Wag the Dog 1997 premiere

1. Barry Levinson

Director | Rain Man

Barry Lee Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Violet (Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in furniture and appliance. He is of Russian Jewish descent. Levinson graduated from high school in 1960, attended college at American University in Washington, DC. He did well, but decided he ...

2. Neil Simon

Writer | The Odd Couple

Neil Simon was born on July 4, 1927 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Odd Couple (1968), Murder by Death (1976) and The Goodbye Girl (1977). He was married to Elaine Joyce, Diane Lander, Marsha Mason and Joan Baim. He died on August 26, 2018 in ...

3. Diane Lander

Actress | House Calls

Diane Lander was born on December 13, 1951 in Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for House Calls (1979), Remington Steele (1982) and The Get-Man (1974). She was previously married to Neil Simon.

4. Ann Leary

Writer | Modern Love

Ann Leary was born on August 14, 1962 in Syracuse, New York, USA. She is a writer, known for Modern Love (2019), Two If by Sea (1996) and The Good House (2021). She has been married to Denis Leary since August 19, 1989. They have two children.

5. Denis Leary

Writer | Rescue Me

Denis Leary was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Nora (Sullivan) and John Leary, Irish immigrants who had grown up together. His mother was a maid and his father was an auto mechanic. After a childhood in the 1960s, Leary went to Emerson College in Boston, where he tried his ...

6. Dustin Hoffman

Actor | Tootsie

Dustin Lee Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lillian (Gold) and Harry Hoffman, who was a furniture salesman and prop supervisor for Columbia Pictures. He was raised in a Jewish family (from Ukraine, Russia-Poland, and Romania). Hoffman graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955, ...

7. Michael Ovitz

Producer | Timeline

Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its chairman until 1995. He later served as President of the Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1997. His "package deals" at CAA coupled actors, directors and screenwriters together, allowing the talent greater negotiating power ...

8. Christine Lahti

Actress | Chicago Hope

Christine Lahti was born April 4, 1950 in Birmingham, Michigan, to Elizabeth Margaret (Tabar), a painter and nurse, and Paul Theodore Lahti, a surgeon. She is of half Finnish and half Austro-Hungarian descent. She studied fine arts at Florida State University and received a bachelors degree in ...

9. Lisa Gottsegen

Self | The Graham Norton Show

Lisa Gottsegen has been married to Dustin Hoffman since October 12, 1980. They have four children.

10. Kirsten Dunst

Actress | Spider-Man

Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, who also holds German citizenship. She was born on April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, to parents Inez (née Rupprecht), who owned an art gallery, and Klaus Dunst, a medical services executive. She has a younger brother named Christian Dunst, ...

11. Billy Crystal

Actor | Forget Paris

Billy Crystal was born on March 14, 1948 in Manhattan, New York, and was raised on Long Island. He is the youngest of three sons born to Helen (Gabler) and Jack Crystal. His father was a well-known concert promoter who co-founded Commodore Records and his mother was a homemaker. His family were ...

12. Lindsay Crystal

Actress | City Slickers

Lindsay Crystal was born on October 21, 1977 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. She is a director and producer, known for City Slickers (1991), My Uncle Berns (2003) and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994). She is married to Howie Miller. They have two children.

13. William H. Macy

Actor | Fargo

William Hall Macy Jr. is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Macy has won two Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, while his performance in Fargo earned a nomination for the ...

14. Bruno Kirby

Actor | City Slickers

Native New Yorker and Italianate Bruno Kirby tended towards assertive, pushy, streetwise characters and was armed with a highly distinctive scratchy tenor voice that complemented his slim eyes and droopy puss and accentuated his deadpan comedic instincts on film and TV. The well-regarded character ...

15. Lynn Sellers

Actress | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Lynn Sellers is known for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Law & Order (1990) and Deputy (2020). She has been married to David Carr since August 15, 2010. She was previously married to Bruno Kirby.

16. Christian Dunst

Christian Dunst was born in 1986. He is a producer.

17. Willie Nelson

Soundtrack | The Dukes of Hazzard

This versatile, eclectic, rather wanderlust country crossover star known for his classic ballads ("Always On My Mind"), autobiographical road songs ("On the Road Again") and catchy rhythms ("Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys") started out life as Willie Hugh Nelson on April 30, ...

18. Edgar Winter

Soundtrack | Air America

Edgar Winter was born on December 28, 1946 in Beaumont, Texas, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Air America (1990), My Cousin Vinny (1992) and Wag the Dog (1997). He has been married to Monique Winter since 1979.

19. Jake Hoffman

Actor | Sam & Kate

Jake Hoffman was born on March 20, 1981 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Sam & Kate (2022), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and The Irishman (2019). He has been married to Amit Dishon since July 2, 2022.

20. Inez Dunst

Actress | Club Santino

Inez Dunst is known for Club Santino (2015).

21. Charlene Tilton

Actress | Dallas

Charlene Tilton was born on December 1, 1958 in San Diego, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Dallas (1978), The Middle (2009) and Road Less Traveled (2017). She was previously married to Domenick Allen and Johnny Lee.

22. Elliott Gould

Actor | MASH

Elliott Gould is an American actor known for his roles in M*A*S*H (1970), his Oscar-nominated performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), and more recently, his portrayal of old-time con artist Reuben Tishkoff in Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (...

23. Arnold Kopelson

Producer | Platoon

Arnold Kopelson has produced 29 motion pictures. He has been honored with a Best Picture Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Independent Spirit Award, all for his production of Platoon (1986). He received a Best Picture Academy Award nomination for his production of The Fugitive (1993). ...