Christians involved in movies
Christians involved in movies, simple as that.
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- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
David A.R. White has been a working actor, director and producer in Los Angeles for over twenty years. He was raised in a small Mennonite farming community outside of Dodge City, Kansas.
At the age of 19, David moved to LA, and only six months after moving, landed a recurring role on the hit top 10, TV CBS sitcom, Evening Shade for close to four years. He played the best friend of Burt Reynolds's son. David then went on to guest appearances on such shows as: Coach, Saved by the Bell, Sisters, Melrose Place, Martial Law and many others.
In 1999, produced and starred in his first feature length film, The Moment After. The following year, he produced and starred in the groundbreaking faith based theatrical film, Mercy Streets opposite Eric Roberts, Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros. David was nominated for a movie guide's "best actor" award for his dual roles in the film. Sony picked up both films for distribution. David kept producing and starring in films throughout the next several years.
In late 2005, David became a founding partner in the film distribution/production entity Pure Flix.
Today, Pure Flix maintains its position as the number one Faith based studio, producing and distributing more films in this genre than any other studio. David also maintains his position as one of the most prolific actors/filmmakers in the faith based arena, as he writes, directs, produces and stars in many of the films.
David has starred in over 20 films. Some of his film credits include: SIX...the Mark Unleashed, The Moment After 1,2, In the Blink of an Eye, Hidden Secrets, Holyman Undercover, Run On, Marriage Retreat, Me Again, Jerusalem Countdown (based on the best selling book that sold over 2 million units and the Revelation Road movies.
In 2012, David created, produced and starred in the UP original film, Brother White. He co-starred with Reginald Vel Johnson, Jackee, Victoria Jackson, academy award nominee Bruce Davison and Ray Wise. At the TCA's that year, David got rave reviews and became a darling, charming the critics with his real life Mennonite stories.
For his performance in Brother White, David was named a finalist in 5th Annual Cable FAX Program Awards in the category of Best Actor - Family Friendly
In 2014, David produced and Co Starred in the #1 live action independent movie of the year, God's Not Dead. He starred with Kevin Sorbo and Dean Cain in God's Not Dead. God's Not Dead maintains it's position as the 6th most profitable movie in cinema history based on it's ROI.
Also in 2014, David helped produced a new Sony Film, Mom's Night Out.
In 2015, David starred in the new action/comedy dog movie Dancer and the Dame. He starred opposite Billy Gardell. (Mike on Mike & Molly). David continues to be at the helm of Pure Flix shooting and releasing 4 theatricals films a year, and building and creating content such as Malibu Dan, the God's Not Dead franchise and David's latest, Beckman for Pureflix.com- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Al Kasha has reached the top of every field that he has lent his talents to: as a writer, producer, composer, motivational speaker and executive working in theatre, film, television, home video, music publishing, and recording.
Kasha is one of those rare artists who, as a composer/lyricist, has had hit records over the last five decades, starting in the sixties and continuing on to the seventies, eighties, nineties and into the present, ranging from Elvis Presley to Aretha Franklin to Helen Reddy to Sherrie Austin to Donna Summer.
He has been awarded two Oscars and had two other Academy Award nominations for his critically acclaimed work in films. His first Academy Award for Best Song was for "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure, and his second for "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno. Two additional nominations came from the Live-Action Animated Walt Disney classic Pete's Dragon, which is now a platinum best selling home video.
He also received Tony nominations for his work on "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" and the musical, "David Copperfield." In addition, he has received two Grammy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations and the coveted People's Choice award.
Al was born in Brooklyn, New York. He lived over the store where his mother and father had a little barber shop and beauty parlor. His father was a violent alcoholic who was abusive and his mother, engulfed by paranoia, contributed to a challenging family life. Though Al had many struggles growing up, he lived across the street from the Warner Brothers-Vitagraph Studios, where he and his brother played extras in various movie trailers of the time. Then a man at the studio heard him sing, and his show biz career was born. At sixteen he began to write songs and after a few years, his songs were recorded by the likes of Jackie Wilson, Elvis and Bobby Darin. He then followed his passion to become a record producer at the age of twenty-two. From there he went on to head A&R at CBS Records' music publishing company. He was responsible for the signing of: Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin.
Kasha then discovered Rodney Dangerfield in 1966 in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and financed, produced and recorded Rodney's first album at the Upstairs Downstairs club in Greenwich Village, called "The Loser," and was the first person to give the struggling, unknown comedian the idea for the image of "no respect." The album was released on Decca/Uni Records. Though he enjoyed a fruitful career in New York during the musical heyday of the 60s, in 1968, he moved to Hollywood to pursue a musical career in the motion picture business.
With over thirty motion picture scores to his credit, some of his best loved work has stemmed from his scoring contributions to films such as the animated classic "All Dogs Go To Heaven," the live action adventure "Giant Of Thunder Mountain," "China Cry" (which won the coveted Angel Award) and "Rudolph, The red Nosed Reindeer," an Animated Movie Musical, starring John Goodman and Whoopi Goldberg. He also produced the film Take This Job And Shove It, inspired by the hit song of the same name.
In the television arena: Kellogg's TV Animated Musical special - "A Toucan Can," starring Donna Summer and Jason Alexander; NBC-TV 2-hour Prime Time Animated Musical Special of Charles Dickens' classic "David Copperfield" starring Julian Lennon, Sheena Easton, Howie Mandel, Michael York, and Andrea Martin. This special, co-produced by Mr. Kasha, also aired in Canada and France; and ABC-TV "The Kingdom Chums," a Prime Time Animated Musical Special featuring Tony Orlando, Billy Preston, Debby Boone, Frankie Valli, and Marilyn McCoo. Other Prime Time Animated Musical Specials include ABC's "Precious Moments," CBS/Marvel/McDonalds "The Magic Paintbrush" and The Family Channel's "The Little Tree."
Even though the world gifted him with Oscars and other tokens of recognition for his work, his life was based on the bondage of achievement. He never felt the peace which he had once assumed would accompany that kind of acclaim. This workaholism and striving resulted in depression and illness, which manifested itself in a disease called agoraphobia, a paralyzing fear of being in open, public places. At the height of his success, he had won two Academy Awards and received many other awards, but the burden of balancing work and personal life became completely overwhelming.
During this time, Al discovered his faith the in church and became a born-again believer. Since then, his life changed greatly, to the point where he can comfortably travel and speak to groups about agoraphobia and the deliverance of fears as well as about being a Christian living in Hollywood. In January 1984, he was ordained a minister. That same year, the weekly Hollywood Bible studies that he had originated became so big that he and his wife started a church, the Oasis Christian Fellowship. Now the Hollywood Bible Study has grown, through the inspirational ministry of Tim Storey, to reach over a thousand people monthly. He continues to speak at Churches, universities and executive ministries around the world and teach songwriting around the country. Amongst many other universities and organizations, Kasha has spoken at Yale, UCLA, University of Southern California, University of Colorado, University of San Francisco, Pacific Azusa, Pepperdine, Fuller, Regent University, Oral Roberts University, Kings College and Seminary, ASCAP Workshop, Songwriters Guild, and the National Academy of Songwriters, etc and serves on the board of Regent University in Virginia Beach.
Kasha is working on a number of stage and film projects including the musical, "Rejoice," with composer/record producer David Foster, a 14 time Grammy winner, and the Broadway bound musical "Ordinary Girl" based on the life of Donna Summer. He is also writing a film based on his time with the legend Jackie Wilson, entitled, "My Empty Arms." He still enjoys writing music, and recording with artists such as All 4 One, Sheena Easton, Juilian Lennon, and Donna Summer. The more recent contemporary artists to record his work are Eden's Crush of WB's Popstars and MTV's 2-Gether, as well as Sherrie Austin, who received the number one country/Christian record of 2004 with Al's hit "Streets of Heaven," as well as Donna Summer's whose hit with Al, "I'm A Fire," which climbed to number one on the Billboard Dance Charts. As two-time Tony Nominees, Al Kasha is now enjoying the triumphant run of his musical, "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers," which is tours nationally and internationally in the United Kingdom.
They wrote the international standard, "The Old Fashioned Way," with Charles Aznavour, one of the many successful songs they collaborated on with Aznavour. This material will be featured in "The Life Of Charles Aznavour," slated for the West End and produced by Mike Merrick.
Kasha received the 2004 ASCAP Country Award for his top hit, "Streets of Heaven" recorded by Sherrie Austin.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
John Richard Schneider IV was born April 8, 1960, in Mt. Kisco, New York, to Shirley and John Richard "Jack" Schneider III, a pilot and U.S. Air Force veteran. His parents divorced when he was two. John began acting at the age of eight. He was in many plays in New York City. He and his mother moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when he was fourteen. He got involved in the local theater and was in many local productions. He had a small part in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) starring Burt Reynolds.
His big break came when he won the role of Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) on CBS from 1979-1985. He auditioned for the role pretending he was a genuine country boy. He had a weeks growth of beard and held a beer can claiming he was from Snellville, Georgia. He later became a very successful country singer and had several hit songs including "I've Been Around Enough To Know" and "Country Girls." He has since opened Faith Works Productions in San Antonio, Texas. He also appears in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) as Daniel Simon/Red McCall.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Tommy Blaze is known for God's Not Dead: We the People (2021), Love on the Rock (2021) and Friends (1994).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Victoria was raised in a Bible-believing, piano-playing, gymnastic home with no TV. Her dad was a gym coach so she competed in gymnastics from age 5 to 18. Was a cheerleader and a homecoming queen. Attended Florida Bible College; received a gymnastic scholarship to Furman University, attended Auburn University one year and ended up in Hollywood, California via summer-stock in Birmingham, where she met Johnny Crawford (The Rifleman). Crawford sent her a one-way ticket to the show-biz capital and put her in his night club act. Supporting herself as a cigarette girl and as a typist at the American Cancer Society, and waitress at The Kipling Retirement Hotel, she performed stand-up comedy for two years until Johnny Carson put her act (which consisted of her doing a handstand while reciting poetry) on national TV. Following 7 appearances with Johnny, she starred in many movies and TV shows, most notably, Saturday Night Live (1986-1992).
In 1991, she re-united with her high school sweetheart, married him, and moved to Florida where he was a police helicopter pilot. She raised a family and recorded two children's album, "Ukulele Lady," and "Ukulele Ditties for Itty Bitty Kiddies," by Choo Choo Records, and produced a collection of her original songs, "Use Me," by Birdie Singer Publishing. In 2012, Jackson's husband retired and they followed their grown daughters and grandchildren to Nashville where Jackson continues to perform her songs and stand up onstage. She still does an occasional movie or TV show, most recently she appeared in "Matchbreaker" on Netflix, played the wife of Eric Estrada in the Pureflix sitcom, "Malibu Dan (2018), and played Alma in "Lost Heart" (2020).
Jackson authored "Is My Bow Too Big?" in 2012, about how she got on TV, published by White Hall, and she authored "Lavender Hair," published by Broadstreet, about her breast cancer journey and recovery in 2017. Jackson got her Master's Degree in Film from Lipscomb University in 2021.
She is in pre-production for a reality show about her singing at the Grand Ol' Opry, and is producing a feature film that she wrote, Jane Blond Saves the World (One Mistake at a Time).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kirk Thomas Cameron was born in Panorama City, California, to Barbara Cameron (née Barbara Jeanne Bausmith), a homemaker, and Robert Cameron, a teacher. Though his parents initially did not project show business aspirations onto their children, a family friend in the business noted to Barbara that both Kirk and his sister, Candace Cameron Bure, were cute enough that they could easily pick up lucrative work in commercials. After Cameron began appearing in TV ads for "Polaroid", "McDonald's" and "Count Chocula" cereal, he found himself wound up in Hollywood's notorious child-star mill, netting minor cute-kid parts in a handful of TV movies, including a couple of Disney projects and two ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) (1972-95). In 1983, he landed a regular gig, as a precocious kid, in ABC's Two Marriages (1983), a show that remained on the air less than a month. He found a more winning formula in 1985 with Growing Pains (1985), playing the oldest son of a family headed by a psychiatrist (Alan Thicke) and a journalist (Joanna Kerns), one in a sequence of family network sitcoms characterized by with-it parents and mischievous-but-squeaky-clean kids. On the show, Cameron played the incorrigible but dumb "Mike Seaver" and his winning portrayal won over a large number of teen fans. In spite of scathing critical notices, "Growing Pains" ranked among Nielsen's top 20 network shows for its first four seasons, rising to No. 5 in its 1987-88 year. On the heels of his sitcom success, Cameron appeared in his first feature film in 1986, the Robin Williams/Kurt Russell glory-days comedy, The Best of Times (1986).
ABC would pump up Cameron as its "It" boy, and his trademark smirk in coming years would grace covers of a raft of teen magazines. Meanwhile, job offers cropped up to exploit his proverbial 15 minutes; he played the son/father of Dudley Moore in Like Father Like Son (1987), one of Hollywood's periodic flavor-du-jour retreads of the mystical parent/sibling body-switch comedies; netted the starring role in a high-profile Pepsi Super Bowl XXIV commercial; rated top-billing in Listen to Me (1989), an overwrought, widely-panned college drama about debate team wonks arguing against Roe v. Wade; and did a guest-shot, alongside sister Candace, on her ABC sister sitcom, Full House (1987) (1987-1995). Firmly established as the resident star of "Growing Pains", Cameron saw his pay jump to $50,000 a week and his fans sending him some 10,000 letters a week. But his coming-of-age took an unexpected turn, at least for everyone who worked with him. As he would later recall it in his autobiography, "Still Growing", the family of his first girlfriend initially exposed the 17-year-old to evangelical Christianity. Cameron experienced what he would later describe as a "life-changing encounter with Jesus" and declared himself "born again".- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University, intent on a career in journalism. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. He left A.C.T. after only one year to seek work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in a summer stock theater stage production in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The play was "Wings of the Morning", which is about the founding of the colony of Maryland (now the state of Maryland) and the early days of the Maryland colonial assembly (a legislative body). He played the part of a real historical character, Mathias Da Sousa, although much of the dialogue was created. Afterwards he began to pursue screen roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful presence, he had no difficulty finding work in numerous television productions.
He made his first big screen appearance in Carbon Copy (1981) with George Segal. Through the 1980s, he worked in both movies and television and was chosen for the plum role of Dr. Philip Chandler in NBC's hit medical series St. Elsewhere (1982), a role that he would play for six years. In 1989, his film career began to take precedence when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tripp, the runaway slave in Edward Zwick's powerful historical masterpiece Glory (1989).
Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1990s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). Malcolm X and The Hurricane garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Actor, before he finally won that statuette in 2002 for his lead role in Training Day (2001).
Through the 1990s, Denzel also co-starred in such big budget productions as The Pelican Brief (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996), and Courage Under Fire (1996), a role for which he was paid $10 million. He continued to define his onscreen persona as the tough, no-nonsense hero through the 2000s in films like Out of Time (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). Cerebral and meticulous in his film work, he made his debut as a director with Antwone Fisher (2002); he also directed The Great Debaters (2007) and Fences (2016).
In 2010, Washington headlined The Book of Eli (2010), a post-Apocalyptic drama. Later that year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable (2010), about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. He has also been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of director Spike Lee.
In 2012, Washington starred in Flight (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012), and prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns (2013), alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in The Equalizer (2014), an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward. During this time period, he also took on the role of producer for some of his films, including The Book of Eli and Safe House.
In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.
He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Pauletta Washington, and their four children.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Jon & Andrew Erwin are a directing team that focus on developing and producing unique stories of redemption, faith, and triumph of the human spirit. The duo began their career as teenagers in their hometown of Birmingham, AL, working as camera operators for ESPN. Local games at the university of Alabama soon became a full time career as sports cameramen. The brothers eventually worked on everything from college football, the NBA, NFL, and the X Games. In 2002, the team began their own video production company and began to venture into commercials, documentaries and music videos. They found their greatest success in the world of music, directing videos and producing concerts and television programs for platinum artists like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Switchfoot, Skillet, Montgomery Gentry, and many others. Jon and Andrew won Music Video Of The Year at the GMA Dove Awards three years consecutively, as well as receiving a total of eleven nominations. They also have produced and directed several feature length documentaries including the multi-award winning 9/11 story, The Cross and the Towers, as well as the International dramatic short film series, God Provides. In 2010 the brothers shifted their focus full time to feature films. Their debut feature, October Baby, a coming of age drama, was released by Samuel Goldwyn and Provident Films and debuted theatrically in the top ten. They are currently working on their new feature comedy, Moms' Night Out, set for release in 2014.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Judge Reinhold has been in over seventy-five motion picture and television roles and enjoys a 25-year relationship with an international audience of all ages. His films include Stripes, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ruthless People, and Disney's Christmas franchise, The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3. Beverly Hills Cop 1, 2, 3 play continually internationally, making Judge a familiar presence worldwide. Fast Times and Beverly Hills Cop were voted by the American Film Institute as two of the "Top 100 American Comedies."
Judge received an Emmy nomination for his performance as "The Close Talker" on Seinfeld, and his guest star appearances in Seinfeld and Arrested Development received two of the highest ratings on both series. Judge most recently co-starred with Bruce Campbell in the indie comedy Highly Functional
Judge has been an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1987.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Louis Gossett Jr. was one of the most respected and beloved actors on stage, screen and television and was also an accomplished writer, producer and director. Off-screen, he was a social activist, educator, and author dedicated to enriching the lives of others. He was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable performance as drill Sergeant Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman".
Among his other awards were an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Fiddler in the groundbreaking ABC series "Roots", a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for "The Josephine Baker Story" and a Golden Globe for "An Officer and a Gentleman". He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, one Academy Award, five Images Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards and in 1992 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He received numerous other honors throughout his illustrious career.
His film debut was in the 1961 classic movie "A Raisin in the Sun" with Sidney Poitier. Other film credits include "The Deep," "Blue Chips," "Daddy's Little Girls," Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?," "Firewalker," "Jaws-3D," "Enemy Mine" and "Iron Eagle" 1-4, among many others. Television credits include "Extant," "Madam Secretary," "Boardwalk Empire," "Family Guy", and "ER", among dozens of others.
Gossett authored the bestselling autobiography "An Actor and a Gentleman", recounting the challenges and triumphs of his 50+ year career. Gossett was recognized as much for his humanitarian efforts as for his accomplishments as an actor. In 2006, he founded The Eracism Foundation which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating racism. The foundation provides young adults with tools to live a racially diverse and culturally inclusive life. Programs focus on fostering cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education and anti-violence initiatives.
Gossett was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and made his stage debut when he was 17 years old in "Take a Giant Step", which was selected as one of the 10 best Broadway shows of 1953 by the New York Times. He had two sons and resided in Malibu until his death in Santa Monica, California, in 2024, aged 87.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Dennis William Quaid was born on April 9, 1954 in Houston, Texas to Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" Quaid (née Jordan), a real estate agent & William Rudy Quaid, an electrician. He grew up in the Houston suburban city of Bellaire. He was raised a Baptist, and studied drama, Mandarin Chinese, and dance while a student at Bellaire High School. He continued study at the University of Houston, but dropped out before completing his degree. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film career where his brother, Randy Quaid, had already began to build a successful career. However, Dennis initially had trouble finding film roles, but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays with his band, "The Sharks". He holds a flying license and is a five handicap golfer.- Jenn Gotzon's career break came playing Pres. Nixon's daughter Tricia in the Oscar-nominated "Frost/Nixon", which launched Gotzon starring in many family films on Amazon winning awards and nominations for The Farmer and The Belle: Saving Santaland, Doonby, God's Country, Forgiven, Unbridled and My Daddy Is In Heaven. Producer, speaker, author, jewelry creator, International model and award-winning actress, Jenn Gotzon brings a natural radiance, emotional depth and transformed ability to the protagonist roles she plays on-screen revealing hope to the human condition.
Gotzon is married to her actor-producer husband Jim E. Chandler sharing their love story in "The Farmer and The Belle: Saving Santaland," a funny Christmas movie for the family. The movie has a message to bring value about inner beauty to girls and women inspired by Gotzon's personal life. Gotzon created the #Beauty Bracelet with five charms (smooth, coin sized with a Tiffany inspired chain) engraved with affirmative sayings to overcome life's lies about your physical appearance. This bracelet is the main story point in the family, Christmas movie, "The Farmer and The Belle: Saving Santaland" and is selling on QVC. Gotzon also co-authored with Michelle Cox (Hallmark's When God Calls the Heart) her first book, a devotional that unlocks revelation to the #Beauty Bracelet called Divine Beauty: Becoming Beautiful based on God's Truth. All products can be purchased at WWW.TheFarmerandTheBelle.net/shop.
With 2 Oscar-nominated films, under her belt, playing historical characters - Tricia Nixon in Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon" & British captive Lydia in "Alone Yet Not Alone" - Jenn's developed an uplifting brand as an American leading lady in wholesome and redemptive movies. Jenn Gotzon appears as the cover model on several magazines including Valley Social who printed, "Gotzon continuously garners awards for her Meryl Streep chameleon-like transformations" inspired from the Hollywood casting director Bill Dance after he saw Jenn win "Best Actress" for her protagonist role in short film "Stained." He told the press, "I felt like I was watching a young Meryl Streep on screen."
Top film critic in the family market, Ted Baehr with Movieguide, states, "Jenn Gotzon reveals character with an extraordinary emotional range better than almost anyone in Hollywood today!" Ted has influenced Jenn's career as a mentor guiding her to strive for excellence in storytelling.
Jenn has won awards from the Film Advisory Board for her performance as a destructive alcoholic party girl in "Doonby" opposite of John Schneider and Ernie Hudson. Followed by a festival "Best Actress" nod for her role as the Ferrari-driving egocentric firm partner in "God's Country." She received best actress for "Forgiven" playing hostage bound pastor's daughter and good-nature, adulterated wife in "The Good Book." Gotzon received recent success for bringing harmony to the racial divide through her first comedic role in the trending award-winning comedy "Love Different." Jenn's movies sell strong to her loyal following in the faith & family market: USA, Brazil, Europe & Asia.
From a small country town in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, Gotzon was raised in the church by supportive parents Ronnie and Jo-Ann who encouraged her to be active in sports and school activities. She became an all-star softball player, avid skier and learned leadership in student council. Her mom taught her how to pray and have faith, while her dad instilled stamina and confidence in her creativity saying, "If it were easy, everyone would do it."
Jenn warmly appreciates Chartreuse Talent Management in Allentown, PA who got her started with acting classes, pageants and public speaking at age 15. Her dedication to personal growth lead her to continue her education at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts two-year program in NYC and Joanne Baron / DW Brown Studio two-year conservatory in LA. In 1998, Gotzon moved to Orlando, FL to be a dancer for Walt Disney World's Entertainment Department as Sassy Buzz in the inaugural parade for the brand new Animal Kingdom. She is proud to say she is now fluent in Bumble Bee. Eventually, Gotzon made her way out west working in human resources for Google acclimating googles. In 2002, she landed her first protagonist role in romantic-drama "Julie and Jack" (directed by James Nguyen best known for his cult-classic "Birdemic") earning her a Best Actress award in the San Francisco independent film market. Finally, she journeyed south of San Francisco to the lights and glamour of Hollywood. She learned about Studio productions by doing stand-in work and made featured appearances on TV shows "Pushing Daisies", "House", "CSI: NY" and films "Yes Man" and "500 Days of Summer".
In 2008, she was blessed to help make cinematic history by starring in the dramatic short film "Stained" which was the first film ever shot on the RED Camera to win multiple awards at a film festival pulling in an astounding 13 accolades including a Best Actress award to Gotzon. A few months later, she received the Rising Star award for her ROM-com short "Chemistry" where festival judges started saying, "Jenn Gotzon has the effervescence of Reese Witherspoon and the emotional depth of Kate Winslet."
Later that year, her career exploded on the red carpet at the world premiere of "Frost/Nixon" in London at the BFI Film Festival. Her attributes were championed and encouraged by her late publicist and dear friend, Scotty Dugan. His red carpet vision came to fruition with Gotzon gracing the covers of magazines, newspapers and even appeared as a guest speaker for the Academy at the Aspen Academy Film Screening for her involvement playing one of the First Family members. Even though her character Tricia was in six scenes and all cut out to a few glimpses, independent filmmakers saw Gotzon's star rising.
In March 2010, Jenn was offered her first major lead role in "Doonby" surrounded by a veteran all-star cast: John Schneider, Ernie Hudson and Robert Davi. Since then, Jenn Gotzon has starred in over 20 film and television productions many of which were directly offered. She is proud to say that every one of these roles have remained in line with her passion: to entertain, to impact, to inspire and ultimately bring hope to audiences everywhere. Gotzon has a motivational speaking program called "Inspiring Audiences" where she travels nationwide and pioneers opportunities to show the movies she stars in, followed by in-depth conversation about moral lessons of the movie and an innovative exercise to help people grasp the passions of their heart to begin living their dreams.
Because of Jenn's brand to impact and inspire audiences, in 2014, China's most famous celebrity makeup artist, Brother Zhen, hired Jenn Gotzon to be the face of his company Jubilee. Her chameleon looks have her appearing on billboards and advertisements across Asia until 2018. Brother Zhen and his extraordinary team transformed Jenn into some of the most fascinating art depicted in photography. Some of those pictures are in the IMDb gallery. - Actress
- Producer
Rene Russo was born in Burbank, California, to Shirley (Balocca), a barmaid and factory laborer, and Nino Russo. Her father, a sculptor and mechanic, left the family when Rene was just two, and thus her mother raised Rene and her sister, Toni, as a single mom. Her father was of Italian descent, and her mother was of Italian and German-English-Irish ancestry.
In junior high school, Rene was plagued with scoliosis and had to wear a full-torso brace. She was already a tall girl, which earned her the nickname "Jolly Green Giant" from her classmates. She entered Burroughs High School, along with classmate Ron Howard, and even though her brace had been removed, she was still somewhat of a loner. Unable to deal with academics and the school social scene, Rene dropped out of school in the tenth grade. Since money was tight, she began to take a variety of part-time jobs over the next 18 months, many for the free benefits. She sold refreshments at a movie theater, where she could see free movies; worked as a restaurant hostess, where her meals were free; and worked as a store cashier at Disneyland, where she had free admission. She often had two jobs at one time. Her last job, which was solely for the paycheck, was a full-time job at an eyeglass factory, inspecting contact lenses.
In 1972, the 17-year-old was attending a Rolling Stones concert when she was approached by John Crosby, a scout and manager from International Creative Management. He told her she should be a model and had test photos made of her. Within a few months, Rene signed a contract with Ford Modeling Agency and within a year had become a successful print and photographers model. Soon her modeling breakthrough came when she graced the cover of Vogue. By 1975, she had appeared on numerous magazine covers, was one of the most successful models in America, and was also starting to be seen in several TV commercials through the 1980s. She would define what a top fashion model was for years to come.
By her 30th birthday, demand for her began to dwindle, as it did for most models at that age. She did a few more commercials and then turned her back on modeling and show business for a while. Financially secure for the next several years, she began an intense period of literature and Christian theology. She also began to study theater and acting, and began appearing in theater roles at small regional theaters in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California.
Her television series debut came in 1987 with a supporting part on the short-lived TV series Sable (1987). In 1989 she made her motion picture debut with the part of the lead characters girlfriend in the film Major League (1989). Her subsequent roles were that of girlfriends and supportive wives in a few films, until her breakthrough as an Internal Affairs detective in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992). Rene Russo has been praised for her ability to hold her own against her major male co-stars, who have included Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner and Pierce Brosnan. Two of her performances within the last few years have gotten her recognition as both a major dramatic actress and a talented character actress. One was as the mother of a kidnapped son in Ransom (1996). The other was as the cartoon femme fatale foreign spy in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000). Although the latter received mixed reviews among moviegoers and critics, Russo was praised for her performance of a role originally slated for Meryl Streep in 1992. Rene Russo has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since 1992, and they have one daughter, named Rose. They reside in Brentwood, California.- Actress
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While studying acting in New York with drama teacher William Esper, Heaton made her Broadway debut in the gospel musical "Don't Get God Started." She and her fellow students then formed Stage Three, an acting company that produced plays Off-Broadway. They took one production, "The Johnstown Vindicator," to Los Angeles, where Heaton's performance caught the eyes of casting directors. Consequently, Heaton portrayed the producer/daughter in the television series Room for Two (1992). Her additional television credits include a starring role in the series Someone Like Me (1994), a regular role in Women of the House (1995), and a recurring role on Thirtysomething (1987). She also starred in the highly rated television movie Miracle in the Woods (1997), with Della Reese. Her feature film credits include Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), Beethoven (1992), The New Age (1994) and Space Jam (1996).
For her role in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Heaton won 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was nominated for a 1999 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and won the 1998-99 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Award.
Heaton was born in Cleveland and lives with her husband, David Hunt, and their four sons in Los Angeles.- Director
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Christopher Cain was born on 29 October 1943 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Young Guns (1988), Pure Country 2: The Gift (2010) and September Dawn (2007).- Producer
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Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. His family subsequently lived in Oklahoma and he went to school in Austin, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in philosophy in 1965.
A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he attended Magdalen College, Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship, but did not finish his thesis on Martin Heidegger, allegedly because of a disagreement with his advisor. Returning to the States, he taught philosophy at M.I.T. and published a translation of Heidegger's "Vom Wesen des Grundes" as "The Essence of Reasons". Malick did not get his PhD in philosophy: Instead, he attended the American Film Institute Conservatory in its inaugural year (1969), taking a Masters of Fine Arts degree in film-making. His masters thesis was the seventeen-minute comedy short Lanton Mills (1969), which starred Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton. Malick himself acted in the short.
At A.F.I., Malick made a lasting association with Jack Fisk, who would establish himself as an Oscar-nominated art director and production designer and serve as art director on all of Malick's films. He also picked up Mike Medavoy as an agent, who got Malick work doctoring scripts and marketed his original ones. He wrote the screenplay for the 1972 Alan Arkin trucker movie Deadhead Miles (1972), which was many miles from Harvard let along Oxford, and for the 1972 Paul Newman-Lee Marvin contemporary oater Pocket Money (1972), another departure from fields of academia. "Deadhead Miles" was dumped by Paramount as unreleasable and "Pocket Money", despite being headlined by two Top Ten Box Office stars, flopped. It was an inauspicious start to a legendary career, but it influenced Malick to begin directing his own scripts.
His first two films were the now critically acclaimed Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978). He then took a self-imposed retirement of nearly two decades from film-making before lensing his 1998 adaptation of James Jones's The Thin Red Line (1998), which was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including nods for Malick for directing and adapted screenplay.
Adopting a Kubrickian pace of movie-making, he directed The New World (2005) and the autobiographical The Tree of Life (2011) with gaps of only seven and six years, respectively, between release. However, he reportedly was working on ideas for "The Tree of Life" since the late 70s, including exposing footage that found its way into his finished film.
In an unprecedented burst of productivity, he shot his next four films, To the Wonder (2012), Knight of Cups (2015), an as-yet unnamed drama and the cosmic documentary Voyage of Time: Life's Journey (2016) back-to-back during and immediately after completing the long editing process of "Tree of Life". Like Stanley Kubrick, Malick usually takes well over a year to edit his films. All three are highly anticipated by cineastes the world over.- Actor
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John Corbett is an American actor who received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Chris Stevens in Northern Exposure (1990), and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Aidan Shaw in Sex and the City (1998).
John was born John Joseph Corbett on May 9, 1961 in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Sandra (Pavilack) and John Marshall Corbett. He is of English, Irish, Lithuanian, and Russian-Jewish descent. John was raised Catholic, and graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School in 1979. He subsequently worked at a boiler-making factory in California for six years. After sustaining an injury, he left the factory to enroll at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California to study hairdressing, and took acting classes in the evenings.
Corbett began his acting career with a guest role in The Wonder Years (1988). His breakthrough role came two years later when he was cast as Chris Stevens in Northern Exposure (1990), for which he received Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He then played the lead role in The Visitor (1997), for which he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor. Corbett portrayed one of Sarah Jessica Parker's love interests in Sex and the City (1998), for which he received his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2002, he starred as the male lead opposite Nia Vardalos in the blockbuster romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), and reprised his role in its sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016). Corbett also starred as the husband of Toni Collette's character in United States of Tara (2009), and portrayed guitarist Josiah 'Flash' Bacon in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2015).
Corbett has been in a relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002, and the couple reside on a ranch in Santa Ynez, California. Aside from acting, he has released two country music albums, "John Corbett" in 2006 and "Leaving Nothin' Behind" in 2013.- Actress
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Logan White grew up in a small town in Illinois. She moved to San Diego with her father after she graduated high school and attended Mira Costa College. At this time she got the acting bug while taking a theatre class.
She jumped right into modeling and auditioning. This led her to move up to Hollywood. In 2001, she was a contestant on the second season of Fear Factor, almost nabbing the grand prize. In 2003, she played a small role in the film, SIX...the Mark Unleashed with Stephen Baldwin and Eric Roberts. In 2004 she co-starred in My Date With Drew. Also in 2005 She co- starred in the film The Moment After 2. Early 2006, Logan was pregnant with her first child so she tried her hand at producing and Co-produced the film, Hidden Secrets, with John Schneider, (Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville), and Reginald Vel Johnson, (Family Matters, Die Hard). In 2008, she co-starred in a comedy called Holyman Undercover which also co- stars Fred Willard, John Schneider, Clint Howard. In 2009, Andrea starred in Sarah's Choice opposite Rebecca St. James, and Dick Van Patten. She also starred along with Eric Roberts, the Mexico End times Thriller, In the Blink of an Eye. In 2010 She starred in Marriage Retreat and Me Again In 2011, she starred in the GMC MOW/pilot Brother White.- Producer
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One of the top faith-based producer/directors in the U.S. of over 15 feature films, Timothy Chey, has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, including 'Freedom' (Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sharon Leal, William Sadler), 'David and Goliath' (Jerry Sokolosky), 'The Genius Club' (Tom Sizemore, Stephen Baldwin) 'Suing the Devil' (Malcolm McDowell, Tom Sizemore, Corbin Bernsen), Fakin' Da Funk (Pam Grier, Bo Jackson, Ernie Hudson), "Slamma Jamma" (Michael Irvin, Jose Canseco), "The Islands" (Teuria Napa, Ricky Suuava, Mira Sorvino, John Savage), '20 Minutes' (Dia Frampton, Michael Camp), and 'Interview with the Antichrist' (Ego Mikitas, Aaron Groben).
Educated at Harvard University, USC Film School, and Boston University School of Law. Chey's work has been seen on E! Entertainment, The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, VIBE TV, MTV, Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter, TNT, USA Networks, the Dove Awards, MovieGuide Awards, People Magazine, and the New York Times.
Chey's work has reached over 200 million homes worldwide on TV and the box office. His films have been distributed by Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Studios, Showtime, USA Networks, etc.
Chey practices law pro-bono in his spare time helping the Union Rescue Mission and as a consumer advocate attorney. He has won several seminal cases in Court.- Actor
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Kevin Downes is a California native. He grew up in Visalia, just 3 hours north of Los Angeles where he shot his early films with his brother, Bobby and friend, David A.R. White He met Jon Erwin, while performing in the movie, Courageous, and the two partnered up along with Andy Erwin to create Moms' Night Out. They followed immediately with the film, Woodlawn and while in post production, presented the Erwin Brothers with the story behind, I Can Only Imagine, which became their 3rd feature film together. Soon after, they formed Kingdom and signed a first look deal with Lionsgate for feature films and television series to be released under the new banner. Kevin lives in Orange County, California with his wife Catherine and 3 sons, Benicio, Nathaniel and Joshua.- Actor
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Stephen Baldwin was born on 12 May 1966 in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Usual Suspects (1995), Bio-Dome (1996) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). He has been married to Kennya Baldwin since 10 June 1990. They have two children.- Producer
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Downes holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from California Polytechnic State University. In the early 1990's, after a three-year teaching stint in public education, Bobby spent several years leading teams across more than 20 countries as an ambassador.
In 1999, Bobby co-founded ChristianCinema.com, the largest selection of faith-affirming and family-approved movies. The company specializes in title curation and consumer marketing of faith-based films and has the respect of the industry as one of the leading key indicators for the genre. Christian Cinema is the only Transactional Video On-Demand platform serving families of faith with apps for Apple, Roku, Android and Amazon devices. Bobby led the company into one of 2010's Inc. 5000 leading businesses in America. With a valuation of $6 million by the end of 2017, Bobby led the efforts and successfully donated Christian Cinema, LLC to form the Giving Company, a global non-profit faith and family media network.
Bobby has produced more than a dozen feature films for the faith market with his brother Kevin Downes beginning in 1999.
Downes' most notable film was based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury: Like Dandelion Dust starring Academy-Award® winner Mira Sovino and Emmy Award Winner Barry Pepper was released by Twentieth Century Fox after winning more than 30 international film festival awards.
From early 2006 through the end of 2008, Bobby was core to bringing the #1 New York Times' best-selling novel The Shack to publication through Hachette Book Group, the worlds second largest publisher. The Shack remained number one on the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 50 weeks. Bobby's work on the writing, brand development and publishing of the book played a critical role in the sales of more than 20 million copies worldwide.- Actor
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Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Bradley knew from a very young age he wanted to pursue a career in the television/film industry. At the age of 17, Bradley had already created and was producing a nationally syndicated radio drama/series titled "Just South of Normal," which aired weekly on over 300 radio stations worldwide. By the time he was 19, Bradley had worked on dozens of TV/Radio commercials, television programs, and industrial videos, where he gained valuable experience in the industry. In 2001 Bradley worked as the 2nd 2nd AD on his first feature film, then soon after auditioned for his first role in a feature film where he was cast as the lead role in the movie, "Sterling: The Secret Of The Lost Medallion". Since then, Bradley has produced, directed, and starred in several feature films, including "A Greater Yes: The Story of Amy Newhouse", "Meant To Be", "Christmas Angel", "The Greater Sins Of Lucas Blackstone", "Revelation Road: The Black Rider" and "Dancer & The Dame". He has worked with many veteran actors including Billy Gardell (Mike & Molly), Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart/ We Bought A Zoo), Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman), Erika Eleniak (Beverly Hillbillies/ Baywatch), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Della Reese (Touched By An Angel), Haylie Duff (Napoleon Dynamite/ 7th Heaven), and Teri Polo (Meet The Parents). Bradley not only stars in, but is Co-Creator & Executive Producer of the new TV series "Dad Dudes," which co-stars Joyce Giraud (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), and Jerry Mathers (Leave It To Beaver). Bradley has multiple film and television projects in development. Bradley lives in Los Angeles where he works full time in the television/film industry.- Actor
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Carey Scott was born on 21 June 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for American Horror Stories (2021), Hollywood (2020) and Mad Men (2007). He has been married to Kerry Lynne McHugh since 28 August 2015. He was previously married to Autumn Paul.- Actor
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Clarence Gilyard Jr. was born on 24 December 1955 in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Die Hard (1988), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) and Top Gun (1986). He was married to Elena Castillo and Catherine Dutko. He died on 28 November 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.