, founding the Los
Angeles Academy of Stage and Cinematic Arts. He was artistic director
of The Company of Angels and founding artistic director of the Los
Angeles Repertory Company. He was best known for having played the
villain in the pilot episode of
Moonlighting (1985), and then
the Federation President in
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).
Robert Ellenstein died at age 87 of natural causes on October 28, 2010.