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- Actor
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With his breakthrough performance as Eames in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller Inception (2010), English actor Tom Hardy has been brought to the attention of mainstream audiences worldwide. However, the versatile actor has been steadily working on both stage and screen since his television debut in the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001). After being cast in the World War II drama, Hardy left his studies at the prestigious Drama Centre in London and was subsequently cast as Twombly in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001) and as the villain Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).
Edward Thomas Hardy was born on September 15, 1977 in Hammersmith, London; his mother, Elizabeth Anne (Barrett), is an artist and painter, and his father, Chips Hardy, is a writer. He is of English and Irish descent. Hardy was brought up in East Sheen, London, and first studied at Reed's School. His education continued at Tower House School, then at Richmond Drama School, and subsequently at the Drama Centre London, along with fellow Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender. After winning a modeling competition at age 21, he had a brief contract with the agency Models One.
Tom spent his teens and early twenties battling delinquency, alcoholism and drug addiction; after completing his work on Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), he sought treatment and has also admitted that his battles with addiction ended his five-year marriage to Sarah Ward. Returning to work in 2003, Hardy was awarded the Evening Standard Most Promising Newcomer Award for his theatre performances in the productions of "In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings" and "Blood". In 2003, Tom also co-starred in the play "The Modernists" with Paul Popplewell, Jesse Spencer and Orlando Wells.
During the next five years, Hardy worked consistently in film, television and theatre, playing roles as varied as Robert Dudley in the BBC's The Virgin Queen (2005), Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist (2007) and starring in "The Man of Mode" at the National Theatre. On the silver screen, he appeared in the crime thriller Layer Cake (2004) with Daniel Craig, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), and the romp Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006).
In 2006, Hardy created "Shotgun", an underground theatre company along with director Robert Delamere, and directed a play, penned by his father for the company, called "Blue on Blue". In 2007, Hardy received a best actor BAFTA nomination for his touching performance as Stuart Shorter in the BBC adaptation of Alexander Masters' bestselling biography Stuart: A Life Backwards (2007). Hailed for his transformative character acting, Hardy was lauded for his emotionally and physically convincing portrayal in the ill-fated and warmhearted tale of Shorter, a homeless and occasionally violent man suffering from addiction and muscular dystrophy.
The following year, he appeared as gay hoodlum Handsome Bob in the Guy Ritchie film RocknRolla (2008), but this would be his next transformation that would prove his extensive range and stun critics. In the film Bronson (2008), Hardy played the notorious Charles Bronson (given name, Michael Peterson), the "most violent prisoner in Britain". Bald, pumped-up, and outfitted with Bronson's signature strongman mustache, Hardy is unrecognizable and gives a harrowing performance that is physically fearless and psychologically unsettling. Director Nicolas Winding Refn breaks the fourth wall with Hardy retelling his tales directly to viewers as well as performing them outright before an audience of his own imagining. The performance mixes terrifying brutality, vaudevillian showmanship, wry humor, and an alarming amount of commitment, and won Hardy a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. The performance got Hollywood's attention, and in 2009, Hardy was named one of Variety's "10 Actors to Watch". That year, he continued to garner praise for his starring role in The Take (2009), a four-part adaptation of Martina Cole's bestselling crime novel, as well as for his performance as Heathcliff in a version of Wuthering Heights (2009).
Recent work includes the aforementioned breakthrough appearance in Inception (2010) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard and Elliot Page. The movie was released in July 2010 and became one of top 25 highest grossing films of all time, collecting eight Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and winning four.
Other films include Warrior (2011), opposite Joel Edgerton, the story of two estranged brothers facing the fight of a lifetime from director Gavin O'Connor, and This Means War (2012), directed by McG and co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. Tom also starred in the heralded Cold War thriller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) with Colin Firth and Gary Oldman. Hardy rejoined Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises (2012); he played the villain role of Bane opposite Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman. Hardy's menacing physique and his character's scrambled, hard-to-distinguish voice became a major discussion point as the film was released.
Outside of performing, Hardy is the patron for the charity "Flack", which is an organization to aid the recovery of the homeless in Cambridge. And in 2010, Hardy was named an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust, which helps disadvantaged youth. On the recent stage, he starred in the Brett C. Leonard play "The Long Red Road" in early 2010. Written for Hardy and directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, the play was staged at Chicago's Goodman Theater.
In 2015, Hardy starred as the iconic Mad Max in George Miller's reboot of his franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). He also collected a British Independent Film Award for his portrayal of both the Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie, in Legend (2015), and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as John Fitzgerald in The Revenant (2015). Hardy also starred on the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2013), alongside Cillian Murphy, and on the television series Taboo (2017), both created by Steven Knight.
He has an outlaw biker story among other projects in development. In 2010, Hardy became engaged to fellow English actress Charlotte Riley, whom he starred with in The Take (2009) and Wuthering Heights (2009), and is raising a young son, Louis Thomas Hardy, with ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to drama.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
John Felix Anthony Cena was born on April 23, 1977 in West Newbury, Massachusetts to Carol Cena and John Joseph Cena. He is of Italian (father) and French-Canadian and English (mother) descent, and is the grandson of baseball player Tony Lupien. When he was in college, he played football. He then continued on to be a bodybuilder and a limousine driver. The 6-foot-1 tall star weighs exactly at 240 pounds and is a very successful superstar in the WWE.
The Dr. of Thuganomics started training to be a wrestler at Ultimate Pro Wrestling where he also created the character, The Prototype. Cena first appeared on WWE in a match against Kurt Angle on the 27th of June, 2002 which ended up with him losing.
In 2004, John Cena's status as a celebrity began to develop. Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show. Not too long later, Cena lost the title but he gained it back soon. Cena then lost the title again to fellow WWE superstar, Carlito. During that time, Cena apparently got stabbed in the kidney by one of Carlito's bodyguards. This resulted in staying out of action for a month.
In 2005 and 2006 respectively, Cena was involved in controversies. He had a feud with champion John Bradshaw Layfield, manager Eric Bischoff and fellow wrestler Chris Jericho. Cena also had feuds with Edge and Umaga at that time. But even so, some friendships were formed. Cena is said to be friends with Carlito after they won a match with Jeff Hardy against Edge, Randy Orton and Johnny Nitro.
The year 2007 was a big year for Cena as he was involved in a wrestling match with Britney Spears' ex and rap star, Kevin Federline. John ended up losing that match thanks to some assistance from Umaga to Kevin Federline. Later that night, Cena took revenge by body slamming Kevin Federline backstage. The year 2007 also started pretty well for John Cena as he became the first person to defeat the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga that year. The Chain Gang Soldier also teamed up with Shaun Michaels defeating the RKO tag team, Randy Orton and Edge. The match ended up with Cena and Michaels winning.
As of October 2007, Cena lost his WWE Championship title because of an injury. While wrestling against Mr. Kennedy, Cena tore his pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Although he finished the match and completed the rest of the scripted event, a check-up the next day showed that John's pectoral major muscle was torn completely from the bone, requiring seven months to a year rehabilitation. Not able to perform, WWE's CEO, Vince McMahon stripped him off the title and ended his reign.
In 2008, Cena made an unannounced return to action on January 27 as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match. He won the match, and the traditional WrestleMania title shot. Cena also had a match against JBL, which he defeated at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. However, JBL defeated him at the New York City Parking Lot Brawl. In the month of August, Cena was replaced by Rey Mysterio after it was announced Cena had suffered a herniated disk in his neck which required surgery and he would be out of action indefinitely. According to reports, Cena underwent successive surgery to repair the herniated disk in his neck with Doctor Joseph Maroon on August 25.
Aside from wrestling, John has also made a name in the movie business. In 2006, a WWE franchise movie titled The Marine was released with John playing the lead character, John Triton. The movie received mixed reviews due to the poor story-line and discrimination to the US Marines. Even so, fans queued up to watch the movie as this was John's first big screen appearance.
The WWE wrestler also added recording artist to his resume as he released his debut rap album "You Can't See Me" which debuted at #15 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. The album featured his entrance theme song, 'The Time Is Now' & a host of other singles performed by Cena. One of the songs he performed with popular rap band Estoric and a number of other songs Cena performed with famous rapper Bumpy Knuckles. Cena is the only professional wrestler to ever perform on BBC Two's long running TV show Top of the Pops.
While still active with WWE, Cena made a couple of guest appearances: Jimmy Kimmel Live! twice to promote his album. He has also appeared on popular shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fuse's Celebrity Playlist, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, MADtv, G4's Training Camp and two appearances on MTV's Punk'd. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of Nashville Star, and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards 2007.
In fashion, The Champ has also made a few trademarks. Cena is often seen with knee-high denim jeans and throwback jerseys when he first started on WWE. Lately, Cena has been wearing a lot of Chain Gang merchandise. When his movie, The Marine was released, John was seen to be adding more military-inspired clothing to his outfit to promote his movie.
Cena graduated from Springfield College, Massachusetts with degrees in exercise physiology and human anatomy. He applied to 60 colleges and he got accepted by 58 of them but in the end, he chose Springfield College. He is the second eldest of five brothers and is said to be a family guy when he is not wrestling. His good friends are fellow wrestlers, John Hennigan, Batista, Randy Orton, Carlito, Jeff and Matt Hardy, whom he will have to fight.
John Cena is definitely going to be a big inspiration to all, whether in wrestling, fashion, music or even movies as his participation in the industry is already more than regular celebrity. With all he has achieved, fans can definitely expect to see more of this WWE superstar in the coming future.
Also, recently he has completed his new movie 12 Rounds produced by WWE Films. This movie was said to have finished filming when John suffered from his injury in 2007.- Actress
- Producer
Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born July 18, 1977) is an English actress. Her performance in After Miss Julie at the Donmar Warehouse made her a star of the London stage and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress of 2003. Reilly was born and brought up in Chessington, Surrey, England, the daughter of a hospital receptionist mother, and Jack Reilly, a police officer. She attended Tolworth Girls' School in Kingston, where she studied drama for GCSE. Her grandparents are Irish.
Reilly wrote to the producers of the television drama Prime Suspect to ask for work, and six months later she auditioned for a role in an episode of Prime Suspect 4: Inner Circle, which was broadcast on ITV on 7 May 1995. Six years later, she again appeared alongside Helen Mirren in the film Last Orders.
Her first professional role was followed by a series of parts on the English stage. She worked with Terry Johnson in four productions: Elton John's Glasses (1997), The London Cuckolds (1998), The Graduate (2000), and Piano/Forte (2006). Johnson wrote Piano/Forte for her and said, "Kelly is possibly the most natural, dyed-in-the-wool, deep-in-the-bone actress I've ever worked with." Reilly has stated that she learned the most as an actor from Karel Reisz, who directed her in The Yalta Game in Dublin in 2001. She said, "He was my masterclass. There is no way I would have been able to do Miss Julie if I hadn't done that play."
By 2000, Reilly felt she was being typecast in comedy roles, and actively sought out a role as the young Amy in Last Orders, directed by Fred Schepisi. This was followed by a role in the Royal Court's 2001 rerun of Sarah Kane's Blasted. The Times called her "theatrical Viagra." In 2002, Reilly starred alongside Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris as Wendy, an English Erasmus student, in the French comedy L'Auberge espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). She reprised her role in the 2005 sequel, Les Poupées russes (The Russian Dolls) and the 2013 follow-up, Casse-tête chinois (Chinese Puzzle). Also in 2005, Reilly had roles in such films as Mrs Henderson Presents and Pride & Prejudice.
Reilly's first lead role came in 2008 in the horror film Eden Lake and, in 2009, she had a high-profile role on prime-time British television in Above Suspicion. Reilly also appeared in three major films: Sherlock Holmes, Triage, and Me and Orson Welles.
In 2011, Reilly reprised her role as Mary Watson in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. In 2012, Reilly appeared opposite Sam Rockwell in A Single Shot and had a leading role in Robert Zemeckis' Flight opposite Denzel Washington. In 2014, Reilly starred with Greg Kinnear in the film Heaven is for Real and in the John Michael McDonagh film Calvary. The same year Reilly starred in the short-lived ABC series Black Box, as Catherine Black, a famed neuroscientist who explores and solves the mysteries of the brain (the black box) while hiding her own bipolar disorder from the world.
In 2015, Reilly starred in the second season of HBO's True Detective as Jordan Semyon, the wife of Vince Vaughn's character Frank Semyon. The same year, Reilly made her Broadway debut opposite Clive Owen and Eve Best in Harold Pinter's play Old Times at the American Airlines Theatre.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Award-winning actress, director, producer, Katheryn Winnick, is best known for starring and directing the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television series "Vikings." Winnick made her directorial debut in sixth and final season which earned her "Best Director" at the 2020 WIN Awards. She produced and starred in Sean Penn's "Flag Day" that premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and recently starred in David E. Kelley's critically acclaimed series "Big Sky" that was ABC's most watched and highest-rated debut since 2017. She started her production company, Kat Scratch Inc., to champion strong female-lead stories.- Actor
- Producer
Dar Salim was born on 18 August 1977 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is an actor and producer, known for Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (2023), Game of Thrones (2011) and The Devil's Double (2011).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Matthias Schoenaerts was born on December 8, 1977 in Antwerp, Belgium. His mother, Dominique Wiche, was a costume designer, translator, and French teacher, and his father was actor Julien Schoenaerts. He made his film debut at the age of 13 alongside his father in the Belgian film Daens (1992), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Schoenaerts enrolled in film school but was expelled for poor attendance in his second year. By age 21, he was enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Antwerp and was acting professionally in small roles on Belgian television and in Belgian film. By the time he graduated in 2003, Schoenaerts was already named one of "Europe's Shooting Stars" by the influential marketing organization, European Film Promotion.
In 2002, he starred in Dorothée Van Den Berghe's directorial debut Meisje (2002), which was also his first feature film since Daens. With his role in Tom Barman's Any Way the Wind Blows (2003), he proved he was Flanders' young actor to watch.
In 2004, Schoenaerts produced and starred in the short film A Message from Outer Space (2004). He also appeared in Ellektra (2004) alongside his father.
In 2006, he had a small role as a member of the Dutch Resistance in Paul Verhoeven's Black Book (2006), and landed his first starring role in the Belgian film Dennis van Rita (2006), playing Dennis, a mentally-challenged man learning to adjust to life after a prison sentence for a rape he may not have committed.
Though Schoenaerts garnered critical praise for his role in "Love Belongs to Everyone", the film that would make him a star in his homeland came in 2008, in Erik Van Looy's Loft (2008), Schoenaerts played Filip, one of a group of married friends who share the rent on a downtown loft as a place to meet their respective mistresses. The dramatic thriller was a smash hit, becoming the top-grossing Flemish film of all time. In the same year, he also starred in the horror film Linkeroever (2008).
In 2009, he worked once again with director Dorothée Van Den Berghe, playing the hippie Raven in My Queen Karo (2009). In 2010, he played the lead role in Alex Stockman's techno-thriller Pulsar (2010).
In 2011, Schoenaerts starred in Michaël R. Roskam's Bullhead (2011), playing Jacky Vanmarsenille, a cattle farmer who becomes entangled with the underworld of bovine hormones and steroids. Impressed by the script, Schoenaerts committed to star in the film in 2005, and over the five years that it took first-time director Roskam to secure financing, the actor transformed his naturally thin body into that of a steroid-abusing brute. His powerful performance in the tragic role won awards at numerous film festivals and propelled "Bullhead" to an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.
In 2012, Schoenaerts got the lead role opposite Marion Cotillard in Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone (2012); in the film he played Ali, an ex-boxer who falls in love with Cotillard's character. Like Audiard's previous films, "Rust and Bone" received a breathless reception at the Cannes Film Festival with a 10-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening and was a critical and box office hit in France. Schoenaerts' performance in the film earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2013.
Schoenaerts also starred in the Belgian short film Death of a Shadow (2012), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2013 and won the European Film Award for Best European Short.
In 2013, he starred in Blood Ties (2013) after being recommended for the film by his co-star in "Rust and Bone", Marion Cotillard. Following his breakthrough in "Rust and Bone", Matthias started a career in Hollywood and landed roles in American and British productions like Saul Dibb's Suite Française (2014), Alan Rickman's A Little Chaos (2014), Michaël R. Roskam's The Drop (2014), and Thomas Vinterberg's Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).
In 2015, Schoenaerts returned to French cinema in Alice Winocour's Disorder (2015), in which he plays an ex-soldier with PTSD. He also played one of the leads of Luca Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash (2015), opposite Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, and played the art-dealer Hans Axgil in Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl (2015).
He will reteam with Michaël R. Roskam in Racer and the Jailbird (2017) and also with Thomas Vinterberg in The Command (2018), in which Schoenaerts will play the captain of a Russian submarine.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Justin Hartley can currently be seen starring on NBC's critically acclaimed, award winning series, "This Is Us," alongside Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz. Created by Dan Fogelman, "This Is Us" premiered in September 2016 and instantly broke ratings records, earning the freshman series an immediate two-season renewal, with season three set to premiere on September 25, 2018. The heartwarming, emotionally provocative drama follows a unique set of triplets and their wonderful parents, whose lives and struggles intertwine, challenging the everyday presumptions about the people you think you know. Hartley shines as Kevin Pearson, one-third of the "big three" and a successful, handsome actor that seemingly has it all. However, as the series has progressed, viewers have been captivated as Kevin's perfect life has deconstructed episode to episode; from struggling with addiction, coping with the death of his father, exposing the dysfunctional relationship with both his mother and brother, and his heartbreaking longing to be loved and accepted by his own family. Hartley and his cast members most recently won the 2018 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and the show picked up five additional Emmy nominations in 2018, following 33 award wins and 80 nominations over the last two years, and counting.
On the film front, Hartley was recently cast in the Universal comedy "Little," opposite Issa Rae and Regina Hall. He also starred in "A Bad Moms Christmas" (STX Entertainment) opposite Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as the hilarious scene stealer, Ty Swindle. Additional film credits for Hartley include: "Another Time," which he also executive produced, indie "Race you to the Bottom," "Red Canyon," opposite Norman Reedus and Christine Lakin, "Spring Breakdown," opposite Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Seth Meyers, "A Way with Murder," opposite Michael Madsen, and the award-winning, boxing indie "The Challenger" for Vision Films.
Born in Knoxville, Ill., and raised in Orland Park, Ill., Hartley had a love for bringing characters to life at an early age and began to take acting seriously once he got to college. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale and University of Illinois at Chicago, majoring in History and Theatre. Upon graduation, he decided to make the move to Los Angeles, packing up his truck with no money or a job, to give the entertainment industry a shot.
In 2002, Hartley landed his first regular gig on the daytime soap "Passions," a role he held until 2006. He then starred as billionaire Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow) on the long running, hit CW series "Smallville." Hartley was able to showcase his talents behind the camera as well, writing ("Sacrifice," Season 9) and directing ("Dominion," Season 10) two episodes. Once "Smallville" came to an end, Hartley went on to appear on a handful of hit series including: "Chuck," "Castle," and "Hart of Dixie." In 2012, he returned to the CW as a series regular on the medical drama "Emily Owens, M.D.," opposite Mamie Gummer. Throughout 2013-16, Hartley juggled a handful of TV projects, appearing on 12 episodes of ABC's "Revenge," 16 episodes of ABC's summertime drama "Mistresses," and taking over the role of Adam Newman in the long-running CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless." Hartley was nominated for a 2016 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the show. While filming "Y&R," it was announced that Hartley would be joining the cast of NBC's fall 2016 passion project, "This Is Us."
On the charity front, Hartley has been a supporter of The Water Project for several years. When not on set, you can find him following his favorite teams (The Chicago Cubs, LA Dodgers, and the Chicago Bears), traveling, and spending time with his wife and daughter.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jessica Michelle Chastain was born in Sacramento, California, and was raised in a middle-class household in a Northern California suburb. Her mother, Jerri Chastain, is a vegan chef whose family is originally from Kansas, and her stepfather is a fireman. She discovered dance at the age of nine and was in a dance troupe by age thirteen. She began performing in Shakespearean productions all over the Bay area.
An actor in a production of "Romeo & Juliet" encouraged her to audition for Juilliard as a drama major. She became a member of "Crew 32" with the help of a scholarship from one of the school's famous alumni, Robin Williams.
In her last year at Juilliard, she was offered a holding deal with TV writer/producer John Wells and she eventually worked in three of his TV shows. Jessica continues to do theatre, having played in "The Cherry Orchard", "Rodney's Wife", "Salome" and "Othello". She spends her time between New York and Los Angeles, working in theater, film and TV.
In 2011, she had a prolific year in film. She was nominated for and won a number of awards, including a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for The Help (2011).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ebon Moss-Bachrach is an American actor best known for playing the role of David Lieberman in The Punisher and Desi Harperin in Girls. He was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and is the son of Renee Moss and Eric Bachrach, who run a music school in Springfield, Massachusetts. He attended high school at Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts and graduated from Columbia University in 1999.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Michael Fassbender is an Irish actor who was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father,
Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele (originally from Larne, County
Antrim, in Northern Ireland). Michael was raised in the town of
Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to
when he was two years old. His parents ran a restaurant (his father is
a chef).
Fassbender is based in London, England, and became known in the U.S. after his role in
the Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In 2011, Fassbender debuted as the Marvel antihero Magneto in the prequel X-Men: First Class (2011); he would go on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Also in 2011, Fassbender's performance as a sex addict in Shame (2011) received critical acclaim. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. In 2013, his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in slavery epic 12 Years a Slave (2013) was similarly praised, earning him his first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. 12 Years a Slave marked Fassbender's third collaboration with Steve McQueen, who also directed Hunger and Shame. In 2013, Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film, The Counselor (2013). In 2015, he portrayed Steve Jobs (2015) in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the same name, and played Macbeth (2015) in Justin Kurzel's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. For the former, he has received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actor. As well as acting, Fassbender produced the 2015 western Slow West (2015), which he also starred in.- This talented actress was born Anne Marie Wersching and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. She opted early on for a life in the entertainment industry, performing in community theatre and later as a dancer for some fourteen years with a troupe called the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers. After moving to Chicago, she acted in several touring plays and at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. In 1999, Wersching graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from the Millikin University School of Theater and Dance in Decatur, Illinois. Moving to Los Angeles, two years later, she appeared in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Richard Rodgers-Arthur Laurents musical "Do I Hear a Waltz?" at the Pasadena Playhouse, as well as making her screen debut in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise (2001).
Testament to her acting skill have been lengthy stints on popular prime time series like 24 (2001) (as the valiant but ill-fated FBI Special Agent Renee Walker), The Vampire Diaries (2009) (Lily Salvatore), Timeless (2016) (as time traveler Emma Whitmore) and Marvel's Runaways (2017) (as charismatic villain turned ally Leslie Dean). She also gave a thoroughly convincing performance as extrovert rookie police officer Julia Brasher, involved with (Harry) Bosch (2014) at LAPD's Hollywood Division on both a professional and a personal level. Their relationship eventually soured in season two, although Brasher returned briefly for two episodes in season 7. Wersching became the third actress to play the dreaded Borg Queen (following in the footsteps of Alice Krige and Susanna Thompson) and did so to chilling effect in season two of Star Trek: Picard (2020). Her steady volume of television work has included guest appearances on Charmed (1998), Supernatural (2005), NCIS (2003), Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and Castle (2009).
Very much at the peak of her career, Annie Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2020, but kept her illness private and continued to work afterwards. She passed away at her home in Los Angeles, California on January 29, 2023, at age 45. - Viola Lynn Collins was born in Houston, Texas, to Patricia Lynn (Campbell) and Phillip Dean Collins. She attended the Juilliard School for
Drama and had a great deal of Shakespearean training before being cast
as "Portia" in "The Merchant of Venice". She also played "Ophelia" in a
production of "Hamlet" in New York, and was "Juliet" in
Peter Hall's "Romeo and Juliet" at
the Ahmanson theatre in Los Angeles. - Actress
- Soundtrack
At sixteen years of age, Melanie Lynskey captivated filmgoers with an astonishing debut in Peter Jackson's revered psychological crime picture, Heavenly Creatures (1994). Her electrifying portrait of the real-life Pauline Parker - a teenage outcast whose fierce rapport with her only friend (a pre-stardom Kate Winslet) spirals dangerously out of control - was deemed "perfect" by TIME's Richard Corliss, whilst earning the young New Zealander a Best Actress trophy in her motherland. Following a three-year hiatus spent studying at university and re-locating to Los Angeles, Lynskey made a welcome return to the silver screen when she was cast as Drew Barrymore's lovable stepsister in Andy Tennant's feminist fairy tale reworking, Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998). Parts in Detroit Rock City (1999), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), Abandon (2002), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Shattered Glass (2003), and Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated war epic Flags of Our Fathers (2006) came next.
In the ensuing years, Lynskey emerged as one of the industry's most celebrated character actors, gaining plaudits for a succession of notable turns in prestige vehicles such as Sam Mendes's Away We Go (2009), Jason Reitman's Up in the Air (2009), Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (2009), Tom McCarthy's Win Win (2011), Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (2021). Prolific supporting roles - opposite the calibre of George Clooney, Edward Norton, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio - aside, headline appearances in Hello I Must Be Going (2012), Happy Christmas (2014), The Intervention (2016) - for which she scored a Special Jury Prize at Sundance - and the genre-bending I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) have equally proved her mettle as a dynamite leading lady.
On television, Lynskey has worked her scene-stealing magic in an eclectic mixture of projects, such as the enormously successful Two and a Half Men (2003), where she appeared for twelve years as Charlie Sheen's duplicitous admirer, Rose; the acclaimed HBO dramedy Togetherness (2015), for which she nabbed a Critics' Choice nomination for her "sublime" (Vanity Fair) portrayal of a dissatisfied stay-at-home mother; the Stephen King supernatural horror series Castle Rock (2018), where she headlined as troubled psychic Molly Strand; and the critically lauded miniseries Mrs. America (2020), in which she co-starred with Cate Blanchett. For her spellbinding work on Showtime's furiously popular Yellowjackets (2021) - where she stars as Shauna, a suburban housewife consumed by abhorrent secrets - Lynskey has collected two Primetime Emmy nominations and the coveted Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, with Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall describing it as the "dark, messy, charismatic part she's been waiting her whole career to play".- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Liv Tyler is an actress of international renown and has been a familiar face on our screens for over two decades and counting. She began modelling at the age of fourteen before pursuing a career in acting. After making her film debut in Bruce Beresford's Silent Fall, she was cast by fledgling director James Mangold (who would go on to direct such hits as Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line and Logan) in his first feature Heavy, a critical and commercial success that went on to gain cult status. This was followed by another indie cult hit, Empire Records, but it was the leading role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty that catapulted her to stardom at the age of eighteen.
Liv was next seen in Tom Hanks' hugely successful passion project That Thing You Do!, his paean to the glory days of 1960s rock 'n' roll (as the child of a rock 'n' roll background, this was a film whose subject was also dear to Liv's heart). This was followed by Michael Bay's action blockbuster Armageddon, starring alongside Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Steve Buscemi, who would later go on to direct Liv in Lonesome Jim.
Liv had come to the attention of director Robert Altman in Stealing Beauty and the late, great auteur went on to cast her in two of his final projects, Cookie's Fortune and Dr T and the Women, describing her as "very serious, very prepared and very professional...I am crazy about her."
In between her work for Altman, Liv starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in Onegin, directed by his sister Martha, from the classic novel by Alexander Pushkin. Ralph Fiennes said of Liv, "We tested a lot of actresses but Liv has an acute sense of emotional truth that's not performed or projected, but just is."
In 2001, Liv portrayed Arwen in the ground-breaking epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
Nothing if not eclectic, Liv then defied expectations by starring in cult director Kevin Smith's gentle low-budget comedy Jersey Girl, re-uniting her with her Armageddon co-star Ben Affleck, before playing Betty, the female lead to Edward Norton's Bruce Banner in Marvel's The Incredible Hulk.
An actress who consistently refuses to be pigeonholed, Liv's career is one that cuts across genres; she cannot be defined by the roles she has chosen and is led, above all, by what speaks to her on an instinctual and emotional level. "It's very difficult to say no to whatever comes along," Tom Hanks has said of her, "...But she's saying no to all the right things."
In addition to her acting work, Liv has forged a decade-long relationship with Givenchy as the spokesperson for their fragrance and cosmetics line. Liv is also a brand ambassador for Triumph lingerie, developing a capsule collection that celebrates the company's commitment to body confidence, as exemplified by Liv herself, "a modern woman in every sense, a mother and actress with a fierce sense of femininity that women across the world can relate to."
Liv's previous design collaboration was with Belstaff, resulting in two capsule collections for the iconic British heritage brand. Liv has also been the face of commercial campaigns for several global brands, including Visa and Pantene.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Milo Ventimiglia is an American actor, director and producer.
Milo currently stars on the critically acclaimed drama series "This is Us." He has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2017 & 2018) and a Critic's Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2019) for his portrayal of the family patriarch, Jack Pearson. The show won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and the People's Choice Award for Best New Drama. In 2016 he reprised his role of Jess in the continuation of critically acclaimed television drama "Gilmore Girls,' which returned with four 90-minute episodes on Netflix. His other television credits include a memorable recurring role as 'The Ogre' in the FOX drama "Gotham," the Frank Darabont helmed TNT drama "Lost Angels," NBC's "Heroes," the critically acclaimed drama "American Dreams" and David. E. Kelley's drama "Boston Public."
Milo's passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. Milo is wrapped production on the Fox 2000 feature film "The Art of Racing in the Rain," an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Garth Stein. The book focuses on a family dog named Enzo who evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a professional race-car driver named Denny Swift, played by Milo. The film will be released in September 2018. Ventimiglia recently starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy "Second Act" and had a memorable cameo in "Creed II." He starred alongside Sylvester Stallone as his son in sixth installment of the Rocky series "Rocky Balboa, in Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy," and "Grown Ups 2" and alongside Nicole Kidman in "Grace of Monaco." His other film credits include Xan Cassavetes' "Kiss of the Damned," a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds drama "Heat" alongside Jason Statham" and the "Killing Season" with Robert DeNiro.
Behind the camera Ventimiglia and his partner at Divide Pictures Russ
Cundiff are involved in traditional content having sold TV shows to
NBC, SyFy and FX, and producing the independent feature TELL which
Ventimiglia co-starred along side of Jason Lee and Katee Sackoff as
well as STATIC, which Ventimiglia co-starred with Sarah Shahi and Sara
Paxton. Ventimiglia also produced the web-series Chosen, now in it's
second season for Sony's Crackle as well as directed other digital
projects for American Eagle Outfitters, Cadillac, GQ and Liberty
Mutual. Divide Pictures' latest web-series "The P.E.T. Squad" Files for
CW's Seed, is about a group of amateur ghost hunters who chase fame
without having seen an actual apparition. The show launches summer 2013
from San Diego Comicon. Ventimiglia's passion for comic books led him
to produce two titles for Top Cow / Image Comics "Rest" and "Berserker."
Ventimiglia spends his free time working with vets through the Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America as well as taking USO tours to troops
abroad.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom was born on January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, Kent, England. His mother, Sonia Constance Josephine Bloom (née Copeland),
was born in Kolkata, India, to an English family then-resident there.
The man he first knew as his father, Harry Bloom, was a legendary
political activist who fought for civil rights in South Africa. But
Harry died of a stroke when Orlando was only four years old. After
that, Orlando and his older sister,
Samantha Bloom, were raised by their
mother and family friend, Colin Stone. When Orlando was 13, Sonia
revealed to him that Colin is actually the biological father of Orlando and his sister; the two were conceived after an agreement by his parents, since Harry, who suffered a stroke in 1975, was unable to have children.
Orlando attended St. Edmund's School in Canterbury but struggled in many
courses because of dyslexia. He did embrace the arts, however, and
enjoyed pottery, photography and sculpturing. He also participated in
school plays and was active at his local theater. As a teen, Orlando
landed his first job: he was a clay trapper at a pigeon shooting range.
Encouraged by his mother, he and his sister began studying poetry and
prose, eventually giving readings at Kent Festival. Orlando and
Samantha won many poetry and Bible reciting competitions. Then Orlando,
who always idolized larger-than-life characters, gravitated towards
serious acting. At the age of 16, he moved to London and joined the
National Youth Theatre, spending two seasons there and gaining a
scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy. Like many
young actors, he also auditioned for a number of television roles to
further his career, landing bit parts in British television shows
Casualty (1986),
Midsomer Murders (1997) and
Smack the Pony (1999). He also
appeared in the critically acclaimed movie
Wilde (1997).
He then attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. It was there,
in 1998, that Orlando fell three stories from a rooftop terrace and
broke his back. Despite fears that he would be permanently paralyzed,
he quickly recovered and returned to the stage. As fate would have it,
seated in the audience one night in 1999 was a director named
Peter Jackson. After the show, he
met with Orlando and asked him to audition for his new set of movies.
After graduating from Guildhall, Orlando began work on the "Lord of the
Rings" trilogy, spending 18 months in New Zealand bringing to life
"Legolas", a part which made him a household name. Today, he is one of
the busiest and most sought-after actors in the industry.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Emmy® Award winning actress Jaime Pressly is known for her wide range of film and television roles. Pressly currently appears in Welcome to Flatch (2022). Previously, she played Jill Kendall, opposite Anna Faris and Academy Award winner Allison Janney, on Chuck Lorrie's hit CBS Comedy "Mom".
Before that, Pressly starred as Jennifer Doyle in TV Land's original sitcom "Jennifer Falls." The first-ever single camera comedy for TV Land, the show revolved around Jennifer, a former high-powered executive who had fallen from grace and hit every bump on the way down to rock bottom. Best known for her role as Joy Turner, on the hit show "My Name Is Earl," Pressly was nominated for her first Golden Globe® and won the Emmy® for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. Additionally, Jaime was nominated for a SAG Actor Award® in both 2006 and 2007, and an Emmy® in 2006. She has previously starred the DreamWorks film "I Love You, Man" directed by John Hamburg, opposite Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Jon Favreau. Other film credits include cult classics such as "The Adventures of Joe" with David Spade, "Not Another Teenage Movie" with Chris Evans and "Can't Hardly Wait" among others.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Meyers on July 27, 1977, in Dublin, Ireland, to Mary Geraldine (Meyers) and John O'Keeffe, a musician. He and his family moved to County Cork, Ireland, when the actor was nearly a year
old, and then, at the age of 3, his father left the family, leaving his
mother to care for Jonny and his 3 younger brothers alone.
Rhys Meyers grew up with a tumultuous childhood and being permanently expelled from school at age 16.
Happy to be out of school, he began spending time in a local pool hall
where he was discovered by Hubbard Casting. The casting agents were
talent-spotting for the David Puttnam
production of
War of the Buttons (1994), and
asked Rhys Meyers to appear for an audition. After three days of
auditions, however, he did not get the role, and Rhys Meyers gave up on
his acting aspirations. Soon afterward, he received a call to audition
for a national ad campaign for Knorr Soup, and though embarrassed by
the attention from the ad, he soon found himself considered for a major
film. His movie acting debut was a very small role in the film
A Man of No Importance (1994),
where his simple cast credit is as "First Young Man". His first lead
role was in the film
The Disappearance of Finbar (1996).
During a 6-month postponement in production, he returned home to Cork
and there received a call about the film
Michael Collins (1996). He
traveled to Dublin to meet with director
Neil Jordan and successfully won the
role of Collins' assassin. Jordan wrote about his meeting with the
actor, "I have found someone to play Collins' killer. Jonathan
Rees-Myers (sic), from County Cork, apparently, who looks like a young
Tom Cruise. [He] Comes into the casting
session with alarming certainty. Obviously gifted".
Rhys Meyers continued working constantly from that point and appeared
in such films as The Maker (1997),
Telling Lies in America (1997),
and The Tribe (1998). Going on to film
The Governess (1998),
B. Monkey (1998),
Titus (1999) and
Ride with the Devil (1999),
he has received critical acclaim for several performances, most notably
as "Brian Slade" in
Velvet Goldmine (1998), as
"Steerpike" in the British mini-series
Gormenghast (2000), and as a
sympathetic football coach in
Bend It Like Beckham (2002).
Rhys Meyers is also a talented singer and musician, having performed
his own vocals in
Velvet Goldmine (1998) and
appearing on the film's soundtrack. Rhys Meyers still resides in County
Cork, Ireland.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Matthew Staton Bomer was born in Webster Groves, Greater St. Louis, Missouri, to Elizabeth Macy (Staton) and John O'Neill Bomer IV, a Dallas
Cowboys draft pick. Matt was raised in Spring, Texas, and educated at
Klein High School, near Houston. After school, he attended Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Bomer then relocated to New York to forge
a career in acting.
Theater work followed, but his television break came with a small part
in All My Children (1970).
This lead to a reoccurring role in
Guiding Light (1952) as
murderous Ben Reade. Further success in TV followed including parts in
Tru Calling (2003),
Chuck (2007) and the lead role in
Traveler (2007). Bomer also scored
film roles in projects such as
Flightplan (2005) and
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).
In 2009, he was cast in the lead role of criminal mastermind Neal
Caffrey in Fox's
White Collar (2009).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Brittany Murphy was born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Kathleen Murphy and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti. Her father's ancestry is Italian, and her mother is of Irish and Slovak descent. Her father moved the family back to Edison,
New Jersey as a native New Yorker and to be closer to other siblings from previous marriages. While dining out one night in the presence of
Hollywood royalty, Brittany at the age of 5 approached an adjoining table when Academy Award nominee Burt Reynolds and George Segal were seated. Brittany introduced herself to the Hollywood legends and confidently told them that someday she too would be a star.
She comes from a long line of international musicians and performers with three half-brothers and a sister. Angelo Bertolotti was torn from their tight-knit family as a made-man with the Italian Mafia. The Senior Bertolotti, who coined the nickname of "Britt" for his daughter, was
also an entrepreneur and diplomat for organized crime families and one of the first to be subjected to a RICO prosecution. Brittany's interests and well-being were always her father's first goal and objective. To distance his talented daughter from his infamous past, Angelo allowed Sharon to use her maiden name for Brittany's, so that her shining star would not be overshadowed by a father's past, with the couple divorcing thereafter.
Brittany began receiving accolades and applause in regional theater at the early age of 9. At the age of 13, she landed several national commercials. She appeared on television and caught the attention of a personal manager and an agent. Soon, Brittany's mother Sharon turned full-time to being a "Stage Mom" where Angelo provided financial support throughout and their relationship is memorialized with a long and close history in pictures. The hopeful daughter and mother moved to Burbank, CA, where Brittany landed her first television role on Blossom (1990). Hearts and doors opened up for a starring role on Drexell's Class (1991), a short lived TV series.
Brittany's big screen movie debut started with Clueless (1995), where she was co-starring with Alicia Silverstone. Britt soared, demonstrating her musical and artistic talents with dramatic and comedic roles landing a nomination for best leading female performance in the Young Artist Awards for her role in the television film David and Lisa (1998). She garnered tremendous attention for her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999) with Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie. Brittany's band, "Blessed Soul" was growing with her as lead singer and Britt lent her vocal talents to the TV hit, cartoon sensation, King of the Hill (1997) as the voice of Luanne.
She is alleged to have been a witness in the case of the former Department of Homeland Security employee and persecuted whistleblower Julia Davis. According to Davis, Brittany and her fiancée Simon Monjack were then targeted for retaliation that included land and aerial surveillance and a threatened prosecution. Monjack was arrested and detained by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Brittany and Simon confided in Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter, telling him in an interview that they were under surveillance by helicopters and their telephones have been wiretapped. This information was published by THR posthumously, in an article entitled "The Last Difficult Days of Brittany Murphy."
On December 20, 2009, Brittany Murphy died an untimely death. The LAPD and Los Angeles County Coroner closed the case within one hour, attributing her death to pneumonia and anemia. Five months after Brittany's unexpected demise, her husband Simon Monjack was found dead in the house he shared with Brittany. The chief/spokesperson at the Los Angeles County Dept of Coroner, Craig Harvey, stated that Simon also died from the same exact causes as his wife, namely pneumonia and anemia. Neither Brittany, nor Simon, were given a thorough and complete forensic autopsy for poisons. Brittany's father, Angelo "AJ" Bertolotti, is pursuing the investigation of the true reasons behind Brittany's and Simon's sudden demise, as he believes that the two were murdered. Abnormally high levels of heavy metals and poisons were discovered in Brittany's hair, tested by two other independent forensic labs with famed Pathologist, attorney Cyril Wecht concluded from the appearances, Brittany could have been murdered and should be exhumed. Her father Angelo is preparing court actions to ensure she obtains justice.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Tom Welling is probably best known for playing Clark Kent on the hit television series Smallville (2001).
He was born Thomas Joseph Welling in Putnam Valley, New York, to Bonnie and Thomas Welling, who is a retired executive for General Motors. He has a younger brother, Mark Welling, who is also an actor, and two older sisters. He is of three quarters German and one quarter British Isles (mostly Irish) descent. Welling graduated from Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, when he was eighteen years old. Before that, he spent his freshman year in the Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware. He played a lot of varsity soccer in his high school and received "fair" grades on his exams. But even so, Tom did not want to go to college. He wanted to be a construction worker and after graduation worked in a construction service site.
Tom eventually moved on to modeling after spending a period of time working in the construction business. While modeling, he met fellow celebrity and model Ashton Kutcher while they were booked for a project together. The two eventually become good friends. Even though both Ashton and Tom were famous models, Tom decided to be an actor. He had an offer from a guy who worked in the agency he was signed with to be an actor. Tom attended a few casting calls and not too long later, became an actor.
The acting gigs that he received eventually made directors take more notice of him. Tom Welling was asked to play the role of Clark Kent in the hit series Smallville (2001). What many people probably don't know is that Tom turned down the role twice. He said that the reason he turned down the role wasn't because the story wasn't good, but it was because he thought the role was bigger than he was and he didn't want people to think that he wasn't a good enough actor.
Even so, Tom ended up taking the role because he had the feeling that the show was going to be a great hit and he would be a fool not to take it. Tom even said he felt some sort of connection between himself and his character, Clark Kent. Therefore, Tom made himself a household name.
Other than only becoming a face on television, Welling also acts in other movies. The movie with which he is probably most associated is Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), in which he starred with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, and its sequel, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), in which he repeated his prior role. Tom has also starred in a B-grade horror flick, The Fog (2005), together with Lost (2004)'s star, Maggie Grace. Although that movie didn't really achieve box-office success, Tom's acting talents still got noticed by the critics. More recently, he co-starred in the fictional historical drama Parkland (2013) with Zac Efron, whom he befriended.
Tom married Jamie White, one of his closest friends, on July 5, 2002. Tom has said that the person he respects the most is his wife, because she has the greatest heart. According to reports, while working on Smallville, he lived with his wife in Los Angeles, and relocated to Vancouver for filming. Tom and Jamie separated in 2013.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Maggie Gyllenhaal was born on November 16, 1977 in New York City, New York as Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal, the daughter of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish (mother) and Swedish, English, and German (father) descent.
She made her film debut in Waterland (1992). She had sporadic roles throughout her teenage years though she took a break to attend Columbia University where she graduated w/ a degree in literature in 1999. In addition, she briefly studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, which helped w/ her post-graduation transition back into acting.
Soon after graduating, she had supporting roles in Cecil B. Demented (2000) & Donnie Darko (2001). Her breakout role came later when she starred in Secretary (2002), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She followed that up w/ supporting roles in 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Adaptation. (2002), & Mona Lisa Smile (2003) among other movies. She received her 2nd Golden Globe nomination for playing a recent prison parolee in Sherrybaby (2006). She followed that up w/ roles in World Trade Center (2006), Stranger Than Fiction (2006) & The Dark Knight (2008).
In 2009, she received great acclaim for her role in Crazy Heart (2009), which earned her 1st Oscar nomination. Since then, she has been seen in Nanny McPhee Returns (2010), Hysteria (2011) & Won't Back Down (2012).- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Samantha Morton has established herself as one of the finest actors of
her generation, winning Oscar nominations for her turns in
Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and
Jim Sheridan's In America (2002). She has the talent to become one of
the major performers in the cinema of this young century.
Samantha Morton was born on May 13, 1977 in Nottingham, England to parents
who divorced when she was three years old. Peter and Pamela Morton took
other spouses and made Samantha part of a mixed family of 13; she has
eight brothers and sisters. She turned to play-acting early in her
life, while she was a school-girl.
At 13, she left regular school to train as an actress at the Central
Junior Television Workshop, where she learned her craft for three
years. It was at the end of her training then that she decided that a
life as a professional actress was for her.
She honed her skills in television roles, working her way up from
series television to TV-movies and prestigious mini-series, such as
Emma (1996) and
Jane Eyre (1997). Her first
major film role,
Under the Skin (1997), won her the
Best Actress Award from the Boston Film Critics Society. Woody Allen
cast her as Hattie, the "dumb" (unspeaking) lover of
Sean Penn's caddish jazz guitarist in
Sweet and Lowdown (1999), a
beautiful performance in a role that could have flummoxed a
less-talented performer. Penn was Oscar-nominated for his performance,
but it was Morton's Hattie that was central to the success of the film,
Allen's last unqualified success. She provided the moral and narrative
center of the film. It was quite a remarkable performance for a 21-year
old as she had to do all her acting with her face, having been shorn of
her voice. The role of Hattie won Morton a Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award nomination.
Ironically, Morton had never seen a Woody Allen movie before. (She grew
up watching the TV and listening to the radio.) She agreed to do the
film after reading the script (as she says, well-written roles for
women are hard to find), and the movie made her a hot commodity in
Hollywood after she won the Oscar nomination. (She lost out to Angelina Jolie). Morton was offered many roles, but was
very choosy as she was not in acting as a game with a payoff of stardom
and money.
She had consolidated her reputation by following up the Allen film with
work in indie features that showed that she was not only talented, but
quite courageous as a performer. She played a heroin addict in the
underrated Jesus' Son (1999) and gave
a brilliant performance in
Morvern Callar (2002), the story
of a Scottish supermarket clerk coping with her boyfriend's suicide.
Steven Spielberg cast her,
opposite superstar Tom Cruise, as the
clairvoyant in
Minority Report (2002), in which
she more than held her own opposite Cruise and the special effects.
(She took the role as Cruise and Steven Spielberg are favorites of hers). As
good as she was, Morton was better served by Irish director
Jim Sheridan, Sheridan cast her as
a character modeled after his wife in an autobiographical picture more
in line with persona and that made better use of her talents. Her
performance as the young Irish mother coping with life in New York City
in In America (2002) won her numerous
critics' awards and another Oscar nod, this time as Best Actress.
At this point, one feels that the odds of her winning the Oscar are
even or better. Samantha Morton continues to deliver fine work in
provocative films such as
Michael Winterbottom's
Code 46 (2003), though she is branching
out towards the mainstream, taking a role in the remake of that
perennial family favorite, Lassie (2005).- Actress
- Producer
- Editorial Department
Emmy Award-winning Sarah Michelle Gellar was born on April 14, 1977 in New York City, the daughter of Rosellen (Greenfield), who taught at a nursery school, and Arthur Gellar, who worked in the garment industry. She is of Russian Jewish and Hungarian Jewish descent.
Eating in a local restaurant, Sarah was discovered by an agent when she was four years old. Soon after, she was making her first movie An Invasion of Privacy (1983). Besides a long list of movies, she has also appeared in many TV commercials and on the stage. Her breakthrough came with the television series Swans Crossing (1992). In 1997, she became known to the cinema audience when she appeared in two movies: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997). But she is most commonly known for her title role in the long-running television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). She also won an Emmy Award for her performance as Kendall Hart on the soap opera All My Children (1970).
Sarah has since starred in many films, including Simply Irresistible (1999), Cruel Intentions (1999), and the live-action Scooby-Doo (2002) movies as the lovable Daphne Blake. She also provided her voice to several movies, including Small Soldiers (1998), Happily N'Ever After (2006) and TMNT (2007), starred in the box office hit The Grudge (2004), and co-starred with Robin Williams and James Wolk in the television series The Crazy Ones (2013).
She resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr.. They have been married since 2002, and have two children.- Vanessa Ferlito is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Aiden Burn in the first season of the CBS crime drama CSI: NY, as well as for her recurring portrayal of Claudia Hernandez in FOX drama 24, and for her starring roles as FBI Agent Charlie DeMarco in the USA Network series Graceland and as Tammy Gregorio on the CBS crime drama series NCIS: New Orleans. She has also appeared in a number of films, including Spider-Man 2 (2004), Shadowboxer (2005), Man of the House (2005), Gridiron Gang (2006), Death Proof (2007), Nothing like the Holidays (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009), Julie & Julia (2009), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), and Stand Up Guys (2012).
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
From nuanced and honest portrayals of fatherhood-gone-wild across the eighth season of Showtime's EMMY® Award-nominated series Shameless to palpable intensity on the likes of Sons of Anarchy, Steve Howey reflects a classic masculinity on-screen equally steeped in humor and heart. That timeless leading man spark and quiet strength remain signatures of the acclaimed actor, writer, producer, and entrepreneur.
"When you see guys like Jackie Gleason or Steve McQueen on-screen, they represent real men-in all of their tragedy and triumph," he says. "It's the humor of Gleason in The Honeymooners and raw grit of McQueen, which both made a big impact on me at a young age. That's what I grew up on, and it's the kind of presence I always aspired to be."
Sailing the high seas up and down the Pacific Coast with his Navy veteran dad and mom, the San Antonio-born talent enjoyed the sort of upbringing that inspires unforgettable performances. He can recall diving for bottle caps off the coast of Mexico to trade them in for candy at local markets at eight-years-old between other real adventures. Achieving a basketball scholarship to junior college in Colorado, he played two seasons before pursuing his calling as an actor.
He would go from Something Borrowed alongside Kate Hudson, Jon Krasinski, and Ginnifer Goodwin to Bride Wars where he re-teamed with Hudson, Anne Hathaway, and Chris Pratt to Supercross, Losing Control, Unleashed, In Your Eyes, and See You in Valhalla. 2017 sees him grace the screen in the NETFLIX comedy Game Over, Man! and Making Babies where he leads the cast opposite Eliza Coupe. Beyond Shameless, he's engaged audiences with high-profile guest spots on Jennifer Falls, New Girl, Psych, and more in addition to a six-year run on Reba.
"I always want to challenge myself," he goes on. "I'm never content just to pursue one style or art form. It's about forging ahead in new adventures at every turn."
He continues to expand his sphere of influence. Profiled in-depth by the likes of Men's Fitness, People, Hollywood Reporter, and more, he's amassed over 900K Instagram followers as a true fan favorite. He's in the midst of writing and developing various projects in addition to joining Opkix as a key investor. You might also find him riding his motorcycle, studying martial arts, coaching new talent, and competitive shooting.
Residing in Los Angeles, the role he devotes himself most to is husband and father.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Lana Maria Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress. Parrilla is best known for her roles on television and radio. She was a regular cast member in the fifth season of the ABC sitcom Spin City (1996) from 2000 to 2001. She later starred in Boomtown (2002-2003), Windfall (2006), Swingtown (2008) and as Doctor Eva Zambrano in the short-lived medical drama Miami Medical (2010). She also played the role of Sarah Gavin during the fourth season of the Fox series 24 in 2005. In 2011, Parrilla began starring as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in the ABC fantasy drama series, Once Upon a Time (2011). In 2016 Parrilla won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress. Parrilla was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Her father, Sam Parrilla (1943-94), was a Puerto Rico-born baseball player who played professionally for 11 seasons (1963-73), including one season with the Major League Philadelphia Phillies in 1970 as an outfielder.
In her early career, Parrilla appeared in several movies, including Very Mean Men (2000), Spiders (2000), and Frozen Stars (2003). She made her television debut in 1999, on the UPN sitcom Grown Ups. In 2000, she joined the cast of the ABC comedy series Spin City (1996), playing Angie Ordonez for one season. She left the show in 2001. After that she joined Donnie Wahlberg and Neal McDonough in the short lived crime drama Boomtown, for which she received the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Teresa, a paramedic. Initially a success, Boomtown began to struggle, and Parrilla's character became a police academy rookie, to tie her more closely to the rest of the show. "Boomtown" was cancelled just two episodes into its second season.
Parrilla guest-starred in a number of television dramas, including JAG (1995), Six Feet Under (2001), Covert Affairs (2010), Medium (2005), The Defenders (2010) and Chase (2010). She had a recurring role in 2004 as Officer Janet Grafton in NYPD Blue. In 2005, Parrilla took a recurring guest role on the fourth season of the Fox series 24 (2001) as Sarah Gavin, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent. After just six episodes, Lana was made a regular cast member; but in the thirteenth episode, her character was written out after she tried to thwart another character's promotion from temporary to permanent CTU head Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth).
In 2006, Parrilla starred in the NBC summer series Windfall alongside Luke Perry, fellow former 24 (2001) cast member Sarah Wynter, and Parilla's former Boomtown castmate Jason Gedrick. In 2007, she guest starred as Greta during the third season of ABC's Lost in the episodes "Greatest Hits" and "Through the Looking Glass" In 2008, she had a leading role on the Lifetime movie The Double Life of Eleanor Kendall, in which she played Nellie, a divorcee whose identity has been stolen. Also in 2008, she starred in the CBS summer series Swingtown as Trina Decker, a woman who is part of a Swinging couple. In 2010, Parrilla had a female lead role in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Miami Medical on CBS, which had a short run towards the end of the 2009-10 television season before it was canceled in July 2010. Windfall (2006), Swingtown (2008) and Miami Medical (2010) were all canceled after 13 episodes.
In February 2011, she was cast as Mayor Regina Mills/The Evil Queen, in the ABC adventure fantasy drama pilot, Once Upon a Time (2011) created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The series debuted in October 2011. The pilot episode was watched by 12.93 million viewers and achieved an adult 18-49 rating/share of 4.0/10 during the first season, receiving generally favorable reviews from critics.
Parrilla's performance also received positive reviews from critics. In 2012 and 2013, she was regarded as a promising contender for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category, though she did not receive a nomination. She won the TV Guide Award for Favorite Villain and the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2012. Parrilla also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television from the 38th Saturn Awards.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Edward Walter Furlong was born in Glendale, California. His mother, Eleanor (Tafoya), is from a Mexican family, and worked at a youth center. Furlong had no acting ambitions
until he was approached by casting agent Mali Finn, who was looking for a
young actor to play the role of John Connor in what turned out to be
one of the the biggest box-office hits of the 1990s, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Finn
instantly recognized his ability, and suggested him for the part,
feeling that he could hold his own playing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Linda Hamilton.
For his career-starting role, Furlong earned an MTV movie award for
best breakthrough role, and a Saturn Sci-Fi award for best young actor.
From there, he took an unconventional route through Hollywood, which
led to his working with some of the top people in the business, in both
studio and independent films. His work has included starring opposite
Jeff Bridges in American Heart (1992) for which he was nominated for an IFP Spirit award
for best supporting actor. He has also starred in A Home of Our Own (1993) with Kathy Bates,
Little Odessa (1994) with Tim Roth, The Grass Harp (1995) with Walter Matthau and Barbet Schroeder's Before and After (1996).
He also starred opposite Edward Norton in Tony Kaye's controversial and
gripping drama American History X (1998) and in the hit comedy Pecker (1998). More recently,
Furlong has been opposite Willem Dafoe in the prison drama Animal Factory (2000), directed
by Steve Buscemi. He recently starred in Pupi Avati's 13th-century tale, The Knights of the Quest (2001).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Lucy Punch grew up in London and was a member of the National Youth Theatre in her late teens before going to University College London to read History. While she was there she auditioned for TV roles and eventually dropped out to concentrate on acting.
She learned a lot, she says, from working on the short-lived TV series Let Them Eat Cake (1999) with Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French and although she has played many serious roles on TV and in film since, it's her comic skills that have shone.
After several years of steady TV and film work at home, she moved to Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and soon found work there on another short-lived comedy show, The Class (2006) and has stayed in the US ever since, appearing on TV and in movies to increasing acclaim.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Danielle Harris is an American actress and film director from Plainview, New York. She is regarded as a scream queen for her many roles in horror films. Her better known roles include protagonist Jamie Lloyd in "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988) and "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" (1989), and "final girl" Annie Brackett in "Halloween" (2007) and "Halloween II" (2009). As a voice actress in animation, Harris is primarily known for voicing 16-year-old Debbie Thornberry in the fantasy animated series "The Wild Thornberrys" (1998-2004).
In 1977, Harris was born in a Jewish family of Plainview, New York. Plainview is a hamlet of Long Island with a large Jewish population. The hamlet is named because its location offered a clear view over the Hempstead Plains. Harris' family soon moved to Florida, where Harris received part of her primary education.
While still in elementary school, Harris won a beauty contest for children. She was consequently offered various modeling jobs, but initially had to turn down these offers. The modeling gigs would require long-distance travel, which she could not afford at the time. When her family moved to New York City, Harris started working as a child model. She also began to regularly appear in television commercials.
In 1985, Harris joined the cast of the long-running soap opera "One Life to Live" (1968-2012) in her first acting role. She played the part of "miracle child" Samantha "Sammi" Garretson. Her character was extracted as an embryo from the womb of her recently deceased mother Samantha Vernon and implanted in family friend Delilah Ralston, with her birth considered miraculous by the other characters. Harris continued playing Samantha until 1987, when the character was written out of the series. Afterwards, Harris started making guest star appearances in other television series.
Harris auditioned for the role of child protagonist Jamie Lloyd for the horror film "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988), competing against several other child actresses. She won the role and made her film debut at the age of 11. In the film series "Halloween", serial killer Michael Myers was initially obsessed with attempts to kill his younger sister Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). In the fourth film, Michael awakes from a coma and learns that Laurie died in an unrelated traffic accident. He decides to instead hunt down Laurie's daughter Jamie Lloyd, who is his sole living relative. The film also focuses on Jamie's relationship with her foster sister Rachel Carruthers (played by Ellie Cornell). Its finale hints that Jamie has a dark side of her own and is following in Michael's footsteps.
The fourth "Halloween" film only earned about 18 million dollars at the box office, but gained a cult following due to its cast of interesting female characters. Harris played Jamie again in the direct sequel "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" (1989). In the film, the minds of Jamie and Michael are linked through telepathy. It was the first "Halloween" film to introduce elements of supernatural horror, and was considered controversial by the series' fans. The film earned only about $12 million at the box office, though Harris was praised for her acting skills. The "Halloween" series went on a hiatus for several years following the release of this film.
Harris' next film project was the action film "Marked for Death" (1990). She played Tracey Hatcher, niece of retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent John Hatcher (played by Steven Seagal). In the film, John's family is repeatedly threatened and attacked by employees of a drug lord who wants revenge against John, and styles himself as a user of black magic. The film was a surprise box office hit, earning $58 million at the worldwide box office. It was the highest-grossing film in Harris' career up to that point.
Harris had a substantial role in the television film "Don't Touch My Daughter" (1991), as a kidnapped damsel-in-distress. Her next major film project was the black comedy "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991). She played Melissa Crandell, a 12-year-old tomboy. In the film, 5 siblings are supposed to spend their entire summer vacation under the care of an elderly babysitter. When the old woman dies in her sleep, they decide to cover-up her death, to take control of her car, and to start living on their own. The leader of the siblings in this film was played by Christina Applegate. The film performed modestly well at the box office, but gained more success in the home video market.
Harris returned to the action genre with the action comedy "The Last Boy Scout" (1991). She played Darian Hallenbeck, the rebellious daughter of private detective Joseph Cornelius "Joe" Hallenbeck (played by Bruce Willis). In the film, Joe is implicated in the murders of his ex-partner and a female client. While trying to clear his name, Joe learns that he is about to be framed for the assassination of a senator. He sets out to prevent this assassination, though the senator in question is one of his old enemies. The film earned $114.5 million at the worldwide box office and was credited with reviving Willis' career.
In 1992, Harris joined the cast of the sitcom Roseanne (1988-1997). She played the recurring character of Molly Tilden, the promiscuous daughter of supporting character Ty Tilden (played by Wings Hauser). Molly was depicted as a frenemy to main character Darlene Conner (played by Sara Gilbert). They hanged out together but frequently argued, and they soon realized that they were competing over the same potential boyfriend. Subplots involving Molly included her relationship with her older sister (and mother figure) Charlotte Tilden (played by Mara Hobel), and her habitual use of marijuana. Molly was written out of the series in 1993. Harris would later play Molly again in the sequel series "The Conners" (2018-), in an episode depicting Molly as a dying cancer patient.
Harris played the runaway girl Gwenie in the drama film "Free Willy" (1993). The film focused on the growing bond between a troubled orphan boy and a captive orca at an ailing amusement park. The film had a worldwide gross of about $154 million, and turned animal actor Keico the orca (1976 - 2003) into a popular star. The film had three sequels, but Harris was not involved with these film projects.
For the next couple of years, Harris was limited to playing only minor television roles. She entered negotiations to reprise the role of Jamie Lloyd in the sequel "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (1995), but eventually declined to play the part. The character of Jamie only had limited screen time in the film and the salary offered for the role was below Harris' expectations. The role was instead played by J. C. Brandy.
In 1995, Harris made the news for her personal life. She was being stalked by obsessed fan Christopher Small, who frequently mailed death threats to her. Small was arrested after he arrived at her home with a shotgun. Several years later, Small started harassing Harris online. In 2009, Harris was granted a restraining order against Small.
In 1996, Harris co-starred with Katherine Heigl in the fantasy-themed television film "Wish Upon a Star". Harris played science nerd Hayley Wheaton, who is secretly envious of the supposedly perfect life of her older sister Alexia Wheaton (played by Heigl). The girls experience body swapping following a wish, and get to experience each other's life first hand. Hayley soon finds out that Alexia had a dysfunctional relationship with her female friends, and a rather poor relationship with her boyfriend. The life she just inherited is far from perfect. The film was one of several popular television films produced by the Disney Channel.
Harris returned to the action genre with the film "Back to Back". (1996). She played Chelsea Malone, daughter of disgraced ex-cop Bob Malone (played by Michael Rooker). She tries to raise bail money for her father, who was arrested for executing a gang of bank robbers in an episode of intense rage. But father and daughter instead find themselves hostages of a Yakuza member who is trying to flee Los Angeles. All three are soon on the run from both the local Mafia and from crooked cops. The film was marketed as a sequel to the crime film "American Yakuza" (1993), but their only similarities were depictions of conflicts between the Mafia and the Yakuza.
Harris had a supporting role in the disaster film "Daylight" (1996), which featured an accidental explosion and a consequent tunnel cave-in in the vicinity of New York City. Harris played teenager Ashley Crighton, one of several survivors who tried to find a way out of the collapsed tunnel. The film earned $159.2 million at the worldwide box office, and its sound editors were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.
Harris' next film project was the slasher film "Urban Legend" (1998), her first appearance in a horror film since the late 1980s. The film featured a series of murders within the campus of a private university in New England, with each murder styled after an urban legend. Harris played Tosh Guaneri, a goth girl who was strangled to death within her own room. Tosh's sleeping roommate later claimed that she never heard any disturbance during the night of the murder., The film earned $72.5 million at the worldwide box office, and it was followed by two sequels. The film is credited with starting a trend of horror films which took inspiration from multiple urban legends.
In 1998, Harris was cast in the role of Debbie Thornberry in the fantasy animated series "The Wild Thornberrys" (1998-2004). It was the first time that she was part of the main cast in a series. The series featured the Thornberrys, a British family of modern-day nomads who traveled the world in order to film nature documentaries. The youngest daughter, Eliza Thornberry (voiced by Lacey Chabert), was secretly granted the ability to communicate with animals by an African shaman. She tried to keep this secret from her family, though her older sister Debbie is eventually let in on the secret. The two sisters have a love-hate relationship with each other, but each of them tries to defend the other sister from danger. The series lasted for 5 seasons and 91 episodes. Harris also voiced Debbie in the animated film "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" (2002) and the crossover film "Rugrats Go Wild" (2003). The series was one of the most popular television projects created by the animation studio Klasky Csupo, and provided Harris with a share of the spotlight for several years.
Harris had a supporting role in the crime comedy film "Poor White Trash" (2000). In the film, two teenagers from lower-class backgrounds start working together in heists in order to finance their college education. But their plans clash with those of their manipulative and opportunistic relatives, who each have agendas of their own. And the duo start hanging out with various local eccentrics in the process of their criminal plans. The film was noted for its ensemble cast, though the casting of 23-year-old Jaime Pressly in the role of of a scheming step-grandmother was regarded as the film's main appeal at the time.
In the autumn of 2000, Harris joined the main cast of the comedy-drama series "That's Life" (2000-2002). The series depicted life in the working-class suburbs of Newark, New Jersey. Harris played Plum Wilkinson, the girlfriend (and later wife) of police officer Paulie DeLucca (played by Kevin Dillon) and the close friend and college classmate of Paulie's sister Lydia DeLucca (played by Heather Paige Kent). The series was well-received by critics, but suffered from poor ratings throughout its run. It lasted for 2 seasons and 36 episodes. Its abrupt ending reportedly left several of its subplots unresolved.
In 2004, Harris became part of the main cast on the adult animated sitcom "Father of the Pride" (2004-2005). The main characters were anthropomorphic white lions, and Harris was cast as 16-year-old lioness Sierra. Her character was depicted as a rebellious teenager, who was frustrated by her inept parents. A subplot involving Sierra was that her boyfriend Dean was an older male, who already had children from a previous relationship. The series lasted for a single season and 14 episodes. While it started with strong ratings, the series' ratings rapidly declined during its run. The series won an Annie Award for its character design, which was considered unique.
During the following few years, Harris herself considered her career to have declined as she was offered no major roles in either film or television. When she heard of an upcoming remake of the original "Halloween" film, she decided to audition for a role. Rob Zombie, the film's director, was initially not interested in casting people who had participated in any of the older films in the series. He was, however, sufficiently impressed with Harris' audition to cast her in the role of Annie Brackett. Annie was a relatively minor character in the original "Halloween" film (where she was played by Nancy Kyes), but was she was re-imagined as one of the main characters in the remake. After capturing Annie, Mike Myers decides to torture her instead of killing her. She survives the events of the film. Harris' role required her to perform her first nude scene, and she noted in an interview that she felt more vulnerable than ever before.
"Halloween" (2007) was released to great success, and earned $80.4 million at the worldwide box office. It was at that time the highest-grossing film in the entire film series. As Harris had hoped, the film helped revive her career and she started being considered a potential asset to horror films. Among her next few projects were the fantasy horror film "The Black Waters of Echo's Pond" (2009), the slasher film "Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet" (2009), and the superhero comedy "Super Capers" (2009). "Blood Night" was the first time that Harris played the main villain in a film.
Also in 2009, Harris played Annie Brackett in the sequel "Halloween II". Annie was depicted as Laurie Strode's housemate, scarred due to previous torture but mentally stable in comparison to the traumatized Laurie. Michael Myers eventually kills Annie, which leads to the further deterioration of Laurie's sanity. The film earned only $39.5 million at the worldwide box office, and it was seen as far more brutal than the previous films in the series.
During the 2010s, Harris further established her reputation as a scream queen with many horror-themed roles. Among her most notable appearances was playing recurring character Marybeth Dunston in two films of the "Hatchet" film series. Harris replaced Tamara Feldman, who had originally portrayed the character. In 2013, Harris directed the horror comedy "Among Friends". This was her directorial debut.
In 2013, Harris was engaged to her boyfriend David Gross. In January 2014, the couple had a private wedding ceremony in Holualoa, Hawaii. Harris was 36-years-old at the time of her wedding, and she had no previous marriages or engagements. She had her first son in 2017, and a second son in 2018. In 2019, Harris played a member of the Manson Family in the historical film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", a film depiction of the Tate murders (1969).
Harris has had relatively few new roles in the early 2020s. She maintains a large fan following due to her previous roles. By 2022, Harris was 45-year-old. She has been an actress for most of her life, and seems to have no plans to retire yet. She has stated in interviews that despite several difficulties in her career over the years, she has managed to never quit trying. This determination has helped her endure in show business for decades.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Jason Reitman is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who notably directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air, Young Adult and Tully. He produced Chloe and Jennifer's Body, two films that advanced Amanda Seyfried's career for adult oriented roles. He is the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two Ghostbusters films and Twins.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Isaac "Ike" Barinholtz, born February 18, 1977, is an American actor, comedian, voice actor and writer, known as a cast member on Mad TV (1995), from 2002-2007, and for his roles on The Mindy Project (2012) and Eastbound & Down (2009). He spent two years in Amsterdam with the famed comedy improve troupe Boom Chicago along with Jordan Peele, Josh Meyers, and Nicole Parker. Barinholtz hosted the Worst of Boom Night during the 10-year anniversary of Boom Chicago, where they performed their worst material from previous shows.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Eric Balfour is a true Angelino, one who embraces everything the City of Angels has to offer. As a lover of the ocean he is an avid surfer and supports many environmental causes. His charitable endeavors
include Surfrider, Oceana and Sea Shepard. As a lover of fashion he's built an incredible sustainable clothing company Electric & Rose
made in Los Angeles with his wife Erin. Its namesake is an homage to the cross streets in Venice where they called home. And lastly his
acting which he may be most known for. As a creative force in both film and TV, Balfour continues to play interesting and captivating
characters. He will next be seen in the Amazon series Wilderness. He was last
seen in the Paramount Plus series The Offer. Other notable roles include the acclaimed Six Feet Under, 24, Ray Donovan, Haven,
Country Comfort and many others.
On the big screen, Balfour can be seen in a laundry list of films among a whose who of Hollywood. Notable films include Texas
Chainsaw Massacre and indie and award winning films like Quention Tarantino's Hellride Ariel Vromen's RX and Clement Virgos Lie With
Me. Balfour lives in Los Angeles with his wife Erin his two sons Oliver and Romeo and his dog Coconut. When not on set you can find him at the beach with his family.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
During the early 2000s, actor Scoot McNairy quickly came to specialize in portrayals of colorful and individualistic young men with a slightly rebellious edge. McNairy began during the early to mid-2000s, with bit parts in films including Wonderland (2003), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), and Art School Confidential (2006). He took his first bow as a producer with 2007's In Search of a Midnight Kiss, in which he also starred. That indie romantic comedy concerns a young man (McNairy) all washed up on New Year's Eve -- until an impulsive ad on Craigslist leads him to the great love of his life (Sara Simmonds) and an extraordinary night on the town.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Clea DuVall was born in Los Angeles on September 25, 1977, to Rosemary
(Hatch) and actor Steph DuVall. DuVall's
teenage years presented her with many challenges. Her parents divorced
when she was twelve, and, when her mother remarried, DuVall moved out
because she did not feel at home in the newly-reconstituted family,
dropping out of high school and getting her own apartment. An only
child, she sought entertainment in movies and television programs,
which she consumed voraciously, memorizing entire scenes from movies.
Though a rather shy person, DuVall decided she wanted to be an actress,
and returned to high school, this time the Los Angeles High School of
the Arts. However, the rigors of independent living (she had to work to
support herself) meant that she could spend little time in class, and,
as a result, she fared poorly in the school.
Nonetheless, DuVall had intensity, commitment and strong natural
talent, and soon after graduating, the roles began to come, at first
guest spots in television programs and small roles in small films. Soon
her first major role came, in
Robert Rodriguez's successful
1998 take on the alien-body-snatcher genre,
The Faculty (1998), which featured
many other up-and-coming young actors such as
Elijah Wood and
Josh Hartnett, as well as a strong
cast of established adult performers. DuVall played Stokely, a bizarre,
tough Goth Girl. This role was typical of DuVall's casting - the
outsider, attractive though in an edgy and sometimes slightly
disturbing way. (DuVall is pretty and can be glamorous, or can appear
rough-around-the-edges, for a role.) Similar roles came in
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
as a tattooed lesbian and
Girl, Interrupted (1999) as a
mental patient.
DuVall is a complex person - soft-spoken and friendly, yet tough and
independent - and she ably lends this complexity to her characters,
making her a popular casting choice. She continues to turn in strong
performances in such productions as the ensemble thriller
Identity (2003), the HBO
supernatural series
Carnivàle (2003) and the
critically-praised 21 Grams (2003).
DuVall is a chain smoker and a close friend of director
Jamie Babbit. She is no relation to veteran
actors Robert Duvall or
Shelley Duvall.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor. He was born in Sacramento,
California, to actors Samantha Lewes and
Tom Hanks. Colin is best-known for his work as
"Jack Bailey" in the series,
The Good Guys (2010) and as
"Alex Whitman" in Roswell (1999).
Hanks' best-known film role may be in the teen movie,
Orange County (2002), with
Jack Black and
John Lithgow. His best-known
television role was "Alex Whitman", the love interest of
Katherine Heigl in the science fiction
series, Roswell (1999) between 1999
and 2001. Hanks also made an appearance in an episode of
The O.C. (2003). He appeared in part
eight of the HBO mini-series,
Band of Brothers (2001).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jordana Ariel Spiro was born on April 12, 1977 in Manhattan, New York. She was raised in Manhattan and studied at the Circle in the Square Theatre School. She also briefly attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Spiro splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. In addition to acting, Spiro has a passion for photography and has produced and directed several shorts. In fall 2009, she began the MFA Program in Filmmaking at Columbia University.
Spiro begun her acting career in the 1990's appearing in mostly comedic TV shows and TV movies: Maybe This Time (1995), Her Last Chance (1996), If These Walls Could Talk (1996), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), Silk Stalkings (1991), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and City Guys (1997). She got her first recurring roles on One World (1998) and Undressed (1999). Her first regular role was on the short lived The Huntress (2000) as Annette O'Toole's bounty hunter daughter. After The Huntress she mostly guest starred on TV shows, such as Out of Practice (2005), CSI: NY (2004), Cold Case (2003) and had a recurring role on JAG (1995) as Lt. Catherine Graves.
She also appeared in feature films: Must Love Dogs (2005), Partner(s) (2005), Alone with Her (2006), Living & Dying (2007), The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008) and Trespass (2011). She starred in TBS' comedy My Boys (2006) as P.J., a twenty-something guy's girl, who tries to find romance within her world dominated by male friends. "My Boys" ended in 2010 after four seasons. She also appeared in Neal Brennan's The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) opposite Jeremy Piven, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle. In 2011, she had a recurring role on Harry's Law (2011) as Rachael Miller. She also guest starred on Dexter (2006) and had a recurring role as Detective Jenna Villette on The Good Wife (2009). She was the lead on The Mob Doctor (2012), but unfortunately it was cancelled after 13 episodes. Besides guest starring on Tyrant (2014) and Royal Pains (2009), she has had a recurring role since 2015 on NBC's hit Blindspot (2015) as Sarah Weller.- Actress
- Additional Crew
As a child, Bree spent her time traveling the country with her family
and her pro-football player father. During her teens, Turner's parents
settled in Northern California where Bree first discovered a love for
dance. In high school, she honed her talents in everything from ballet
to jazz. When she moved to Los Angeles to study dance at UCLA, she was
discovered by a dance agent and immediately landed roles as a dancer in
countless high profile films such as
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997),
She's All That (1999) and
The Big Lebowski (1998), among
others. She danced her way into high profile nationally televised award
shows and commercials, as well as major music videos with everyone from
Brian Setzer to Sugar Ray. She appeared in spots for Hyundai, Gap, Dr.
Pepper and the 2003 Budweiser spot "Top 10 of All-Time", which aired
during the Super Bowl. Before she knew it, her passion had turned into
a full fledged dancing career.
This career exposed her to countless hours on television and movie
sets, where she truly felt right at home. She caught the acting bug and
decided to turn her focus to this newfound passion. Turner credits her
dancing for the focus she put forth towards acting. She immersed
herself in the new art, studying theater at King's College in London
and enrolling in a series of acting classes with some of the best
teachers in the business.
She immediately made her mark in Hollywood as
Rob Schneider's love interest,
"Allison the Fish Girl", in the ever popular movie
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999),
and as the snobby bouffant haired Tri-Pi "Tiffany" in
Sorority Boys (2002). She opened
the mega-hit
The Wedding Planner (2001) as
a nervous bride, alongside
Jennifer Lopez and captivated
audiences as head cheerleader "Tina Hammersmith" in the hit film
Bring It on: Again (2004).
In addition, she starred in the critically acclaimed Carsey/Werner
Oxygen Network comedy
Good Girls Don't... (2004)
as "Marjorie".
Bree has also made her mark within the independent film world including
the Sundance award-winning piece
The Quest for Length (2002),
a critically acclaimed mockumentary in which Bree played the supportive
girlfriend of a man who was on a comical quest to enlarge his penis.
Not only do critics love her performance on the big screen, but they
praise her for the work she does on stage as well.
Recently, Bree wrapped the indie comedy
The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008),
starring Jimmy Fallon and
The TV Set (2006), starring
Sigourney Weaver. She can be seen in
Firehouse Dog (2007), a story that
follows "Rexxx", Hollywood's most in-demand canine star. Turner plays
"Liz Knowles", a Hollywood film producer who is the force behind the
famous celebrity dog. Also, you can catch her in
Just My Luck (2006), a comedy
starring Lindsay Lohan about the luckiest
girl in the world who somehow loses it. Bree plays Lohan's best friend
"Dana" who helps her troubled friend try and reclaim the luck she once
had through a whirlwind of events. Bree also starred opposite
Ethan Embry in an episode of Showtime's
Masters of Horror (2005),
an anthology series directed and co-written by famed filmmaker
Don Coscarelli.
When she is not working on a film or a television show, Bree spends her
time honing her craft as an actress, working with charities and
spending time with her family and friends.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Kerry Washington is an African-American actress, television show producer and film director who is known for her roles in Scandal, Ray, the Tim Story Fantastic Four film series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Confirmation, Django Unchained, Little Fires Everywhere, Cars 3 and The Last King of Scotland. She had two children from Nnamdi Asomugha.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), the Operative in Serenity (2005), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Luke in Children of Men (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009) and Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015).
Chiwetelu Umeadi Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977 in Forest Gate, London, England, to Nigerian parents, Obiajulu (Okaford), a pharmacist, and Arinze Ejiofor, a doctor. Chiwetel attended Dulwich College in South-East London. By the age of 13, he was appearing in numerous school and National Youth Theatre productions and subsequently attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).
Ejiofor caught the attention of Steven Spielberg who cast him in the critically acclaimed Amistad (1997) alongside Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. He has since been seen on the big screen in numerous features including Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things (2002) (for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, the Evening Standard Film Awards, and the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards), Love Actually (2003), Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004), Kinky Boots (2005), Inside Man (2006), Children of Men (2006), American Gangster (2007) and Talk to Me (2007), for which his performance won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ejiofor has balanced his film and television commitments with a number of prestigious stage productions. In 2008, his portrayal of the title role in Michael Grandage's "Othello" at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Ewan McGregor was unanimously commended and won him best actor at the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He also received nominations in the South Bank Show Awards and the What's On Stage Theatregoers' Choice Awards in 2009. His other stage roles include Roger Michell's "Blue/Orange" in 2000 which received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play, and the same year Tim Supple's "Romeo and Juliet" in which Ejiofor portrayed the title role.
Following his television debut in the series episode Deadly Voyage (1996), Ejiofor has complimented his film and theatre work on the small screen in productions including Murder in Mind (2001), created by the award-winning writer Anthony Horowitz, Trust (2003), Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003), and Canterbury Tales (2003). His television appearance in the hard hitting emotional drama Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) alongside Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo and Tim Roth earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award as well as an NAACP Image award.
Ejiofor also appeared in such notable films as Endgame (2009), Channel 4's moving drama set in South Africa for which his performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries; Roland Emmerich's action feature 2012 (2009), opposite John Cusack, Danny Glover and Thandiwe Newton; and Salt (2010), opposite Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber. In 2013, he starred in Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) and 12 Years a Slave (2013), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the latter film.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Born and raised in upstate New York.
Attended Syracuse University, where he was the first undergraduate to receive a combined Directing degree from the Theatre and Film schools.
He is involved with several charitable organizations including Oceana, The Humane Society, and The Creative Coalition.
He lives in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rachael Stirling was born on 30 May 1977 in St Marylebone, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), The Young Victoria (2009) and Tipping the Velvet (2002). She has been married to Guy Garvey since 3 June 2016. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Zachary Quinto was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Margaret J.
(McArdle), an Irish-American office worker, and Joseph John Quinto, an
Italian-American barber. Zachary graduated from Central Catholic High
School in Pittsburgh, with the class of 1995, where he won Pittsburgh's
Gene Kelly Award for Best Supporting
Actor for his performance as the Major General in Gilbert and
Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". He then went on to attend
Carnegie Mellon University, where he continued to hone his talents by
performing in plays and musicals. He first appeared on numerous
television series since 2000 and, in 2003, landed the role of computer
expert "Adam Kaufman" on the Fox series,
24 (2001), during its third season. In
2006, Quinto portrayed serial killer "Sylar" on the science fiction
series, Heroes (2006), until its
cancellation in 2010, after four seasons. He was cast in his first main
film role as "Spock", in the hugely successful franchise reboot,
Star Trek (2009).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Marguerite C. Moreau born April 25, 1977 is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Katie in the comedy cult film Wet Hot American Summer, and her role in The Mighty Ducks series of films. She has also made appearances on the popular television series Smallville, Lost, Cupid and The O.C.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Jonathan Joseph Heder is an American actor and producer who is known for portraying Napoleon Dynamite in 2004. He returned to play the role in an animated series and a 2005 MTV Movie Awards skit. He also acted in the Pororo the Penguin films including Pororo's Racing Adventure, Pororo's Dinosaur Island, Pororo: Treasure Island Adventure, Surf's Up, Just Like Heaven, Pinocchio: A True Story, The Benchwarmers, Blades of Glory, Monster House, Momma's Boy and other works. He is married to Kirsten Bales since 2004 and has three children. In 2022 He appeared in one episode of Studio C as a guest star.- Jill Flint moved to New York when she was 17 and started taking acting classes. She studied at the William Esper Acting studio. She is an actress, known for Garden State (2004), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Women (2008). For a while, she appeared in Gossip Girl (2007) as Bex. Flint was married to Drew Conrad in 2014 and they divorced in 2019.
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Kal Penn was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, to Asmita, a
fragrance evaluator, and Suresh Modi, an engineer. His parents are
Gujarati immigrants to America from India. He attended the Freehold
Regional High School District's Performing Arts High School where he
participated in the school's theater productions. In 1995, he moved to
Los Angeles to study at the UCLA's prestigious School of Theatre, Film
and Television. He majored in film and sociology. He began his acting
career in several indie films. His breakthrough film role came in the
comedy
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004).
Several Harold & Kumar films have followed. He went on to appear for 2
years in the television series
House (2004). He developed an
interest in politics from his grandparents who marched for India's
independence. In 2009, he joined the Obama administration as an
Associate Director.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Edgley was born in Perth. She is the daughter of concert and circus
promoter Michael Edgley, known for bringing the Moscow State Circus to
Australia during the 1980s. Her mother, Jeni Edgley, is involved in
managing a 250-acre health retreat. As a child, Gigi Edgley performed
both in and out of school. She also took several years of ballet, jazz,
and character dance. She became mainly interested in acting and had her
first professional theatrical engagement at the Twelfth Night Theater.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Queensland University of
Technology in 1998. In 1999 she began acting steadily in Australia on
T.V. As a believer in the school of method acting, Gigi has developed a
broad set of skills and experiences for her roles. She is proficient in
ballet, jazz, character dance, singing, and martial arts. Her early TV
and film work included several independent productions (with later
Farscape (1999) co-star Anthony Simcoe), as well a guest star spot on the
popular Australian series Water Rats (1996) and a role in Australian TV Mini-Series
titled The Day of the Roses (1998).
She is undoubtedly best known for her role as Chiana on the science
fiction TV series Farscape (1999). She originally was hired for only one
episode, and her character was supposed to die at the end of the hour.
The creators however decided to keep her around for a few more
episodes. At the beginning of Season 2, she was promoted to be a
regular on the show. She appeared in total of 68 episodes of the
series. Her character's nickname (Pip) was actually coined by her
co-star Ben Browder.
Between seasons, she has appeared in other guest starring roles on TV,
including the popular internationally aired series The Lost World (1999) and
BeastMaster (1999). After the cancellation of Farscape she pursued other
projects including a role in the Australian TV drama BlackJack (2003).
She has also appeared in many popular Australian TV shows
such as The Secret Life of Us (2001) and Stingers (1998).
In 2004 She reprised Her role as Chiana in the SciFi Channel miniseries
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2003).
In 2006 She starred as the female lead in critically acclaimed
Australian Drama/Thriller Last Train to Freo (2006). Her role was nominated
for a Best Actress in a Lead Role by the Film Critics Circle of
Australia. She also had a minor supporting role in the 2007 USA Network
TV miniseries The Starter Wife (2007). Also in 2007 and 2008 she garnered two
feature length movie roles. In 07 it was the Sci-Fi movie, Showdown at Area 51 (2007),
and in 08 she was back at work down under in the movie
Newcastle (2008). In 2009 She began work on the Aussie T.V. series Rescue Special Ops (2009) as Lara Knight.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Liza Weil's childhood was spent traveling around the world with her parents, who were members of The Mad House of London, a prestigious comedy troupe known throughout Europe. At the age of 7, Liza's family settled in a small town in Pennsylvania, and soon after, she began performing in local theater. Without any formal training, her parents helped guide her career, permitting Liza to travel several times a month to audition for roles in Manhattan. After a series of standout theatrical performances in such plays as "Our Town" and "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds," casting directors began to take notice of Liza. She has also appeared Off-Broadway in the Playwright's Horizon production of "Life By Asphyxiation" and has performed onstage in several regional productions, including "The Miracle Worker" and "Fifteen Minute Hamlet," among others. She made her feature film debut in Whatever (1998) which premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Rob McElhenney was born on 14 April 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005), Mythic Quest (2020) and Latter Days (2003). He has been married to Kaitlin Olson since 27 September 2008. They have two children.