Out gay actors
When will movies start casting gay actors for the roles of gay characters?
Or in the words of Colin Firth in this article in PinkNews:
Firth has previously spoken out about some of the challenges facing gay actors, noting at the UK premiere of A Single Man that gay actors face “risks” in coming out.
“If you’re known as a straight guy, playing a gay role, you get rewarded for that. If you’re a gay man and you want to play a straight role, you don’t get cast – and if a gay man wants to play a gay role, you don’t get cast.”
He also admitted that he feels “complicit” in the problem.
“I don’t mean to be. I think we should all be allowed to play whoever – but I think there are still some invisible boundaries which are still uncrossable.”
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci to play gay couple in upcoming love story about dementia
By PATRICK KELLEHER
OCTOBER 25, 2019
PinkNews
Or in the words of Colin Firth in this article in PinkNews:
Firth has previously spoken out about some of the challenges facing gay actors, noting at the UK premiere of A Single Man that gay actors face “risks” in coming out.
“If you’re known as a straight guy, playing a gay role, you get rewarded for that. If you’re a gay man and you want to play a straight role, you don’t get cast – and if a gay man wants to play a gay role, you don’t get cast.”
He also admitted that he feels “complicit” in the problem.
“I don’t mean to be. I think we should all be allowed to play whoever – but I think there are still some invisible boundaries which are still uncrossable.”
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci to play gay couple in upcoming love story about dementia
By PATRICK KELLEHER
OCTOBER 25, 2019
PinkNews
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In 2023, Mr. Domingo was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play as a producer for the Pulitzer Prize winning play Fat Ham. Colman won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor Drama for his role as Ali in the HBO series Euphoria. Domingo has been honored with the inaugural Denver Film CinemaQ-LaBahn Ikon Film Award, the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award, the Creative Coalition Television Humanitarian Award and the Atlanta's Out On Film Icon Award. Colman Domingo stars in the Netflix, Higher Ground film Rustin as Bayard Rustin slated for the fall of 2023. He also stars as Mister in the Warner Brothers, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg produced The Color Purple musical motion picture. A two time Film Independent Spirit, Gotham, SAG, Critics Choice and NAACP award nominee, he won a Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series/Anthology and an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his work in Euphoria. Domingo is a Tony®, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Drama Desk, Drama League and NAACP Theatre Award nominated, OBIE and Lucille Lortel Award winning actor, playwright, director and producer. Colman received his Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Ursinus College. He is on the faculty of University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts as a Professor of acting, after having served as a Juilliard School Creative Associate and a faculty member of the Yale School of Drama. Colman has starred in some of the most profound films in recent years such as Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, Steven Spielbergs' Lincoln, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Ava DuVernay's Selma, Nia DaCosta's Candyman and Janicza Bravo's Zola."Even the roles I've played in film and the myriad characters and the detailed work that I did to excel, and I've wondered, If I was white, would things be different? I'm eternally grateful for all that's happened to me. Don't get me wrong. Hopefully, I'm breaking new ground for people who are like me. I believe, as a gay Black man, we don't have a lot of comparisons to a Daniel Day-Lewis or Philip Seymour Hoffman, actors who slip into different roles like I have, and are not limited in what they can portray. Do we see Black character actors who can also be leading men? Do we see that in Black men who are openly gay? No, we don't. I think a lot of my peers play openly gay and are successful at it, and I think that is fantastic. They're making money from it, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. But I don't want to be pigeonholed in my work. I never have."
Candyman Star Colman Domingo on Being Out and Ready for His Close-Up
BY JOHN CASEY
SEPTEMBER 15 2021
The Advocate- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Murray Bartlett is an Australian actor. His roles include Dominic "Dom" Basaluzzo in the HBO comedy-drama series Looking, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver in the Netflix revival of Tales of the City, and Armond in the HBO satire comedy series The White Lotus, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He is set to star in the upcoming television series adaptation of The Last of Us.But what was really great in “Tales of the City,” and what Charlie and I were really mindful of, was we wanted all the sex scenes, all the intimate stuff, to be very intimate. We wanted to focus on the intimacy – these guys love each other – and that they’re not just fucking, they’re actually connecting. Because I don’t think we see a lot of that. I think we get to see a lot of angry sex. I mean, it’s definitely changing and we’re seeing more, but I think it’s really beautiful for us to see more queer relationships that are loving and tender and, yeah, it’s sexual and hopefully feels very real, but the grounding point of it is that these two people love each other.
Like a Dream: Out Actor Murray Bartlett on Playing an Enduring ‘Tales of the City’ Character
By Chris Azzopardi
June 19th 2019
PRIDESOURCE- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Billy Eichner was born on September 18, 1978 and raised in New York City. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School (NY) in 1996. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he majored in Theater.
He is the star, executive producer and creator of Billy on the Street (2011), a comedy game show that airs on Fuse TV.
Billy will be a voiceover guest star on a season two episode of the animated series, Bob's Burgers (2011). He has been a regular performer at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He is also a commentator on pop culture, via his Twitter account.“We could have easily thrown Chris Evans into the Luke McFarland role” as Eichner’s character’s opposites-attract boyfriend. “But we didn’t because for us it was important to give a number of openly LGBT actors a chance to star in a movie even though they weren’t movie stars.”
Universal’s ‘Bros’ Blitz And “History-Lesson” Marketing Campaign Ripped By Harvey Fierstein; Billy Eichner Counters That “No Blueprint” Existed For The Gay Rom-Com – New Yorker Festival
By Dade Hayes
October 7, 2022
DEADLINE- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Luke Macfarlane is a Canadian-American actor born on January 19th, 1980, in London, Ontario, Canada.
He is best known for his role as Scotty Wandell on the family drama television series Brothers & Sisters (2006) and D'avin Jaqobis on the space adventure series Killjoys (2015).
Luke is a lead star in Hallmark's productions. His first movie for Hallmark was The Memory Book (2014). Since that time he played in several productions for Hallmark Channel like Christmas Land (2015), The Mistletoe Promise (2016), Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017) and A Valentine's Match (2020). But acting is not his only passion. He loves playing the cello and this skill was used in another Hallmark's movie Chateau Christmas (2020).
Luke working constantly on his career development joined the cast of Netflix's Christmas Rom-Com Single All the Way (2021) and the major studio film Bros (2022). He and his partner skier Hig Roberts welcomed their daughter Tess Eleanor Macfarlane on June 4, 2023Though no secret to his family and close friends, Macfarlane has, until now, been guarded about his personal life as a gay man. Over lunch in Los Angeles, where he lives, he initially insists that he has no concerns about his public revelation - but a few seconds later he is shifting nervously in his chair, and concedes that he is "terrified."
"I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth.
"There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way."
A commitment to himself
By PAMELA CHELIN
APRIL 15, 2008
THE GLOBE AND MAIL- Charlie Barnett was born on 4 February 1988 in Sarasota, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Men in Black³ (2012), Private Romeo (2011) and Russian Doll (2019).Barnett, who came out when he was 13, added that being gay has often helped him as an actor.
“I’m incredibly thankful to have been born this way,” he explained. “It’s given me unbelievable gifts, and I know that each of my characters that I work on that are gay have some of those things that we would have to fight for–even today that I would have to fight for.”
Charlie Barnett talks about bringing Black gay representation to the new ‘Tales of the City’
By Graham Gremore
May 23, 2019
Queerty - Actor
- Producer
American actor and model Colton Lee Haynes was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Dana Denise (Mitchell) and William Clayton Haynes. He began modeling at age 15 and his first success came with an Abercrombie & Fitch campaign. He also modeled for J.C. Penney, Kira Plastinina, and Ralph Lauren. He is best known for his role as Jackson Whittemore on MTV's Teen Wolf (2011). He also played Brett Crezski on ABC's The Gates. He has had guest appearances on several television shows, including The Hills, CSI: Miami, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, and Look.To be a gay actor in Hollywood, even in 2021, is to be inundated with mixed messages: Consumers are mostly straight, so don’t alienate them. But lots of the decision-makers are gay, so play that game! Now that I’m older, I’m trying to square who I am with the inauthentic version of myself I invested in for years. I often wonder how different things would’ve been if I were allowed to be who I was when I moved to town: a hopeful kid confident in his sexuality.
Losing a Teenage Dream : "Before I came to Hollywood, I was confidently queer. Years of mixed messages in the industry changed that."
By Colton Haynes
Vulture- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Michael Urie is a native Texan who was active in Speech and Drama all through high school at Plano Senior High School. He trained in theater studies at Collin County Community College in Plano before going to The Juilliard School where he was recipient of the John Houseman prize for excellence in classical theater and the Laura Pels award for a career in the theater.Michael points out that Single All The Way is a film about two gay men falling in love with each other – it made sense that those roles should be played by gay actors.
“If I’m talking about that with some straight guy, and then the narrative is all like, ‘You were so convincing!’ – like, come on, give me a break. We’ve done that, we’re tired of that, we don’t need that anymore.
“And maybe the pendulum will swing back. Maybe I’ll be doing a junket where everyone’s talking about how believable I was playing the heterosexual love interest in a holiday rom-com, wouldn’t that be interesting? And maybe that will happen, but for now, we all needed to be pioneering what we do. So it was important to me that in this movie, we represent ourselves.”
Michael Urie explains why straight actors need to stay away from gay roles: ‘We’re tired of it’
By PATRICK KELLEHER
NOVEMBER 30, 2021
PinkNews- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Luke George Evans was born in Pontypool, Wales, and grew up in Aberbargoed, in the south of Wales. He is the son of Yvonne (Lewis) and David Evans. He moved to Cardiff at the age 17. He then won a scholarship to the London Studio Centre, and graduated in 2000.
He starred in many of London's West End theatre productions. In 2009, he landed the role of Apollo in Clash of the Titans (2010) (2010). Then, he quickly landed roles in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010) (2010), Robin Hood (2010) (2010), Tamara Drewe (2010) (2010), Blitz (2011) (2010), The Three Musketeers (2011) (2011), Ashes (2011), Immortals (2011) (2011) and The Raven (2012) (2012). He's also scheduled to star in The Amateur American (2012), No One Lives (2012) (2012) and Only God Forgives (2013) (2013).
Luke Evans resides in Shoreditch, London.What is indisputable is that Evans' Hollywood success puts paid to the myth that out gay actors can't be bankable blockbuster leads.
"I hope that I’ve broken down a lot of barriers, just because I’m trying to represent my community, but I can’t represent everybody. And I certainly can’t please everybody. I just have to do it my way,” reflects Luke.
“I just try and be authentic, because this is who I am. I am this person. I’m not creating another image so that I can portray one to you."
LUKE EVANS WANTS YOU TO KNOW HE'S NEVER HIDDEN HIS SEXUALITY
2020-12-01
Attitude- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Hailing from rural Western Australia, Cody made his auspicious stage debut as the lead in the National Theatre's production of 'War Horse'. He played David Madson on the Emmy and Golden Globe winning Limited Series: 'American Crime Story, The Assassination of Gianni Versace', Michael Langdon (The Antichrist) and Xavier Plympton in the Ryan Murphy anthology series 'American Horror Story' and Duncan Shepherd in the globally acclaimed series 'House of Cards'.Smith calls David the hero of Episode 4. He used his own life experience as a gay man to extrapolate what Madson might have been feeling, telling 'Still Watching':
"Andrew Cunanan’s cleverness is that he plays on a very deep-seated fear which we’ve always felt as gay men and women: that if somehow you open the door to our private lives, everyone looking in is going to be shocked and appalled, and we’ll be disgraced and exiled. Now, suddenly, by killing Jeffrey in that apartment, that lingering nightmare becomes true—because David Madson knows that if he opens the door to that apartment, the world is going to be shocked and appalled. They’ll think he was involved somehow. It’s going to be very hard for David to extricate himself from the trap that Andrew’s sprung around him."
(American Crime Story : The Assassination of Gianni Versace)
American Crime Story: Gay Shame and the Redemption of David Madson
By JOANNA ROBINSON
FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Vanity Fair- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of the most versatile actors working in Hollywood today, Lee Pace has established himself as a powerful leading man, consistently delivering compelling performances in film, television, and on stage.
Pace will next be seen in the highly anticipated Apple TV+ series FOUNDATION. Scheduled for a Fall 2021 release, the show is based on the beloved Isaac Asimov novels of the same name. FOUNDATION chronicles the saga of a band of exiles who discover that the only way to save the Galactic Empire from destruction is to defy it. Pace stars as Brother day, the current Emperor of the Galaxy.
He is known for starring as Thranduil the Elvenking in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy and as intergalactic villain Ronan the Accuser in the blockbuster Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy, a role he reprised in Captain Marvel. In 2003, Pace starred in the Sundance hit, Soldier's Girl. His breakthrough performance garnered him nominations for both the Golden Globes and the Independent Spirit Award, and he won a Gotham Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance. In 2008 he starred in Tarsem Singh's visually stunning adventure fantasy film, The Fall, which had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Other notable credits include The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Driven, Lincoln, A Single Man, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Infamous and The Good Shepherd.
On the small screen, Pace is most notable for his starring role in Bryan Fuller's award-winning and critically acclaimed series "Pushing Daisies," for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor. He has also appeared as Joe MacMillan in four seasons of the AMC period drama television series Halt and Catch Fire.
After graduating with a BFA from Juilliard, Pace starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play, The Credeaux Canvas, as well as being part of the Vineyard production of The Fourth Sister. In the spring of 2004, he starred a limited engagement of the Off-Broadway production Small Tragedy, winning an Obie Award and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Awards in the category of Outstanding Actor. In 2006, Lee starred in the two-character play Guardians by Peter Morris, which earned him his second nomination for a Lortel Award as Outstanding Actor.
In 2011, Pace made his Broadway debut in Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart, portraying Bruce Niles. In 2018, he starred as Joe Pitt in the Broadway revival of Angels in America.“As a community, we can be very unkind to each other,” he says. “It’s very judgmental to kind of look at someone and [think] you oughta do it like this… there’s a more gentle way to be.”
Lee Pace speaks openly about being queer, says he’s “always felt very safe”
By Graham Gremore
August 5, 2019
Queerty- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Zachary Quinto was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Margaret J. (McArdle), an Irish-American office worker, and Joseph John Quinto, an Italian-American barber. Zachary graduated from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, with the class of 1995, where he won Pittsburgh's Gene Kelly Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Major General in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". He then went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University, where he continued to hone his talents by performing in plays and musicals. He first appeared on numerous television series since 2000 and, in 2003, landed the role of computer expert "Adam Kaufman" on the Fox series, 24 (2001), during its third season. In 2006, Quinto portrayed serial killer "Sylar" on the science fiction series, Heroes (2006), until its cancellation in 2010, after four seasons. He was cast in his first main film role as "Spock", in the hugely successful franchise reboot, Star Trek (2009).Back when he first gained international fame for his portrayal of Spock in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, Quinto feared “coming out would have potentially had an impact on my career and it wouldn’t have been a good one.”
Then came 2011 and a disturbing rise in the number of LGBTQ+ teens who were dying by suicide because of homophobic bullying and abuse.
“That was at a time when a lot of young gay kids were killing themselves because of bullying, the hypocrisy was too much to bear for me to be enjoying this life that I had created for myself and not acknowledging my identity as a gay man.”
The situation was so dire and he believed his lack of making his voice and identity know to be such a disservice to the community that he “felt like it was actively harming a group of young people who the choice to come out could benefit.”
Zachary Quinto Reveals That Queer Youth Suicide Led Him to Come Out
BY DONALD PADGETT
OCTOBER 05 2020
OUT- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Matthew Staton Bomer was born in Webster Groves, Greater St. Louis, Missouri, to Elizabeth Macy (Staton) and John O'Neill Bomer IV, a Dallas Cowboys draft pick. Matt was raised in Spring, Texas, and educated at Klein High School, near Houston. After school, he attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Bomer then relocated to New York to forge a career in acting.
Theater work followed, but his television break came with a small part in All My Children (1970). This lead to a reoccurring role in Guiding Light (1952) as murderous Ben Reade. Further success in TV followed including parts in Tru Calling (2003), Chuck (2007) and the lead role in Traveler (2007). Bomer also scored film roles in projects such as Flightplan (2005) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006). In 2009, he was cast in the lead role of criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey in Fox's White Collar (2009)."I came out at a time when it was very risky to do so - I had a studio film that was about to premiere, and a television series coming out", Bomer recalls. "But to me it was more important to be my most authentic self, both for my family, and for myself."
"I wasn’t trying to be a role model, nor am I now, but I thought if it could help just one person, then it would be worth it."
"But to say that didn’t cost me certain things in my career would be a lie. It did. To me that trade-off was worth it. But it hasn’t been some fairy tale — no pun intended."
MATT BOMER: COMING OUT AS GAY COST ME OPPORTUNITIES IN HOLLYWOOD
By Will Stroude
2020-09-10
Attitude- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Russell Tovey was born on 14 November 1981 in Billericay Essex, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012), The Good Liar (2019) and Grabbers (2012).While gay actors have shied away from queer roles in the past to avoid being typecast, Russell Tovey recently told The Guardian that “Being gay has made my career,” and it’s hard to argue with this claim. Before his super gay kiss with Wentworth Miller in last year’s Arrowverse crossover, Tovey won audiences over in the role of Kevin for HBO’s groundbreaking series, Looking. Since then, he’s continued to tell gay stories through his work in the TV show Quantico, a lead part in a gay football movie called The Pass and also on stage for the play Angels In America, too. Don’t expect Tovey to stop representing queer men on screen any time soon either, as he also told The Guardian that “there are a billion fascinating wonderful stories to tell with gay characters. A billion adventures to have.”
9 Gay Men Who Authentically Play Gay Characters On Screen
BY DAVID OPIE
07 MAY 2018
INTO- Actor
- Director
Brian J. Smith was born on October 12, 1981, in Dallas, Texas, USA, as Brian Jacob Smith. He is an actor who is known forStargate Universe (2009), Red Faction: Origins (2011), and Hate Crime (2005). During June 2015, he played Will Gorski, one of the lead characters on the Netflix original series Sense8 (2015), which was created by the Wachowskis.Smith says he was never able to fully be himself, instead “constantly having to check myself and make sure I wasn’t looking at someone too long or making someone feel uncomfortable.” He was extremely careful about sharing his identity, something he said “still reverberates” to this day.
Smith says that performing helped him feel less alone, as did the support from his family when he came out to them. Their reaction was “wonderful,” he recalls.” “They said they were just waiting for me to say something,” Smith says. “They were a lot more advanced than I gave them credit for.”
That familial acceptance helped Smith become more comfortable in his own skin, something he felt again while filming Sense8, which was canceled in 2017 after two seasons but eventually returned with a special finale episode.
“I remember being so relaxed. I thought, ‘Finally, I can just be myself, I don’t have to put on airs for any of these people.’”
Sense8 Star Brian J. Smith Comes Out as Gay
BY ROSE DOMMU
NOVEMBER 07 2019
OUT- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Brandon Scott Jones was born in Bel Air, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Renfield (2023), Isn't It Romantic (2019) and The Other Two (2019).Your role in this film is interesting because you are parodying this idea of the gay best friend. Was that something that you responded to immediately in the script?
That's definitely something I responded to right away. So during this like golden age of rom coms, I was still a teenager and I was coming of age, and when you would see on television or in movies, the gay best friend would always fit into that one sort of role. And so it was fun for me, and honestly cathartic for me to be able to play this character and not only try to have fun, but sending up the way [the LGBTQ+ community is] portrayed.
Brandon Scott Jones Parodies Gay Stereotypes in ‘Isn’t it Romantic’
BY ROSE DOMMU
FEBRUARY 12 2019
OUT- Actor
- Producer
Brennan Clost attended The Juilliard School in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. He trained with The Barrow Group Theatre Company and School in NYC, LB Acting Studio in Toronto, as well as various dance studios across Southern Ontario. Brennan began his performance career at a young age with a big heart for dance. In pursuit of his dream to be a professional dancer, Brennan was driven by his intense desire to never give up. He has acclimated himself to a highly competitive and versatile dance career. At the age of 16, a talent agent scouted Brennan after seeing him perform at a dance competition. Before the agent would sign Brennan to his roster, he sent him for a trial audition. The audition was for the Temple Street Productions series, The Next Step. During his time at Juilliard, Brennan was a lead character on The Next Step for the first five seasons, airing internationally.I don’t label myself, so don’t label me pls.
The only thing I know for sure is that I’m not straight. #lgbt #MerryBOSSmas
brennanclost
2020-12-10
TikTok- Actor
- Producer
François Arnaud was born on 5 July 1985 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for The Borgias (2011), Blindspot (2015) and I Killed My Mother (2009).Arnaud explained the difficulties that come with coming out (as bi) such as the “fear of oversharing” or “because ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile currency, ready to nose-dive at the first sign of vulnerability or difference.” He admitted part of the reason many bisexuals remain closeted is “because it’s really fucking scary to give up your privilege. Without a doubt because stigmas of indecisiveness, infidelity, deception and trendiness are still clinging to bisexuality.”
“But here’s the thing,” Arnaud went on. “Silence has the perverse effect of perpetuating those stereotypes, making bi guys invisible, and leading people to doubt that we even exist. No wonder it’s still a chore to acknowledge bisexuality without getting into lengthy explanations. So yes, labels are frustrating and words, imperfect. But I’ve always considered myself bisexual. Not confused or trying to look edgy. Not disloyal. Not ashamed. Not invisible.
'The Borgias' François Arnaud Comes Out as Bisexual to Fight Stigma
BY DONALD PADGETT
SEPTEMBER 21 2020
OUT- Michael was born and raised in Fresno, California. There he found a love for art, music and life- Performing in almost every local talent show, family gathering and theater, he learned how to sing, act, play piano and dance. Realizing a need for greater opportunities, Michael traveled to Los Angeles and booked his first Little Debbie Commercial at the age of thirteen where he sang "My Girl". Michael continues to pursue both acting and music, writing and performing his original songs.'Faking It' has made queer sexuality a nonissue in a high school setting, leaving room for conversations on gender in season two. Refreshingly, the show treats sexuality the way Willett says he has always viewed his own gayness.
“I didn’t really ever want to make it a thing,” he says. “I never saw it being something that separated me from anyone else. If anything, I found that it has given me an advantage in the industry.”
Faking It's Michael J. Willett Is the Teen Heartthrob We've Been Waiting For
BY ELIEL CRUZ
SEPTEMBER 23 2014
The Advocate - Actor
- Soundtrack
A graduate of NYC's Professional Performing Arts High School, Iacono is best known for his portrayal of the title character on MTV's, "The Hard Times of RJ Berger."
Iacono was first featured on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," after she discovered his unique talents for impersonating Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman, at age 8.
Starting out as child actor in the NYC theater scene, Paul has appeared in over 100 theatrical productions, including Noël Coward's "Sail Away" at Carnegie Hall with Elaine Stritch and Marian Seldes, "Mame" opposite Christine Ebersole at the Papermill Play House and John Guare's "Landscape of the Body" at Signature Theater with Lili Taylor and Sherie Rene Scott.
On the big screen, Paul starred in MGM's remake of "Fame," "No God, No Master" with David Strathairn and Darren Stein's teen comedy, "G.B.F." Upcoming films include Drew Barrymore's, "Animal," "Rhymes with Banana" with Zosia Mamet and Judith Light, and "Unreachable By Conventional Means," with Alexandra Daddario and Tovah Feldshuh.
As a creator, Paul wrote and produced the NY play, "Prince/Elizabeth," and is in development on his second pilot, "GIF'ted."
Paul is a Leukemia survivor, having been diagnosed in 1997. He works closely with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, helping raise hope and awareness for the disease.
Iacono is openly gay and a major LGBTQ activist, having publicly come out in Michael Musto's Village Voice Column in April 2012. He was named one of OUT Magazine's 100 most influential gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people for 2013."The whole reason we came up with Kenzie’s Scale is to give young gays characters to look up to. It’s great that we have Chris Colfer, but we need more characters. I was so moved by your comment on Facebook that “if I’d grown up with gay TV icons that were out, I’d have been so much better off.” I didn’t have much to look up to as a kid. I had to search to find like-minded images. I’m happy to be that person so kids won’t have to grow up and be afraid of their sexuality and this won’t be an issue."
Paul Iacono’s Coming Out Interview
by MICHAEL MUSTO
April 11, 2012
The Village Voice- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Charlie Carver was born in San Francisco, California.
At a young age, Charlie moved up to a small town in the Napa Valley. It was there in school that Charlie had his first exposure to acting. He went on to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy, ACT San Francisco, and the University of Southern California, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Art History.
Carver's acting debut came in 2008 when he won the role of Porter Scavo in ABC's Desperate Housewives. Other roles followed in Teen Wolf and The Leftovers.Since coming out, you've played a number of queer characters on screen. Was that a conscious decision?
For a while, it was what I was up for, most often. The prevailing wisdom when I decided to come out was: you know, even if you do choose to come out, you have to be very careful about getting pigeonholed.
And I took issue with that. I found it kind of offensive. I don't want to be limited as a gay man or a gay actor. I don't want to be limited to only playing gay roles. But at the same time, to be told I might be endangering my career by choosing to play more than one of them? That just didn't seem true or accurate of the times.
I'm a part of a shift happening where, yes, I'm a gay actor who's taking on gay roles, but there are so many more queer people stepping into positions of power, whether that is as producers or writers or directors. Suddenly, the queer narratives that become available are complicated and different from one another.
As more representation becomes available, the breadth of queer experience and human experience becomes available to play. And those are stories that I am just interested in and want to tell. Because I think that they are impactful for a wide audience, not just a queer audience, and they're stories that haven't been told.
Ratched's Charlie Carver on The Boys in the Band, Desperate Housewives, and coming out as a gay actor
By David Opie
22/09/2020
DigitalSpy- Jake Borelli was born on 13 May 1991 in Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Grey's Anatomy (2005), The Thing About Harry (2020) and #Realityhigh (2017).“When you are constantly seeing stories you are not visible in, the message of ‘You are different. You don’t belong’ builds up, and it built up over time,” he explains. “It caused me to feel very alone. When I was older and knew that acting was what I wanted to do, knowing that I was gay, I saw a disconnect there. I saw a disconnect of no queer lead characters, no queer characters at all, or queer actors who came out on network television shows and then their careers ended. I was terrified and it caused me to stay in the closet.”
...
Borelli came out publicly on Instagram the same night millions of viewers watched Dr. Schmitt come out. The response was overwhelmingly positive and as his character’s storyline frees viewers weekly, what they don’t realize is that it continues to free Borelli as well.
“The fact that it is on a network television show with this scope and the amount of people that we get to tell these stories to is incredible. I can’t help but think that had I been able to watch this show when I was younger, it would have caused me to be so much less afraid.”
Jake Borelli Thought Coming Out Would End His Career — He Was Wrong
BY DAVID ARTAVIA
FEBRUARY 08 2021
OUT - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ezra Matthew Miller was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey, to Marta (Koch), a modern dancer, and Robert S. Miller, who has worked at Workman Publishing and as former senior V.P. for Hyperion Books. Ezra has two older sisters and is of Ashkenazi Jewish (father) and German-Dutch (mother) ancestry. Ezra has described themselves as Jewish and "spiritual".
As a child, Miller sang with the Metropolitan Opera and attended Rockland Country Day School and The Hudson School. Miller's first feature film was the independent Afterschool (2008), with subsequent appearances on the television series Californication (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and Royal Pains (2009), and in the films City Island (2009), Every Day (2010), Beware the Gonzo (2010), and Another Happy Day (2011).
Miller drew critical praise playing Kevin Khatchadourian, the homicidal son of Tilda Swinton's character, in the dramatic thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). Miller subsequently played Patrick in the well-received teen drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), opposite Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.
Ezra's other roles include the period piece Madame Bovary (2014), Judd Apatow's comedy Trainwreck (2015), and the psychological thriller The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015). Miller has been cast as superhero The Flash in The Flash (2023), scheduled for release in 2022.Miller, who previously came out as queer, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for an interview published 7 November.
‘I don’t identify. Like, fuck that,’ Miller said. ‘Queer just means no, I don’t do that. I don’t identify as a man, I don’t identify as a woman.'
Ezra Miller comes out as non-binary
Rafaella Gunz
10 November 2018
GayStarNews- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Antonio Marziale is known for Altered Carbon (2018), Alex Strangelove (2018) and Starfuckers (2022).As a queer actor, did you incorporate any of your personal experiences while portraying Elliot?
It felt like an emotional movie for me, because it felt like a movie that if I had seen it when I was young, it would have really inspired me. And I think that because of that, I felt very protective over Elliot. I feel like there was a part of me that was him. Even though I was acting, I definitely felt very connected to him. I wanted to make sure I gave him as many layers as possible to make him a really three-dimensional person.
What’s your opinion on queer representation in Hollywood today? Do you feel like we’re making progress with movies like Alex Strangelove and shows like Rise?
Marginalized people are sort of expected to be the representative voices of a group, and that isn’t asked of people who aren’t part of a marginalized group. There’s this added pressure to be the voice of a community. I feel like it’s a tricky conversation, because at the same time, representation is important and we should be vocal about how we feel about things. But at the same time, why is something being asked of us that isn’t being asked of other people?
As a marginalized actor, you want to be vocal for your community but you also don’t want to be tokenized. You’re left sort of frozen. I don’t want to be used for that. I don’t want to come into a project with people expecting that I’m going to be vocal about it. If I choose to be, then that’s my decision.
Actors From Alex Strangelove and Rise Talk Queer Representation in Hollywood
(Rise’s Ellie Desautels interviews Alex Strangelove’s Antonio Marziale on what life is like behind-the-scenes.)
BY ELLIE DESAUTELS
October 18, 2018
them.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Daniel Franzese is an actor/comedian of Italian American decent, Daniel Franzese is best known for his interesting and daring performances in breakthrough films: from his debut role in the intense Larry Clark drama Bully, his surprisingly dark turn in 2010's update of the highly controversial I Spit on Your Grave. but cemented his gay icon status with his breakout starring role in TinaFey's mega hit comedy Mean Girls as Damian. Lauded as one of the most influential queer characters in film history, Damian was the first time a queer teen of size who was ever comfortable in his own skin on screen. Daniel's subtle and hilarious performance is often credited with helping an entire generation of kids who felt different be able to find themselves. In a heartfelt letter to his fictional character Damian, Franzese publicly came out in 2014 trending worldwide. Speaking upon the difficulty he had navigating his career under a Gay Glass Ceiling. although he had great career highs creating his own content with YouTube and his viral comedy series Sh*t Italian moms Say which has reached over 6 million views and the entire series combined over 20 million and his hilarious parody of Sam Smith's Stay With Me called Please Go Home. While going viral and trending for his videos Franzese still toured the country with stand up and remained relevant through his television and stage work, which include memorable guest roles on S.W.A.T, Party Down, CSI, Burn Notice and The Comeback. He also co-wrote and starred in the New York Fringe Festival mega hit Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera, which won him the Overall Excellence Best Ensemble Award and played Off Broadway and in Los Angeles for a year. It wasn't until his portrayal as the stubborn but lovable HIV+ Eddie in HBO's Looking that Daniel truly burst again into the spotlight and used that success to propel him to activism becoming an ambassador for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and lobbying congress every year on their behalf for HIV/AIDS, LGBTQIA+ rights, homeless queer youth and banning conversion therapy (of which Daniel himself is a survivor) since living a life fully out loud he began having never before seen confidence leading to him pursuing stand up comedy and being a leader in body positivity which has landed him a modeling contract with Bridge Models UK making him one of the very few signed Plus Size male Models in the world. He has lent his image, voice and stand up comedy gifts to many causes including The Trevor Project and hosting the 2016 Glaad Media Awards and 2017 Gay Men Chorus Voice Awards. He hosts LGBTQ stand up shows at The Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv and Flappers Comedy Club giving many upcoming talents hard to find spots in his shows. With the re-branding of the ABC Family network to Freeform Daniel starred as Vern in the short lived but tender series Recovery Road, after its cancellation he starred on ABC as Jackson in the law drama Conviction. He most recently toured in his stand up show Yass! You're Amazing! and is recording his podcast Yass, Jesus! A sex positive, non slut shaming look into Christianity through the LGBTQIA+ rainbow lens. A man of many talents and gifts Daniel continues to delight audiences from TikTok to the Theater stage we can not wait to see what he does next.I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I’m very conflicted. Seeing him get up so modest in Venice and have that moment, I was very happy for him. He’s a lovely man. And it’s great. But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400-lb. queer man? To finally have a chance to be in a prestige film that might be award-nominated, where stories about people who look like us are being told? That’s the dream. So when they go time and time again and cast someone like Brendan Fraser, me and the other big queer guys, we’re like, ‘What the … ?’ We can’t take it!
I would have loved to have read for [The Whale.] I mean, who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man? But I guess you can go ahead and wear a fat suit and do what you got to do and get your Oscar. We’ll just sit here, waiting.
The biggest problem we have right now in our industry is that people like me and my colleagues can’t really sell movies overseas if we are actually queer because the world is homophobic. Even if America is ready for a gay person in the lead like that, they have a hard time selling the movie overseas, so they get scared. But it’s going to take risk-takers and real trailblazers to let us cut our teeth in these roles as actors so we, too, can have a shot at a full career in Hollywood.
Daniel Franzese Vents Frustration Over Brendan Fraser's Casting in 'The Whale' : 'Why Wear a Fat Suit?'
By Dave Quinn and Jen Juneau
September 26, 2022
People- Actor
- Producer
Scott Evans was born on 21 September 1983 in Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Barbie (2023), Almost Love (2019) and Grace and Frankie (2015)."Everyone always asked: “When did you decide you wanted to be an out actor?” And I’m like: “That never even crossed my mind.” I know a lot of people in the business that are still closeted, and I know a lot of people that don’t like to talk about it, because it does affect your jobs. And people say it’s better now. It’s not. It’s progressed, but it’s not better. But I cared more about my own mental health and my own personal wellbeing, and so I was out."
Scott Evans on Barbie, his brother Chris Evans’ support and challenging homophobia: ‘I have nothing to hide’
By Jujubee
attitude- Michael Hsu Rosen was born and raised in New York City. He attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the Professional Children's School. While enrolled at PCS, Rosen performed with the New York City Ballet and made his Broadway debut at age seventeen. Following a gap year, Rosen matriculated at Yale University. After five semesters of enrollment, Rosen withdrew from college to continue acting professionally."Forster wrote Maurice when he was a young man—before Howard’s End, before A Room with a View—but because homosexuality was illegal in England for most of his life, he only agreed to have the book published after his death. The book meant a lot to me at sixteen—not only because the thought of an early 20th century gay romance set in Cambridge really did (and does) it for me, but because the history behind the book made me realize gay love stories have been happening as long as there have been love stories, they just haven’t always been told."
Introduce Yourself(ie): 10 Questions with Torch Song Star Michael Hsu Rosen
BroadwayBox - The Daily Scoop
November 12th, 2018 - Austin Crute is an actor, singer, songwriter, and producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in his family's church where his father was Senior Pastor, and graduated from Greater Atlanta Christian School in 2014. During his high-school years, he starred in a variety of musical theater productions, and was selected as a finalist for the 2013 National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
After starring as 'Justin Bieber' in Donald Glover's Emmy Award-winning TV series 'Atlanta' in 2016, Crute has become well-known for his undeniable talent and electrifying personality, as he continues to exhibit and develop his multitude of skill and artistry that spans across music, film & tv, and musical theater. Crute graduated from New York University in 2018 with a BFA in Recorded Music and an Excellence in Performance. In 2019, he made his feature film debut playing 'Alan' in Olivia Wilde's 'Booksmart' and starred as 'Wesley Fists' in Netflix's post-apocalyptic dramedy series 'Daybreak.'
In 2020, he'll be starring as 'Lane' in ABC's new comedy 'Call Your Mother' and playing 'Marquise' in the final season of Netflix's 'Trinkets.' He'll also be releasing his mixtape 'TWENTIES' this summer. His single "Gotta" will be appearing in episode 201 of 'Trinkets.'"Who were the Black gay characters or the Black gay actors that you remember seeing when you were coming up?"
I honestly don't even remember because I was watching Psalty the Singing Songbook and Bibleman [as a pastor’s kid]. I was watching VeggieTales. I don't want to put my parents on brain blast, but it's my upbringing. I don't think that I was exposed to a lot of that kind of stuff. But I will say this, I remember watching Juwanna Mann and watching Martin Lawrence and watching Tyler Perry be Madea and watching Black men step out of the traditional trope of masculinity and masculine comedy and allowing themselves to step into a world that is risque for Black men. Because just on that barbershop talk, you don't do that. You don't put no dress on and put no wig on and go around. And so it's just funny how artists like Prince can come out and have makeup and they are walking around like a whole rock star and Black men worship and praise them. Tyler Perry could come out in a whole [body] suit, boobs out and jangling everywhere, holding a piece, acting like a whole woman and they exalt it. But then the minute that they see it in a genuine light, there's something to be said. And so maybe I didn't look up to any body, not growing up.
But now I would say, if I was mirroring in my journey after someone, Billy Porter. He’s somebody that I look up to a lot. Everything that he says, is just incredible. I've met him a couple of times. He's the sweetest, kindest, most real person. Kinky Boots was one of the first times that I have seen an openly queer Black man in a lead role, doing something so bold and so intentional.
The Breakout Star of Netflix’s Daybreak Is Black and Queer
BY TRE'VELL ANDERSON
OCTOBER 29 2019
OUT - Actor
- Soundtrack
Zachary Booth was born on 12 September 1982 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Keep the Lights On (2012), Damages (2007) and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008).Zachary Booth played gay early in his career as a teenager on the show What Goes On, but one of his most memorable roles to date is still the role of Paul in the Ira Sachs film Keep The Lights On, which remains one of the most underrated queer movies of the decade. In the years that followed, Booth turned in an electrifying performance as a homeless gay drifter in The Revival and most recently starred alongside Alan Cumming in After Louie. To promote the film, Booth spoke about his coming out process and reminded us that “there’s still a lot of work to do with homophobia that exists in Hollywood”, despite the recent wave of queer movies that are currently winning accolades at the Oscars.
9 Gay Men Who Authentically Play Gay Characters On Screen
BY DAVID OPIE
07 MAY 2018
INTO- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mark Indelicato is best known for his pivotal role as 'Justin Suarez' in the hit ABC series Ugly Betty (2006). He was most recently seen in Gregg Araki's film White Bird in a Blizzard (2014), co-starring opposite Gabourey Sidibe and Shailene Woodley.
After his four seasons on Ugly Betty (2006), Indelicato decided to take a break from acting to study International Relations and Gender Studies at NYU Gallatin and has been living in New York City for the last four years. During his time at NYU, Indelicato's studies led him to a semester-long internship at the Clinton Global Initiative.Did you ever worry about being typecast?
If by “typecast” you mean gay, then no. Justin was such a dynamic character that he was far more than just his sexual orientation.
By Michael Turnbull
Loverboy Magazine- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Max was born and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He started a professional career in radio, commercial and theatre in his teens. Before moving to New York City, he attended drama school in London where he also made appearances on BBC UK and the West End Stage. He has produced for the stage, the web and most recently for film. His first film Chaser (2013), premiered in late 2012 and screened world-wide. He currently resides in New York City.... But several students said the success of openly gay actors like Neil Patrick Harris and Jane Lynch suggested that being out of the closet wasn’t a barrier to getting work. Max Rhyser, 29, said being out was the only way he could conceive of an acting career “without fear or obstacles.”
“Do I think I’ll lose jobs because of it?” he said. “Possibly. Do I think I’ll get jobs because of it. Definitely.”
Helping Gay Actors Find Themselves Onstage
By ERIK PIEPENBURG
DEC. 12, 2010
The New York Times- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Connor Jessup was born in Toronto, Canada. Acting since the age of eleven, he is best known for his roles in Netflix's fantasy series Locke & Key (2020) and in the Emmy-winning ABC drama American Crime (2015). Other notable roles include acclaimed performances in the independent films Blackbird (2012) and Closet Monster (2015).
Jessup is also a writer, director and producer. He directed the documentary A.W. A Portrait of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2018) for the Criterion Collection, and has written and directed several shorts -- including Boy (2015) and Lira's Forest (2017). He runs a production company, Big & Quiet Pictures, with producer Ashley Shields-Muir."I’m grateful to be gay. Queerness is a solution. It’s a promise against cliche and solipsism and blandness; it’s a tilted head and an open window.
I value more everyday the people, movies, books, and music that open me to it. If you’re gay, bi, trans, two-spirit or questioning, if you’re confused, if you’re in pain or you feel you’re alone, if you aren’t or you don’t: You make the world more surprising and bearable. To all the queers, deviants, misfits, and lovers in my life: I love you. I love you. Happy Pride!"
(his) Instagram
June 24, 2019- Cole Doman is a trained stage and film actor living in Brooklyn, NY.
During his time in Chicago, he studied at the School at Steppenwolf under Amy Morton, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Michael Patrick Thornton, and more. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune named Cole among the "Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater" in 2016.
He made his film debut as the titular role in the critically acclaimed Henry Gamble's Birthday Party directed by Stephen Cone, for which his performance was heralded as one of the "Best Breakout Performances of 2016" by The Film Stage. He can also be seen in Alan Ball's Uncle Frank (Sundance 2020, Amazon Studios) as young Frank Bledsoe played by Paul Bettany.
On television he has appeared in "Let the Right One In", "Gossip Girl", "Modern Family", "Law & Order: SVU", "Chicago PD", "Equal", and "Shameless".
He developed & stars in the short film Starfuckers (MUBI) directed by Antonio Marziale which was presented in competition at Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, and Telluride Film Festival. He stars in Vuk Lungulov-Klotz's debut feature Mutt, executive produced by Silas Howard, which will be presented in competition at Sundance Film Festival 2023. Other forthcoming films include: Matt Fifer's sophomore feature Treatment for AMC's Shudder; Zia Anger's debut feature My First Film for MUBI.
Most recently, he starred in the world premiere of Your Own Personal Exegesis by Julia May Jonas at Lincoln Center Theatre, directed by Annie Tippe, for which his performance was lauded by The New York Times and even cartooned by The New Yorker.A lot of your part comes in reactions, to other people’s behaviors, your growing self-awareness of your sexuality. What or who did you draw on in your own life to help inform your performance?
CD: As a young gay man, especially one living among a community that deems homosexuality as sinful, there is a pressure to be silent. Growing up different than the other boys my age, I saw myself as an “other,” which can be really lonely in those pivotal years of young adulthood. You feel like your voice isn’t as important. Henry, by nature, is an observer – more so than I am. By taking on that role, it makes the process of identifying sexuality difficult when he rarely reflects back on himself. At his party, everything is being flashed before his eyes among such a dynamic, diverse group that he starts to see these bare-skinned bodies in a new light. Henry finally discovers the deepest truth of his attraction.
Meet Henry Gamble: Gay, Christian and about to have one hell of a 17th birthday party!
BY VICTOR HOFF
April 28th, 2016
LGBT Weekly - Actor
- Director
Before starring in What/if and Tales of the City, Juan closed his stand-out performance as "Cristofer" in MCC's production of Transfers by Lucy Thurber off-Broadway, for which he received a Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play." Transfers was the latest in a non-stop stream of NY theatre, including starring roles in A Parallelogram at 2nd Stage (directed by Michael Greif) and the Public's Oedipus El Rey as "Oedipus." For his achievements in theater, Juan was also honored with the Drama Desk's highly coveted Sam Norkin Award given for off-Broadway excellence. The most recent recipients of this award include Danai Gurira and Lila Neugebauer. In 2022, Juan led Matthew Lopez's Tony Award winning play The Inheritance at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.'The actor, who plays a gay man in Renée Zellweger’s Netflix series What/If, revealed that he wasn’t straight in a May interview. “I would say that for the majority of my life I identified as straight, but as I got older I think my sexual preference has gotten more fluid. I am, as my friends say, on the spectrum.”
Here’s 14 celebs who have come out in 2019 (so far)
June 30 2019
Queerty- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jordan Firstman was born on 8 July 1991 in Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Big Mouth (2017), Ms. Marvel (2022) and Search Party (2016).... The Disgustings was a little more over the top. I was noticing in gay representation in film that there were either the traditional gay archetype — the over the top, bitchy gay fashionista with, like, a purse — and the new era of gay content which is just boring as fuck, which is what Looking was. So, why did we work this hard as a people to play boring likable characters? Looking at those shows and TV that have a lot of internalized homophobia, I thought if I externalized my homophobia I would make a film. I was saying: "I hate gay people for these reasons, but I also love gay people and I love being gay."
No Film School, September 16, 2015
Micah Van Hove- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
A Detroit native and two-time Teen Choice Award nominee, Jordan Doww proves to be a multi-faceted talent - actor, writer, host, comedian, musician, advocate, and internet personality. Doww's most notable appearances include 'Reach' (2018), Lifetime's 'Stalked By a Reality Star' (2018), Milo Ventimiglia's 'Relationship Status' (2017), and ATT's 'Turn Up The Love' with Dan Reynolds (2018.) He's also hosted PEOPLETv's 'The Chatter' (2019) and the Palm Springs International Film Festival red carpet with ATT (2019.) In 2016, he debuted his live comedy-variety show "HollyWEIRD", written and directed by Doww himself, which sold out venues across the country such as Hollywood Improv and Carolines on Broadway.When I came out, I came out at 19 over the internet with a YouTube video. But as far as acting, since that was what I was known for at the time, I would sort of walk into a room and if they even saw a hint of gay, I already wasn’t considered for the role. I just remember feeling this sense of I’m doing my best and I know they’re not taking me seriously because I may appear gay.
But here’s the thing, here’s what I then started to notice: I would walk into rooms and be my bubbly, happy self and kill it on camera in this “straight” role, and I would still not be considered for the role. Now, the lines are completely blurred. Now, I’m reading for straight characters and I’m getting straight characters. But I also have a year of gay roles. Thankfully now we’re at a time where that doesn’t matter.
"Jordan Doww on his role as a bully in ‘Reach,’ and being openly gay at Hollywood auditions"
By David Reddish
Queerty- Nico Tortorella is a native of Chicago, Illinois. They started out in professional theater when they were in the seventh grade. They were offered a contract with Ford Models when they stopped by an open call in 2007. In 2009 they played the character Razor in ABC Family's film "Twelve". They co-starred in the movie with Emma Roberts, Keifer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Ellen Barkin, and Zoe Kravitz. They split their time between Los Angeles and New York.... Tortorella says it was the character’s sexuality, more than the whole zombie-killing thing, that initially attracted them to the role (The Walking Dead: World Beyond). “The only thing I knew about [the character of Felix] before I got the job was that he was queer,” they say. “I’ve been wanting to play a queer superhero for years, and in so many ways that’s exactly who Felix is.”
The fact that in 2020, an out queer actor is able to play an out queer action hero on a mainstream TV series is a mark of progress not lost on Tortorella. “The biggest change is understanding the difference between gender and sexuality,” they say. “Gender, as a whole, being something that we have been taught from day one, and so much of our own sexuality has been based on the binary gender and the way in which it has been forced upon us. It’s more complicated and nuanced than who’s sleeping with who.”
Nico Tortorella Wants You to Know Your Queer History
BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO
OCTOBER 12 2020
The Advocate - Nick Adams is best known for Fire Island, The Other Two, and An Englishman in New York. He is an accomplished veteran of the Broadway stage and has starred as Felicia in the Tony winning original cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Whizzer in Lincoln Center Theatre's national company of Falsettos, and Fiyero in Wicked.My agent was actually submitting me for passable trans roles. I was like, this is not happening. I shouldn’t be going in for these parts. Ultimately, my agency that I was with at the time said, “You chose to be out. This is a hurdle we’ll have to face.” Then I ended up leaving the office. It was a problem. This is who I am. So it has been challenging, but I’m authentically who I am. I’ve been able to be a part of a lot of shows that our community sees a representation of themselves in, which is really powerful. It’s an unfortunate thing, but we’ve made a lot of progress. There are more roles for gay men, and I love playing gay characters. [Falsettos] is such an iconic musical in the gay catalog. And I’ve been fortunate to play straight characters as well. But I feel like I’m already at a disadvantage when I walk into a room when I’m audition against straight actors for a straight role. But I wouldn’t change it. I’m happy I can be who I am.
Falsettos star Nick Adams says his former agent told him his decision to come out was a “hurdle”
By David Reddish
Queerty - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Widely regarded as one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native Great Britain and internationally, twice nominated for the Oscar and recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK and US, Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Margery Lois (Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer and lay preacher. He is of Scottish, Northern Irish, and English descent. During his early childhood, his parents moved with Ian and his older sister, Jean, to the mill town of Wigan. It was in this small town that young Ian rode out World War II. He soon developed a fascination with acting and the theatre, which was encouraged by his parents. They would take him to plays, those by William Shakespeare, in particular. The amateur school productions fostered Ian's growing passion for theatre.
When Ian was of age to begin attending school, he made sure to get roles in all of the productions. At Bolton School in particular, he developed his skills early on. Indeed, his first role in a Shakespearian play was at Bolton, as Malvolio in "Twelfth Night". Ian soon began attending Stratford-upon-Avon theatre festivals, where he saw the greats perform: Laurence Olivier, Wendy Hiller, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Paul Robeson. He continued his education in English Drama, but soon it fell by the wayside as he concentrated more and more on performing. He eventually obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961, and began his career in earnest.
McKellen began working in theatre over the next few years. Very few people knew of Ian's homosexuality; he saw no reason to go public, nor had he told his family. They did not seem interested in the subject and so he saw no reason to bring it up. In 1988, Ian publicly came out of the closet on the BBC Radio 4 program, while discussing Margaret Thatcher's "Section 28" legislation, which made the promotion of homosexuality as a family relationship by local authorities an offense. It was reason enough for McKellen to take a stand. He has been active in the gay rights movement ever since.
Ian resides in Limehouse, where he has also lived with his former long-time partner Sean Mathias. The two men have also worked together on the film Bent (1997) as well as in exquisite stage productions. To this day, McKellen works mostly in theatre, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for his efforts in the arts. However, he has managed to make several quite successful forays into film. He has appeared in several productions of Shakespeare's works including his well received Richard III (1995), and in a variety of other movies. However, it has only been recently that his star has finally begun to shine in the eyes of North American audiences. Roles in various films, Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Apt Pupil (1998) and Gods and Monsters (1998), riveted audiences. The latter, in particular, created a sensation in Hollywood, and McKellen's role garnered him several of awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod. McKellen, as he continues to work extensively on stage, he always keeps in 'solidifying' his 'role' as Laurence Olivier's worthy 'successor' in the best sense too, such as King Lear (2008) / King Lear (2008) directed by Trevor Nunn and in a range of other staggering performances full of generously euphoric delight that have included "Peter Pan" and Noël Coward's "Present Laughter", as well as Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land" (National Theatre Live: No Man's Land (2016)), both in acclaimed productions brilliantly directed by Sean Mathias.
McKellen found mainstream success with his performance as Magneto in X-Men (2000) and its sequels. His largest mark on the big screen may be as Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, which he reprised in "The Hobbit" trilogy. He also reprised the role of 'King Lear' with new artistic perspectives in National Theatre Live: King Lear (2018) offering an invaluable mesmerizing experience as a natural force of stage - and screen - of infinite generosity through his unsurpassable interpretation of the titanically vulnerable king.Best known for playing Magneto in the X-Men franchise and Gandalf in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Ian McKellen has worked tirelessly for LGBTQ rights in recent years while drawing attention to the plight of queer people who still aren’t accepted for who they are. Aside from breaking the mould and playing a gay older man in the sitcom Vicious, McKellen was also nominated by the Academy for playing gay author James Whale in Gods and Monsters. During an interview with The Guardian, the veteran stage actor reminded readers that he’s been nominated twice by the Oscars now, and yet still no openly gay man has ever won. “My speech has been in two jackets,” he told the paper back in 2016. “I’m proud to be the first openly gay man to win the Oscar. I’ve had to put it back in my pocket twice.”
9 Gay Men Who Authentically Play Gay Characters On Screen
BY DAVID OPIE
07 MAY 2018
INTO- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Harvey Fierstein is an American actor, screenwriter and playwright who has been in several stage productions, films, shows and games. He voiced Yao in Mulan and Huaca in Kingdom of the Sun (prototype for The Emperor's New Groove). He also acted in Hairspray, Independence Day, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bros, Big Mouth, Death to Smoochy and Bullets Over Broadway,You can say this about Harvey Fierstein: He’s no shrinking violet.
There’s that voice-a basso rasp that has been likened to a backed-up vacuum cleaner. Then there was the 1984 Tony Awards: When the actor-playwright won the statuette for Best Book of a Musical (La Cage Aux Folles), he used his acceptance speech to warmly acknowledge his male lover—not a first, but still startling to many viewers.
”It was this great scandal,” recalls the Brooklyn-born Fierstein, 40. ”Now you watch the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, and everybody thanks their lover. It’s no big deal anymore.”
"Out of the TV Closet: Harvey Fierstein of 'Daddy's Girls'"
Dan Snierson
September 30, 1994
Entertainment Weekly- Actor
- Producer
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Preeminent British classical actor of the first post-Olivier generation, Derek Jacobi was knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre, and, in fact, is only the second to enjoy the honor of holding TWO knighthoods, Danish and English (Olivier was the other). Modest and unassuming in nature, Jacobi's firm place in theatre history centers around his fearless display of his characters' more unappealing aspects, their great flaws, eccentricities and, more often than not, their primal torment.
Jacobi was born in Leytonstone, London, England, the only child of Alfred George Jacobi, a department store manager, and Daisy Gertrude (Masters) Jacobi, a secretary. His paternal great-grandfather was German (from Hoxter, Germany). His interest in drama began while quite young. He made his debut at age six in the local library drama group production of "The Prince and the Swineherd" in which he appeared as both the title characters. In his teens he attended Leyton County High School and eventually joined the school's drama club ("The Players of Leyton").
Derek portrayed Hamlet at the English National Youth Theatre prior to receiving his high school diploma, and earned a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, where he initially studied history before focusing completely on the stage. A standout role as Edward II at Cambridge led to an invite by the Birmingham Repertory in 1960 following college graduation. He made an immediate impression wherein his Henry VIII (both in 1960) just happened to catch the interest of Olivier himself, who took him the talented actor under his wing. Derek became one of the eight founding members of Olivier's National Theatre Company and gradually rose in stature with performances in "The Royal Hunt of the Sun," "Othello" (as Cassio) and in "Hay Fever", among others. He also made appearances at the Chichester Festival and the Old Vic.
It was Olivier who provided Derek his film debut, recreating his stage role of Cassio in Olivier's acclaimed cinematic version of Othello (1965). Olivier subsequently cast Derek in his own filmed presentation of Chekhov's Three Sisters (1970). On TV Derek was in celebrated company playing Don John in Much Ado About Nothing (1967) alongside Maggie Smith and then-husband Robert Stephens; Derek had played the role earlier at the Chichester Festival in 1965. After eight eventful years at the National Theatre, which included such sterling roles as Touchstone in "As You Like It", Jacobi left the company in 1971 in order to attract other mediums. He continued his dominance on stage as Ivanov, Richard III, Pericles and Orestes (in "Electra"), but his huge breakthrough would occur on TV. Coming into his own with quality support work in Man of Straw (1972), The Strauss Family (1972) and especially the series The Pallisers (1974) in which he played the ineffectual Lord Fawn, Derek's magnificence was presented front and center in the epic BBC series I, Claudius (1976). His stammering, weak-minded Emperor Claudius was considered a work of genius and won, among other honors, the BAFTA award.
Although he was accomplished in The Day of the Jackal (1973) and The Odessa File (1974), films would place a distant third throughout his career. Stage and TV, however, would continue to illustrate his classical icon status. Derek took his Hamlet on a successful world tour throughout England, Egypt, Sweden, Australia, Japan and China; in some of the afore-mentioned countries he was the first actor to perform the role in English. TV audiences relished his performances as Richard II (1978) and, of course Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1980).
After making his Broadway bow in "The Suicide" in 1980, Derek suffered from an alarming two-year spell of stage fright. He returned, however, and toured as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1982-1985) with award-winning results. During this period he collected Broadway's Tony Award for his Benedick in "Much Ado about Nothing"; earned the coveted Olivier, Drama League and Helen Hayes awards for his Cyrano de Bergerac; and earned equal acclaim for his Prospero in "The Tempest" and Peer Gynt. In 1986, he finally made his West End debut in "Breaking the Code" for which he won another Helen Hayes trophy; the play was then brought to Broadway.
For the rest of the 80s and 90s, he laid stage claim to such historical figures as Lord Byron, Edmund Kean and Thomas Becket. On TV he found resounding success (and an Emmy nomination) as Adolf Hitler in Inside the Third Reich (1982), and finally took home the coveted Emmy opposite Anthony Hopkins in the WWII drama The Tenth Man (1988). He won a second Emmy in an unlikely fashion by spoofing his classical prowess on an episode of "Frasier" (his first guest performance on American TV), in which he played the unsubtle and resoundingly bad Shakespearean actor Jackson Hedley.
Kenneth Branagh was greatly influenced by mentor Jacobi and their own association would include Branagh's films Henry V (1989), Dead Again (1991), and Hamlet (1996), the latter playing Claudius to Branagh's Great Dane. Derek also directed Branagh in the actor's Renaissance Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet". In the 1990s Derek returned to the Chichester Festival, this time as artistic director, and made a fine showing in the title role of Uncle Vanya (1996).
More heralded work of late include profound portrayals of the anguished titular painter in Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998), the role of Gracchus in the popular, Oscar-winning film Gladiator (2000), and sterling performances in such films as Two Men Went to War (2002), Bye Bye Blackbird (2005), The Riddle (2007), Endgame (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Jail Caesar (2012), and as the King in Cinderella (2015). Continuing to mesmerize on the stage, he has turned in superb performances in "Uncle Vanya" (2000), Friedrich Schiller's "Don Carlos" (2005), _A Voyage 'Round My Father (2006), "Twelfth Night" (2009) and the title role in "King Lear" (2010). On the British TV series front, he has commanded more recent attention in the title role of a crusading monk in the mystery series Mystery!: Cadfael (1994), as Lord Pirrie in Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012), as Alan in Last Tango in Halifax (2012), and as Stuart Bixby in Vicious (2013).
He and his life-time companion of three decades, Richard Clifford, filed as domestic partners in England in 2006. Clifford, a fine classical actor and producer in his own right, has shared movie time with Jacobi in Little Dorrit (1987), Henry V (1989), and the TV version of Cyrano de Bergerac (1985)."Years later, Mr. Jacobi said: “I never made a point of stating: I am gay. I can’t explain why I didn’t do that. It wasn’t fear. It was just that, after a time, I assumed everybody knew."
'Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in a Gay Pride March Debut'
By Dave Itzkoff
June 26, 2015
The New York Times- Actor
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Garrett Clayton was born on 19 March 1991 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Hairspray Live! (2016), King Cobra (2016) and Teen Beach Movie (2013). He has been married to Blake Knight since 4 September 2021.Clayton has said the heavy subject matter of his new film Reach–which includes themes of bullying, suicide, depression, and isolation–prompted him to finally go public about his own relationship and sexuality. “Reach deals with some very serious and timely topics that have affected me personally, and have likely influenced many of your lives as well”.
“It can be a bit scary at times”: Garrett Clayton on the courage to come out publicly
By David Reddish
October 27, 2018
Queerty- Actor
- Producer
John Halbach was born on 22 March 1980 in Apple Valley, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Eastsiders (2012), Wallflowers (2013) and Roasted. He has been married to Kit Williamson since 27 February 2016.- Actor
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Kit Williamson is an actor, filmmaker and internet person, best known for playing Ed Gifford on the final two seasons of AMC's Mad Men. He is the creator and star of the Emmy-nominated web series EastSiders, which is now streaming worldwide on Netflix, translated into more than two dozen languages. The series is also distributed on DVD and VOD through Wolfe Video, and has brokered additional distribution deals with Amazon, Hulu, Fullscreen, Logo and Canal 22 in Mexico.
He is the recipient of numerous scholarships, fellowships and awards for his work, including 6 Daytime Emmy Nominations (for outstanding digital daytime drama series, outstanding writing and outstanding directing), The Vanguard Award from OutSHINE Film Fest, The LA Weekly Award for Best Web Drama (EastSiders) and Best Web Comedy (Hipsterhood), a Satellite Award Nomination and The Playwrights First Award.
Kit is an alumnus of the Sundance Lab and has written projects for CBS, Legendary Entertainment, A&E Studios and MTV Studios. His work has screened at numerous festivals including Outfest, Newfest, Inside Out Toronto, SeriesFest, Reeling Chicago and Palm Springs Cinema Diverse.
Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Kit left home to study acting and creative writing at Interlochen Arts Academy when he was sixteen. Kit began his career on Broadway in the Tony-nominated revival of Talk Radio while a Junior at Fordham University and went on to receive his MFA in playwriting from UCLA. As an actor, he has appeared in episodes of The Good Wife, Odd Mom Out, Public Morals, Numb3rs, Bosch, the Lifetime movies Anatomy of Deception and The Sinister Surrogate, the NBC Universal movie Ana Maria in Novela Land and the independent features Retake (Frameline), Kiss Me, Kill Me (Reeling Chicago) and Best Friends Forever (Slamdance). He also produced and starred in two seasons of the LA Weekly Award winning web series Hipsterhood. Most recently he can be seen in the indie feature 12 Hour Shift, which premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.- Matthew McKelligon was born on 7 April 1981 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Eastsiders (2012), You're Killing Me (2015) and In the Flow with Affion Crockett (2011).
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Van Hansis was born on 25 September 1981 in North Adams, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for As the World Turns (1956), Eastsiders (2012) and Kiss Me, Kill Me (2015).- Actor
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- Composer
Cheyenne David Jackson is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings.
After beginning his acting career in regional theatre in Seattle, Washington, Jackson moved to Manhattan and was an understudy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) and Aida (2003). He next originated the role of Matthew in the workshop production of Altar Boyz (2004) for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and was replaced by Scott Porter for the Off-Broadway run. Jackson's first leading role on Broadway was in All Shook Up (2005), which earned him a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut". Since then, on the New York stage, he has starred in The Agony & the Agony (2006), Xanadu (2007; Drama League, Drama Desk nominations), Damn Yankees (2008), Finian's Rainbow (2010; Drama Desk nomination), 8 (2011), The Heart of the Matter (2012), and The Performers (2013).
He has also appeared in a number of films, including the 2006 Academy Award-nominated United 93, in which his portrayal of Mark Bingham earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for Best Ensemble Cast. He also had a leading role in the 2014 independent romantic comedy ensemble, Mutual Friends, and guest roles in television series such as NBC's 30 Rock and Fox's Glee. Beginning in 2015, Jackson starred in the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story in its fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons.
In concert, Jackson has sold out Carnegie Hall twice: The Power of Two in 2010 and Music of the Mad Men Era in 2011. He also performs in cabarets. In addition to his Broadway cast albums, he has released three albums of popular music, including a joint album called The Power of Two with Michael Feinstein in 2008. In 2012, Jackson released two singles, "Drive" and "Before You", from his 2013 album I'm Blue, Skies. In 2016, Jackson released his third studio album, Renaissance, an album adapted and expanded from his solo concert Music of the Mad Men Era.
He also stars as Hades in Disney Channel's Descendants 3, along with actors Booboo Stewart, Cameron Boyce, Dove Cameron, and Sofia Carson with director Kenny Ortega. In 2020, he reunited with Descendants alumni Ortega and Stewart in Netflix's Julie and the Phantoms.- Actor
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Jonathan Drew Groff is an American actor and singer. Known for his performances on screen, stage and television, Groff is the recipient of such accolades as a Grammy Award and has been nominated for two Tony Awards, two Drama League Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.- Actor
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CONRAD RICAMORA is an award-winning actor-singer-writer. He will next be seen as a series regular in the Hulu comedy "How To Die Alone," created and co-starring Natasha Rothwell. He was a series regular for six seasons opposite Viola Davis on ABC's "How To Get Away With Murder." He was also a recurring on FOX's "The Resident."
On the film side, he most recently portrayed Will (aka 'Mr. Darcy') in the Emmy nominated, Gotham Award-winning film "Fire Island" with Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster
Conrad is also a Grammy-nominated Broadway singer/actor. He is currently starring in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit "Oh, Mary!" at the Lucille Lortel Theater. Before that he starred in Broadway's "Here Lies Love'' written by David Byrne and FatBoy Slim. Additional credits include Seymour in "The Little Shop of Horrors" at the West Side Theater and "The King and I" at Lincoln Center.
As an activist, Conrad has won the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign and Equality California.- Actor
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Matthew Risch was born on 20 August 1981 in Salem, Massachussets, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Sex and the City 2 (2010), Modern Family (2009) and How to Get Away with Murder (2014).- Actor
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Andrew Rannells was born on 23 August 1978 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for A Simple Favor (2018), The Prom (2020) and The Intern (2015).- Actor
- Producer
Tuc Watkins was born on 2 September 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Mummy (1999), One Life to Live (1968) and The Good Shepherd (2006).- Actor
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Neil Patrick Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. His parents, Sheila Gail (Scott) and Ronald Gene Harris, were lawyers and ran a restaurant. He grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where he first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with his older brother of 3 years, Harris won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
His parents moved the family to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that Harris made his film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater (1988) and Clara's Heart (1988), which starred Whoopi Goldberg. A year later, when Neil was 16, he landed the lead role in Steven Bochco's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989), which launched Harris into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned him a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr., La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Neil acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was his senior play, Fiddler on the Roof (1971), in which he portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991).
When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, Harris took up stage acting, which he had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, Harris acted in his first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers (1997) with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition (1998). In July 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent (2005). His performance in "Rent" garnered him a Drama-League Award in 1997. He continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. He later reprised the role for six nights in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998.
In 1999, Harris returned to television in the short-lived sitcom Stark Raving Mad (1999), with Tony Shalhoub. He was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing (2000) and Undercover Brother (2002), and he can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated Spider-Man (2003) series. Harris has continued his stage work, making his Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." He has also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert (2001), and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, Harris returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on Numb3rs (2005) and a starring role in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005). Neil played the title role in the web-exclusive musical comedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008), widely downloaded via iTunes to become the #1 TV series for five straight weeks, despite not actually being on television.- Actor
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Chris Colfer is a very talented actor and vocalist who was born on May 27, 1990 in Fresno, California, USA as Christopher Paul Colfer. He is an actor, known for Glee (2009-2015), Struck by Lightning (2012), and The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. His break out role was as Kurt Hummel in Glee, for which he won a Golden Globe (2010) and was tapped for New York Times 100 Most Influential People. Colfer is also a New York Times Best Selling author and wrote/produced Struck By Lightning.- Actor
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George Takei was born Hosato Takei in Los Angeles, California. His mother was born in Sacramento to Japanese parents & his father was born in Japan. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he & his family were relocated from Los Angeles to the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas. Later, they were moved to a camp at Tule Lake in Northern California. His first-hand knowledge of the unjust internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II, poignantly chronicled in his autobiography, created a lifelong interest in politics & community affairs.
After graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1956, he studied architecture at UC Berkeley. An ad in a Japanese community paper led to a summer job on the MGM lot where he dubbed 8 characters from Japanese into English for Rodan (1956). Bitten by the acting bug, he transferred to UCLA as a theater arts major. Contacting an agent he had met at MGM led to his appearance as an embittered soldier in postwar Japan in the Playhouse 90 (1956) production. Being spotted in a UCLA theater production by a Warner Bros. casting director led to his feature film debut in Ice Palace (1960), various roles in Hawaiian Eye (1959) &other feature work. In June 1960, he completed his degree at UCLA and studied at the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-Upon-Avon in England that summer.
After starting a master's degree program at UCLA, he was cast in the socially relevant stage musical production Fly Blackbird! but was replaced when the show moved to New York. He took odd jobs until returning to his role at the end of the run. Getting little work in Manhattan, he returned to Los Angeles to continue his studies, once again appearing in TV & films. He earned his master's in 1964. Wanting a multi-racial crew, Gene Roddenberry cast him in Where No Man Has Gone Before, the second Star Trek (1966) pilot. Mr. Sulu remained a regular character when the series went into production. In the hiatus after the end of shooting the first season, he worked on The Green Berets (1968), playing a South Vietnamese Special Forces officer.
After Star Trek (1966) was canceled, he did guest stints in several TV shows, voiced Sulu for the animated Star Trek series & regularly appeared at Star Trek conventions. He also produced & hosted a public affairs show Expression East/West, which aired in Los Angeles from 1971-1973. That year, he ran for the L.A. City Council. Although he lost by a small margin, Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District, where he served until 1984 & contributed to plans for the subway. During this period, he co-wrote a sci-fi novel Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe. He campaigned to get more respect for his character in the Star Trek features, resulting in Sulu finally obtaining the rank of captain in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), a role reprised in the Star Trek: Voyager (1995) episode Flashback.
He has run several marathons and was in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Torch Relay. He received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame in 1986. He also left his signature & hand print in cement at the Chinese Theater in 1991. His 1994 autobiography, To the Stars, was well-received. He remains active as a stage, TV & film actor as well as as an advocate for the interests of Japanese Americans.- Actor
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Sean Patrick Hayes was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His father, Ronald, a lithographer, left the family when Sean was a young child. His mother, Mary, works at a food bank, and raised Sean and his four siblings on her own. Sean supported himself as a classical pianist and as a member of a pop band for five years, while attending Illinois State University, where he majored in performance and orchestral conducting. He began his post-collegiate professional career in Chicago theatre, as musical director at the Pheasant Run Theater for several years, appearing on stage in several productions as well. He also appeared in the original production of "Role Play" at the Organic Theatre.
An alumnus of Chicago's famed Second City improvisational comedy group, Hayes had gigs as a stand-up comic, performing at The Comedy Club in Los Angeles. While still in Chicago, Hayes won roles in television shows as well as the television movie A & P (1996), based on a story by John Updike, before landing the role which earned him an Emmy Award in 2001 - Jack McFarland - on the hit NBC comedy series Will & Grace (1998). He has also been honored with a SAG Award, an American Comedy Award and a TV Guide Award as well as with two Golden Globe Nominations. Hayes made his feature film debut in 1998 in the title role of the art-house hit Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), which won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. He also co-starred in the box-office hit Cats & Dogs (2001) for Warner Bros Studios.
Of Irish descent, Sean Hayes makes his home in Los Angeles with his long time boyfriend, now husband (as of November 2014), Scott Icenogle, a Los Angeles music producer.- Actor
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Wentworth Miller is a compelling and critically acclaimed actor whose credits span both television and feature film.
Wentworth Earl Miller III was born June 2, 1972 in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, to American parents, Joy Marie (Palm), a special education teacher, and Wentworth Earl Miller II, a lawyer educator. He has two younger sisters, Gillian and Leigh. His father, who is black, is of Afro-Jamaican and African-American (along with English and German) descent. His mother, who is caucasian, has Dutch, French, Swedish, Lebanese/Syrian, Austrian, and Rusyn ancestry.
When Miller turned a year old, his family moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. His father became an assistant district attorney over there. Wentworth retains a dual citizenship, but affirms that he has always been an American. He comes from a diverse background. Wentworth attended Midwood High School in Brooklyn, where he was a member of Sing!, an annual musical production that was started by Midwood. He later on transferred to Quaker Valley Senior High School in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Wentworth was a straight As student in high school and was involved in the AV club and school newspaper. After graduating from high school in 1990, he attended Princeton University. He was also a cartoonist for the school paper and a member of the A Capella group, The Princeton Tigertones, where he sang baritone. It was then that he realized he was interested in performing in front of big and small audiences. Five years later, in 1995, he graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and moved to California. That same year, he was hired by a small company who made movies for television. About a year and a half later, he realized that he had unconsciously moved to Los Angeles to be an actor. He then decided to quit his job at the production company even after his employee at the production company had offered him another stable job position.
Unfortunately for Wentworth, breaking into the industry was a tough job for him. He worked as a temp at several production companies before ending up working as a temp for his former employee's production office. It wasn't too long before Wentworth started landing guest roles on show such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), ER (1994), and Popular (1999). He also starred in the Hallmark series, Dinotopia (2002), playing the character, David Scott. These guest spots later on led to a role in the feature film, The Human Stain (2003), which happened to be his breakthrough role, alongside Nicole Kidman and Sir Anthony Hopkins, where he played the younger version of Anthony Hopkins' character, Coleman Silk. Although the film didn't fare well in movie theaters, it was well received by viewers and critics, further catapulting Wentworth to bigger stardom.
After The Human Stain (2003), he appeared in the movie _Underworld_, as Dr Adam Lockwood, opposite Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, playing the voice of EDI. He also guest-starred in the series finale of CBS' Joan of Arcadia (2003), as Ryan Hunter, a charming-yet-sinister man who revealed to Joan that he also spoke to God. It was reported that his character would be Joan's greatest challenge, but in May, CBS decided to cancel the show, leaving fans to wonder what might have been. In 2005, Wentworth appeared in the pilot of Ghost Whisperer (2005) before eventually starring on FOX network's Prison Break (2005). Wentworth played the role of Michael Scofield, a character helping his brother, Lincoln Burrows, escape death row after being found guilty of a crime he did not commit. He stars alongside actors, Dominic Purcell, Amaury Nolasco and Robert Knepper. Prison Break (2005) became an instant hit and Wentworth secured a spot among viewers as one of the hottest up-and-coming actors around. His performance in the show earned him a Golden Globe nomination, a Saturn award nomination, as well as three Teen Choice Award nominations. The Brooklyn native also appeared in two of Mariah Carey's music videos, "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together" as Mariah's love interest.
Brett Ratner, who was signed on to direct both the music videos, directed the pilot episode of Prison Break (2005) and already knew who Wentworth was. Brett then brought up the idea to the songstress about using Wentworth in the videos. After showing Mariah pictures of Wentworth, she agreed to use him and Wentworth managed to work on both the videos and Prison Break with the help of crew members who constructed a special set on the set of the videos. Wentworth even admits that the two days he spent working with Mariah, was in fact, one of his career highs - even topping anything he's ever done prior to Prison Break (2005) because it gave him so much exposure. Wentworth describes himself as a very private person who likes to spend time just relaxing at home when he's not working. He enjoys swimming, reading, taking naps as well as going to different restaurants every week. He enjoys spending time at The Art Institute of Chicago because he believes that music, painting, movies and theater can all contribute to the work of an actor.
In 2013, he returned to his writing roots, linking up with acclaimed director Park Chan-wook and penning the screenplay for the film _Stoker_, which he submitted under an alias, Ted Foulke. He has also written a screenplay for a prequel called Uncle Charlie.- Actor
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Having grown up in Houston, and its northern suburb of Spring, he made his first stage appearance in a school play at the age of 6. Parsons then went on to study theater at the University of Houston. From there he won a place on a two-year Masters course in classical theater at the University of San Diego/The Old Globe Theater, graduating in 2001.
He moved to New York, working in Off-Broadway productions, appearing in TV commercials and in one episode of Ed (2000) before landing a recurring role in Judging Amy (1999) in 2004.
He was propelled to international fame and acclaim three years later when he starred as Sheldon in the award-winning sitcom, The Big Bang Theory (2007).- Actor
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David Hyde Pierce was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. He is the youngest child of George and Laura Pierce (both deceased) and has two older sisters (Barbara and Nancy) and an older brother (Thomas). As a child, he was very interested in music (particularly piano) and regularly played the organ at his local church (Bethesda Episcopal Church). David discovered a love of drama in high school and, upon his graduation in 1977, he received the Yaddo Medal which is to honor academic achievement and personal character. However, his love of music was still strong so he decided to study classical piano at Yale University.
Unfortunately, he soon grew bored with music history lessons and found that he wasn't dedicated enough to practice the required amount of hours to become a successful concert pianist. Instead, he returned to his love of drama and graduated in 1981 with a double major in English and Theatre Arts. He then moved to New York where he worked several menial jobs (including selling ties at Bloomingdales and working as a security guard) while acting in the theater during the late 80s and early 90s. He appeared in small roles in films such as Bright Lights, Big City (1988) before his life and career changed forever when he landed the role of "Dr. Niles Crane" in the television series Frasier (1993). Throughout the show's eleven year run (1993-2004), David was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series each year (he won four times: 1995, 1998-1999 and 2004). David resides in Los Angeles with his romantic partner, Brian Hargrove, and their two Wheaton Terriers, Maude and Mabel. He remains very close to his three siblings.- Actor
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Award-winning Actor, Producer, Activist, "Actorvist," and Humanitarian Wilson Cruz currently stars as Dr. Hugh Culber on the Award-winning Paramount+ series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. He appeared on the Netflix series THIRTEEN REASONS WHY and in Hulu's 2020 GLAAD Award- Winning original animated kids' series THE BRAVEST KNIGHT. He is also the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed docuseries called VISIBLE:OUT ON TELEVISION airing on Apple TV+ that investigates the importance of TV as an intimate medium that has shaped the American conscience, and how the LGBTQ movement has shaped television. Receiving the Emery S. Hetrick Award from the Hetrick- Martin Institute for Outstanding Contributions to LGBTQ Youth, for his role as Rickie Vasquez on the ABC series MY SO CALLED LIFE, Wilson became the first openly Gay actor playing an openly Gay role on series television. Cruz also starred as Angel in the West Coast premiere of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT which earned him both The Ovation and Drama Logue awards before his reprisal of the role on Broadway. Cruz recently accepted GLAAD's 2022 Vito Russo Award and the Make A Difference Award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation. He has also received the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award from the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, the Liberty Award from Lambda Legal, the Visibilidad Award from GLAAD, the Fusion Achievement Award from Outfest, the Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Entertainment and Advocacy from the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Harvey Milk Equality Award, the Lincoln Aston Public Service Award, Aston-Brooks Award, and the Advocate Award from AdColor. He served as the Director of Entertainment Industry Partnerships and National Spokesperson for GLAAD, currently serves on the board of GLSEN and devotes considerable time supporting other LBGTQ organizations as well. Wilson is a first generation American of Puerto Rican descent. He has helped raise money for political candidates supporting LBGTQ rights. As a speaker, Cruz is called on to rally the troops both internally at national corporations and externally with the world as evidenced of his inclusions on the cable talkers, such as Jonathan Capehart's show on MSNBC and 2022, Pride Stars of Stage and Screen, speaking at NYC Pride in 2018 (2020) and New York Pride (2021).- Actor
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Jesse Tyler Ferguson was born on 22 October 1975 in Missoula, Montana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Cocaine Bear (2023), Modern Family (2009) and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). He has been married to Justin Mikita since 20 July 2013. They have one child.- Reid Ewing was born on 7 November 1988 in Pompano Beach, Broward County, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Fright Night (2011), 10 Rules for Sleeping Around (2013) and Crush (2013).
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Victor Garber has been in some of the most memorable projects of the past four decades. Victor has recently appeared in The Slap (2015), The Flash (2014), Motive (2013) and Web Therapy (2011). He is currently staring in Greg Berlanti's new DC Comics Superhero series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" for Warner Bros/CW. He has shared in two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast, the latest for Milk (2008), and previously as a member of the cast of Titanic (1997) as well as winning with the cast of Argo (2012). Garber received three Emmy® nods for his role on Alias (2001) and has also earned Emmy® nominations for Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), and his guest roles on Frasier (1993) and Will & Grace (1998). He is also an accomplished stage actor, whose extensive credits encompass lead roles in both plays and musicals, and has earned four Tony Award® nominations, for his work in Damn Yankees (1994-1995), Lend Me a Tenor (1989-1990), Little Me (1982) and Deathtrap (1978-1982. Victor also starred in the 1998 Tony Award winning Best Play, Art.- Actor
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Born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Joliet, Illinois. He returned to the UK, for a 6 month Shakespeare semester with the United States International University of San Diego, but left to star in the musical production of "Anything Goes," with Elaine Paige. He went on to star in "Miss Saigon," "Matador," "Rope," and "Hair" at London's West End. Barrowman has homes in London and Cardiff, Wales.- Actor
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Matthew Wilkas was born on 20 April 1978 in Camden, Maine, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Mummy (2017), Gayby (2012) and Bros (2022).- Actor
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Ben Baur is a dynamic figure in the entertainment world, making his mark as an actor, writer, producer, and director. He gained recognition for his standout role in the LGBTQ+ web series, HUNTING SEASON, leading to his inclusion in Out Magazine's list of 100 influential LGBTQ+ individuals.
Baur's creative journey took a personal turn as he delved into writing and producing his own projects. Notable among them is the Indie Series Award-nominated web series #ADULTING and the charming Queer romantic comedy short, SOMETHING NEW, which secured multiple audience awards.
Building on his early successes, Baur expanded his repertoire by taking on various roles in additional Queer-focused short films, exploring genres from horror to drama and comedy. The culmination of his efforts resulted in the production of his first feature film, THERE'S A ZOMBIE OUTSIDE, where he served as both producer and lead actor. The film wrapped principal photography in 2022.- Actor
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Nathan Lane is an American actor and singer from New Jersey who is known for playing Timon from The Lion King, Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II from Teacher's Pet, Max Bialystock from The Producers, Snowball from Stuart Little, Hamegg from Astro Boy and Ernie Smuntz from Mouse Hunt. He is married to his husband Devlin Elliott since 2015.- Actor
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Proclaimed by many critics as one of the best young actors of his generation, Benjamin John Whishaw was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, to Linda (Hope), who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James. He is of French, German, Russian (father) and English (mother) descent.
Ben attended Samuel Whitbread Community College where his interest in theatre grew and he became a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. During his time there he rose to prominence in many productions, most notably If This Is a Man, based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of Nazi World War II prisoner of war camp. The play was taken to the Edinburgh Festival in 1995 where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim with Ben Whishaw getting rave reviews for his portrayal of Levi.
Ben then enrolled in, RADA from where he graduated in 2004 and soon landed the role of Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production making him one of the youngest actors to portray Hamlet on-stage. Hamlet opened to rave reviews with many critics hailing Ben as the next Laurence Olivier and applauding his portrayal of Hamlet with leading critics haling the birth of a star. Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake (2004) and Christopher Morris 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley (2005), in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards (for My Brother Tom (2001)) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Stephen Woolley biopic Stoned (2005). Whishaw played in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly getting raves once again for his stunning portrayal. Whishaw appeared in 2007's I'm Not There (2007) as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations and in 2008 in Criminal Justice (2008) a TV series. He appears in the forthcoming films The Tempest (2010) and Bright Star (2009).- Producer
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Dan Bucatinsky was born in New York City, New York, USA to Argentinian parents, Julio and Myriam. He is of Latin and Jewish descent. He is an Emmy winning actor, known for The Baker and the Beauty (2020), Second Act (2018) and Scandal (2012) and a producer of Who Do You Think You Are? (2010) and Web Therapy (2008) and 25 Words Or Less (2018). He has been married to filmmaker Don Roos since 2008. They have two children.- Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (pronounced "beau-yer") is most recognizable for his portrayal of ambitious producer Jay in the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated Lifetime series UNREAL, which will return for its third season February 26. That same day, Bowyer-Chapman will launch and host an episodic conversational podcast series entitled JBC PRESENTS: CONVERSATIONS WITH "OTHERS." In partnering with the producer of the hit podcast RUPAUL: WHAT'S THE TEE, he will explore the concept of "otherness" and finding the strength and beauty in our differences and connectivity.
In 2016, the Hollywood Reporter declared Bowyer-Chapman one of Canada's top rising stars. That year, he co-starred opposite Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in the comedy DIRTY GRANDPA and filmed the indie feature TAO OF SURFING, alongside Eric Balfour and Lou Diamond Phillips. In Spring 2017, he co-starred in the Lifetime original movie LOVE BY THE 10TH DATE, alongside Kelly Rowland and Meagan Good. To much fanfare, he also appeared as a guest judge on RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, a role in which he reprised this current season in the series' 'ALL STAR' edition.
Bowyer-Chapman began his career as an international model before making his feature film debut in SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, which premiered at the 2006 Outfest Film Festival. In 2012, he starred opposite Jussie Smollett in LOGO's romantic comedy-drama THE SKINNY. Additional credits include his critically-acclaimed breakthrough performance in HBO's DEAR MR. GACY, SyFy's STARGATE UNIVERSE and the Nickelodeon animated series IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES, in which he voiced the role of the iconic superhero Black Panther.
Bowyer-Chapman is passionately involved with the Human Rights Campaign, for which he serves as a guest speaker. In 2016, he created the Bramon Garcia Braun (BGB) scholarship in his name, awarded to LGTBQ actors of color with a fierce desire to explore and express what is unique about them through their acting and the leadership and generosity to use their talent to change the industry's often limited perception of humanity. Born and raised in Canada, Bowyer-Chapman currently splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. - Actor
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Alan Cumming was born on January 27, 1965, in Aberfeldy, Scotland, to Mary (Darling), an insurance company secretary, and Alex Cumming. His family lived nearby in Dunkeld, where his father was a forester for Atholl Estate. The family (including his brother, Tom) moved to Fassfern near Fort William, before moving to the east coast of Scotland in 1969, where Alan's father took up the position of Head Forester of Panmure Estate; it was there that Alan grew up. He went to Monikie Primary School and Carnoustie High School, where he began appearing in plays, and soon after that began working with with the Carnoustie Theatre Club and Carnoustie Musical Society.
In 1981, he left high school with 8 'O' Grades and 4 Highers, but because he was too young to enter any university or drama school he worked for just over a year as a sub-editor at D.C. Thomson Publishers in Dundee. There he worked on the launch of a new magazine, "Tops", and was also the "Young Alan" who answered readers' letters. In September 1982 he began a three-year course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He graduated in 1985 with a B.A. (Dramatic Studies) and awards for verse speaking and direction. He also had formed a cabaret double act with fellow student Forbes Masson called Victor and Barry, which went on to become hugely successful with tours (including two Perrier Pick of the Fringe seasons in London and a month-long engagement at the Sydney Opera House as part of an Australian tour), records ("Hear Victor and Barry and Faint", "Are We Too Loud?") and many TV appearances throughout the UK. Before graduating Alan made his professional theater and film debuts in "Macbeth" at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow and in Gillies MacKinnon's "Passing Glory". After graduating, Alan worked extensively in Scottish theater and television, including a stint on the soap opera Take the High Road (1980) before moving to London when "Conquest of the South Pole", a play by German playwright Manfred Karge, transferred from the Traverse Theatre in, Edinburgh to the the Royal Court in London, earning him his first Olivier award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer of 1988. Alan performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and then the Royal National Theatre, where he starred in "Accidental Death of an Anarchist", which he also adapted with director Tim Supple. The production was nominated for Best revival at the 1991 Olivier awards and Alan won for Comedy Performance of the Year.
His film career began with Ian Sellar's Prague (1992), in which he starred with Sandrine Bonnaire and Bruno Ganz. The film premiered at the 1992 Cannes film festival and went on to win him Best Actor award at the Atlantic Film Festival and a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination. In the same year he made two films for the BBC - The Last Romantics (1992) and Bernard and the Genie (1991), the latter winning him the Top Television Newcomer award at 1992 British Comedy Awards. In the 1992 Olivier awards he was also nominated for Comedy Performance of the Year for "La Bete". In 1993 he played Hamlet for the English Touring Theare to great critical acclaim ("An actor knocking on the door of greatness" - Daily Mail; ranked first and second--with his performance in "Cabaret"--in the Daily Telegraph's performances of the year) and then immediately went on to play the Emcee in Sam Mendes' revival of "Cabaret" at the same venue (London's Donmar Warehouse). He received a 1994 Olivier award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for "Cabaret", and for Hamlet he received the 1994 TMA Best Actor award and a Shakespeare Globe award nomination.
In 1994, he made his first Hollywood film, Circle of Friends (1995), and his performance as the oleaginous Sean Walsh along with those in two films released in quick succession (Emma (1996) and GoldenEye (1995)) brought him to the attention of American producers, and he appeared in several Hollywood films, such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Buddy (1997). He returned to the UK in 1997 to work with Stanley Kubrick and the Spice Girls before returning stateside in 1998 to reprise his role in "Cabaret" on Broadway. The show and his portrayal were a sensation, and he received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics' Circle, Theatre World, FANY, New York Press and New York Public Advocate's awards for his performance. Since then he has alternated between theater and films, and also between smaller independent films and more mainstream fare. His theater work includes 2001's "Design for Living" on Broadway and the hugely successful off-Broadway "Elle" by Jean Genet, which he adapted and played the lead in 2002. His films include Julie Taymor's Titus (1999), Urbania (2000), the "Spy Kids" trilogy, Josie and the Pussycats (2001), X2 (2003), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Son of the Mask (2005) and the Showtime movie musical Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005).
He wrote, directed, produced and acted in The Anniversary Party (2001) with Jennifer Jason Leigh, which premiered at the Cannes Film festival in 2002 and went on to win a National Board of Review award and two Independent Spirit award nominations. More recently he has produced the documentary Show People (2004) and the films Sweet Land (2005) and Full Grown Men (2006) (and appears in both) and acted in Gray Matters (2006) opposite Heather Graham and Bam Bam and Celeste (2005), opposite Margaret Cho. In 2006, he returned to Broadway as Macheath in "The Threepenny Opera". He has also found the time to write a novel, "Tommy's Tale", in 2002.- Actor
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Randy Harrison was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA and graduated high school in Atlanta, GA. Harrison began acting as a child eventually receiving a BFA from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is best known for his role as Justin Taylor in the Showtime series Queer as Folk (2000). Other film credits include Such Good People (2014) and Bang Bang You're Dead (2002). An accomplished theater actor, Harrison has appeared on Broadway in Wicked, off-Broadway at the Public Theater, Theatre for a New Audience, Primary Stages and Red Bull Theatre, as well as regionally at Yale Repertory Theater, The Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre DC amongst others. He is a founding member of the downtown New York theatre company QWAN Company. Harrison resides in Brooklyn, NY.- Actor
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Andrew Scott is an Irish actor who started his career at a very young age. He made his first appearance on television in an advertisement for a brand of porridge at the age of 6.
He was born into an Irish family where his father, Jim, worked in a recruitment agency and his mother, Nora, taught art. He has an older sister, Sarah, and a younger sister, Hannah.
He received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in an Affiliated Theater for the play A Girl in a Car with a Man at Jerwood Theater Upstairs and the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor for the film Dead Bodies.
He is known for his portrayal of Paul McCartney in the 2010 BBC drama Lennon Naked and for his portrayal of villain Jim Moriarty in the modern adaptation Sherlock, also produced in 2010 by the BBC and for which he received the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012.
In November 2013, he revealed his homosexuality during an interview for the British daily The Independent, while indicating that he did not play it in the interpretation of his roles: "Fortunately, nowadays, people don't perceive homosexuality as a defect. But it's also not a quality, like kindness. Or a talent, like knowing how to play the banjo. It's simply a fact. Of course, that's part of what I'm sending back, but I don't want to play with it. I'm not advertising it; I think it's important when you're an actor. But there's a difference between privacy and secrecy, and I'm not a secretive person. All I really want to do is continue doing my job, which is pretending to be a bunch of different people. It's as simple as that. »
In 2014, he took on the role of a priest in Ken Loach's film: Jimmy's Hall.
In 2015, he appeared in the new James Bond: 007 Spectre, as Max Denbigh aka "C", a member of the British government whose goal is to shut down the Double-0 spy branch.
In 2017, he returned to the role of Hamlet in the theater, under the direction of Robert Icke, for nearly 150 performances. The piece lasts almost 4 hours. His performance was unanimously praised by critics.
In 2019, he played "the priest" in the second season of the multi-award winning British series: Fleabag. A role which will notably earn him a nomination for the Golden Globes in 2020, as best supporting role in a TV series. Fans of the series will nickname "the hot priest", this Catholic priest with whom Fleabag will fall in love. He will reprise the role of the priest in 2020, in a "special" episode of the Irish series Normal people.
The same year, he reunited with Sam Mendes, with whom he had already collaborated several times in the past, in the film 1917.
Then he participated in an episode of the successful British series: Black Mirror for episode 2 of season 5 entitled Smithereens.
In 2020, Andrew Scott landed the lead role in the series Tom Ripley, adapted from the novels by Patricia Highsmith. The same year, the actor read the poem Everything is Going to be All Right by Irish poet Derek Mahon, in a video posted on Instagram by actress Emilia Clarke. This reading is dedicated to Irish men with cancer.
Andrew Scott will be part of the jury for the 2021 GQ Grooming Awards, a ceremony created by GQ magazine and which celebrates men's cosmetic products.
Andrew Scott is filming in November 2020 alongside Ruth Wilson in the television adaptation for HBO of the play Oslo by J.T. Rogers. With Steven Spielberg as executive producer.
In March 2021, Andrew Scott will begin filming Lena Dunham's new film: Catherine, Called Birdy, the adaptation of the book of the same name, alongside Billie Piper.- Actor
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Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Joey Pollari started his acting career when he attended a scouting event in downtown Minneapolis. He received callbacks the next day from agents who wanted to represent him. Pollari took acting lessons from the Stagecoach Theatre Arts. Pollari has appeared in stage productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, and the SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development, also in Saint Paul. On April 30, 2006, Pollari appeared as a newsboy in "The Hen House", an episode of the police procedural television series Cold Case. The Walt Disney Company cast him in Skyrunners, a 2009 Disney XD Original Movie about two brothers who stumble upon a spaceship that is sought after by the FBI agents and space aliens. The film, which was shot in New Zealand, premiered on Disney XD on November 27, 2009. He was fifteen years old when it first aired. In 2010, he starred in the Disney film Avalon High (2010), with Britt Robertson and Gregg Sulkin. In 2012, Joey headlined MTV's series The Inbetweeners (2012), which took a comedic look at a group of teenagers navigating high school and charging into adulthood. The show, based on the hit UK series and movie of the same title, premiered August 2012. In 2016, Joey starred in the 2nd season of the ABC series, "American Crime," created by John Ridley ("12 Years A Slave"), as accused perpetrator Eric Tanner, for which he gained critical acclaim. Joey made his major film debut in the 2018 teen romance Love, Simon (2018), playing a friendly waiter, Lyle. Then, in 2019, he supported the indie feature "The Obituary of Tunde Johnson" directed by Ali LeRoi ("Everybody Hates Chris"). He has since gone onto release music under his own name with his debut album, "About Men," in 2019 for which he directed music videos.- Actor
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Keiynan Lonsdale (born 19 December 1991) is an Australian actor, singer, and dancer. He is known for his role as Wally West aka Kid Flash in CW's 'The Flash' & 'Legends Of Tomorrow', Uriah in Lionsgate's 'The Divergent Series', and most recently Bram in the critically acclaimed FOX feature film 'Love, Simon'.- Actor
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Wesley Taylor made his Broadway debut in the original cast of Rock of Ages, before starring opposite Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth in the original cast of Broadway's The Addams Family. Taylor then originated the role of Sheldon J. Plankton in Broadway's Spongebob Squarepants, before it was filmed for Nickelodeon as "The Spongebob Musical, Live on Stage!" Taylor is a Theatre World Award Winner, Chita Rivera Award Winner, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominee.
'Cliff Demeo' on season three of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Taylor's extensive credits in Television include "Looking," "The Good Wife," and fan favorite 'Bobby' on NBC's "Smash." He's co-created and starred in three original digital series, the latest being the Emmy-nominated "Indoor Boys," (HereTV) with Alex Wyse. Their feature film debut as writer-directors, "Summoning Sylvia," (Starz) has stayed at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes since its release in Spring 2023.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised in Orlando, Florida, Taylor graduated from the Visual Performing Arts Magnet at Dr. Phillips High School. He then received a BFA in Drama from the University at North Carolina School of the Arts.- Derek Chadwick was born on 8 July 1995 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Hollywood (2020), Scream Queens (2015) and A Jenkins Family Christmas (2021).
- Sean Maher is well known to television and film audiences for his role as Dr. Simon Tam in Joss Whedon's feature Serenity. The film was based on the critically acclaimed series "Firefly".
Maher was born and raised in New York, where he attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. He moved to Los Angeles after landing the coveted title role in the FOX drama Ryan Caufield: Year One. Upon the cancellation of that series, Maher secured a holding deal with FOX and collaborated with the network on the well-loved series Party Of Five as well as Darren Star's The $treet.
With the birth of his daughter in 2007, Maher took a few years off from acting to be a stay-at-home dad.
Additional TV credits include The Mentalist, Human Target, and Warehouse 13.
In 2011 while playing closeted gay man Sean Beasely in 1960s Chicago on NBC's provocative The Playboy Club, Maher used the role as a platform to come out publicly as a gay man himself. Entertainment Weekly graciously covered the story and Maher regards that decision as one of the highlights of his professional career.
Sean appeared in the Season 2 finale of Looking for HBO, directed by Andrew Haigh. Additionally, he was seen recurring as Mark Scheffer (aka Shrapnel) on the hit series Arrow for The CW. Maher won praise for his portrayal of Don John in Joss Whedon's feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and starred in the indie sci-fi feature ISRA-88, as well as the feature People You May Know. He starred opposite Academy Award Nominee June Squibb in the short film The Visit.
Maher reunited with many of his Firefly colleagues for the series Con Man.
He is also the voice of Nightwing for the Warner Bros/DC Comics animated universe.
Maher is a yoga enthusiast and LGBT advocate. In 2016, he married his partner of 10 years, Paul. He has two children. - Actor
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BD Wong was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He made his Broadway debut in "M. Butterfly." He is the only actor to be honored with the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theater World Award for the same performance. He starred in the television series All-American Girl (1994), and has made guest appearances on Sesame Street (1969) and The X-Files (1993). He was in the off-Broadway musical revival of "As Thousands Cheer" and followed with a critically acclaimed performance as "Linus" in the revival of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," returned to SVU, and is now starring in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures."- Actor
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Denis Patrick Seamus O'Hare is an American actor, singer, and author noted for his award-winning performances in the plays Take Me Out and Sweet Charity, as well as portraying vampire king Russell Edgington on HBO's fantasy series True Blood. He is also known for his supporting roles in such films as Charlie Wilson's War, Milk, Changeling, and Dallas Buyers Club. In 2011, he starred as Larry Harvey in the first season of the FX anthology series American Horror Story, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2012. He returned to the show in 2013, playing Spalding in American Horror Story: Coven and once more as Stanley in American Horror Story: Freak Show, the latter for which he earned a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination. For his performance in American Horror Story: Hotel as Liz Taylor, O'Hare received critical acclaim.- Actor
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The release of Weekend marked Chris' big screen debut. Chris trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and, after graduating in 2006, built up an impressive reputation for his stage and small screen work. He starred opposite Alan Cumming in the 2006 revival of Martin Sherman's iconic play Bent in London's West end, only weeks after graduating from RADA, for which he was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer and the WhatsOnStage Theatregoers' Choice Award for London Newcomer of the Year. He then went on to work at the National Theatre, under the direction of Sir Richard Eyre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Young Vic, The Royal Exchange and London's Sadler's Wells. In 2009 he returned to the West End to star as Joe Orton in the stage adaptation of "Prick Up Your Ears", and in 2010 made his New York debut leading the company of Peter Nichols' LIngua Franca which transferred to New York from London's Finborough Theatre. He has also worked regularly for the BBC in numerous television and Radio Productions.- Actor
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Jonathan David Bennett was born in Rossford, Ohio, to RuthAnne (Mason) and Dr. David Paul Bennett. He headed straight to New York to pursue acting after graduating from the theater program at Otterbein. He was actually discovered by an agent while sitting on a train. Six months later he signed on to the iconic soap opera "All My Children," playing J.R. Chandler. Since then Jonathan's career has been on fire. He has appeared in a slew of teen comedies, side-by-side with some of the biggest and brightest stars of their time including; "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (with Steve Martin) and "Lovewrecked" (with Amanda Bynes). He also stepped into and took over the iconic role replacing Ryan Reynolds as Van Wilder in "Van Wilder: Freshman Year."- Actor
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Brendan Scannell (born June 20, 1990) is an American actor and comedian known for playing Pete Devon in the Netflix series Bonding (2019) and Heather Duke in the Paramount Network series Heathers (2018). Scannell grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana and studied theatre and English at Northwestern University. In 2019 he was a New Face at Just For Laughs in Montreal Canada- Actor
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Miami-born actor Brandon Flynn is known for his role as Justin Foley on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why (2017).
Brandon has appeared in commercials, and on stage, first as Mr. Smee in Peter Pan, at ten years old, and recently as Luke in the off-Broadway production of Kid Victory, at the Vineyard Theatre. His first screen role was as Mike the intern on the horror show BrainDead (2016) in 2016, the year he was cast in 13 Reasons Why. Next, he will appear in season three of HBO's drama True Detective (2014), and make his film debut with the teen comedy Looks That Kill (2020), in the starring role.
Brandon attended downtown Miami's New World School of the Arts for high school, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, at Rutgers University in New Jersey.- Actor
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Before embarking on a career as a mainstream pop vocalist, Billy Porter built a substantial reputation as a theatrical singer in Broadway productions such as Grease and Smokey Joe's Cafe. He made his initial impact by placing 'Love Is On The Way' on the soundtrack to the film First Wives' Club, in 1996. His debut album, Untitled, was firmly anchored in traditional R&B territory, with several key ballads included (such as a cover version of Glenn Jones's 'Show Me') in an attempt to win over mainstream radio. His backing band featured several musicians better known for their work in the theatre, including Warren J. McCrae, Gary Haase and Peter Zizzo (his producer). Unsurprisingly for a multi-faceted performer, Porter's record company was keen for their artist to be seen live, and his support slot to Sounds Of Blackness in New York in May 1997 attracted some encouraging reviews prior to his own headlining dates.- Actor
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Born in Buenos Aires, Juan Pablo is the third son of painter Marta Maineri and Victorio Di Pace and is an actor, musician and director. He has lived in London, Trieste, Madrid and resides in the US.
He is best known for playing the role of Jesus Christ on "A.D. The Bible Continues" (2015) produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey for which he won a Grace Award for "Most Inspiring Performance" in 2016; for the role of self-made billionaire Nicolás Treviño on TNT's reboot of "Dallas" (2014), for his appearance in the movie "Mamma Mia" (2008) and for the role of Fernando on Netflix's Numer 1 show "Fuller House", which has won "People's Choice", "Kids Choice", "Teen Choice" Awards for seasons 1 and 2 and an Emmy nomination for "Best Children's Program" for season 3. Di Pace has made several appearances on British television, such as BBC One comedy "The Catherine Tate Show" and BBC One film "Aftersun", and in Spanish television, such as "Supercharly", "Angel o Demonio", "Los Hombres de Paco", "El Don de Alba"and "Física o Química". On film, he starred in "Survival Island" (2004), "Tutti Intorno a Linda" (2006), Fuera de foco (2011) and "After The Reality" (2016).
Prior to joining the big screen, he appeared in the Bob Fosse's London musical "Chicago" and played the leading roles in "Grease" (Italy, 1999), "Saturday Night Fever" (Madrid, 2009-2010), "Más de 100 Mentiras" (Madrid, 2012) and "Primer Acto/Act One (Madrid, 2012-2013). In February of 2017, Juan Pablo wrote a solo show for New York's Studio 54 Below and has performed for the Houston Symphony Orchestra a concert dedicated to the music of George Michael.
As a director, Juan Pablo has written and directed several short films including "La Belleza", "Venki" and "Admission" and is developing two features "New Boy" and "The Last Light".- Actor
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Damian Joseph Quinn (she/they/he) is an actress, activist, comedian, writer & producer. Born in New Jersey to a family of four, Damian earned his Honors BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in '17, where they were awarded as the most outstanding actor & scholar of their class.
Dame is widely known for Roy Cohn is Oscar-nominated US v. Billie Holiday; starring as Brian in AppleTV's Roar; & leading Amazon Prime's slasher-comedy Road Head. They are recognized for their transformative dynamism, elastic choices, and raw vulnerability, both in gritty dramas and ensemble comedy alike. Damian has a fervent passion for intersectional Queer equality, writing filmic narratives for the horizon of an international Queer Utopia, and representing the gambit of sexual orientations & gender identities to pioneer the fluidity of modern Queer representation.
Further training includes: character work, improv + sketch writing through the Groundlings, classical text in Florence, & embodied, experimental theater in Amsterdam. Damian has a passion for the crafts in film, theater, & voice over.
When not acting, Damian teaches yoga + meditation, sings, and tends to her verdant house plants. They've directed ritual theater in Hawaii & resourced with Queer refugees all around the world. Damian has a love for adventure, learning and their ever-growing Irish family.- "Evan Spergel is a graduate from OCAD in Art Direction and the Randolph Academy for Performing Arts. He has gone on to study screenwriting at George Brown and has recently received his certificate from UCLA in Screenwriting for TV and Feature film. Over the years he has specialized in finding his unique voice for queer subject matter. He currently has a short film he wrote, co-produced and starred in called "Turbulence" streaming on OutTV. His goal is to demystify male toxicity, homophobia, and sexual identity. Evan addresses mental illness and the toxic coping methods that queer people use to deal with past trauma."
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Guillermo Diaz was born in 1975 in New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Scandal (2012), Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021) and Weeds (2005).- Actor
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Stylish Rupert James Hector Everett was born on May 29, 1959, in Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, to Sara (Maclean) and Anthony Michael Everett, a Major in the British Army, who later worked in business. Of royal stock, he is of primarily English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry with a dash of German and Dutch thrown in for good measure.
Everett grew up in privileged circumstances, but the wry, sometimes arrogant intellectual was a rebel from the very beginning. At the age of seven, he was placed into the care of Benedictine monks at Ampleforth College where he trained classically on the piano. He was expelled from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London for clashing with his teachers and instead apprenticed himself at the avant-garde Glasgow Citizen's Theatre in Scotland, performing in such productions as "Don Juan" and "Heartbreak House." He moved from stage to British TV in 1982 with sophisticated appearances on such series as "Strangers" "Play for Today" and "The Agatha Christie Hour" and the more visibly seen mini-series Princess Daisy (1983) and The Far Pavilions (1984).
In 1984, Everett filmed a leading gay role in the acclaimed collegiate-themed picture Another Country (1984), which he had performed earlier on stage in 1981. Earning a BAFTA nomination and shooting to international attention, Rupert became one of England's hottest crossover stars. Top patrician roles in quality films came his way such as Dance with a Stranger (1985) opposite Miranda Richardson and Duet for One (1986) starring Julie Andrews and Alan Bates. The rebel went international instead of Hollywood, however, with top-billing in the Aussie feature The Right Hand Man (1987) with Hugo Weaving; the Italian-made Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1987) and the French drama Tolérance (1989) opposite Ugo Tognazzi.
Again, however, the wickedly sharp and suave actor doused his own star fire by clashing with the press and even his own fans in the late 1980's. In 1989, Everett openly and proudly declared his homosexuality which put an initial damper on his status as a romantic leading man. Appearing sporadically in such featured roles as the Prince of Wales in the majestic drama The Madness of King George (1994) and Lord Rutledge in the family comedy Dunston Checks In (1996), Rupert's popularity was re-energized after playing Julia Roberts' gay confidante to droll effect in the box-office comedy hit My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), earning him both BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. He continued to impress thereafter, notably in such classical-styled pieces as Shakespeare in Love (1998) (as Christopher Marlowe), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) (as Oberon), and the Oscar Wilde plays An Ideal Husband (1999) (as Lord Goring, Golden Globe nominee) and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) (as Algy). On the lighter, fun side, his predilection for mischief was demonstrated as the cartoonish villain Dr. Claw, the nemesis of Matthew Broderick's title character, in Inspector Gadget (1999).
Into the millennium, Rupert continued to be a vibrant presence on stage with a tour of "Private Lives" (in Italian) in 2008, a 2009 Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit" (his New York debut) and as Henry Higgins in Shaw's "Pygmalion" in Munich the following year. He went on to play Oscar Wilde in "The Judas Kiss" in 2013 and was about to play George on Broadway in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" when the play closed before it officially opened due to the COVID pandemic in 2020. On TV, he played the effortlessly suave Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004), the Marquis de Feron in the British series The Musketeers (2014) and Carroll Quinn in a second British series Adult Material (2020).
On film, Everett enhanced the royal dramas To Kill a King (2003) and Stage Beauty (2004) as King Charles I and King Charles II, respectively. Known for his aloof handsomeness and often smug, piss-elegant characters, he engagingly portrayed a jet-setter in the contemporary film People (2004); provided the voice of the unprincely Prince Charming in the animated features Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007); played a British defector opposite Sharon Stone in the romantic thriller A Different Loyalty (2004); a millionaire playboy involved in a hit-and-run in Separate Lies (2005); an eccentric tycoon in Hysteria (2011); King George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth) opposite Emily Watson's Queen Mum in the romantic dramedy A Royal Night Out (2015); a monsignor in If I Had a Heart (2013); and tortured gay playwright Oscar Wilde during his last days in The Happy Prince (2018), which he wrote and directed.
A novelist on the sly with Hello, Darling, Are You Working? (1989), Rupert has also published two volumes of memoirs: Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins (2006) and Vanished Years (2012), produced documentaries .- Actor
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Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012-2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015-2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including a Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award. At 23, Platt became the youngest solo recipient of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.- Actor
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Noah could be seen playing 'Kenny' in ABC's comedy The Real O'Neals (2016) which premiered in March 2016. He now stars on the show The Good Doctor (2017) as Dr. Asher Wolke.
Noah is most proud of his critically acclaimed work off- Broadway at theaters such as the Signature, Playwrights Horizons, MCC, The Vineyard, The Public, The Culture Project, The Flea, The Wild Project, New York Theater Workshop, the Barrow Street Theater, Rattlestick, Ensemble Studio Theater, and many others. He is a recipient of Audiofile Magazine's Earphones Award for his narration of Hollis Seamon's novel Somebody Up There Hates You. His other audiobook work includes Perks of Being a Wallflower, Matthew Quick's Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, and more. Additional credits include the celebrated short films "Promiseland" and "Welcome to the Wayne".- Producer
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Daniel Levy is a multi-hyphenate Emmy® award winning showrunner, writer, actor, director, and producer who has built his career telling vibrant and comedic stories, establishing himself as a Hollywood mainstay.
Levy recently launched his new film and television production company, Not a Real Production Company. Not A Real Production Company debuted its first series, The Big Brunch, on HBO Max in November 2022. Levy not only created the series but also hosts and serves as a judge alongside Chef Sohla El-Waylly and restaurateur Will Guidara. Additionally, the company has several projects in various stages of development including an adult animated comedy Standing By for Hulu, which he co-created with Ally Pankiw. Levy is currently in post-production on his directorial debut Good Grief, an original film at Netflix, which he wrote, produced and stars in. The company recently began its new overall television deal with Netflix, where it also has a first-look feature film deal.
Up next, Levy will be joining the season 4 cast of Netflix's acclaimed dramedy Sex Education playing the character Thomas Molloy, a famous author, and Maeve's (Emma Mackey) US course tutor at her Ivy League college. Levy has also joined the ensemble cast of HBO Max's upcoming series The Idol, created by Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, as well as Disney's upcoming Haunted Mansion remake. Recently, Levy appeared in Hulu's holiday rom-com Happiest Season, and starred alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Paulson, Issa Rae, and Kailtyn Dever in HBO's Coastal Elite. Levy made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live in February 2021.
Levy is best known for his work on one of the most beloved shows on television, Schitt's Creek, which he co-created with his father Eugene Levy. The series received nine Emmy® wins for its sixth and final season, breaking major records becoming the most awarded comedy series in a single year, the first comedy or drama series to sweep all four acting categories and receiving the most wins for a comedy series in its final season. Levy and his father also became the first father-son pair to win Emmys in the same year, and Levy impressively tied the record for most wins by an individual in a single season with four total wins. Additionally, in its final season, Schitt's Creek garnered dozens of awards and more than 100 nominations including: five Critics Choice Award nominations, securing two wins for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress in a Comedy Series; five SAG Award nominations, collecting two wins for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble and Actress in a Comedy Series; GLAAD Media Award win for Best Comedy Series; won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy; two TCA Award nominations, winning for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy; and a Costume Design Guild Award for Excellence in Contemporary Television. Levy was also recognized as one of the Grand Marshals for NYC Pride 2020. In 2019, the show received four Emmy® nominations including Best Comedy Series, a 2019 TCA Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Levy won Best Comedic Performance at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, and was honored by GLAAD with the Davidson/Valentini Award.
Levy began his television career co-hosting MTV Canada's flagship show MTV Live and later co-wrote, co-hosted, and co-produced the critically-acclaimed ratings hit The After Show and its various incarnations, including The Hills: The After Show and The City: Live After Show. Levy also wrote, produced, and starred in his own Christmas special for MTV, Daniel Levy's Holi-Do's & Don'ts, co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet, the X-Factor pre-show, national coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Games for CTV, co-hosted The Great Canadian Baking Show, and has also made a guest appearance on Modern Family. Levy made his film debut opposite Tina Fey in "Admission".
Levy and Not A Real Production Company are repped by WME, MGMT Entertainment, 42West and Morris Yorn.- Félix Maritaud was born on 12 December 1992 in Nevers, Nièvre, France. He is an actor, known for Sauvage / Wild (2018), Knife + Heart (2018) and 120 BPM (2017).
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Jannik Schümann was born on 23 July 1992 in Hamburg, Germany. He is an actor and producer, known for Monster Hunter (2020), Center of My World (2016) and Barbara (2012).- Actor
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Julian Morris is a familiar and popular face to film and television audiences worldwide.
Morris stars in the Emmy-winning Man in an Orange Shirt for the BBC, opposite Vanessa Redgrave; in Amazon's Hand of God directed by Marc Forster; and on the global-hit, Pretty Little Liars.
His recent work includes playing Bob Woodward opposite Liam Neeson in Felt, a film about the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon; and in the feature film Viper Club, opposite Susan Sarandon and produced by JC Chandor.
Other work includes the BAFTA-winning film Kelly + Victor, New Girl, and the BBC/PBS adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women with Emily Watson and Michael Gambon.
He is currently shooting Morning Show for Apple, opposite Reese Witherspoon, and in a cast that includes Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston.- Actor
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Richard Crispin Armitage was born and raised in Leicester, England, to Margaret (Hendey), a secretary, and John Armitage, an engineer. He attended Pattison College in Binley Road, Coventry, where he discovered his love for acting. He took part in many theatre productions all over the UK, from musical theatre (Cats) to classical theatre (Death of a Salesman). He enrolled at LAMDA in 1995 and starred in The Cherry Orchard and The Normal Heart among others.
He started working in cinema in 1999 with some small roles in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Cleopatra and This Year's Love (1999). In 2000 he took part in the RSC Macbeth tour of the USA and Japan with Antony Sher as the lead actor. In 2002, he had a breakthrough with his role as the charming but a bit odd character John Standring in Sparkhouse (2002), a BBC Miniseries in three parts, opposite Sarah Smart. After two guest-roles in Cold Feet (1997) in 2003 and Between the Sheets (2003), he landed a role as Steven in Frozen (2005). In 2004, he became famous throughout the whole UK with his role of mill-owner John Thornton in North & South (2004) (BBC). He landed a key role in BBC Robin Hood from 2006 to 2009 as the dark and evil Guy of Gisborne, then from 2008 to 2010 he played Lucas North in the successful British series Spooks (MI-5 in the USA). He kept working on British TV (Strike Back: Origins in 2010) and had a small but pivotal role in Captain America: the first Avenger, till he became known worldwide with his role of Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's trilogy of The Hobbit (2012/2014), for which he received a Saturn Award. In 2014 he was the protagonist of Yael Farber's acclaimed version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the Old Vic in London, for which role he was nominated for an Olivier Award. He starred in the third season of Hannibal (2015) in the role of serial killer Francis Dolarhyde, which got him another Saturn Award. In 2016 he starred in the Epix original series Berlin Station in the lead role of Daniel Miller, and in the same year he received many positive reviews for his role of Kenneth in Mike Bartlett's Love, love, love for Roundabout Theatre in NYC. In 2017 He worked on Ocean's Eight, and on the second season of Berlin Station. In July 2017 the film Pilgrimage came out with many positive reviews. He has narrated several audio books with Audible, for which he has received two nominations for an Audie Award. He has recently given the voice to Trevor Belmont in the series Castlevania on Netflix.- Augustus Prew was born on 17 September 1987 in Westminster, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for About a Boy (2002), Kick-Ass 2 (2013) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). He has been married to Jeffery Self since 14 January 2018.