Beautiful woman of 24
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Leslie Hope was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and is a dual citizen of the US and Canada. She has directed several episodes of television including Snowpiercer (2020), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022), Lost in Space (2018), The Order (2019), Murdoch Mysteries (2008), Van Helsing (2016), Ghost Wars (2017), and Aftermath (2016). Leslie produced and directed the award-winning documentary What I See When I Close My Eyes (2008), which screened all over the world and was sold to Moviola, The Short Film Channel. She wrote and directed the viral internet hit Gaykeith (2010), the music video [tt14222660/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2] by Christina Apostolopoulos and she has directed several movies for television. Leslie served as executive producer on The Bling Ring (2011), and she additionally executive produced and directed the award-winning Buried Treasure (2012). Leslie was the Artistic Director of The Wilton Project, a Los Angeles based writer-driven theater company she founded with Charlie Stratton, and she created and directed 'F-Lying: Fellini', with Roberto Campanella of ProArte Danze. In 2019, she produced the feature film Lie Exposed (2019). Leslie has also enjoyed a successful acting career.- Actress
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Elisha Ann Cuthbert (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress and model. She became internationally known for playing Kim Bauer in the series 24 (2001); Danielle in the teen comedy film The Girl Next Door (2004) and Carly Jones in the horror remake House of Wax (2005). She was voted the sexiest actress in the world in 2015 by the magazine Glam'Mag. In 2013, she was elected the most "Beautiful woman of American TV."
Cuthbert is considered a sex symbol, and she has often been cited as one of the "sexiest" women and as one of the "most beautiful" in the world.
At the age of 14, Cuthbert made her feature film debut in the 1997 family-drama Dancing on the Moon (1997). Her first major lead role came in the 1998 drama film Airspeed (1999) (No Control) alongside Joe Mantegna. In 2001, she starred in the movie My Daughter's Secret Life (2001), in which she received her first award, the Gemini Awards, but her career began in earnest in the decade of 2000 when she was listed to play Kim Bauer, daughter of Jack Bauer in the award-winning action series 24 (2001). Subsequently, Cuthbert appeared in the lead role in the films The Quiet (2005) and Captivity (2007).
From 2011 to 2013, Cuthbert starred as Alex Kerkovich, in the series Happy Endings (2011).
In 2011, Cuthbert was named one of "The 100 Hottest Women of the 2000s", and also entered the list of "The 25 Hottest Blonde Bombshell Actresses" by Complex magazine. In 2013 GQ Magazine listed her among "The 100 Hottest Women of the 21st Century."- Actress
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Reiko was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois with her younger brother and single mother. Her mother worked as a counselor in a methadone clinic and later ran a rehabilitation corrections facility. As a teen, she moved to Seattle, WA where she briefly attended the University of Washington. She then moved to NYC and soon began acting in new and developing plays in off-broadway and regional theaters. Among the playwrights were John Patrick Shanley, Anna Deavere Smith, Eric Bogosian, Lyle Kessler. She's also worked with Obie and Tony winning theater directors such as Marshall Mason, Jo Bonney, Robert O'Hara as well as many other respected theater makers. Her breakthrough came with the role of Michelle Dessler on the critically acclaimed series, 24. She's also had ongoing roles on Lost, Damages, Hawaii 5-0 and has worked on many other television shows, films and plays. More recently, she's expanded her career to include VoiceOver work, including Lady Bullseye in the Marvel animated show, Hit Monkey. She's also directed and produced 2 award winning short films. Her husband, Rob Clare is a well-respected Shakespeare teacher and director. They are an adoptive family with a child who was born in 2014.- 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. - Actress
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Kimberly Jayne "Kim" Raver is an American actress from New York City. She has had a relatively long career in television roles, but she is primarily remembered for three roles. She portrayed the paramedic Kimberly "Kim" Zambrano in the police procedural "Third Watch" (1999-2005), the political advisor Audrey Raines in several seasons of the crime thriller series #24 (2001-2010), and the cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Theodora Grace "Teddy" Altman in the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" (2005-). Raver joined the medical drama in its 6th season. She was originally intended to only portray a new recurring character, but was promoted to a series-regular before the end of that season.
In 1975, Raver made her television debut as a child actress in the long-running educational children's television "Sesame Street" (1969-). She appeared regularly in the series from 1975 to 1978. She decided to follow an acting career in the early 1990s, but she mostly acted in television commercials for the first few years of her career.
In 1995, Raver made her Broadway debut in the play "Holiday" by Philip Barry. Shortly later, Raver started portraying one-shot characters in popular television series of the 1990s, such as "Law & Order", "The Practice", and "Spin City". Her role in "Third Watch" was the first time that Raver portrayed a major character in television.
Raver portrayed the Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Hale, one of the main characters in the short-lived action drama series "The Nine" (2006-2007). In the series, Kathryn and several other characters were held hostage by bank robbers over a 52-hour period. The episodes explored events in the lives of the hostages both before and after the robbery. The series was nominated for a Golden Reel Award, but was canceled due to poor ratings.
Raver portrayed the editor-in-chief Nico Reilly, one of the main characters in the short-lived comedy-drama series "Lipstick Jungle" (2008-2009). The series was based on a popular novel by Candace Bushnell, and focused on the life-long friendship of three career women who worked in different industries. The series was canceled due to poor ratings and a controversy over abrupt casting changes.
Raver joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" in 2009, and decided to depart from the series in 2012. Following a years-long hiatus, she returned to the series in 2017. She has remained a series-regular ever since. Raver also had recurring roles in the crime drama "Ray Donovan" (2013-2020) and the political thriller "Designated Survivor" (2016-2019) during this period. Raver made her voice acting debut in animation in the superhero film "Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors" (2018), where she voiced the super-heroine Captain Marvel /Carol Danvers.- Actress
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Actress Sarah Clarke was born and raised in Missouri, the middle child of Carolyn and Ernest Clarke, an engineer. She has an older and younger brother. She was educated at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri, and went on to Indiana University to study Fine Arts and Italian. During Clarke's senior year at university she studied in Bologna, Italy, and it was here she began an interest in acting. When she came back to the USA, Clarke found work as an architectural photographer. The story goes that she got free acting lessons at an arts center, in exchange for taking photos for them. Clarke moved to New York and continued studying acting with various companies, including Circle in the Square Theatre School.
Clarke's screen debut came in a Volkswagen television commercial called "Synchronicity", which went on to win awards. She worked steadily in TV and film before earning her big break when she was cast as Nina Myers in the smash hit 24 (2001). It was while working on this that Clarke met her future husband, Xander Berkeley. Various roles have followed, notably as Renée, Bella Swan's mother in the hugely successful Twilight (2008) and its sequels.- Actress
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Sarah Wynter is an Australian actress, known for her roles on American television - such as Kate Warner on the television drama 24, as Beth on Windfall, and as Keitha on Flight of the Conchords. Wynter was born in Newcastle.- Actress
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Marisol Nichols currently (2023) stars opposite Jenna Ortega in Paramounts Winter Spring Summer Fall. She recently starred opposite Chris Rock and Sam Jackson as Capt. Angie Garza in the Lions Gate film Spiral, and opposite Eugenio Derbez in the Lions Gate comedy The Valet. On the small screen Nichols' currently stars as Hermione Lodge on The CW's highly rated, Riverdale which has won a collective 19 Teen Choice Awards.
Nichols' first appeared in shows including Beverly Hills 90210, Friends, and ER. She made her movie debut in the film Vegas Vacation playing Audrey Griswald opposite Chevy Chase. She's appeared in films Scream 2, Can't Hardly Wait, Bowfinger, Jane Austen's Mafia & Felon opposite Val Kilmer. Marisol also commanded the Counter Terrorist unit in 24 opposite Kiefer Sutherland, appeared as the mysterious and elusive Desert Wolf on Teen Wolf, was Special Agent Zoe Keates in NCIS and starred in Stephen Bochco's Blind justice as well as numerous other roles.
Balancing her work on screen with her humanitarian efforts fighting for the rights of young girls and women, Marisol created her non-profit, Foundation for a Slavery Free World, embracing the global eradication of the most heinous human rights violations-human trafficking. She is a deputized legal informant and has been dubbed, the "Hollywood Vigilantly" as she's taken part in numerous undercover operations leading to the successful arrest of dozens of traffickers and child predators. Sony Pictures recently bought the rights to her life story and is adapting it for a Television Series that Nichols is Executive Producing.
In 2017, Marisol was recognized by President Barack Obama with the President's Distinguished Volunteer Service Award for her work in human rights and for her service to our community.- Actress
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Janeane, the petite woman with the acerbic wit, was born in Newton, New Jersey, in 1964, to Joan, a secretary, and Carmine Garofalo, an Exxon executive. She is of Italian and Irish descent. Janeane had many jobs before breaking into show biz. She worked as a bike messenger, a shoe saleswoman, waitress and temp secretary. Watching David Letterman on TV inspired her to write comedy, and by 1985 she was doing stand up comedy. As such, Janeane has become a cult figure, giving a voice to a generation, venting her frustration at T.V., romance, life in general and anything that ticks her off in particular. Janeane did sketches on The Ben Stiller Show (1992) (an Emmy-winning, but canceled show). She would continue to collaborate with Ben Stiller in future projects. Janeane received 2 Emmy nominations for her work on The Larry Sanders Show (1992), developing her signature character: a smart, cynical woman with a razor wit. She was not happy with her Saturday Night Live (1975) stint in 1994, and was vocal about it (of course). Transferring her persona from TV to the big screen, she moved on to movies, basically playing the character she had defined for herself. In Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) she portrayed a smart, cynical, successful businesswomen with a razor wit, and this time with swear words (in the movie she had developed a brand of cigarettes with fast-burning paper, for the gal on the go; in real life it is alleged she smokes Marlboros). Janeane continues to work in TV and movies, often collaborating with Ben Stiller in a number of movies like Mystery Men (1999), his easygoing style being a counterpoint to her caustic nature.- Actress
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Born in Mumbai, India and raised in Nigeria until the age of seven, Contractor was well-versed in world travels and a variety of cultures at a very young age. She attended boarding school in London from seven to nine years old, then her family moved to Toronto, Canada, where she spent the majority of her childhood and young adulthood. In Toronto, Contractor excelled in academics and trained as a classical ballerina. She attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, a specialized public arts high school where she not only danced but studied theater as well. At the age of 16, after nearly 10 years of dance Contractor realized she wanted to pursue acting seriously. Upon graduating from high school she accepted a full scholarship to the University of Toronto, where she pursued a masters in theatre and a double major in psychology and sociology. After one year at University, Contractor went to an open call audition for the play Pericles at the prestigious, world-renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival [Ontario, Canada], and landed the lead role. She received rave reviews for her work in the 92 shows performed, the play was voted the #1 production of the year by Canadian critics, in 2002. Contractor was offered the opportunity to enroll in Stratford's conservatory program, where a select eight men and four women are accepted for a 20-week crash course on classical theater, which she eagerly took. Contractor was guaranteed a spot in the next season of plays, and landed the role of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. By the third season with the company, Contractor wanted to pursue film and television. In 2005 she booked a role in a FOX pilot by Anthony Hines [Borat, Bruno, The Dictator]. The role was intense, leaving the actors in character for eight to nine hours a day in front of an audience, and was a precursor to the style of film that Borat would be, just one year later. When the pilot did not get picked up, Contractor decided to go back to school and finish her education. While securing her degrees, she booked "The Border," a Canadian drama for CBC. She starred as Layla Hourani for 26 episodes, and the series aired worldwide. The role also garnered her a Golden Nymph Award at The Montecarlo Television Festival, in 2008. Once the show wrapped, Contractor made the move to Los Angeles.
In 2009, Contractor booked the role of Kayla Hassan, in 21 episodes of the hit FOX series "24." As President Omar Hassan [Anil Kapoor] and Dalia Hassan's [Necar Zadegan] daughter, she was a scene stealer, portraying a seemingly sheltered young woman, whose secret life ends up putting her in horrible conditions. While in production on "24" Contractor also booked a recurring role on CBS' "Rules of Engagement" opposite David Spade and Adhir Kalyan. Other television credits for Contractor include "Lone Star" [FOX] and "Last Resort" [ABC]. On the film front, Contractor has been seen in Seance: The Summoning [Lionsgate] in which she won Best Supporting Actress at WorldFest Houston, in 2012.
In May 2013, Contractor appeared as a devoted wife and mother facing extreme challenges in her family in the highly anticipated, Paramount feature film Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).
When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yogi. She loves to travel the world, and her preferred method of transportation while in other countries is by motorcycle. She was also born into the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, and is one of the 150,000 Parsis in the world. Philanthropy is a huge priority for Contractor, she is a strong supporter of the organization Second Harvest to feed the homeless, and Look Good Feel Better, supporting women with cancer. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, son, and border terrier.- Actress
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Necar Zadegan is a versatile actress known for a career on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut when she originated the role of the Leper in Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer Prize nominated and multi Tony award accoladed play " The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" opposite Robin Williams. She stars as Special Agent Hannah Khoury in the CBS global franchise series, "NCIS: New Orleans" and has joined the cast of the much anticipated and newest installation of the Star Trek franchise, "Picard".
Ms. Zadegan first garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of First Lady turned president Dalia Hassan on Fox's hit series "24", and most recently for her hilarious leading role in the absurdist docu-spoof film for IFC on Netflix called "Documentary: Now" written by Seth Meyers and alongside an all-star cast. The show has been nominated for multiple Emmys and has begun streaming in the UK. For HBO in the drama "Here and Now" from Oscar winning screenwriter, creator Alan Ball, she takes the lead in the delicate portrayal of Layla Shokrani.
In the much beloved Bravo comedy streaming on Netflix, "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce", Ms. Zadegan plays the character written for her by show creator Marti Noxon, of fashionable, high powered attorney and fan favorite, Delia Banai. The show recently began streaming its fifth and final season. The year also saw Ms. Zadegan join the cast of the ABC hit "The Good Doctor". Other series regular roles include her portrayal of Dr. Gina Bandari on "Emily Owens MD" and in the lead opposite Greg Kinnear in the FOX comedy "Rake".
Some highlights from her many other credits include roles for Steven Spielberg company produced series "Extant", opposite Sean Bean in spy series "Legends" and a very memorable turn as the Queen of Iran in Showtime's critical success "Masters of Sex" opposite Michael Sheen, with whom she also starred opposite in the Columbia Tri Star film, psychological thriller "Unthinkable" alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She appeared with Adam Sandler in Judd Apatow's "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" and played the title role in "Elena Undone" which enjoyed success at independent festivals worldwide.
Ms. Zadegan has worked at some of the world's most prestigious theaters including The Mark Taper Forum, the Royal Dramatic Theater of Stockholm, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and many more, and toured internationally in the Persian language production of "Satellite with Love".
Necar Zadegan was born in Heidelberg, Germany and raised in Northern California. She studied theater and dance on a performance scholarship at the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with honors and a BA degree in English Literature. She also studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She speaks Persian, French and German and has learned Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew while working in those languages. She works with USAID in supporting opportunities for education across the globe and is an ambassador for BuildOn.org and travels with them around the world building schools for children.- Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. Forbes first gained attention for her dual role in daytime soap opera Guiding Light (1952), for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. She is also a Saturn Award winner with three nominations.
Forbes is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows such as Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and her regular role as medical examiner Julianna Cox on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) during the 1990s, while building her career with recurring roles throughout the 2000s in Battlestar Galactica (2004), 24 (2001), In Treatment (2008), Durham County (2007), Prison Break (2005) and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on True Blood (2008). She has appeared in significant roles in movies such as Escape from L.A. (1996), Kalifornia (1993), Swimming with Sharks (1994) and Columbus (2017).
She starred in the 2011-2012 AMC television series The Killing (2011), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. On June 18, 2019 it was announced that Forbes would join USA Network's action drama series Treadstone (2019), a prequel/sequel to the Bourne franchise. - The daughter of two school teachers, Grayden was born and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, and began performing at age five. After graduating cum laude from Barnard College where she majored in American Studies, she worked as a performing member of the 'Drama Department' in New York City. Her additional theater credits include Hopscotch, The Vagina Monologues, Fool for Love, Hamlet, Waiting for Lefty and Ordinary Day. Her television credits include a recurring role on HBO's Six Feet Under (2001), a starring role on Fox Television's John Doe (2002), and a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). Her feature film credits include Dad (1989) starring Jack Lemmon.
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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.- Rena was born in Arcadia, California, to Susan (Franzblau), a psychology professor, and Martin Sofer, who was a Conservative Jewish Rabbi. She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when her parents divorced. She was discovered at age 15 by a New York talent agent and started modeling before turning to acting. She appeared on Another World (1964) for a short time and then went to Loving (1983), where she played Rockie McKenzie for 3 years. She made her first mark on television when she joined fellow ABC-soap General Hospital (1963) as savvy record promoter Lois Cerullo. Not only did her portrayal win her a vast amount of fans, she also won a 'Best Supporting Actress' Daytime Emmy and network executives considered creating a spin-off series based on Lois and her on-screen husband Ned. It was on General Hospital she met Wally Kurth, her on-screen spouse who became her real-life husband and father to her daughter Rosabel Rosalind Kurth. In the mid-'90s, Sofer made the leap to primetime, guest starring in a number of series before appropriately landing a regular part on primetime soap Melrose Place (1992) which turned to be the series' final season. Starring and recurring roles on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997) and the dramedy Ed (2000) widened her exposure. A string of flop series followed (Oh, Grow Up (1999); The Chronicle (2001); Coupling (2003) and Blind Justice (2005), but Sofer proved she had staying power and scored roles on the big screen in movies with Ben Stiller (Keeping the Faith (2000)) and Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000). After taking a brief hiatus to give birth to a daughter with her second husband, TV director Sanford Bookstaver, she returned to the small screen in 2006 with recurring roles in two hit shows 24 (2001) and Heroes (2006), as the long-suffering wife to two shady characters, a power broker and an aspiring politician, respectively. In 2010, she tackled a season-long story arc as Margaret Allison Hart, an attorney with a hidden agenda on NCIS (2003). In 2013 she returned to her daytime roots, taking on the role of enigmatic jewelry designer Quinn Fuller on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) receiving rave reviews.
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Christina Chang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, by her Chinese-Filipino father and American mother. At 17 she moved to the United States to study Theatre & Film in her mother's home state of Kansas and later studied acting in Seattle, USA. Chang went on to gain a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she won her first professional acting job in the play "Naomi's Road" at the Seattle Children's Theater. From there, she progressed to the off-Broadway production of Tina Landau's the "Trojan Women."
Once in New York, Chang gained several guest and recurring roles on various programs including Cosby, Guiding Light, and As the World Turns. She appeared in the feature films Random Hearts (1999), 28 Days (2000), Deadline (2000) and Girls Club (2002). She also hosted Globe Trekker, also known as Globe Trekker (1994).
Chang's other interests include working with children, following in the footsteps of her mother who is a school counselor. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, has studied the trapeze, and has an interest in social work.- 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).
- Sandrine Holt was born in London, England, UK. Sandrine is an actor, known for House of Cards (2013), Mr. Robot (2015) and Homeland (2011). Sandrine was previously married to Travis Huff.
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TANYA WRIGHT BIO Tanya is a two time winner of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Award, Best Acting Ensemble for her portrayal of Crystal Burset in Orange is the New Black. She appears as NSA Adviser of the United Staes in Season 5 (2018) of CBS' Madame Secretary and starred for 7 seasons as Deputy Kenya Jones on HBO's True Blood.
An entrepreneur, Tanya is also founder of a story-driven haircare line called HAIRiette.
Tanya Wright was born to a 15 year old mother in the South Bronx, NY. The eldest of 4, Tanya was a shy, creative child who won the "best writer" award in the 5th grade for an imaginative story she wrote about a family and their beautiful Christmas tree, despite the fact her family could not afford one that Christmas. She starred in the play The Little Birch Tree and played the title role of The Birch Tree where she stood, center stage, for 45 minutes without uttering a word. Tanya went on to attend George School (a Quaker boarding school in Newtown, PA) along with her sister. Upon graduation, she went to Vassar College where she received a degree in Independent Studies/Comparative Literature. While at Vassar, she auditioned and landed a role of Theo's girlfriend--Tanya Simpson-- on The Cosby Show. Uncomfortable with the attention she garnered as an actress, she focused on a quieter, more solitary career as a writer -though, she admits, there was something about the craft of acting she was inexplicably drawn to. Nevertheless, she accepted a job as a news clerk at the New York Times and, after 9 months, quit to pursue the craft of acting to "get it out of her system." After a stint at the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival, she went to Los Angeles with the intention of staying for 6 weeks she ended up staying permanently after appearing in some of the most critically acclaimed shows in the history of television including ER, "24", The Good Wife and countless others.
Tanya wrote, directed, produced and starred in the independent feature film Butterfly Rising and wrote the book of the same name. The music score for Butterfly Rising was named a finalist in the Jerry Goldsmith Music Film Festival Awards; the film was also a finalist for the HBO Best Feature Film award at the Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Wright's "A Turn to Grace," a script set against the Harlem Renaissance, was a semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual Nicholl's Screenwriting Competition (the Oscars). Likewise, the Mark Taper Forum's Blacksmyth's Playwriting Program performed her "Prelude to a Revolution."
Wright is diligent about maintaining both physical and spiritual balance in her life and greatly enjoys playing fetch with her 12 year old Black Lab, Macarena, who appears in many of Tanya's creations. She speaks at colleges, universities and corporations on topics ranging from artists and entrepreneurship, New Media and her experiences in Hollywood as an actor/writer/ director. Tanya has taught her BUA class (on creativity/ entrepreneurship) at The New School in NYC and she is a lifetime member of the Edwin Forrest Society of the Actor's Fund of America.
Tanya Wright is the recipient of SOBRO's "Most innovative Business" Award for HAIRiette and is a micro-grant recipient of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox for Entrepreneurs and the Goodwill Ambassador for Peacekeepers Corp., a 20 year old United Nations NGO.- Actress
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Kathryn Ann "Katee" Sackhoff (born April 8, 1980) is an American actress known for playing Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). She was nominated for four Saturn Awards for her work on Battlestar Galactica and won the award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2005.
Sackhoff has also starred in the short-lived TV series The Fearing Mind (2000-2001) and The Education of Max Bickford (2001-2002); had recurring roles in the TV series Bionic Woman (2007), Nip/Tuck (2009), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2010-2011), and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012-2013); and had a lead role in the eighth season of 24 as Dana Walsh (2010). She voices several characters including Bitch Pudding on Adult Swim's stop motion animated series Robot Chicken. Between 2012 and 2017, she starred in the A&E and Netflix series Longmire as Deputy Sheriff Victoria "Vic" Moretti before recurring on The Flash as Amunet.
She had lead roles in the films Halloween: Resurrection (2002); White Noise: The Light (2007); Batman: Year One (2011); The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Sexy Evil Genius, Riddick, Oculus (2013) and Don't Knock Twice (2016).
Sackhoff was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in St. Helens, Oregon. Her mother, Mary, worked as an English-as-second-language (ESL) program coordinator, and her father, Dennis, is a land developer. Her brother, Erick, is co-owner of a vehicle modification shop near Portland. She graduated from Sunset High School in Beaverton in 1998. She began swimming at an early age and by high school, was planning to pursue a career in the sport until her right knee was injured. This led her to begin practicing yoga-which she continues today-and to pursue an interest in acting.
Her first acting role was in the Lifetime movie Fifteen and Pregnant in which she played a teenager with a baby. The movie starred Kirsten Dunst and motivated her to move to Hollywood and pursue a career in acting after graduating high school. Sackhoff's first recurring role was Annie in MTV's Undressed, next gaining a supporting role as Nell Bickford in The Education of Max Bickford. Sackhoff made her motion picture debut in My First Mister, and next appeared in film as Jenna "Jen" Danzig in Halloween: Resurrection.
In August 2012, Sackhoff became the co-host of the Schmoes Know Movies podcast on the Toad Hop Network. One of her first shows was with guest Sean Astin.
Sackhoff announced in April 2015 a new TV-series project, Rain, which she wrote and is executive-producing through her Fly Free Productions. She also had a role in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III, performing voice over and motion capture as Sarah Hall. She portrayed Pink Ranger Kimberly in Power/Rangers, a short depicting a dystopian future in the Power Rangers universe.
In 2017, Sackhoff joined The CW series The Flash in the recurring role of villainess Amunet (Blacksmith), for which she is billed as a special guest star.- Actress
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Born to public school teachers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Laura Harris began acting professionally in CBC radio dramas at an early age. With a taste for quirky, character-driven material, Harris is known for playing 1930's starlet "Daisy Adair" in Showtime's cult hit Dead Like Me (2003) with Mandy Patinkin and Callum Blue. Film work includes Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty (1998), Christopher Guest 's A Mighty Wind (2003) and Chris Smith's comedic thriller Severance (2006) with Toby Stephens and Tim McInnerny. Recently voicing the role of "Kitty Pryde" in Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men (2009), other television work includes Showtime's The Outer Limits (1995), CTV's Defying Gravity (2009) with Ron Livingston and a SAG nominated turn in FOX's runaway hit 24 (2001) starring Kiefer Sutherland. In her personal time, Laura is active in the food justice community, recently receiving a full scholarship for the University of California, Berkeley to study social-ecological systems design. She splits her time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area.- The daughter of two school teachers, Grayden was born and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, and began performing at age five. After graduating cum laude from Barnard College where she majored in American Studies, she worked as a performing member of the 'Drama Department' in New York City. Her additional theater credits include Hopscotch, The Vagina Monologues, Fool for Love, Hamlet, Waiting for Lefty and Ordinary Day. Her television credits include a recurring role on HBO's Six Feet Under (2001), a starring role on Fox Television's John Doe (2002), and a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). Her feature film credits include Dad (1989) starring Jack Lemmon.
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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.- Rena was born in Arcadia, California, to Susan (Franzblau), a psychology professor, and Martin Sofer, who was a Conservative Jewish Rabbi. She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when her parents divorced. She was discovered at age 15 by a New York talent agent and started modeling before turning to acting. She appeared on Another World (1964) for a short time and then went to Loving (1983), where she played Rockie McKenzie for 3 years. She made her first mark on television when she joined fellow ABC-soap General Hospital (1963) as savvy record promoter Lois Cerullo. Not only did her portrayal win her a vast amount of fans, she also won a 'Best Supporting Actress' Daytime Emmy and network executives considered creating a spin-off series based on Lois and her on-screen husband Ned. It was on General Hospital she met Wally Kurth, her on-screen spouse who became her real-life husband and father to her daughter Rosabel Rosalind Kurth. In the mid-'90s, Sofer made the leap to primetime, guest starring in a number of series before appropriately landing a regular part on primetime soap Melrose Place (1992) which turned to be the series' final season. Starring and recurring roles on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997) and the dramedy Ed (2000) widened her exposure. A string of flop series followed (Oh, Grow Up (1999); The Chronicle (2001); Coupling (2003) and Blind Justice (2005), but Sofer proved she had staying power and scored roles on the big screen in movies with Ben Stiller (Keeping the Faith (2000)) and Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000). After taking a brief hiatus to give birth to a daughter with her second husband, TV director Sanford Bookstaver, she returned to the small screen in 2006 with recurring roles in two hit shows 24 (2001) and Heroes (2006), as the long-suffering wife to two shady characters, a power broker and an aspiring politician, respectively. In 2010, she tackled a season-long story arc as Margaret Allison Hart, an attorney with a hidden agenda on NCIS (2003). In 2013 she returned to her daytime roots, taking on the role of enigmatic jewelry designer Quinn Fuller on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) receiving rave reviews.
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Shohreh Aghdashloo was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar on May 11, 1952 in Tehran, Iran. In the 1970s at age 20, she achieved nationwide stardom in her homeland of Iran, starring in some prominent pictures such as The Report (1977) directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which won critics awards at the Moscow Film Festival. In 1978, she won wider acclaim and established herself as one of Iran's leading ladies with Desiderium (1978) directed by the late Ali Hatami. During the 1978 Islamic revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for England, to complete her education. Her interest in politics and her concern for social injustice in the world would lead her to receive a Bachelor's degree in International Relations.
She continued to pursue her acting career, which eventually brought her to Los Angeles, California in 1987. She went on to marry actor/playwright Houshang Touzie, performing in a number of his plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages. However, this was not easy getting work in Hollywood as a Middle Eastern actress with an accent; she had roles in some decent, though not great, films, including Twenty Bucks (1993), Surviving Paradise (2000) and Maryam (2002). She received good reviews for her 12 episodes on the fourth season of the Fox television series 24 (2001) as Dina Araz, a terrorist undercover as a well-to-do housewife and mother in Los Angeles. She had to wait quite some time to receive her break in Hollywood.
And finally, years after having read the acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog", DreamWorks were in the process of bringing the story to the silver screen. After having cast Ben Kingsley (as Massoud Amir Behrani) and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles, they were looking for a relatively unknown Iranian actress to play Kingsley's wife, Nadi. Shohreh Aghdashloo was duly cast. She stole the limelight and earned herself an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress amongst many other prestigious awards, including the Independent Spirit Sward as best supporting actress in a feature film, the New York and Los Angeles film critics award and others.- Actress
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Christina Chang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, by her Chinese-Filipino father and American mother. At 17 she moved to the United States to study Theatre & Film in her mother's home state of Kansas and later studied acting in Seattle, USA. Chang went on to gain a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she won her first professional acting job in the play "Naomi's Road" at the Seattle Children's Theater. From there, she progressed to the off-Broadway production of Tina Landau's the "Trojan Women."
Once in New York, Chang gained several guest and recurring roles on various programs including Cosby, Guiding Light, and As the World Turns. She appeared in the feature films Random Hearts (1999), 28 Days (2000), Deadline (2000) and Girls Club (2002). She also hosted Globe Trekker, also known as Globe Trekker (1994).
Chang's other interests include working with children, following in the footsteps of her mother who is a school counselor. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, has studied the trapeze, and has an interest in social work.- Karina Arroyave is a Colombian-American actress and playwright. Best known as Bianca Walsh on ''As the World Turns'' (1988-1994), Jamey Ferrel on ''24'' (2001-2002), Meirce on ''The Blacklist'' (2021-2022). Karina Arroyave was born in Colombia and moved to New York City at the age of 1. She studied acting at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and later studied comedic acting at The Groundlings in Los Angeles. She made her stage debut playing the title role in Marisol at the Louisville Humana Festival. In 1993, she made her Broadway debut in the Jane Bowles' play In the Summer House.
- Sandrine Holt was born in London, England, UK. Sandrine is an actor, known for House of Cards (2013), Mr. Robot (2015) and Homeland (2011). Sandrine was previously married to Travis Huff.
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Kari Matchett, a Canadian actress, skillfully embodies the character of Linda in "Fargo" Season 5. Her versatile acting prowess brings a profound depth to Linda, enhancing the show's narrative.
Kari Matchett grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. She attended Lethbridge Collegiate Institute and later pursued her passion for acting at the National Theatre School in Montreal and the Moscow Theatre School. Matchett's exposure to diverse acting methodologies has significantly shaped her dynamic acting style.
Kari Matchett's career spans a range of notable roles in both television and film. She first rose to prominence in Canada with her performance in "Power Play" and subsequently in "The Rez."- Actress
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Regina King was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician. She began her career in the television show 227 (1985), followed by a role in Boyz n the Hood (1991). She began to be recognized by a mainstream audience after her role as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's wife in Jerry Maguire (1996). She co-starred in Enemy of the State (1998) as Will Smith's character's wife.- Actress
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Wendy Jane Crewson is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film The Doctor. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, including The Good Son (1993), The Santa Clause (1994) and its sequels The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), as well as Air Force One (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), What Lies Beneath (2000), The 6th Day (2000), The Covenant (2006) and Eight Below (2006). She also starred in a number of independent movies, such as Better Than Chocolate (1999), Suddenly Naked (2001), Perfect Pie (2002), Away from Her (2006), Into the Forest (2015) and Room (2015). Crewson has won six Gemini Awards, two Canadian Screen Awards and ACTRA Award for her performances on television. She played leading roles in a number of television films, include playing Joanne Kilbourn in six movies based on novels by Gail Bowen. She had recurring roles on American television series 24 and Revenge, and the Canadian television series Frankie Drake Mysteries. From 2012 to 2017, Crewson co-starred in the CTV medical drama Saving Hope.- Actress
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Aisha Tyler is an award-winning director, actor, comedian, New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and activist. She is an Emmy-winning television host and multiple award-winning voice actor for Archer (2009).
Aisha's feature directorial debut, Axis (2017), was shot in just seven days on location in Los Angeles in 2015 on a crowdfunded budget. It won Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival and was chosen "Best of the Fest" at the Sarasota Film Festival. Scene Magazine said of AXIS, "the directorial debut of Aisha Tyler is a revelation... brilliant in every way." And Paste Magazine wrote: "to make a film this experimental, this compelling, your first time out as a director is just extraordinary." AXIS was released wide in 2018 and is available everywhere on multiple VOD platforms.
Aisha has directed several episodes of television, including Fear the Walking Dead (2015), Roswell, New Mexico (2019), and Criminal Minds (2005), where she made her television directing debut. She has also directed several short films as well as multiple music videos for rock artists Minke, Clutch, and Silversun Pickups. Aisha voices superspy Lana Kane on F/X's Emmy-winning hit Archer (2009). In 2013 Aisha took over for Drew Carey as host of the rebooted improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2013) for the CW.
Ms. Tyler is the founder of Courage+Stone, a line of premium ready-to-drink cocktails. Debuting in January 2020, the company donated a significant portion of its online to bar and restaurant workers put out of work during the coronavirus lockdown. She is one of just a handful of women of color founders in the spirits category.
Ms. Tyler's second book of comedic essays, Self-Inflicted Wounds, named for the popular segment of her podcast Girl on Guy, debuted on The New York Times bestseller list in 2013. She is also the author of Swerve: Reckless Observations of a Postmodern Girl
Ms. Tyler is a supporter of many charitable organizations, including The International Rescue Committee, Family Violence Prevention Fund, The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, the LA Mission and Doctors Without Borders.
A San Francisco native, Ms. Tyler graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Government and Environmental Policy. An avid gamer and passionate advocate of inclusion in the gaming community, Aisha's voice can be heard in the video games Halo:Reach; Gears of War 3, and Watch Dogs. Aisha is a whiskey lover, a hard rock fan, a snowboarder and sci-fi obsessive, and confounding to all who know her.- Actress
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Gina was born in New York City and is youngest of three children in a close-knit Cuban American family. Attended New York City's High School of Music and Art She is a gifted mezzo soprano and was trained in opera and jazz and also sang in a gospel choir.- Mia Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Etti, a teacher, and Sheldon Kirshner, a journalist. Her father is of Polish Jewish descent and her mother is a Bulgarian Jewish immigrant. Mia had a middle class upbringing and graduated from McGill University with a degree in English Literature. She had a love for acting from her school days at the Jarvis Institute, and her parents helped find her a talent agent at the age of 12, then began acting in several Canadian television series.
By the age of 14, Mia was acting professionally and made her film debut in 1993 in Denys Arcand's Love and Human Remains (1993). Kirshner won a Genie nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a supporting role for her part in the film. Mia's performance also brought her to the attention of Atom Egoyan, who cast her as the female lead in the 1994 film Exotica (1994). Mia's depiction of a sexy stripper in the film, won her critical acclaim, and by 1996 she established herself with an equally inspiring performance in The Crow: City of Angels (1996).
Having established herself in Hollywood as a leading and versatile performer, Mia also appeared in the first three episodes of 24 (2001) as the assassin Mandy in 2001. She would later reprise the role for the second season's finale and in the latter half of the show's fourth season. Also in 2001, Kirshner played Catherine Wyler, The Cruelest Girl in School, in Not Another Teen Movie (2001). The character is primarily a spoof of Kathryn Merteuil (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Cruel Intentions (1999), and was partially based on Mackenzie Siler (played by Anna Paquin) from She's All That (1999). In the music video for Marilyn Manson: Tainted Love (2001), which was featured on the movie's soundtrack, she made a cameo appearance as her character Catherine Wyler.
In 2004, Kirshner was cast as author Jenny Schecter, a main character in the drama series The L Word (2004). She remained with the show for all of the show's six seasons through 2009. She won several awards for her role as Jenny Schecter, and a world-wide fan base which followed her character throughout the seasons of the L Word.
In 2006, Mia starred in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia (2006) in which she plays the young aspiring actress, Elizabeth Short, who was mysteriously mutilated and murdered in 1947. While the film itself was critically panned, many reviews singled out her performance for acclaim. In 2010, Kirshner co-starred in the film 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010) which began filming in the fall of 2009. In 2010, she was cast as Isobel Fleming, a guest role on The Vampire Diaries (2009).
In 2011, she voiced the title character in Bear 71 (2012), a National Film Board of Canada web documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
On April 20, 2012, it was announced that Kirshner would join the new Syfy series Defiance (2013).
Kirshner was ranked #43 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. She and Beverly Polcyn were nominated for Best Kiss at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards (2002) for Not Another Teen Movie (2001). In 2012 it was announced that Kirshner would be the face of Monica Rich Kosann's jewelry collection.
Already established as Canada's most decorated female performer, Mia is also a decorated writer, winning acclaim for her 2007 book I Live Here. - Actress
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Tamara Tunie was born on 14 March 1959 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Flight (2012), The Devil's Advocate (1997) and Snake Eyes (1998). She was previously married to Gregory Generet and Greg Bouquett.- Actress
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Connie Britton began playing country music fading sensation Rayna Jaymes in Nashville (2012) after having wrapped production for the five season long Friday Night Lights (2006) alongside Kyle Chandler. She previously appeared in Universal's Friday Night Lights (2004) -the movie- directed by Peter Berg and also starring Billy Bob Thornton; and Edward Burns' independent feature Looking for Kitty (2004).
Britton was born Constance Elaine Womack in Boston, Massachusetts, to Linda Jane (Cochran) and Edgar Allen Womack, Jr., a physicist and energy company executive. She is of Irish, German, and English descent.
Britton received accolades for her starring roles in Edward Burns' acclaimed independent films The Brothers McMullen (1995) and No Looking Back (1998). In the former, she captivated moviegoers with her portrayal of "Molly", the luminous wife of a cheating husband. This popular low-budget film went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. After nearly canceling her audition with director Edward Burns, this last meeting of the day turned into the role that would launch her career. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Britton moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, at the age of seven with her family, including her fraternal twin sister. She went on to attend Dartmouth College, where she majored in Asian studies and spent a term in Beijing, China. Upon graduation, she moved to New York, where she spent two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse studying with Sanford Meisner, and an additional two years performing in regional theater and off-Broadway productions. She moved to Los Angeles after the success of The Brothers McMullen (1995).
She starred in ABC's Lost at Home (2003) opposite Mitch Rouse and Gregory Hines. Her other television credits include The Fighting Fitzgeralds (2001) opposite Brian Dennehy, a recurring role in the highly-acclaimed drama The West Wing (1999) and a starring role in the award-winning comedy Spin City (1996) opposite Michael J. Fox. Additionally, Britton starred in the recent feature films The Next Big Thing (2001) and One Eyed King (2001).
In her free time, Britton, who resides in both New York and Los Angeles, enjoys hiking, yoga, and doing volunteer work.- Jacqui Maxwell was born in 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress, known for The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), 24 (2001) and Gilmore Girls (2000).
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Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke was born May 28, in Spokane, Washington. Her father was Nigerian and her mother is of English and Scots-Irish descent. Her last name, "Echikunwoke", means "leader of men" and Megalyn is the granddaughter of a Nigerian tribal leader of the Igbo, which technically makes her African royalty. She is known for playing "Nicole Palmer" in the first season of 24 (2001), "Angie Barnett" (Kelso's girlfriend) in the seventh season of That '70s Show (1998) and "Isabelle Tyler" in The 4400 (2004). She was raised on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. In early 2008, she starred opposite Alessandro Nivola in an independent movie, directed by Jerry Zaks, titled Who Do You Love (2008) where she played a heroin-addicted lounge singer. She did all of her own singing in the movie.- Actress
Navi Rawat was born on 5 June 1977 in Malibu, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Feast (2005), The O.C. (2003) and Numb3rs (2005). She has been married to Brawley Nolte since 2012. They have one child.- Actress
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Jennifer is an American actress and filmmaker, who is perhaps best known for writing and starring in the indie hits, Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Friends with Kids (2011).
A graduate from Yale University, Jennifer started her career as a New York-based theater actor, starring in over 25 off-Broadway and regional productions, before coming to Hollywood in 1997. Within weeks of her arrival, she landed a series regular role in ABC's Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998), alongside Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and Richard Ruccolo. That same year, she co-wrote and starred in an off-Broadway play, with Heather Juergensen, called "Lipschtick: The Story of Two Women Seeking The Perfect Shade", that caught the attention of Hollywood studios. The play was optioned by "Radar Pictures" to be made into a film, starring Westfeldt and Juergensen.
After one season on "Two Guys", 20th Century Fox Studios pulled Jennifer from that show to cast her as the lead of another show for them, the short-lived Holding the Baby (1998) on Fox.
While Westfeldt was busy shooting sitcoms, she and Juergensen were also hard at work, developing their play into a screenplay. Frustrated by the slow pace of studio development, they bought back the rights to their script and decided to make their film independently, on a shoestring budget. The film was Kissing Jessica Stein (2001).
"Kissing Jessica Stein" was snapped up by "Fox Searchlight", when it debuted at the LA International Film Festival, then was released to critical acclaim in March of 2002. Jennifer received the Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role as "Jessica", an Indie Spirit Nomination for Best First Screenplay, and a Special Jury Prize for Writing and Acting at the Los Angeles International Film Festival. The film won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the Audience Favorites Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Miami Film Festival, Best Feature at the Louisville Jewish Film Festival, and the GLAAD Media Award.
Jennifer continued to work steadily in television, starring in pilots for the WB (The Gene Pool (2001) opposite Chris Eigeman in 2001), F/X (The untitled Paul Reiser pilot in 2002), and NBC (Steve Levitan's Dante (2005) in 2005), and doing recurring and guest roles on Judging Amy (1999), Hack (2002), Numb3rs (2005) and Snoops (1999). She also starred in the indie, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (2004) (aka "How To Lose Your Lover"), in 2004, opposite Paul Schneider.
She made her Broadway debut, in the fall of 2003, in the critical and commercial hit, "Wonderful Town", starring opposite two-time Tony Winner Donna Murphy and directed by three-time Tony Winner Kathleen Marshall. Jennifer received a 2004 Tony nomination, a Theater World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, and a Drama League Award for her role as "Eileen Sherwood".
Jennifer's second feature as an actress/scribe, Ira & Abby (2006), marked her first solo screen-writing effort. "Ira & Abby" won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Jury Prize for Best Feature at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Additionally, Jennifer won Best Actress at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival for her performance as "Abby". The film was acquired by "Magnolia Pictures" and was released to critical acclaim in the fall of 2007. That same year, Jennifer was cast as the lead of ABC's Notes from the Underbelly (2007), directed and executive produced by Barry Sonnenfeld. "Notes" ran for two seasons on ABC. Her recent television credits include memorable arcs on ABC's hit, Grey's Anatomy (2005) and the final season of Fox's hit, 24 (2001), as well as starring in the TV movie, Before You Say 'I Do' (2009), opposite David Sutcliffe.
Her recent stage work includes the world premiere of Joe Gilford's "Finks" at the Powerhouse Theater, opposite Josh Radnor and directed by Charlie Stratton (2008); the world premiere of Cusi Cram's "A Lifetime Burning" at Primary Stages off-Broadway, directed by Pam Mackinnon (2009); "Three Sisters" at LA Theaterworks (2011) and the world premiere of Stephen Belber's "The Power of Duff" at the Powerhouse Theater, opposite Greg Kinnear and directed by Peter Dubois (2012).
On the big screen, Jennifer Westfeldt most recently wrote, starred in and made her directorial debut in the indie hit, Friends with Kids (2011), released by Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions in March 2012. "Friends with Kids" was a breakout hit at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, and boasted a stellar cast, including Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Chris O'Dowd, Ed Burns, Megan Fox and Jon Hamm.
Jennifer has been in a relationship with Jon Hamm since 1997. They reside in both New York and Los Angeles.- Actress
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Two time Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Actress (2020, 2016), and winner of seven Best Actress awards, a Best Supporting Actress Award and a Best Actress Nominee, Kathleen Gati is very well known as the stewardess on AMC's Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462; for her role as Raisa on (CW) Arrow; eleven seasons (521 episodes) as Dr. Liesl Obrecht on (ABC) General Hospital (1963) and as the CEO on (BET) Being Mary Jane. She is also very popular for her two seasons on 24: Redemption (2008) as Anya Suvarov, the First Lady of Russia. She has garnered nine Audiofile Earphones Awards for her over 80 audiobook narrations.
Gati was born and raised in Canada by Hungarian immigrants and was brought up in an artistic environment. Her father was a symphony conductor and her mother an opera singer, so performing was in her blood. She started acting at the age of three, wrote, directed and starred in her first play at the age of eight. After high school, she moved to New York to pursue her dream, where she studied and performed in dozens of plays both on and Off Broadway, as well as working in numerous roles on television and in film. Gati was invited to Hungary to be in the feature Goldberg variácók (1992), for which she won the Television and Film Critics Best Supporting Actress award.
She subsequently stayed on in Hungary for six years, during which time she starred in numerous films, television series and several movies of the week, winning multiple additional awards along the way, including the Film and Television Critics award for her story and lead role for A színésznö és a halál (1995) (The Actress and the Death). Her performance in Hungary's biggest hit of the 1990s, Sose halunk meg (1993) (We Never Die), which made the final 35 films selected for Best Foreign Film entries for the Academy Awards, made her an extremely popular actress in eastern and central Europe. She won Best Actress at the Los Angeles Hungarian Film Festival in 2011 for her lead role in Retrace (2011) and was nominated for Best Actress at the New York International Film Festival in 2015 for A Play on Words (2015). Her lead role in Lifeline (2015) has garnered Gati five Best Actress awards.- Actress
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A native Californian, Lesley is perhaps best known for her role as Veronica Hastings on the hit television series Pretty Little Liars (2010). Lesley is also known for her recurring roles on Southland (2009), 24 (2001), CSI: Miami (2002), and Justice (2006). A lover of the stage, she is very active in L.A. theatre and has also enjoyed working at numerous regional theaters.- Actress
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Alexandra is originally from Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. Alexandra moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting when she was 17. She graduated with honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a dual degree in Drama and Psychology and studied at the Stella Adler Studio. After graduating from NYU, Alexandra performed in Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre, studied with Joseph Chaikin in his final master classes in NYC, and continued her classical theatre training with Patsy Rodenburg from The National Theatre in London.- Actress
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Kate Mara is an American actress. She starred in the Netflix political drama House of Cards (2013) as Zoe Barnes and appeared in the Fox TV series 24 (2001) as computer analyst Shari Rothenberg. She appeared in Brokeback Mountain (2005), We Are Marshall (2006), Shooter (2007), Transsiberian (2008), Stone of Destiny (2008), The Open Road (2009), Transcendence (2014), and Fantastic Four (2015) as the Invisible Woman. She also appeared in the FX horror mini-series American Horror Story (2011) as Hayden McClaine. Mara's film debut was in Random Hearts (1999), with Harrison Ford in 1999, directed by Sydney Pollack. In 2015, she also had a supporting role as astronaut "Beth Johanssen" in director Ridley Scott's film The Martian (2015). In the same year, she also starred as Ashley Smith in the movie Captive (2015).
Mara also starred in Morgan (2016), Megan Leavey (2017) and My Days of Mercy (2017).
Kate was born in Bedford, New York. She is one of four children of Kathleen McNulty (Rooney) and NFL football team New York Giants executive Timothy Christopher Mara. Her younger sister is actress Rooney Mara.
Her grandfathers were Wellington Mara, co-owner of the Giants, and Timothy Rooney, owner of Yonkers Raceway, and her grand-uncle is Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, the former US Ambassador to Ireland. She is the great-granddaughter of Art Rooney Sr., the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise. She often sings the national anthem at Giants home games. Her father has Irish, German, and French-Canadian ancestry, and her mother is of Irish and Italian descent.
Mara graduated from high school a year early. She was accepted at the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts but deferred her admission for three consecutive years.- Actress
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Ever Carradine was born on 6 August 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Requiem Boogie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Bubble Boy (2001). She has been married to Coby Brown since 1 October 2005. They have two children.- Actress
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Andrea Thompson was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1960. She has three siblings, and was raised in a strict Catholic household. At the age of seven she moved to Australia with her family. After graduating from high school Andrea traveled the world for five years, before moving to New York to study acting. She then went to Hollywood and eventually got her first small part in Wall Street (1987).- Actress
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Carly graduated from high school in Vancouver in 1998. She made her American screen debut in I've Been Waiting for You (1998). Her most noticeable roles to date are "Molly White" in Trapped in a Purple Haze (2000), and "Sam McPherson" in TV's Popular (1999). She auditioned for roles on Roswell (1999) before she landed the role of "Sam McPherson".- Actress
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Tamlyn Tomita was born on 27 January 1966 in Okinawa, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Eye (2008). She is married to Daniel Blinkoff.- Julie Claire is known for Bloodline (2015), Devious Maids (2013) and Scandal (2012). She has been married to Glenn Kessler since 2010. They have three children.
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Agnes Bruckner was born on 16 August 1985 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Murder by Numbers (2002), Blood and Chocolate (2007) and Anna Nicole (2013).- Actress
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Angela Goethals was born on 20 May 1977 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Home Alone (1990), Jerry Maguire (1996) and Spanglish (2004). She has been married to Russell Soder since 2005. They have two children.- Megan Gallagher wanted to act from the time she was five years old. She later took drama lessons when she was in high school. She moved to New York to attend the Juilliard and appeared in the Broadway cast of "A Few Good Men" where she won two theater awards (Theatre World and Outer Critics Circle Award for outstanding debut) for her Broadway performance in "A Few Good Men". After graduating from Juilliard with a bachelor's degree, she began to work with John Houseman's Acting Company and soon had screen roles in TV movies and miniseries, but was so discouraged trying to make it in L.A. that she nearly gave up to go to law school. Then she won the Hill Street Blues (1981) role, which developed from a guest star to a regular role. The rest is history.
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Jenny Cooper was born in Toronto, Ont. and grew up in Miami, Fl.
She relocated to Los Angeles to attend the USC School of Theatre and while there landed the role of Molly in the Canadian series Jake and the Kid (1995). She went on to co-star in the series Fast Track (1998) for Showtime, as well as the Mini Series The Feast of All Saints (2001), both filmed in her home town of Toronto.
She returned to Los Angeles for a recurring role on the hit series 24 (2001) and has since appeared in numerous hours of television and film, including : CSI: Miami (2002), NCIS (2003), Ghost Whisperer (2005) and Scandal (2012) and features such as Godsend (2004) and Baby Blues (2008)
In 2013, Ms. Cooper, wrote, produced and co-starred in I Think I Do (2013) alongside Mia Kirshner and Sara Canning.
She resides in Encino with her husband and their three small children.- Actress
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Enuka Okuma was born on 20 September 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is an actress and writer, known for Workin' Moms (2017), The Sleepover (2020) and Rookie Blue (2010). She has been married to Joe Gasparin since 2 July 2011.- Lucinda Jenney was born on 23 April 1954 in Long Island City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Rain Man (1988), Practical Magic (1998) and Leaving Las Vegas (1995). She has been married to Bill Moseley since 14 February 2017. They have one child. She was previously married to John Henry Swanger III.
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Born in Columbia, South Carolina, and raised in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Missy Crider began her journey in the arts at an early age (12) in New York City and Los Angeles while doubling high school in the small southern town, graduating with a 3.98 cumulative GPA. The eldest of three siblings and daughter of a CPA/college professor and interior designer, she began working as an award-winning singer and violinist in country music stage shows in Branson, Missouri, when an agency in New York signed her and she booked her very first audition for an NBC pilot. She spent seven years during high school working in musical theater and doing local plays while flying back and forth to Hollywood and New York. She relocated to Los Angeles in October of 1992, after having filmed six movies and miniseries for television, including the highly acclaimed original, "Lonesome Dove" (1989), opposite Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, and Angelica Huston, which secured her Screen Actors Guild membership.
Crider received an Emmy nomination from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her leading role opposite Tom Everett Scott in the CBS drama, "Love in the Dark Ages" (#11.3)" (1994). Shortly thereafter, John McNaughton cast her as an aspiring singer who lands a record deal. McNaughton asked Crider to sing the vocal tracks for the film in Showtime's campy drive-in cinema remake classic, "Girls in Prison" (1994) (TV), co-starring Anne Heche and Ione Skye. She made the transition to film when writer/director Mitch Marcus cast her as his female lead, "Cindy Wells", opposite Scott Caan, James Caan and Elliott Gould in "A Boy Called Hate" (1995). The gritty road movie captivated filmgoers and critics alike, winning The Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Crider followed this role by being cast as a southern woman caught in a cycle of small-town violence with a sensitive portrayal of a student who finds compassion for fellow empath, Sean Patrick Flanery, in Disney's beloved feature film, "Powder" (1995), co-starring Jeff Goldblum and Mary Steenburgen.
It was this winsome portrayal that brought her to the attention of renowned television producer Steven Bochco, who cast her opposite Anthony LaPaglia and Mary McCormack, as inscrutable murder defendant "Sharon Rooney" for a seven-episode run in the second season of his highly acclaimed ABC series, "Murder One" (1996). The 1990s proved busy with several other works: ABC's "A Mother's Revenge" (1993) (TV), opposite Shirley Knight and Lesley Ann Warren; a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, "Jane's House" (1994) (TV) opposite James Woods and Anne Archer; Peter Benchley's eight-hour miniseries for NBC, "The Beast" (1996) (TV), opposite William Petersen; Stephen King's "Quicksilver Highway" (1997) (TV), opposite Christopher Lloyd; Paramount Pictures "Sins of the Mind" (1997) (TV); "Conversations in Limbo" (1998); and the quirky independent film, "Stand-ins" (1997), in which Crider drones in German alto octave when portraying Marlene Dietrich's savvy, wise-cracking double, spewing 1930s banter with fellow stand-ins Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, Mae West, Rita Hayworth and Greta Garbo.
In the fall of 1999, Crider's manager received a phone call from Steven Spielberg. He shared that he had recently seen her work on ABC's "Strange World" (1999) and wanted to write a leading role specifically for her in his NBC/Dreamworks one-hour drama series, "The Others" (2000). The role had originally been written as an elderly American Indian woman and was rewritten for Crider to play "Satori", a gifted psychic, opposite fellow telepaths Bill Cobbs, Julianne Nicholson, and Gabriel Macht. The series in the vein of the cult-following film, "Dead Poets Society" (1989), aired for 14 episodes on Saturday nights in 2000 and 2001. Proving equally adept with humor, Crider completed a co-starring role in producer/director Mike Binder's award-winning feature film comedy, "The Sex Monster" (1999), joining an ensemble cast including Mariel Hemingway, Kevin Pollak and Stephen Baldwin, winning Best Picture at the 1999 Aspen Comedy Festival. Crider plays "Diva", a beautiful young secretary who becomes the unwitting object of both her employer's and his wife's affections. Bill Paxton met Crider at a screening of "The Sex Monster" (1999) and cast her in his feature-film directorial debut set in rural Texas, "Frailty" (2001), playing Matthew McConaughey's southern pregnant wife.
After playing Matthew McConaughey's wife, Crider landed a coveted role in David Lynch's acclaimed feature film, "Mulholland Drive" (2001), as "Diane/Betty", a smart, hip, mysterious waitress who dreams of becoming an actress and served as the projection of Naomi Watts' character's fragile identity. During this period, Crider also joined an all-star cast opposite Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Al Pacino, and Christopher Walken in Revolution Studios' romantic comedy, "Gigli" (2003), written and directed by Martin Brest, cast by Ellen Lewis. She joined the cast of the suspense indie ensemble, "Reeseville" (2003) when Director Gregory Hatanaka also offered her the lead role of "Mina" in his ensemble indie film about the challenges of Hollywood couples, "Until the Night" (2004), in which she plays the girlfriend of hopeful cinematographer Norman Reedus. Crider was also offered the female lead in an original Hallmark Channel telefilm, "Out of the Woods" (2005) (TV), opposite Jason London and Edward Asner shot in the Redwoods in Northern California.
In the 2000s, Crider starred, guest starred, and was delighted to be invited to recur in numerous hit films and TV shows. FOX offered Crider the role of "Rita Brady" during the height of their highly acclaimed TV show, "24" (2001), opposite Kiefer Sutherland. FOX invited her back to recur for 4 consequent episodes: "Day 6: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (#6.5)" (2007), "Day 6: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (#6.6)" (2007), "Day 6: 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. (#6.7) (2007)", "Day 6: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (#6.8)" (2007). The highly successful TV producer, Dick Wolf, personally invited Crider to rejoin the Law & Order family in New York when she shot an episode of "Law & Order: SVU: Catfishing Teacher (#17.10)" (2016), opposite Ice-T and Mariska Hargitay, ten years after Wolf had originally cast her in a lead guest star role in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Bedfellows (#6.5)" (2006), opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, Katie Erbe, and Rip Torn. Other works during this period included: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Burked (#2.1)" (2001), "Instinct to Kill" (2001), "CSI: Miami: Lost Son (#3.1)" (2004), Showtime's "Huff: A Cornfield Grows in L.A. (#2.8)" (2006), "Huff: Tapping The Squid (#2.11)" (2006), "Seclusion" (2006), "House: Role Model (#1.17) (2005), "Criminal Minds: Pay It Forward (#8.19)" (2013), "Mistresses: Open House (#2.3)" (2014), "The Guardian: Solidarity (#1.16)" (2002), "Without a Trace: One and Only (#5.22)" (2007), "Along the Way" (2007), the CW's "90210: Zero Tolerance (#1.23)" (2009), "Butterfly Dreaming" (2008), "The Cry of the Butterfly" (2014) opposite Dee Wallace Stone, and more.
Crider is an award-winning actor, singer, writer, producer, and child welfare advocate who has worked as a lead actress and singer in over 60 American films, TV series, and miniseries. In 2010, she was awarded the Norman Mailer Award by the Norman Mailer Writer's Colony and The National Council of Teachers of English in the category of nonfiction for a memoir that she penned about her grandmother. In 2018, she achieved her BA degree in Psychology, SAA, as an honors graduate at Argosy University. Her body of work, children's stories, and novels: The Interims, Semilla Swamp, and Little House War are found at MLCrider.com and CriderInk.com.- Actress
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Throughout her career, Devika Parikh has distinguished herself with memorable roles in iconic series and feature films in both comedy and drama. Parikh can next be seen on January 11 in the highly anticipated new OWN series "Kings of Napa," where she stars as "Melanie Pierce," who brings the drama to the King family. Some of her recent roles include playing "Nancy Klein," Meredith's job saving attorney on "Grey's Anatomy," and supporting role in the feature film Aquaman.
Raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland to what she lovingly terms a "Blindian," family with an East Indian father from Mumbai, India and an African-American mother from Virginia, Parikh's mixed cultural heritage has always been a source of pride. Her first name in Sanskrit means "little goddess," and her heritage has played a part in her diverse portrayals of black, East Indian, and mixed ethnicity characters throughout her career.
Prior to becoming an actor, Parikh pursued journalism, graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University. After a soul-searching trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, she decided to leave journalism to pursue her lifelong passion, and began training, appearing in Los Angeles theater productions, and performing comedy.
Her early career started with bit comedy roles on "In Living Color," "Martin," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Her first big recurring role came when she landed the role of "Sheri" on Showtime's series "Resurrection Blvd" which was followed by the role of "Maureen Kingsley" on the iconic Fox smash hit series "24." Up next she booked the recurring role of "Bonnie" on the critically hailed NBC hit drama "The West Wing" which lasted for five seasons. Additional credits include projects such as "Shameless," "No Good Nick," "Prime Suspect" and "Criminal Minds," to name a very few.
Parikh has also distinguished herself as a highly in-demand voice-over actress, including providing voice work for the animated films, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Madagascar," "Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse," and also voicing characters in numerous major video games, TV shows and movies.- Actress
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Leighton Marissa Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance Lynn (Haas) and Douglas Jay Meester. Although born in Texas, Meester spent her early years in Marco Island, Florida with her grandparents. There, she became involved with the local playhouse and made her stage debut in a production of "The Wizard of Oz".
She moved to New York with her mother at the age of 11 and was soon working as a model and appearing in TV commercials. A few years later, at age 14, she and her mother moved again, this time to Los Angeles, where she began to pick up TV work, making her debut in Disciple (1999).
A steady stream of TV work followed, and in 2007 she landed the role of Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl (2007), which made her famous. This led to more TV and movie roles. In 2009, she launched a recording career with the single, "Somebody to Love".- Anita is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Hunter College High School and Queens College. In addition to her many years of TV and film work, and 7 years as Dr. Nora Thompson on "The Young & The Restless," Anita authored the bestseller, Dirty Words on Clean Skin, a shocking exposé that makes the political personal and tells it like it is for women aspiring to power. For 16 weeks, Dirty Words on Clean Skin was #1 on Amazon's Women in Politics books and has been accepted to the Clinton Presidential Library. A regular commentator on The Jerry Doyle Show and America's Radio News Network, Anita also speaks about women's empowerment at venues around the country.
Working extensively as a solo performer, Anita wrote and performed "The Devil Takes A Wife" to acclaim in various Los Angeles theatres. - Actress
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Tracy Middendorf was born on 26 January 1970 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for New Nightmare (1994), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Scream: The TV Series (2015). She has been married to Franz Wisner since 2 January 2005. They have one child.- Actress
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Maria del Mar was born in 1964 in Madrid, Spain. She is known for Blue Murder (2001), A Touch of Grey (2009) and 24 (2001).- Actress
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Stana Katic recently starred in the TV series, Absentia, streaming on Amazon. It's a thriller-drama produced by Sony Pictures Television. Upon debut it was one of Amazon's top-ten most popular programs.
Stana's feature film work includes, CBGB, Big Sur, The Spirit, Feast of Love, The Double and Bond franchise installment Quantum of Solace.
For 8 seasons, Stana starred as Kate Beckett on Castle. The ABC hit series brought in over 10 million viewers weekly and is in the top five syndicated series in Spain, France, the UK, Italy, and Germany.
Stana has ten award nominations and seven wins - including three People's Choice Awards, a PRISM Award, and three TV Guide Awards
Stana is also dedicated to philanthropic projects with a focus on the Environment and on Children's Education and Healthcare. This work has kept her involved with organizations from around the globe.
Stana currently resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
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Chuti Tiu was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Yellowstone (2018), How to Get Away with Murder (2014) and Expats (2023). She is married to Oscar Torre.- Dagmara Dominczyk is a Polish-American actress and author. She has appeared in the films Rock Star (2001), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Kinsey (2004), Trust the Man (2005), Lonely Hearts (2006), Running with Scissors (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Letter (2012), The Immigrant (2013), Big Stone Gap (2014), A Woman, a Part (2016), The Assistant (2019), and The Lost Daughter (2021).
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Gwendoline's breakthrough was a Series Regular role on Desperate Housewives as naughty maid Xiao-Mei. She was then handpicked by Robert Duvall to star opposite him on Emmy Winning Western Broken Trail which garnered her a NAMIC Vision award nominated for best supporting actress.
She starred in the 2018 Emmy-nominated American Girl: Ivy & Julie, Amazon Prime's first movie with an all Asian American cast.
Gwendoline received critical acclaim on TV series American Crime, created and directed by Oscar winner John Ridley as Oklahoma born Sargent "Richelle" alongside a racist mother-in-law portrayed by Felicity Huffman. She has guested on other hit TV shows like NCIS & Grey's Anatomy.
She won two best actress awards for indie feature Heathens & Thieves at the Houston International Film Festival and Iowa Film Festival. She was in movies The Jane Austen Book Club with Emily Blunt & Hugh Dancy & The Magic of Ordinary Days with Keri Russell.
Gwendoline has voiced over fifty games and cartoons including Shinigami on TMNT, Nala Se on Star Wars Clone Wars & Paine in Final Fantasy X2. She has been nominated for 3 BTVA awards.
She was honored as Alumna of the year with the UCLA Asia Pacific Alumni Award in 2016.
Gwendoline designed a sold out clothing line from which proceeds benefitted the Appalachian region in Kentucky.
Gwendoline Yeo immigrated from Singapore to San Francisco at eleven. She won Miss Teen Chinatown SF, Miss Asian America & Miss Chinatown USA. She graduated from UCLA Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa and has a diploma in piano from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
She was discovered playing the Chinese Zither by NPR executives and was invited to write, narrate and score her immigrant and ugly duckling journey in a one woman radio show on "The Politics of Culture." She later turned this into a theatre piece titled "Laughing With My Mouth Wide Open" that had a successful run at the El Centro Theatre. Both received rave reviews.- Actress
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Mary 'Mare' Megan Winningham is an actress and songwriter who has appeared in nearly 100 TV shows and feature films. She began her career in 1976 as a singer, and starred in numerous and diverse film roles before hitting it big as one of the original Brat Pack in Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire (1985) with Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy.
Mare attended Chatsworth High School with Val Kilmer, James Rekart and Kevin Spacey, but she was bitten by the acting bug much earlier on. She had enjoyed drama and music since primary school, taking a particular interest in the guitar and drums.
Since St. Elmo's Fire (1985), Mare has played some outstanding roles in a number of big films. She starred in the Tom Hanks comedy Turner & Hooch (1989). She has also starred in two feature films with Kevin Costner, The War (1994) and the western Wyatt Earp (1994), the latter directed by Lawrence Kasdan and co-starring Gene Hackman. Mare won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in Georgia (1995).
Bad Day on the Block (1997) saw her starring opposite Charlie Sheen and she put in a superb performance in Brothers (2009), a war drama co-starring Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman.
Her myriad TV roles include ER (1994), Grey's Anatomy (2005), and 24 (2001) with Kiefer Sutherland.- Actress
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Stephanie Erb is an American actress known for her work in TV, film, and theater. She grew up all over the United States as a university brat and was drawn to both a medical career and the arts. However, when she saw Laurence Olivier's Hamlet at eight years old, she knew she truly wanted to be an actress. Her training began at The Cleveland Playhouse and continued at SMU's acclaimed Theatre Program; when she moved to New York she started years of jobs in the regional-theater circuit, including work at Arena Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Dallas Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, etc., and an expansive tour of the United States with John Houseman's Acting Company ("Two Gents", "Romeo and Juliet"). She also holds degrees in English and biology.
Stephanie garners a lot of inspiration from both of her parents. Her father, the late American contemporary composer Donald Erb, encouraged her pursuit of the arts and was always a beacon of artistic integrity, perseverance, and compassion. Her mother Lucille provided endless support and love, which made it possible for her to pursue a quixotic business. Through all the ups and downs, her parents offered listening ears, and her very successful father would even mention from time to time, "You know, I could have been a fireman and been just as happy."
Stephanie began to work in television and film upon moving to Los Angeles, and has been active in both ever since, performing in the theater whenever possible. Her first break in television was as a guest star on the cult favorite, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She owes her film debut to Peter Weir, who cast her in Fearless (1993) with Jeff Bridges and Isabella Rossellini.
Her extensive career also includes recurring roles on Weeds (2005), 24 (2001), and Freaks and Geeks (1999), as well as film appearances on such productions as The Ring (2002), South Dakota (2017), and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006). Additional television work includes recurring characters on Ray Donovan (2013), The Young and the Restless (1973), and The Fosters (2013) to add to her resume of over 100 individual appearances onscreen. Stephanie has garnered numerous awards for her work in theater, as well as onscreen.
As she says, "It's a crazy life, but someone has to do it." And she does, with gratitude. A resident of Los Angeles, Stephanie lives with her family and two needy chihuahuas.- Kim Murphy was born on 8 February 1974 in Olympia, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Houseguest (1995), City of Angels (1998) and Level 9 (2000). She died on 26 October 2018 in the USA.
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Pauley Perrette is known to millions around the world as Abby Sciuto, the brilliant but offbeat forensic scientist on CBS's NCIS (2003). Her additional credits include appearances on such shows as Almost Famous (2000), The Ring (2002), 24 (2001), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Murder One (1995), The Drew Carey Show (1995), Jesse (1998), Time of Your Life (1999), Philly (2001), Special Unit 2 (2001), Haunted (2002) and many independent films, commercials, and music videos.
Born in New Orleans, Pauley was raised in Alabama, Georgia, and all over the South. She was an undergrad honor student in sociology, psychology, and criminal science. She began her master's degree in criminal science at Georgia State University before moving to New York City. She worked as a bartender while pursuing an acting career.
In addition to being a talented actress, Pauley is also a director, producer, published writer, poet, photographer, spoken-word artist, and singer/songwriter. A passionate and dedicated advocate for civil rights, she is directing and producing a documentary about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane. An ardent social and civil activist, Pauley is involved in many charitable organizations that work on behalf of animal rescue, civil rights, and LGBT rights. She is on the board of Project Angel Food and supports Habitat for Humanity, NoH8, PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), EQCA (Equality California), AIDS Walk LA, the Humane Society, AIDS Task Force, NOH8 Campaign, Los Angeles Zoo, Hope Gardens, Union Rescue Mission, DonorsChoose.org, APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles), the Amanda Foundation, the American Red Cross, Out of the Closet, Top Cops, 5p21 (AIDS clinic), Strike Out AIDS, Petfinder.com, Hollywood Homeless Lunch, Campaign for Care, and Save the Children. Pauley is also an active congregant of the social and civilly active Hollywood United Methodist Church.
Her dedication to independent film has resulted in her winning, among other accolades, Best Actress in the Beverly Hills Films Festival 2010 for To Comfort You (2009). Being placed on several IT lists, including those of Entertainment Weekly and LA Weekly, she also was singled out as the only woman in the top 10 of the Q rankings, and tied with Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman at #1 as the most favorable celebrities. In the E-Poll survey, she ranked #4 most liked celebrity.
Pauley was recently honored by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as Community Advocate of the Year, by the Union Rescue Mission with the Heart for Service Award, by the Desert AIDS Project as Next Generation Advocate, and by the Union Rescue Mission for her social media efforts that saved Hope Gardens (a homeless shelter for women and children). She is finishing recording her new album with her band, Stop Making Friends, performing songs that she wrote and sings. She is also the former lead singer of the all-girl rock band Lo-Ball. She recently collaborated with new artist B. Taylor on his single, "Fire in Your Eyes," and soon will be heard on the Run-D.M.C. single "Attention Please."
Pauley has been a frequent entertaining guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005), Late Show with David Letterman (1993), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009), and many other entertainment and talk shows.- Jenni Blong is known for Cry-Baby (1990), S1m0ne (2002) and The Booth at the End (2011). She has been married to John Livingston since 2006.
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Mary Page Keller received formal training at the University of Maryland and the Boston Conservatory of Music, leading to various parts in musical theater in Washington, D.C. After training in New York, doing everything from theater to soap opera, she relocated to Los Angeles to star in Duet (1987) - one of the first series for the fledgling Fox TV Network. She went on to headline other series and has recently added writing and producing to her resume, including developing multiple pilots for NBC Universal and Warner Brothers TV with her husband and screenwriting partner, Thomas Ian Griffith. They live in Los Angeles and have two sons, Conner and Eamon..- Actress
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Roxanne Day attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where she got her start in theatre and independent film. She also had the honor of studying with award-winning actress Kathleen Turner in a rare master class. The LA Times is quoted as saying that Roxanne is "so lovely and gifted that she deserves the breaks that have eluded [her character] "- Actress
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Triple threat Danielle Burgio transitioned from Broadway dancer, to Hollywood stuntwoman, and now, successful actress / producer. Born in Andrews Airforce Base, Burgio booked her first job only two weeks after moving two New York City, making her Big White Way debut in Starlight Express.
After breaking in her skates on Broadway, Burgio moved to Los Angeles, where she became one of the industry's most sought after stunt women, appearing in over 100 films and TV shows, including fan boy favorites like Blade, Batman Forever, and serving as stunt double to Carrie Ann Moss' iconic 'Trinity' character in the Matrix sequels. Burgio's winning streak continued with a book, 'The Stuntwoman's Workout,' and invitation to co-host TBS' 'Worst Case Scenario,' where, as 'Gear Girl,' she performed some of the most thrilling stunts of her plane-jumping, car-crashing, skyscraper-dangling career, and got the opportunity to display her daredevil skills during appearances from Entertainment Tonight to Good Morning America.
In addition to her career as a top stunt woman, the host of the Women Kick Ass podcast has become a successful actress in her own rite, appearing in nearly 50 credits, most recently stealing the opening scene as 'Soccer Mom' in Zack Snyder's instant cult classic, Army of the Dead. The expert martial artist has also channeled her creativity behind the camera, writing, directing, and producing two short films, Lucy Falls and Girl Trip, which screened at festivals across the US.- Ms. Made' is a native New Yorker and a Juilliard Graduate, with a range of experience in television, motion pictures and on the New York stage, on/off Broadway including top regional theaters across the country. With both contemporary and classical theatre under her belt, Ms. Made' has played opposite television's elite on "How to Get Away with Murder," "Criminal Minds" and in "Goliath," in addition to "Harry's Law" and "24." Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Made' can be a chameleon and has played ethnically ambiguous roles including characters that are Middle Eastern, South American, Dominican, African American, African Caribbean. Her agility comes from years in dance training-modern, ballet and tap with the added experience in stage combat. Sensitive, straight forward and focused, Ms. Made' is making her mark.
- Skylar Roberge was born on 13 July 1994 in Oahu, Hawaii, USA. She is an actress, known for Firefly (2002), 24 (2001) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Marina Black is known for Six Feet Under (2001), Swordfish (2001) and Flashforward (2009). She is married to David S. Goyer. They have two children.- Sandra Purpuro is known for The Shield (2002), NYPD Blue (1993) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Suzan Brittan was born in Vestal, New York, USA. She is known for Fallout: New Vegas (2010), Cattle Call (2006) and The Appointment (2008). She was previously married to Willie Gault.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Michelle is a proud Chicana born and raised in Hollywood, California. While no one in her family was "in the business", it certainly helped that she grew up next door to an original munchkin from The Wizard of Oz (1939). It was here where she learned about the magic of filmmaking, television, and ultimately, her love for acting. An early education of Doris Day and Busby Berkeley films helped fuel her love for the arts. She went on to major in Theatre at California State University-Northridge, and quickly started auditioning professionally in her late teens. She booked her first audition.
With more than 170 credits to her name, she is an avid supporter of LGBTQ rights and advocacy. She has used her skills as a writer and producer to create projects such as her short film Slip Away (2011) about substance abuse and its effect on a lesbian Latina relationship. Slip Away (2011) went on to screen at numerous film festivals around the world, including Outfest-The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film festival, and won The Q Award at the Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival and The Bronze Award at the Mexico International Film Festival for best short film. She co-created, produced and wrote the comedy web series Failing Upwards (2012).
Bonilla made her big screen debut in Above Suspicion (1995), starring Christopher Reeve and Kim Cattrall. Her most recent credits include Clemency (Grand Jury Prize Winner, Sundance Film Festival 2019 US Dramatic Competition), Pin Up, Criminal Minds, Jane The Virgin, 24: Live Another Day - Solitary, The Bold and The Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives. She has had recurring voice roles as "Mrs. Flores" in The Casagrandes (2019), the new spin-off of the Emmy Award-winning The Loud House (2014).
Her theatre credits include the critically acclaimed Dark Rapture by Eric Overmyer at the prestigious Kalita Humphreys Theatre in Dallas, Texas. In Los Angeles, her theatre credits include As You Like It...Fresh, Wilding, The Circle, The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts; the West Coast Premiere of Eddie Sanchez's Award Winning, Clean, and Borderlands (Co-written by Dana Stevens) at Second Stage. She worked with the world renowned, Los Angeles Philharmonic, in The Impressionists at The Disney Concert Hall
Bonilla is a recipient of the Inaugural Gift of Life Entertainment Media Award from the National Kidney Foundation presented to the cast of ER. She is also the winner of The ALMA (American Latino Media Arts Award) Award for her portrayal in PBS's Award Winning Foto-Novelas Series, Seeing Through Walls, and is honored to have received the prestigious recognition of being awarded the Resolution from The City of Los Angeles, Special Honoree - Latinas In Pride, for her work in the Arts and for promoting and advancing LGBTQ Rights.- Kathryn grew up in both Canada and Saudi Arabia but has lived in Los Angeles for the last decade. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC at age 19, Kathryn began her career as an actor on stage and in film/TV in Toronto. She starred in several series and was twice nominated for a Gemini - the Canadian Emmy. Since her move to LA, Kathryn has worked on a slate of films and TV shows, most recently guest starring on Criminal Minds and a recurring role on The Fosters. Other credits include Jane The Virgin, The Quad, Single Ladies and Parenthood. In 2016, Kathryn co-founded Eastside Arts, a performing arts school for children. As a coach for many years, Kathryn desired for Eastside Arts to be a non-competitive environment where every student felt safe to play and explore. Kathryn lives in Highland Park with artist Jon Rannells and their two daughters. She serves on the board at the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House - a home away from home for critically ill children receiving treatment in local hospitals.
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- Actress
Nicole Gomez Fisher is the writer, director and producer of the feature film "Sleeping with the Fishes," starring Golden Globe Winner Gina Rodriguez, Steven Strait and Ana Ortiz. "Fishes" aired on HBO, HBO Latino and HBO GO from 2014-2016, and can currently be seen on Amazon Prime Video and Vudu. Nicole was nominated for The St. Louis International Film Festival's New Filmmakers Emerging Director Award, and received the Brooklyn Film Festival's award for Best New Director. In 2014 she was named Best Director at the Imagen Awards, founded by legendary television producer Norman Lear.
Starting out as an actress and stand-up comic, Nicole is a founding member of "The Hot Tamales Live!", the Latina comedy tour produced by Eva Longoria and Kiki Melendez. She went on to write and perform her acclaimed one-woman show, "Mixed", at the New York Underground Comedy Festival.
Nicole's latest directing projects include "Queens", a pilot created by Cindy Chu in which she also produced, "Wokeman: Women in the Workplace" a webisode that she also co-wrote, "The Beauty of Disaster", a short written by Janet Stilson, and "Getting out of My Own Way," a music video for indie recording artist Jennifer Vazquez. Her scripts for original sitcoms, "This is My Life" and "Hotel 112" won praises at internationally recognized screenwriting competitions and her latest screenplay, "Good Egg", is an adventure comedy that she is gearing up to shoot in the fall of 2020.
Nicole's film, television and theater acting credits include a recurring role on 24, General Hospital, Empire (an Official Selection of The Sundance Film Festival), Frankie and Johnny are Married (starring Mandy Patinkin), Habla for HBO Latino and Birth Marks (part of The Ensemble Studios Marathon Series). Nicole's work has been featured in The New York Times, Time Out NY, Backstage, Theater Mania and 15 Minutes Magazine.- Actress
- Producer
Forbes Riley was born in Long Island, New York and attended Oceanside High School. She was named "Miss Teenage New York" and made her television debut with Bob Hope on NBC in the "Miss Teenage America Pageant". She has appeared on such shows as 24 (2001), The Pretender (1996), Fashion House (2006), Untold Stories of the ER (2004), Boy Meets World (1993) and The Practice (1997). She also has starred in films such as Ghosts of Genius (2003), Mr. Murder (1998), Shadow of Doubt (1998) and Savage (1996), as well as the cult classic Splatter University (1984). Riley has become a familiar face to millions of American viewers for her numerous appearances on infomercials. She has been a spokesperson for Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer, Aerobed, Microgrill, MaxiGlide, Mor Furniture Stores, and her own exercise device, Forbes Riley's SpinGym. She is often seen on live TV, on both HSN and QVC in England.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Freda Foh Shen was born on 25 April 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Star Trek (2009) and Mulan (1998).- Actress
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Nazanin Boniadi's film and television credits are a testament to her versatility, spanning a breadth of genres including drama, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy and action. She recently starred as Bronwyn in the first season of Amazon's global hit series adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), she also starred alongside J.K. Simmons in the critically acclaimed Starz series Counterpart (2017), created and produced by Justin Marks. She was the female lead of the Thunder Road / Bleecker Street feature Hotel Mumbai (2018) from director Anthony Maras, in which she starred opposite Dev Patel and was nominated for an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Award (AACTA), as well as had a supporting role in the Jay Roach and Charles Randolph's Roger Ailes film BOMBSHELL for Lionsgate and BRON opposite Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. She also portrayed Ester in the 2016 major motion picture Ben-Hur (2016), and had a supporting role in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008).
Among her many television credits, Boniadi earned an outstanding drama ensemble SAG nomination for her work on Showtime's hit series Homeland (2011) in which she played CIA analyst Fara Sherazi. She portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012).
Born in Tehran in the direct aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research.
Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott.
Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is also a longtime, renowned human rights activist, with a focus on her homeland Iran. Among her numerous recognitions she is the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize laureate. She has served as an ambassador for Amnesty International UK since 2020, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran since 2023. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.- Nadine Ellis was born in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Hairspray (2007), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Tropic Thunder (2008).
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Tava Smiley was born on 19 October 1971 in Theodosia, Missouri, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Good Luck Chuck (2007), Outta Time (2002) and Life Happens (2006).- Liz Loza is known for The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Your Dungeon, My Dragon (2011) and The Last Ship (2014). She has been married to Joel Begleiter since 20 June 2009.
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- Producer
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- Actress
- Writer
Jennifer Carta was born on 3 December 1970 in Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for It's About Time (2005), In the Wake of Things and Kissing Jessica Stein (2001). She has been married to Jeffrey Nicholas Brown since 20 September 2008. They have one child.- Glenda Redfield was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is known for 24 (2001), Veronica Mars (2004) and The Man in 3B (2015).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lauren Storm was born outside of Chicago, Illinois. She is a film and television actress, having worked alongside accomplished and award winning professionals for nearly two decades. In addition to acting, Lauren writes both screenplay and prose, and coaches young actors. Lauren always makes time for reading, travel, creating, and giving back. She resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Producer
Tina Holmes grew up in New York City and Connecticut. An Ivy League girl, she attended Yale University for two years followed by a move to Paris, France studying French literature at the Sorbonne. After returning to the U.S., Holmes entered Brown University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Comparative Literature. After graduating from Brown, Holmes returned to Paris to serve as a research assistant on a documentary on famed novelist, poet, and playwright Jean Genet. She also spent time at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil.
Holmes began her film acting career with Edge of Seventeen (1998) in 1998 playing the starring role of Maggie. She followed that with 30 Days (1999) in 1999 and Prince of Central Park (2000) in 2000. She has been featured in several present day television series such as 24 (2001), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Invasion (2005), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Third Watch (1999) and in a recurring role as Maggie Sibley on the HBO original series, Six Feet Under (2001) during the fifth and final season.- Actress
- Location Management
- Casting Department
Donzaleigh Abernathy won the Tanne Foundation 2012 Artist Award for her work as an actress and for her script, "Birmingham Sunday." She starred for four years in over 60 Episodes as a Series Regular on Lifetime Television's critically acclaimed dramatic series, "Any Day Now." She received recognition from Film Critic Roger Ebert for her performance in the Warner Bros. film, "Gods And Generals." She starred as the leading lady in the Emmy and Golden Globe winning HBO Film, "Don King-Only in America," opposite Ving Rhames. In the HBO Emmy and Golden Globe winning "Miss Evers Boys," she co-starred with Alfre Woodard and in NBC's "The Tempest" opposite Golden Globe Award winner, Peter Fonda. She also starred in New Line Cinema's comedy "Grilled" and Lions Gate's comedy "Leprechan 6 - Back 2 'Da Hood." She starred in the Directors Guild of America Award Winning, "Murder In Mississippi."
Audiences also know her from her recurring roles on the TV Series, "EZ Streets," "Commander-In-Chief," "Lincoln Heights," "Dangerous Minds," and "Amazing Grace." She has starred in several Television Movies, "Fatal Exposure," "Abducted - A Father's Love," "Ned Blessing" and "Grassroots."
Emory University's Brave New Works Project produced her screenplay, "Partners to History." For the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus and National Black Arts Festival at Atlanta's Symphony Hall, she wrote and starred in the Musical, "Lushlife - The Music of Billy Strayhorn." For the Harper's Ferry National Park Service's Centennial Celebration of the Niagara Movement, she wrote and starred in "The Women of Niagara." She wrote and performed "John Brown" for the University of Utah at Park City.
Along with her husband actor/producer Dar Dixon Bijarchi, she created, produced and directed the project, "St. Francis."
She is the youngest daughter born to Mrs. Juanita and Reverend Doctor Ralph David Abernathy, who led with his best friend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. the American Civil Rights Movement, which changed the course of American history. Ms. Abernathy witnessed the integral decision-making process shaping American laws and society, the creation of the Civil Rights Bill, the Public Accommodations Act and the Voting Rights Act.
She authored the history book, "Partners To History, Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement," published by Random House/Crown. The coffee table pictorial of American History which is sold out was nominated as one of the "Best Books of 2004" for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote the foreword.
Ms. Abernathy is a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the New Visions Foundation which created New Roads Schools and several other schools in the Los Angeles area. As a public speaker, she has spoken for the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, Harvard Law School, Pepperdine University and Morgan State University, just to name a few. Her life is profiled in the books "Fearless Women" and "No Mountain High Enough - Secrets of Successful African American Women."- Actress
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Juliette Marquis was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress and producer, known for Horn Maker, Dent (2017) and Into the Sun (2005).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Christina Moore is a true multi-hyphenate who has successfully built a career as an actor, writer, and producer over her 20-year career. She has starred in more than 80 television shows and films and has produced ten films in the last seven years.
Moore is best known for her work as a sketch comedian in "MadTV" (FOX), as Laurie Forman in "That 70s Show" (FOX), as Butterfly in "Without a Paddle" (Paramount), as Tracy Clark in the re-make of "90210" (CW), as Christina Ross in "Jessie" (Disney Channel) and as Mandi Heiser in TNT's hit series "Claws". She has also starred on such hit shows as "Friends", "True Blood", "Mom", "Last Man Standing", "Two and a Half Men", "Will & Grace" & "24".
In December 2022, Moore released two holiday movies worldwide. "I Believe in Santa", which she produced and stars in, was released on Netflix and quickly became the #2 movie globally on Netflix. "A Hollywood Christmas", which she developed and produced, was released on HBO Max and rapidly became the #1 movie on HBO Max. In summer 2022, she also released the film "That's Amor" on Netflix, which became the #2 movie in the US and #3 globally in its first two weeks on Netflix, garnering over thirty million viewing hours. Representation is extremely important to Moore, which is why her films have diverse casts and characters of all backgrounds, religions and sexual orientations.
In 2015, Moore began her work behind the camera when she co-wrote and produced the film "Running Wild", starring Sharon Stone. The film graced the festival circuit and debuted with a small theatrical release. Emboldened by this, Moore helmed a creative team that worked tirelessly to creatively develop and produce ten more films over the next seven years. Her focus lays on excellent story-telling and high production value while creating a nurturing environment for young talent to emerge. The films have homes on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime.
Moore has also ventured into the world of event series in which she is the female lead and a co-producer. "Casa Grande" is represented by Warner Bros Television Group and being released by Telus Canada and FreeVee USA in early 2023.
Moore is married to John Ducey. They reside in Sherman Oaks, CA.- Actress
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Yolonda Ross was born in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Chi (2018), The Get Down (2016) and Whitney (2015).