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Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actor, and had her break-out role in Disney's 1993 Halloween comedy-fantasy film Hocus Pocus. Shaw also appeared in Ladybugs (1992) and L.A. Without a Map (1998). While attending Barnard College, Shaw was cast in a supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999), after which she decided to pursue acting into her adulthood. Subsequent roles include in the comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), and the 2006 remake of Wes Craven's horror film The Hills Have Eyes. She was a supporting cast member in the Showtime drama Ray Donovan, and stars as Dr. Jane Mathis in the 2017 horror thriller Clinical.- Actor
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Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, who was a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. His mother, born in Indiana, was from a Swedish family, and his father was from Texas. Val studied at Hollywood's Professional's School and, in his teens, entered Juilliard's drama program. His professional acting career began on stage, and he still participates in theater; he played Hamlet at the 1988 Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His film debut was in the 1984 spoof Top Secret! (1984), wherein he starred as blond rock idol Nick Rivers. He was in a number of films throughout the 1980s, including the 1986 smash Top Gun (1986). Despite his obvious talent and range, it wasn't until his astonishingly believable performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) that the world sat up and took notice. Kilmer again put his good baritone to use in the movie, performing all of the concert pieces. Since then, he has played two more American legends, Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). In July 1994, it was announced that Kilmer would be taking over the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne from Michael Keaton.- Actress
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Famed actress, comedian, singer, and dancer Vicki Lawrence has appeared in television shows, and in nightclubs. Her career included shows with such popular actors as Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway.
Lawrence was born Vicki Ann Axelrad in Inglewood, California, to Ann Alene (Loyd) and Howard Axelrad, a certified public accountant. Her interest in singing and dancing began at an early age. During high school, she was a cheerleader and voted Most Likely to Succeed by her class. From 1965 to 1967, Lawrence sang with the Young Americans musical group and appeared in The Young Americans, a film that won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Vicki Lawrence sealed her own fate as a famed actress and comedian by sending Carol Burnett a newspaper clipping showing their uncanny resemblance to each other, and asking if she could give some advice for a contest she was in called "Miss Fireball Contest" in California. Burnett, having a feeling about her, found her phone number and called Vicki. Burnett attended the event, hoping to find an entertainer who could play her kid sister on her variety show. Sure enough, Lawrence was chosen as the kid sister and was mentored by Ms Burnett and her career blossomed from there. In the fall of 1967, she made her debut on the first episode of The Carol Burnett Show. She spent 11 years with the show and earned one Emmy Award and five more nominations. In 1967, she also enrolled in UCLA to study theater arts. To enhance her singing career, she went to Vietnam to perform for U.S. troops with Johnny Grant.
Her music career peaked in 1973, when she was awarded a gold record for her internationally known hit "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." In 1974, Lawrence married CBS makeup artist Al Schultz, with whom she has had two children. When the Carol Burnett Show ended, Vicki Lawrence starred in her own comedy show, Mama's Family, which also featured Dorothy Lyman, Ken Berry, Beverly Archer, and Betty White; Carol Burnett also frequently appeared on the show. After ending her sitcom, Lawrence delved into hosting television shows.
She became the first successful female game show host when she hosted Win, Lose or Draw; she also hosted her own talk show, appropriately titled Vicki!, which ran from 1992-1994. Vicki Lawrence's credits cannot be limited to television alone. Her stage credits include Carousel, Hello Dolly, Annie Get Your Gun, No, No, Nanette and My Fat Friend. In the '90s, she performed in I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. Her autobiography, Vicki! The True Life Adventures of Miss Fireball, recounts her musical, stage, and television career. She spends most of her time doing motivational speeches for women's groups and charities.- Actress
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Making people laugh was only one facet of Valerie Harper's career, which extended from the stage to television and feature films. A native of Suffern, New York -- "I was born to suffer" -- Harper began her career as a dancer with the corps de ballet at Radio City Hall during its spectacular heyday. She gradually moved into acting, working in everything from industrial shows to regional theatre to the Second City comedy troupe of Chicago. Eventually, she made it to Broadway in productions of Dear Liar, the Tony Award winning Story Theatre, Something Different and Metamorphosis. Stardom came with television, including four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for her work in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and Rhoda (1974), in which the latter she played the title role. Harper won Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, and her Rhoda's Wedding episode set that 1974's ratings record. Since retiring Rhoda Morganstern to re-runs, Harper was active on stage and in movies. Her feature films included Freebie and the Bean (1974), Chapter Two (1979), The Last Married Couple in America (1980) and Blame It on Rio (1984). In television, she starred on all three networks in movies of the week, including Farrell for the People (1982) (NBC), Don't Go to Sleep (1982) (ABC) and An Invasion of Privacy (1983) (CBS). A strong supporter of women's rights, Harper worked since the mid-80s on a film with second husband Tony Cacciotti which will probably never reach fruition after all this time, based on a true story involving domestic violence.- Actress
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Vanessa Marano started acting in the theater when she was seven years old, performing in numerous plays at A.C.T. in Agoura Hills, California. She began her professional career with several national commercials.
Marano is most recognized for her roles as "April Nardini", the daughter of "Luke", in the highly popular show, Gilmore Girls (2000) and for the role of "Francesca", the daughter of the Emmy Award-winning Lisa Kudrow, in the HBO original series, The Comeback (2005). Recently, she starred in Scoundrels (2010), playing the scheming, school-skipping daughter of Virginia Madsen. She has had recurring roles in shows including Dexter (2006), Without a Trace (2002), Trust Me (2009) and The Young and the Restless (1973). Her guest-starring credits include Parenthood (2010), Medium (2005), Ghost Whisperer (2005), Past Life (2010), Six Feet Under (2001), Malcolm in the Middle (2000) and Grounded for Life (2001).
She starred as a young girl who becomes a quadriplegic in the critically acclaimed television movie, The Brooke Ellison Story (2004), directed by Christopher Reeve.
Marano's first film was the animated hit, Finding Nemo (2003), followed by the independent films, Easy (2003), The Clique (2008), Stopping Power (2000), Dear Lemon Lima (2009) and, most recently, The Secret Lives of Dorks (2013).
Vanessa is working with Lucy Liu on a miniseries, playing the troubled foster teenager, "Imogene 'Immy' Hicks" in Marry Me (2010).
Vanessa speaks Italian and is enrolled in her sophomore year in college.- Actress
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Vanessa Baden was born on 8 September 1985. She is an actress and writer, known for Giants (2017), Fail (2011) and Kenan & Kel (1996). She has been married to RJ Kelly since 24 August 2013. They have one child.- Actress
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Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born in Salinas, California. Her family moved to San Diego, California, while she was still a toddler. She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress. Her mother, Gina Hudgens (née Guangco), an office worker, is from the Philippines. Her father, Greg Hudgens, a firefighter, was from a family from Missouri and Illinois.
Vanessa was interested in acting and singing at a young age, inspired by her grandparents, who were musicians. At the age of 8, she started appearing in musical theater. She fell deeper in love with the arts and began studying acting, singing, and dance more seriously with Jailyn Osborne. Vanessa very briefly attended Orange County High School of the Arts. After years of auditioning, she began seeing some success. This prompted her family to move to Los Angeles, California. She started homeschooling, so she missed out on the high school experience, and she finally landed her breakthrough role in High School Musical (2006).- Actress
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Valerie Bertinelli was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Nancy (Carvin) and Andrew Francis Bertinelli, Jr., a General Motors executive, and raised with her one older and two younger brothers. In her early teens, her father was transferred to a GM assembly plant in the Detroit, Michigan area and her family resided in Clarkston, Michigan, where she attended Clarkston Middle School. A short time later, her father again was transferred to another GM automotive plant in Van Nuys, California. At this time, Bertinelli became neighborhood friends of the daughter of a TV producer and soon enrolled in the Tami Lynn School of Artists to study acting. Tami Lynn launched Valerie's career in the CBS hit TV series, One Day at a Time (1975). Tami Lynn was Valerie's Personal Manager from 1971 through 1979.
In December 1975, the situation comedy One Day at a Time (1975), produced by Norman Lear, premiered on CBS with Bertinelli as "Barbara Cooper", one of two daughters of a recently divorced woman. The show was a long-time hit and ended production in 1984, without being canceled.
Bertinelli has starred in three feature films: C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), Ordinary Heroes (1986), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). She was also the protagonist of the miniseries, I'll Take Manhattan (1987), based on a novel by Judith Krantz. She has appeared in made-for-TV movies almost annually since 1979. She was also the star of two other situation comedies, Sydney (1990) and Cafe Americain (1993), both of which were canceled after short runs. In 1981, she married rock guitarist Edward Van Halen. They had homes in the Hollywood Hills and Malibu and have a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. They separated in 2001, when Van Halen had tongue cancer. In 2005, Bertinelli filed for divorce for irreconcilable differences and, it was finalized two years later. Ms. Bertinelli is still chiefly remembered by her television fans for her work on One Day at a Time (1975).
An adored actress, Bertinelli's long and celebrated career has expanded to include equally beloved TV personality, spokesperson and best-selling author. She stars as "Melanie Moretti" on the Emmy® Award-winning series, Hot in Cleveland (2010), which in 2011 was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The comedy revolves around three fabulous LA women of a certain age, and best friends (Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick) whose lives are changed forever when their plane, bound for Paris, unexpectedly lands in Cleveland. Once safely on the ground, they soon rediscover themselves in this new "promised land" -- meeting their new landlord, played by Betty White, along the way.- Vanessa Marcil was born Vanessa Sally Ortiz on October 15, 1968 in Indio, California to Patricia Irene Marcil-Ortiz (née Marcil), an herbalist and Pete Ortiz, a contractor. She grew up in Indio with her parents, big brother: Pete Samuel "Sam" Ortiz Jr. (November 16, 1958 - November 7, 2019) and big sisters: Tina (b. October 20, 1959) and Sherry (b. September 7, 1962). When Vanessa was 8, she started acting in plays and even performed her own song at a sixth-grade talent show, which she won. Soon afterward she began pursuing an acting career and starred in several theatre productions before landing the role of Brenda Barrett on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963) in 1992.
She made her feature film debut in The Rock (1996) opposite Nicolas Cage and starred in a made-for-television movie, To Love, Honor and Deceive (1996), in 1996. She stayed with General Hospital (1963) until 1998 and then left to join the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as Gina Kincaid, a former ice skater replacing Tiffani Thiessen as the show's vixen. She met Brian Austin Green on the show and the two had a son named Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green on March 15, 2002.
In the fall of 2002 she made her long-awaited return to General Hospital (1963) reprising her role as Brenda Barrett, garnering her a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress" in 2003. Vanessa later joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas (2003) as Sam Marquez, a casino host where she remained on the show for five seasons until 2008. That same year she became the host of Lifetime's reality show Blush: The Search for America's Greatest Makeup Artist (2008) as well as making a three episode guest appearance on the NBC show Lipstick Jungle (2008).
In 2009, she starred in the Hallmark channel movie The Nanny Express (2008) as well as in the Lifetime movie One Hot Summer (2009). In 2010, she was in the web series The Bannen Way (2010) and in August 2010 after a seven year absence, she made her return to General Hospital (1963) remaining on the show for a year before her departure from the show in July 2011. Although she did make a guest appearance in April 2013 to commemorate the show's 50th anniversary.
Then in 2014, she starred in the Hallmark channel movie, Stranded in Paradise (2014) alongside James Denton. She is writing a book about her life which will be released in the near future. She resides in Los Angeles with her son, Kassius Marcil-Green. - Actor
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- Victoria Pedretti (born March 23, 1995) is an American actress of film and television, who is known for her roles as the adult Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance on the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House, Danielle "Dani" Clayton on its follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Love Quinn on the Netflix thriller series You.
Pedretti was born in Pennsylvania. Her father is of three-quarter Italian descent, while her maternal grandmother was Ashkenazi Jewish. She attended Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills and the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting in 2017.
In 2018, she portrayed Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House. In 2019, Pedretti appeared as Leslie Van Houten, better known as Lulu, in Quentin Tarantino's comedy-drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Also in 2019, Pedretti portrayed Love Quinn on the second season of the Netflix thriller series You, which was released on December 26, 2019. Pedretti will reprise her role for the third season, scheduled for release in 2021.
In 2020, Pedretti guest-starred in the anthology series Amazing Stories as Evelyn Porter, and in the same year starred as Katherine in the biographical-drama film Shirley, which received positive reviews from critics. Pedretti portrayed Danielle "Dani" Clayton on the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, the second season in the anthology series to The Haunting of Hill House. - Actor
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A native of Rome,Victor Alfieri was raised an only child by his mother grandparents and aunt spending summers working in his grandfather's restaurant. Using his natural gift for writing, the self-described 'class clown' created his own sketch comedy act to entertain his classmates.
At the age of 15, Alfieri lost his grandfather, his uncle _"Jerry Ross (VI)"_ became Alfieri's father figure introducing him to the world of boxing and entertainment. Alfieri followed his uncle's footsteps and soon graced the covers of several Italian magazines, known as fotoromanzi.
In 1991 a tragic mishap cut his career short, when during a brutal encounter with three muggers his face was scarred by more than 56 stitches. During the same year, Alfieri joined the Italian Police Force until 1994 when he quit and determined to start a career in Hollywood, Alfieri packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles to the disbelief of his relatives back in Italy.
With striking good looks, a versatile gift for comedy and drama, and a sexy accent, Italian born Victor Alfieri quickly landed work as an actor, with various television spots and two contracts roles on daytime t.v.Days of Our Lives (1965)and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987).
Since leaving daytime, Victor has been making a name for himself both here in the States and abroad. Victor drew international attention for playing the handsome sensitive gigolo in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003) opposite Helen Mirren and Anne Bancroft.
Internationally, Victor completed two very high profile European productions back-to-back Victor played the lead role of Darius, the gladiator, in Pompei, ieri, oggi, domani (2007) an epic love story produced by DeAngelis Productions. Prior to that, he starred in the very popular mini-series entitled Elisa di Rivombrosa (2003), a classic period piece based on the literary masterpiece 'Pamela' written by Samuel Richardson. Alfieri plays a sword wielding assassin named Zanni La Morte.
Victor will next be seen in a supporting role in THINKFilms, My Sexiest Year (2007), a coming-of-age dramedy set in the 70s starring Frankie Muniz and Harvey Keitel. The film is set for a release in 2008. Victor portrays "Fabrizio Contini", a playboy who competes with Muniz for the affections of Amber Valletta.
I-See-You.com (2006) will also see Alfieri starring opposite Rosanna Arquette and Beau Bridges.
In 2007 Alfieri opened his own production company, producing and directing his first short film "J.E.S." a horror/suspense/mystery that was shot in an ancient village outside Rome.
In 2008 Victor will also be seen in his first lead in an American production My Father's will" (2009), a love story shot in New York City. The film also stars Ione Skye, Ron silver and Talia Shire and later on, he co-starred in Angels & Demons".- Vadim Black was born on 12 April 1995 in Moscow, Russia. He is an actor.
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Vanessa Bell Calloway was born on 20 March 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Coming to America (1988), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) and Daylight (1996). She has been married to Tony Calloway since 3 September 1988. They have two children.- Actress
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Violett Beane was born on 18 May 1996 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Death and Other Details (2024), The Flash (2014) and Truth or Dare (2018).- Actor
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Van Hughes was born on 20 April 1983. He is an actor and composer, known for Sex and the City (2008), Sex and the City 2 (2010) and Rachel Getting Married (2008).- Actor
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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).- Actress
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Vanna White was born Vanna Marie Rosich in Conway, South Carolina, to Miguel Angel Rosich, and Joan Marie Rosich. Her father disappeared from her life shortly after her birth. When her mother married Herbert White, who raised her Vanna adopted her stepfather's last name in the process. The family moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Herbert White became a successful real estate broker/owner of White's Realty.
As a young adult, Vanna moved west to pursue a career where her attractive appearance and pleasant personality would be appreciated.
She quickly befriended other aspiring actresses in Hollywood, and met the love of her life: John Gibson. Four years after Vanna won her spot on Wheel of Fortune, she and John were engaged, and within months of the engagement John was killed in a private plane crash.
In 1985, Tracy Vaccaro, and Jessie Eastland took Vanna to dinner in Studio City, California. Tracy's former boyfriend: restaurateur George Santopietro was also on the guest list. Five years later George and Vanna were married. On May 15th, 2002 they were divorced. They have two children together. At this writing (2017) Vanna White remains the letter turner on one of the most successful game shows in television history: Wheel of Fortune.- Actress
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Vanessa Kirby is an English stage, TV, and film actress. From 2016 to 2018, Kirby portrayed Princess Margaret in Peter Morgan's Netflix series The Crown, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Series in 2018. She starred as Estella in the BBC adaptation of Great Expectations, Joanna in Richard Curtis' romantic comedy About Time and Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018). She is known mostly for her stage work, having won acclaim and awards for various productions, including Streetcar Named Desire with Ben Foster which transferred to New York; with Variety in 2016 called her "the outstanding stage actress of her generation, capable of the most unexpected choices." After MI6, she had a leading role in another action blockbuster, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)- British-born Vanessa Angel began her career at age 14 as a model, when she was discovered by world-renowned agent, Eileen Ford. She gained much life experience by traveling the world, relocating to New York and appearing on many magazine covers, including "Vogue" and "Cosmopolitan". Her transition from modeling to acting came in 1985, when she was chosen by director John Landis to play a Russian spy in Spies Like Us (1985). She honed her craft by studying with Sondra Lee and became a member of The Actor's Studio in New York in 1987, studying with Frank Corsaro. This led to roles in films including King of New York (1990), Sleep with Me (1994) and Kingpin (1996), from The Farrelly Brothers with Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray, Kissing a Fool (1998) with David Schwimmer and Jason Lee. She has been in many films in the past few years including Paramount's The Perfect Score (2004) with Scarlett Johansson and opposite Jon Voight in Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004). In addition to her film work, Angel starred in the hit series, Weird Science (1994), on the USA Network.
The unique range of characters earned her critical recognition for her comedic timing. She has played many roles on television, including the recurring role of police officer "Peggy Elliot" on NBC's Reasonable Doubts (1991) with Mark Harmon and Marlee Matlin, and a recent recurring role on Stargate SG-1 (1997). Most recently, she played herself in HBO's popular show, Entourage (2004), where she played opposite Kevin Dillon, who she had also starred opposite in Out for Blood (2004). She also recently starred in the Lifetime movie, Criminal Intent (2005), and just finished the independent film, Blind Ambition (2008), and the comedy, Endless Bummer (2009). She reconnected with The Farrelly Bros in Hall Pass (2011) and made a memorable guest appearance in Showtime's Californication (2007). She recently completed the films, Lycan (2017) and Trouble Sleeping (2018) Vanessa and her ex-husband, Rick Otto, are co-parents of their daughter India Otto. - Actress
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Vanessa Ray Liptak is an American actress. She is known for her role on Pretty Little Liars as Charlotte Drake; and also for her roles as Jenny on the legal drama series Suits, Teri Ciccone on the soap opera As the World Turns, Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan on long-running family-police drama Blue Bloods, and Maggie "Rocker" Sheldon on White Collar.- Actress
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Vanessa Bayer was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where she attended Orange High School. She is best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975). In 2004, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. During her college career, she worked as an intern for Sesame Street (1969) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993).- Actress
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On January 30, 1937, renowned theatre actor Michael Redgrave was performing in a production of Hamlet in London. During the curtain call, the show's lead, Laurence Olivier, announced to the audience: "tonight a great actress was born". This was in reference to his co-star's newborn daughter, Vanessa Redgrave.
Vanessa was born in Greenwich, London, to Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, both thespians. Three quarters of a century after her birth (despite numerous ups and down) this rather forward expectation has definitely been lived up to with an acclaimed actress that has won (among many others) an Academy Award, two Emmys, two Golden Globes, two Cannes Best Actress awards, a Tony, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Laurence Olivier theatre award and a BAFTA fellowship.
Growing up with such celebrated theatrical parents, great expectations were put on both herself, her brother Corin Redgrave and sister Lynn Redgrave at an early age. Shooting up early and finally reaching a height just short of 6 foot, Redgrave initially had plans to dance and perform ballet as a profession. However she settled on acting and entered the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1954 and four years later made her West End debut. In the decade of the 1960s she developed and progressed to become one of the most noted young stars of the English stage and then film. Performances on the London stage included the classics: 'A Touch of Sun', 'Coriolanus', 'A Midsummer's Night Dream', 'All's Well that Ends Well', 'As You Like It', 'The Lady from the Sea', 'The Seagull' and many others. By the mid 1960s, she had booked various film roles and matured into a striking beauty with a slim, tall frame and attractive face. In 1966 she made her big screen debut as the beautiful ex-wife of a madman in an Oscar nominated performance in the oddball comedy Morgan! (1966), as well as the enigmatic woman in a public park in desperate need of a photographer's negatives in the iconic Blow-Up (1966) and briefly appeared in an unspoken part of Anne Boleyn in the Best Picture winner of the year A Man for All Seasons (1966).
She managed to originate the title role in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" the same year on the London stage (which was then adapted for the big screen a few years later, but Maggie Smith was cast instead and managed to win an Oscar for her performance). Her follow up work saw her play the lead in the box office hit adaptation Camelot (1967), a film popular with audiences but dismissed by critics, and her second Academy Award nominated performance as Isadora Duncan in the critically praised Isadora (1968).
Her rise in popularity on film also coincided with her public political involvement, she was one of the lead faces in protesting against the Vietnam war and lead a famous march on the US embassy, was arrested during a Ban-the-Bomb demonstration, publicly supported Yasar Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and fought for various other human rights and particularly left wing causes. Despite her admirably independent qualities, most of her political beliefs weren't largely supported by the public. In 1971 after 3 films back to back, Redgrave suffered a miscarriage (it would have been her fourth, after Natasha Richardson, Joely Richardson and Carlo Gabriel Nero) and a break up with her then partner and father of her son, Franco Nero. This was around the same time her equally political brother Corin introduced her to the Workers Revolutionary Party, a group who aimed to destroy capitalism and abolish the monarchy. Her film career began to suffer and take the back seat as she became more involved with the party, twice unsuccessfully attempting to run as a party member for parliament, only obtaining a very small percentage of votes.
In terms of her film career at the time, she was given probably the smallest part in the huge ensemble who-dunnit hit, Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and given another thankless small part as Lola Deveraux in the Sherlock Holmes adventure The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976).
After a celebrated Broadway debut, she created further controversy in 1977 with her involvement in two films, firstly in Julia (1977) where she acted opposite Jane Fonda as a woman fighting Nazi oppression and narrated and featured in the documentary The Palestinian (1977) where she famously danced holding a Kalashnikov rifle. She publicly stated her condemnation of what she termed "Zionist hudlums", which outraged Jewish groups and as a result a screening of her documentary was bombed and Redgrave was personally threatened by the Jewish Defense League (JDL). Julia (1977) happened to be a huge critical success and Redgrave herself was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but Jewish support groups demanded her nomination to be dropped and at the event of the Academy Awards burned effigies of Redgrave and protested and picketed. Redgrave was forced to enter the event via a rear entrance to avoid harm and when she won the award she famously remarked on the frenzy causes as "Zionist hoodlums" which caused the audience to audibly gasp and boo. The speech reached newspapers the next morning and her reputation was further damaged.
It came as a surprise when CBS hired her for the part of real life Nazi camp survivor Fania Fenelon in Playing for Time (1980), despite more controversy and protesting (Fenelon herself didn't even want Redgrave to portray her) she won an Emmy for the part and the film was one of the highest rating programs of the year. Her follow up film work to her Oscar had been mostly low key but successful, performances in films such as Yanks (1979), Agatha (1979), The Bostonians (1984), Wetherby (1985) and Prick Up Your Ears (1987) further cemented her reputation as a fine actress and she received various accolades and nominations.
However mainly in the 1980s, she focused on TV films and high budget mini-series as well as theatre in both London and New York. She made headlines in 1984 when she sued the Boston Symphony Orchestra for $5 million for wrongful cancellation of her contract because of her politics (she also stated her salary was significantly reduced in Agatha (1979) for the same reason). She became more mainstream in the 1990s where she appeared in a string of high profile films but the parts often underused Redgrave's abilities or they were small cameos/5-minute parts. Highlights included Howards End (1992), Little Odessa (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), as well as her leading lady parts in A Month by the Lake (1995) and Mrs Dalloway (1997).
In 2003 she finally won the coveted Tony award for her performance in 'The Long Day's Journey Into Night' and followed up with another two Tony nominated performances on Broadway, her one woman show 'The Year of Magical Thinking' in 2007 and 'Driving Miss Daisy' in 2010 which not only was extended due to high demand, but was also transferred to the West End for an additional three months in 2011.
Vanessa continues to lend her name to causes and has been notable for donating huge amounts of her own money for her various beliefs. She has publicly opposed the war in Iraq, campaigned for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, supported the rights of gays and lesbians as well as AIDs research and many other issues. She released her autobiography in 1993 and a few years later she was elected to serve as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She also famously declined the invitation to be made a Dame for her services as an actress. Many have wondered the possible heights her career could have reached if it wasn't for her outspoken views, but being a celebrity and the artificial lifestyle usually attached doesn't seem to interest Redgrave in the slightest.
Vanessa has worked with all three of her children professionally on numerous occasions (her eldest daughter, Natasha Richardson tragically died at the age of 45 due to a skiing accident) and in her mid 70s she still works regularly on television, film and theatre, delivering time and time again great performances.- Known to audiences worldwide as spitfire advertising executive "Pete Campbell" on Matthew Weiner's Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG Award-winning drama series Mad Men (2007), Vincent Kartheiser has actually been acting since he was a teen. Starting with Untamed Heart (1993), alongside Marisa Tomei, Kartheiser accumulated an impressive number of credits during his youth, inclusive of Little Big League (1994), Iron Will (1994), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), and Alaska (1996). He has since appeared in the likes of Another Day in Paradise (1998) with James Woods and Melanie Griffith; Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000); and most recently, the sci-fi thriller In Time (2011), which reunited him with his Alpha Dog (2006) co-star, Justin Timberlake.
During his Mad Men (2007) hiatus, Kartheiser filmed the indie, Beach Pillows (2014), and performed the lead role in "Death of the Novel", which brought him back to his stage roots, that originated at the renown Guthrie theatre.
Kartheiser previously starred on Joss Whedon's Angel (1999), and has guest-starred in numerous other series, including ER (1994), BBC America's Money (2010), and The Cleveland Show (2009). He's also lent his voice to the big screen's Rango (2011) and will next lead the cast of FOX's High School USA! (2013).
A native of Minneapolis, MN, Kartheiser was named after Vincent van Gogh and grew up surrounded by his works. - Canadian born, Vinessa Antoine started studying ballet at the age of four with the Royal Academy of Dance in Toronto, Ontario. After graduating High School, she then went on to study dance at the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Vinessa has played roles in various Canadian and American television shows including The Resident, Interrogation, Ginny & Georgia, Heartland, Hudson & Rex, Ncis, Haven and Being Erica. She has performed on stage in several Off-Broadway plays in New York, including the original New York cast of Christopher Shinn's, Four. In 2018, Vinessa made history by becoming the first black Canadian person to lead a dramatic show in Canada. In 2020, Vinessa received The Nova Scotia Screen Actors award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead or Featured Female Role for her work on Diggstown. In 2021, Vinessa was nominated again for her work in the legal drama, in the Canadian Screen Award category of Best Lead Actress in a Drama series. Diggstown is now in its fourth season on CBC.
- Vinette Robinson was born on 4 March 1982 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Sherlock (2010), The A Word (2016) and Vera Drake (2004).
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Vera Miao was born in Tamuning, Guam. She is a writer and actress, known for Expats (2023) and Two Sentence Horror Stories (2017).- Actress
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Virginia Williams gained critical acclaim playing the dual roles of 'Debbie/Dana' in the Netflix original series, "Teenage Bounty Hunters." The comedy marked Jenji Kohan's third Netflix series after "Orange is the New Black" and "GLOW," and received top honors as a top 20 show in 2020 on Forbes, New York Times, and Hollywood Reporter lists. She also shined in season 2 of Marc Cherry's "Why Women Kill" as fan favorite 'Grace.' Virginia played the role of 'Charity' through Season 1 of the CW's "Charmed" reboot and played beloved 'CJ' on Seasons 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Netflix worldwide breakout hit, "Fuller House." Virginia is also well-known for her starring roles as 'Lauren Reed' on "Fairly Legal" for USA network and the starring role of 'Bianca' on the Lifetime original series "Monarch Cove." Appearing in well over 100 episodes of primetime television, she has held noteworthy recurring roles on hits such as "How I Met Your Mother," "NCIS," "Modern Family," "Drop Dead Diva," "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," and the cult-classic "Strangers With Candy," to name a few. Additionally, she's held memorable roles in the films "Woodlawn," "The Culling," "Honeymoon With Mom," "Reading, Writing, & Romance," and the People's Choice award winner "Revenge of the Bridesmaids" as bride "Caitlyn McNabb."
Virginia is also an accomplished vocalist performing lead female vocals on the soundtrack for the independent film, "Choosing Signs." FOUR of Virginia's songs made the 2020 Oscar list of just 75 songs in the running for "Best Original Song," alongside Elton John, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift.
Williams was the first spokesperson and 'face' of "La Fresh," an eco-friendly beauty line. For this endorsement deal, she was at the forefront of the natural skincare company's national advertising and marketing campaigns.
Virginia earned a B.A. in Theatre Performance from Fordham University at Lincoln Center and studied Shakespeare at Oxford University as well as the British American Drama Academy in London. Hailing from Memphis, TN, she resides in Los Angeles with her husband, talent/literary manager and producer, Bradford Bricken, her 6 and 4 year old sons, and her labradoodle, Elvis.- Actress
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One of the hottest stars of the mid-1980s, Virginia Madsen has since played a variety of roles that have cemented her reputation as a fantastic actress who can adapt to any part.
Virginia was born in Chicago, Illinois, and belongs to an acting family -- with her brother, Michael Madsen, also an actor, and her mother, Elaine Madsen (née Melson), an Emmy-winning writer, poet, and producer. Her paternal grandparents were Danish, and her father, Calvin Madsen, was a firefighter. Audiences first caught a glimpse of her as "Princess Irulan" in the 1984 science fiction epic Dune (1984). She followed that up with Electric Dreams (1984); however, it was in 1986 that Virginia captured the hearts of the audience with an intense portrayal of a Catholic school girl who fell in love with a boy from a prison camp in Duncan Gibbins' Fire with Fire (1986). Virginia played the role of "Lisa" and her co-star was Craig Sheffer, who played Lisa's love interest, "Joe Fisk". Kari Wuhrer also made an appearance as Virginia's best friend, "Gloria". Fire with Fire (1986) was a low-budget production, starring a bunch of fresh faces who were till then-unknown to Hollywood. However, the movie was a success and elevated its three young stars overnight. Virginia has never looked back since.
Not only did she receive amazing reviews for her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated performance in Alexander Payne's hit film, Sideways (2004), but this Independent Spirit Award-winning actress has an illustrious resume of roles alongside the most notable and respected actors in the business.
Also on Virginia's slate is her production company, with partner Karly Meola, called "Title IX Productions". Their first project was the documentary I Know a Woman Like That (2009), which previewed at the Phoenix Film Festival in April 2009 and premiered at the Chicago Film Festival in October 2009. The doc was directed by Virginia's mother, Elaine Madsen, about the lives of extraordinary women ages 64-94. Next in the company's lineup is the documentary Fighting Gravity (2010), about women ski jumpers' ongoing battle for the right to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Title IX will team up with "Empire 8 Productions" and Vancouver-based "Screen Siren" on the project. The duo also has several projects in development that they're shopping around for financing including screenwriters Sebastian Gutierrez's screen adaptation of Martha O'Connor's novel "The Bitch Posse" and a remake of the 1984 film Electric Dreams (1984), in which Virginia appeared.- Producer
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Victor Oladipo was born on 4 May 1992 in Silver Springs, County Montgomery, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for For the Night, If Not Now, When? (2019) and Basketball County: In the Water (2020).- Music Department
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Vonda Shepard was born on 7 July 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Ally McBeal (1997), Love & Other Drugs (2010) and Wish (2023). She has been married to Mitchell Froom since 2004. They have one child.- A familiar face to film and television audiences, Victor Webster is an established actor with an impressive list of credits. Most recently, he joined the cast of the Netflix/CBC comedy "Workin' Moms," playing Mike Bolinski for two seasons. He's also recently filmed a large recurring arc on the second season of the CW's military fantasy show "Motherland: Fort Salem." On the film side, Victor just starred alongside Bethany Joy Lenz in the romantic comedy "Five Star Christmas" which premiered on Hallmark last Thanksgiving during the networks "Countdown to Christmas" programming event.
Victor discovered his passion for acting when he made his television debut on the NBC daytime drama "Days of Our Lives." He then segued to the AMC network series "The Lot" and the number one syndicated series "Mutant X." His growing body of work brought him accolades and spots on various lists of Hollywood notables, including people magazine's "50 Most Eligible Bachelors." While it was a fun title, Webster chose to hone his craft and play characters that challenged his abilities.
Victor's commitment paid off with rolls opposite acclaimed talents in some of televisions most popular series, including "Sex and the City," "Castle," "Bones," "CSI," "Mom," "Charmed," "Criminal Minds," "Melrose Place," "Paradise Inc." and "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce," just to name a few. Webster costarred as Detective Carlos Fonegra in the acclaimed sci-fi series "Continuum," which ran for four seasons.
Webster is known to Hallmark channel fans for his roles in, "Homegrown Christmas," "Love Blossoms," "Summer Villa" and "A Harvest Wedding." Webster starred in hallmark movies and mysteries "Matchmaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement," as well as "Matchmaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance," and most recently "Matchmaker Mysteries: The Art of the kill," The first three installments of the new original franchise. Victor also starred in "Hearts of Winter," which premiered in January 2020 as part of Hallmark channels popular "Winterfest" programming event.
On the film side, Victor has built a career that spans genres, from romantic comedies to action thrillers. His credits include "Bringing Down the House ," "Must Love Dogs," "Surrogates," " Why did I Get Married Too?" as well as the leading role in the third and fourth installment of "The Scorpion King" franchise. Victor can also be seen starring in the action packed Chinese blockbuster "Wings Over Everest." An artist to his core, Webster pursues his passion for photography as well as martial arts, holding a black belt and an undefeated record in Tae Kwon Do and a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu for which he holds two bronze medals from the world championships. He is committed to his various charities, and life of giving through arts and travel. Although he calls California his home, he hails from Canada and will always be the Canadian cowboy. - Actress
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Viola Davis is a critically revered actress of film, television, and theater and has won rave reviews for her multitude of substantial and intriguingly diverse roles. Audiences across the United States and internationally have admired her for her work- including her celebrated, Oscar-nominated performances in The Help (2011), Doubt (2008), and her Oscar winning performance in Fences (2016). In 2015, Davis won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her work in ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, making her the first black woman in history to take home the award. In addition to acting, Viola currently produces alongside her husband and producing partner, Julius Tennon, through their JuVee Productions banner. Together they have produced award-garnering productions across theater, television, and film.- Actor
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Kim Tae-Hyung known professionally as V is a South Korean singer, song-writer, dancer, actor and a member of the boy band BTS.
After graduating from Korean Arts High School in 2014, V enrolled in Global Cyber University, graduating in August 2020 with a major in Broadcasting and Entertainment. As of 2021, he is enrolled at Hanyang University, pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Advertisement and Media.
V became a trainee for Big Hit Entertainment after passing an audition in Daegu. The CEO of the label, Bang Shi-Hyuk revealed in interview that V was kept as a "hidden member" until the septet's debut in 2013 to avoid any chances of him being pursued by other music labels.
As a singer and song-writer, V is popularly known and critically acclaimed for his husky baritone, diverse range and the confidence to present something new with every solo release. As a performer, V is deemed as the "Textbook for Idols" due to his ability to embody any choreography, his duality, and for the sheer charm he presents on stage. V is also named as the "Idol of Idols" due to the amount of K-pop idols naming him as their inspiration.
In 2016, V made his acting debut with a supporting role in a historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior. In 2019, he debuted as a music directed with his self-composed song "Winter Bear." Throughout his career, V has released commercially successful soundtracks for two Korean drama series along with collaborating with his fellow members and friends with self-composed hits. His official solo debut EP Layover released on September 8, 2023 received global critical acclaim for his authenticity and vocal performances and has set multiple records worldwide.
In 2018, V became one of the youngest recipient of the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit medal, awarded to him by the President of South Korea alongside the members of BTS for their role in the spread of Korean culture. Throughout his career, V has won various awards in areas such as singing, dancing, choreography and he also owns two Guinness World records for being the fastest artist to reach one and ten million followers on Instagram. In 2022, V was facilitated by the National Tax Services for being a Conscientious Taxpayer.- Actress
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Vanessa Estelle Williams (Actress, Singer, Writer, Director) born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, is a talented force that came to Hollywood in the 90's with passion purpose and staying power. This highly sought-after creative artist wrapped "A Rich Christmas" a feature film for BET this past December 2020 and most recently completed the film "Christmas Family Reunion" with The Ninth House production company.
Vanessa stars in Sidra Smith's six-part miniseries "A Luv Tale" coming soon to the Essence Magazine digital platform. Off the coast of East Africa in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Vanessa jetted to luscious Mauritius to shoot the indie comedy feature "Singleholic" opposite Erica Ash, Rotimi, Stephen Bishop and Tyson Beckford. Coming soon Vanessa will reprise her role as Anna Marie in the Candyman sequel "Say My Name," directed by Nia DaCosta, written and produced by Jordan Peele.
Williams made her film debut playing as the gun toting head of security "Keisha" in the urban classic film "New Jack City." Other film credits include "Thriller" streaming now on Netflix, "Raising Izzie, Imagine That", "Like Mike," "Punks, Mother," "Candyman."
Williams earned an Emmy Nomination for her work in the Showtime original film "Our America." After six consecutive nominations in the category Vanessa won the 2003 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her brilliant portrayal of Maxine Chadway in the hit Showtime series "Soul Food." Her star turn in "Raising Izzie" earned GMCTV its highest world premiere television rating and received a 2013 NAACP Image Award nomination for best Television Movie or Mini-Series. Television credits include NBC's long running daytime soap "Days of Our Lives," Freeform network's "Famous in Love." "The Flash, Ward of the State, the Bay series, "Sugar Mommas," "Lincoln Heights," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Knight Riders," "Flirting with Forty," "Ice Spiders," "Cold Case," "Soul Food" TV series (5 seasons), "Our America," "The Steve Harvey Show," "Chicago Hope," "Murder One," "Living Single," "NYPD Blue," "Melrose Place," "The Cosby Show" and "Law & Order."
Vanessa debuted on Broadway in Lincoln Center Theatre's production of "Sarafina." In 2012 Ms. Williams garnered rave reviews for her role as Esther in the critically acclaimed production of Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" at the Pasadena Playhouse. Her other Broadway and theatre credits include "Mule Bone," "Death and the Kings Horseman" and regional productions of "The Vagina Monologues, Issues, Abyssinia" and a European tour of the musical "HAIR."
An excerpt from her book "Shine," published in the June 2004 Essence Magazine became the basis for her solo show "Feet On the Ceiling!" a coming-of-age story. "Feet On the Ceiling" premiered at the "National Black Theatre Festival" in 2011 and plays regular engagements in cities and colleges throughout the US and the Caribbean.
Serving as Vice Chair on the Executive Board of Directors of The Black Aids Institute, Williams is also Chair of BAI's Hollywood Task Force on Aids. Recruiting and directing her colleagues in a series of Celebrity PSAs on HIV Awareness / AIDS Prevention.
An internationally recognized star, Williams' global brand appeal is authentic, energetic, and thoroughly relatable. An artist and mother of two creatively talented boys, Omar and Haile Wiseman, Vanessa blends passion and youthful exuberance with timeless charm and soulfulness that deeply connects with people. She is a talent audiences love, trust and admire.- Producer
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Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair in Alameda County, California, along with his fraternal twin brother, Paul Vincent. He was raised by his astrologer/psychologist mother, Delora Sherleen (Sinclair), and adoptive father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theatre manager, in an artists' housing project in New York City's Greenwich Village. He never knew his biological father. His mother is white (with English, German, Scottish, and Irish ancestry), and his adoptive father is African-American; referring to his biological father's background, Diesel has said that he himself is "definitely a person of colour".
His first break in acting happened by chance, when at the age of seven he and his friends broke into a theatre to vandalize it. A woman stopped them and offered them each a script and $20, on the condition that they would attend everyday after school. From there, Vin's fledgling career progressed from the New York repertory company run by his father, to the Off-Off-Broadway circuit. At age seventeen and already sporting a well-honed physique, he became a bouncer at some of New York's hippest clubs to earn himself some extra cash. It was at this time that he changed his name to Vin Diesel.
Following high school, Vin enrolled as an English major at Hunter College, but dropped out after three years to go to Hollywood to further his acting career. Being an experienced theatre actor did not make any impression in Hollywood and after a year of struggling to make his mark, he returned to New York. His mother then gave him a book called "Feature Films at used Car Prices" by Rick Schmidt. The book showed him that he could take control of his career and make his own movies. He wrote a short film based on his own experiences as an actor, called Multi-Facial (1995), which was shot in less than three days at a cost of $3,000. Multi-Facial (1995) was eventually accepted for the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it got a tumultuous reception.
Afterwards, Vin returned to Los Angeles and raised almost $50,000 through telemarketing to fund the making of his first feature, Strays (1997). Six months after shooting, the film was accepted for the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, and although it received a good reception, it did not sell as well as hoped. Yet again Vin returned disappointed to New York only to receive a dream phone call. Steven Spielberg was impressed by Multi-Facial (1995) and wanted to meet Vin, leading him to be cast in Saving Private Ryan (1998). Multi-Facial (1995) earned Vin more work, when the director of The Iron Giant (1999) saw it and decided to cast Vin in the title role. From there, Vin's career steadily grew, with him securing his first lead role, as Richard B. Riddick in the sci-fi film Pitch Black (2000). The role has earned him a legion of devoted fans and the public recognition he deserves.
Since then, he has headlined a series of blockbusters, often but not only centered on fast-driving motor vehicles: The Fast and the Furious (2001), xXx (2002), The Pacifier (2005), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and Furious 7 (2015). He also voiced Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and starred in the lower-budgeted courtroom drama Find Me Guilty (2006), the latter directed by Sidney Lumet.- Actor
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Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio was born on June 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, to Phyllis, a restaurant manager and server, and Gene D'Onofrio, a theatre production assistant and interior designer. He is of Italian descent and has two older sisters. He studied at the Actors Studio and the American Stanislavski Theatre. Vincent D'Onofrio is known as an "actor's actor". The wide variety of roles he has played and the quality of his work have earned him a reputation as a versatile talent.
His first paid role was in Off-Broadway's "This Property Is Condemned". He continued appearing in plays and worked as a bouncer, a bodyguard and a delivery man. In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in "Open Admissions", followed by work in numerous other stage plays. In 2012, D'Onofrio returned to teach at the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute. As a film actor, D'Onofrio's career break came when he played a mentally unbalanced recruit in Full Metal Jacket (1987), directed by the renowned Stanley Kubrick. For this role D'Onofrio gained nearly 70 pounds. He had a major role in Dying Young (1991), and appeared prominently in the box-office smash Men in Black (1997) as the bad guy (Edgar "The Bug").
Other films of note in which he has appeared are Mystic Pizza (1988), JFK (1991), The Player (1992), Ed Wood (1994), The Cell (2000), The Break-Up (2006) and Jurassic World (2015). In 1996, D'Onofrio garnered critical acclaim along with co-star Renée Zellweger for The Whole Wide World (1996), which he helped produce. He also made a guest appearance in The Subway (1997), where he played an accident victim who could not be rescued and was destined to die. For this performance he won an Emmy nomination. In 2000, he both produced and starred in Steal This Movie (2000), a biopic of radical leader Abbie Hoffman.
In 2001, D'Onofrio took the role which has likely given him his greatest public recognition: Det. Robert Goren, the lead character in the TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001). Goren is based on Sherlock Holmes but, instead of relying upon physical evidence like Holmes, D'Onofrio's character focuses on psychology to identify the perpetrators, whom he often draws into confessing or yielding condemning evidence. He played the part for 10 years.
In his career D'Onofrio's various film characters have included a priest, a bisexual former porn star, a hijacker, a serial killer, Orson Welles, a space alien, a 1960s radical leader, a pulp fiction writer, an ingenious police investigator and Stuart Smalley's dope-head brother. His on-screen love interests have included Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Renée Zellweger, Marisa Tomei, Tracey Ullman, Rebecca De Mornay and Lili Taylor. One of his latest roles is in Marvel's Daredevil (2015) as Daredevil's nemesis, Wilson Fisk. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.- Vincent Young, an American actor, was born and raised in Philadelphia and South Jersey. He is known by millions for portraying colorful characters, most notably his breakthrough role, as the troubled Noah Hunter from the original TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) (1997-2000). Vincent went on to other intriguing character roles on CSI: NY (2004), JAG (1995) and NCIS (2003) in which he played Mikel Mawher, the crazy and eccentric ex-boyfriend of Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).
Vincent started his career in NYC studying theater and performing on stage, yet found his way as an artist while residing in Paris. He lived in LA for 16 years and has since moved back to the east coast to continue his love of acting, with his recent character portrayal of memorable Bud Lunger in the award-winning independent film, Eagles in the Chicken Coop (2010). As a multi-faceted artist, Vincent is a painter and an accomplished wrestler and baseball player in which he regards as a differing form of artistic expression. He also keeps himself available for various charities. - Actor
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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.- Actress
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Victoria Justice is an American actress and singer. She was born on February 19, 1993 in Hollywood, Florida, USA. She is the daughter of Serene Reed and Zack Justice. Her mother has Puerto Rican ancestry, while her father is of English, German, and Irish descent. She has a younger half-sister, Madison Reed.
She rose to fame on Nickelodeon, starring as Lola Martinez in the television series, Zoey 101 (2005), and Tori Vega in the sitcom, Victorious (2010).
She starred in the films, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010), The First Time (2012) and Fun Size (2012).
She released her debut single "Gold" on June 18, 2013.
She starred in the film, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List (2015) in the MTV television series, Eye Candy (2015).- Actress
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Victoria Rowell is an award-winning actress, international lecturer, holds two 'honorary' doctorates - a teacher, advocate, mother, and former foster youth. She has been recognized by 193 members of Congress for advocacy work on behalf of education, arts, foster and adoptive youth and parents as well as diversity issues.
Her New York Times bestseller, The Women Who Raised Me, published by HarperCollins Publishers, received literary acclaim. Rowell also enjoys a literary book deal with Simon & Schuster for her popular soap opera novel series.
Rowell is an Emmy-nominated, NAACP-winning actress, who co-starred with Dick Van Dyke in the prime time television series Diagnosis Murder (1993) for VIACOM for eight seasons, as well as starring in Daytime television. Rowell was submitted for a Golden Globe Award, starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Home of the Brave (2006).
Other credits include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and other series. She stars in the movie, Marry Me For Christmas and an upcoming feature, What Love Will Make You Do. She has been in multiple films, starring opposite Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Jeff Bridges, Samuel L. Jackson, Beau Bridges, Forest Whitaker and more. Victoria is currently filming opposite The Blacklist/Man of Steel star, Harry Lennix.
Born in Maine, Rowell was raised on a 60 acre working farm and learned classical ballet from a book. She eventually turned professional and performed with American Ballet Theater (ABT) II and other professional ballet companies.
Rowell has two adult children, Maya and Jasper.- Actress
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Victoria Smurfit is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel, Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural Trial & Retribution and Cruella DE Vil in Once Upon A Time for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards in 2016.- Victoria Konefal is an American actress. She was born on October 29, 1996 in Brooklyn, New York. As one of three children, Victoria went on to attend the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Upper West Side, New York, NY. After she graduated she moved to Los Angeles and landed her breakout role as "Ciara Brady" on Days of Our Lives, which led to her first Daytime Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series."
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Vanessa Lynne Williams was born on March 18, 1963 in Tarrytown, Greenburgh, New York and raised in Millwood, New Castle, New York to Helen Williams & Milton Williams, both music teachers. Vanessa and her brother grew up in suburban New York in comfortable surroundings. Vanessa sang and danced in school productions and signed her high school yearbook with a promise to "see you on Broadway". After winning a performing scholarship to Syracuse University, she left school and tried to make it in New York show business. She began entering beauty contests in 1984, eventually winning Miss New York and then becoming the first African-American Miss America. During her reign, some nude girl-girl photos, taken while she was in New York, surfaced in Penthouse magazine. Although the photos were taken before her beauty contest victories, she was forced to resign her crown. Many predicted that her future in show business was over. She went on to land a recording contract and released several albums, including "The Comfort Zone" and "The Sweetest Days".
Vanessa made her film debut in 1986 in Under the Gun (1987) and appeared in the films The Pick-up Artist (1987), Another You (1991) and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991). She starred opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser (1996), opposite Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia in Hoodlum (1997) and the box office hit, Soul Food (1997). She also starred in Dance with Me (1998), Light It Up (1999), Shaft (2000), opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Johnson Family Vacation (2004). She starred recently in the independent features, My Brother (2006) and And Then Came Love (2007) (aka "Somebody Like You"). On television, Vanessa starred in such movies and mini-series as Stompin' at the Savoy (1992), The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990), The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), ABC's revival of Bye Bye Birdie (1995), Nothing Lasts Forever (1995), The Odyssey (1997), Don Quixote (2000) and Keep the Faith, Baby (2002), and she executive-produced and starred in Lifetime's The Courage to Love (2000) for Lifetime and the VH1 Original Movie, A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000).
Her albums "The Right Stuff", "The Comfort Zone and "The Sweetest Days" earned multiple Grammy nominations and have yielded the Academy Award-winning single "Colors of the Wind", from Disney's Pocahontas: The Musical Tradition Continues (1995). Her recordings also include two holiday albums, "Star Bright" and "Silver & Gold", "Vanessa Williams Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years" and "Everlasting Love", a romantic collection of love songs from the 1970's. In 1994, Vanessa took Broadway by storm when she replaced Chita Rivera in "Kiss of the Spider Woman", winning the hearts of critics and becoming a box-office sensation. She garnered rave reviews and was nominated for a Tony Award for the 2002 revival of "Into the Woods". She also headlined a limited special engagement of the classic, "Carmen Jones", at the Kennedy Center and starred in the Encore! Series staged concert production of "St. Louis Woman".
She stars in ABC's critically-acclaimed hit series, Ugly Betty (2006), for which she has won or been nominated for numerous individual and ensemble awards, including the Emmy, SAG Award, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Awards. Vanessa achieved a career pinnacle, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her accomplishments as a performer. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied, embracing and supporting such organizations as Special Olympics and many others.- In addition to portraying Fay Walker on Days of Our Lives (1965) for several years, Valerie has appeared in numerous television shows and films, including Lifetime's Hunt for the Labyrinth Killer (2013), NCIS (2003), The Mentalist (2008), Without a Trace (2002), Cold Case (2003), Nip/Tuck (2003), "CSI", Hallmark's "Mystery Woman", HBO's award-winning "Indictment: The McMartin Trial," Oliver Stone's acclaimed "Salvador," "The Falcon and the Snowman," "Internal Affairs," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Dear God," "Chicago Hope," "Tracey Takes On," "Fired Up," "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia," "Dangerous Women" (series regular Patricia/Faith) and a recurring role on "Beverly Hills, 90210" as Christine Petit. Valerie has been a celebrity host on several reality shows. With a strong theater background and numerous stage appearances, Valerie is a recipient of the Dramalogue Award for Best Actress.
Valerie also hosts/produces the website AngelsAmongUs.TV and spends a great deal of time meeting everyday "angels" in housing projects, homeless shelters, community clinics, juvenile halls, inner city schools, recovery centers and doing relief work throughout the world. As a Vista volunteer in the housing projects of San Antonio, Texas, she worked with at-risk youth through leadership counseling groups. She has worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in the barrios of Cartagena, Colombia. She has counseled young people of diverse backgrounds in various parts of the U.S. and worked abroad as a relief worker through Operation USA in Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, and the Philippines. Locally, she coordinated an OP USA Clinic program, providing assistance to numerous clinics throughout Los Angeles serving low-income and homeless families. As a liaison with the Hollywood entertainment community, she helped to organize a OP USA concert at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring Plácido Domingo, Frank Sinatra, and Julie Andrews, to raise funds for the thousands rendered homeless by the Mexico earthquakes. After the tsunami, Valerie assisted Op USA with disaster relief efforts and psycho-social training on child trauma in Sri Lanka. She has been a Spokesperson on children's issues for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a consultant for Council in Schools. Through these programs and more, Valerie continually comes to know countless unsung everyday "angels among us."
Over the years, Valerie has also worked in production and post-production with several producers and directors, including Robert Altman, Brian Grazer, and Lou Adler. Expanding her efforts to uplift the human spirit into the development of film and television projects, Valerie has created "WildSpirit Productions, Inc."
Her late mother, Leslie Ames, a "Revlon girl" and a Ford supermodel in the late 40s, always encouraged her to live her dreams. Valerie holds a M.A. degree in Counseling, speaks Spanish fluently, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in the Expressive Arts. She also enjoys meditating, yoga, expressive arts and "anything to do with nature". - Vincent Irizarry was born on November 12, 1959 in Queens, New York, USA as Vince Michael Irizarry. He is an Emmy Award winning actor, 4 times nominated, known for performing numerous long running principal roles on several TV shows such as All My Children, Guiding Light, Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, Santa Barbara, and Bold and the Beautiful. Vincent has also starred in several TV movies and mini-series, such as Jackie Collins' Lucky Chances (opposite Sandra Bullock), Left to Die (opposite Barbara Hershey), and Lying Eyes, to name a few. His feature work has been opposite Clint Eastwood, (Heartbreak Ridge), Sissy Spacek (Marie: A True Story), and Worth, opposite Jeffrey Johnson, Eric Roberts, and Corey Feldman. His most recent Primetime work has been Guest Starring roles on NCIS:LA, Homeland, and Wild West Chronicles. Vincent is a trained tenor, having performed with the Lyon Symphony Orchestra, as well as for Broadway Cares. Vincent has 4 children and 2 granddaughters, and was married to Avalon House, and Signy Coleman, both now divorced.
- Vincent Yacovelli is known for A Crime to Remember (2013), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Blue Bloods (2010).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Vivian M. Nixon is an African-American actress and dancer from Miami, Florida known for voicing Millie from Helluva Boss. She also acted in Hubie Halloween starring Adam Sandler, Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer, Top Five, Grey's Anatomy, Glee and Christmas on the Square. She has a daughter, Shiloh Elizabeth Williams who was born in February 2019.- Actress
- Producer
Valerie Mahaffey is an American character actress and producer. She began her career starring in the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors (1979-81), for which in 1980 she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.In 1992, Mahaffey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the CBS drama series Northern Exposure. She later won fame through her portrayal of extroverted and friendly but ultimately insane women on the television shows Wings, Desperate Housewives, Devious Maids and Big Sky. Mahaffey also appeared in a number of movies, including Senior Trip (1995), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Jack and Jill (2011), Sully (2016), and most notably French Exit (2020), for which she received critical acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Vanessa Brittany Lengies, born July 21, 1985, Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is best known for her role on American Dreams and as Sugar Motta on Glee. Lengies was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a German father and an Egyptian mother. She speaks French, English and some Arabic. Lengies graduated from Hudson High School in 2002.- Actress
- Producer
Virginia Gardner was born Virginia Elizabeth Gardner on April 18, 1995, in Sacramento, California. She attended Sacramento Country Day School until eighth grade. In 2011, she joined online schooling when she moved to Los Angeles and chose to take the California High School Proficiency Exam. She attempted the test in October 2011 and passed the exam. Virginia lived with her mother during her initial phase but once she started getting acting opportunities, she moved into her own apartment and began to live independently. Gardner first made her acting debut on the Disney Channel series Lab Rats (2012). She then took a year off from acting to pursue her modeling career. As she got many opportunities in modeling she was going to stop acting. However, she heard about the audition of Glee (2009) and dropped the idea of leaving acting. As a matter a fact she was selected for the role of Katie Fitzgerald/Marissa and appeared for two episodes in the series.
Modeling, she worked with popular brands like Kohl's, Love Culture, HP, Hollister, LF, and Famous Footwear. She also acted in series like The Goldbergs (2013), How to Get Away with Murder (2014), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Zoo (2015) but didn't gain much recognition as from modeling. In 2015, she was cast in the American found footage science fiction thriller film, Project Almanac (2015) as Christina Raskin. The movie was commercially successful at the box office and it also helped Gardner to establish herself in Hollywood. Since 2017, Gardner portrays the character Karolina Dean in web series, Runaways (2017).- Actress
- Producer
Vail Bloom was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Cold Case (2003) and Surviving the Wild (2018).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Best known for his portrayal of Sal Mineo in the independent film "SAL", written and directed by James Franco.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival with Val's performance receiving rave reviews.
"VARIETY" "...Val Lauren's warm, gregarious turn as the onetime teen heartthrob who never hit his hollywood stride...the film does achieve a sad sense of time slipping away, rendered all the more poignant by Lauren...the curly haired thesp presents Sal as good natured, eternally optimistic and clearly committed to using his art to keep gay rights and awareness in the cultural conversation."- Justin Chang
"HOLLYWOOD REPORTER" "...the impressive front-and-center performance from curly-maned Val Lauren as Mineo, the diminutive New Yorker who became a 1950's teen idol...Sal works just fine as a showcase for Lauren's energetic performance... Lauren is magnetic as an outgoing chatterbox individual...indeed, he's so at ease with Miller's dialogue that one starts wondering if the material might have been better served being turned into a one man play."- Neil Young
"LOS ANGELES TIMES" "a groundbreaking performance".
"VARIETY" "...real comic acting talent particularly showcasing a very funny Lauren."
"LOS ANGELES TIMES" "Val Lauren, charismatic in the title role, suggests the vulnerability that was intrinsic to Mineo's screen work, most famously in "Rebel Without A Cause."- Sheri Linden
"VIEW LONDON" "...a scene stealing performance of Dustin Hoffman-like intensity by newcomer Val Lauren."
"IN CONTENTION: VENICE FILM FESTIVAL" "...the film is lent some solemn credibility by the self-possessed, unmannered one man show of the little known Val Lauren as Mineo...the camera hangs so dependently on his every gesture that the film would wash away if he were any less committed."
"AUSTIN FILM: AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL" "...lead actor Val Lauren brightly shines is what is often a very quiet role...Val Lauren is ultimately the main reason to watch as his portrayal is spot-on with Mineo's spark and natural charm. His performance is raw and relatable, most likely thanks to Val's long time career in theater, Lauren's performance is rewarding."
FILM BUZZ: "...Great acting, especially by stand out Val Lauren."
On stage, Val and frequent collaborator Scott Caan have premiered over a dozen of Caan's recently published plays.
Notably, Val Directed and Starred opposite Caan and Melanie Griffith in "No Way Around But Through."
Produced by Garry Marshall and Mike O'Malley, the Comedy had a successful sold out and extended run at Marshall's esteemed "Falcon Theater."- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Valarie Pettiford's career glitters like the lights on Broadway. An award-winning triple-threat, Valarie has worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, but has never let her brushes with fame go to her head. Although some would argue that she is a celebrity in her own right, Valarie is still a humble girl from Queens.
On screen, at age 14, Pettiford starred in the chorus of the film The Wiz (1978). She has appeared in such films as The Cotton Club (1984), Glitter (2001), Stomp the Yard (2007), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), the short film musical Not Your Time (2010), the award-winning short film Response (2009) and Jumping the Broom (2011) from Sony Pictures. Her role in the acclaimed independent film Why Am I Doing This? (2009) earned her a glowing mention in the L.A. Times. Her role as Big Dee Dee Thorne on the hit sitcom Half & Half (2002) earned her three NAACP Image Award nominations. Valarie plays the recurring role of Sandra Lucas on Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2006). Other notable television appearances include guest-starring roles on Criminal Minds (2005), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), CSI: Miami (2002), The District (2000), The West Wing (1999), Frasier (1993), One Life to Live (1968), Bones (2005), The Cape (1996) and The Finder (2012). She had a recurring guest star on the hit HBO series Treme (2010).
Valarie's theatre credits read like a prestigious shopping list, with numerous accolades for the execution of her craft. Valarie won NAACP Theatre and Garland Awards for Best Actress in "The Wild Party." She was honored with NAACP, Robby and Reader's Choice Awardsfor for her role in "Show Boat." Both performances were nominated for Ovation Awards. Valarie was a member of the original casts of "Sophisticated Ladies", understudying Judith Jamison, and "Fosse", for which she was recognized by the Drama League and nominated for Outer Critics Circle, Dora Mavor Moore and Tony Awards.
Valarie performed alongside Chita Rivera in the West End debut of "Chicago", and subsequently performed "All That Jazz" as a tribute to Rivera at the Kennedy Center Honors. However, her self-proclaimed career highlight was the fulfillment of a life-long dream; she recorded her first album, "Hear My Soul". An accomplished stage performer, Valarie has performed her successful one-woman shows to sold-out audiences coast to coast. She has performed with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in New York and Miami in the musical tribute to their father, called "Babalu". Valarie enjoyed stellar reviews in both cities. Proving that her voice ad presence are both Broadway bold, she is a regular guest soloist with the Pasadena Symphony for their annual Pops program.
In the traditional sense of the word, Valarie Pettiford is a diva, a master of her craft who has the ability to command attention. Whether she would agree, or try to harness that power, is anyone's guess.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
A staple of American stage, screen, and television for over 30 years, Victor Slezak hails from Youngstown, Ohio.
His earliest influences in entertainment came through the screen of Jack and Sam's Warner Brothers Theater, where his mother was a box office girl. So, too, was the black and white TV set in his parents' living room an early influence. He cites seeing Montgomery Clift in Freud (1962), James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and George C. Scott in the old East Side/West Side (1963) series as performances that piqued his earliest interest.
The Franciscan nuns at Saint Stanislaus Grade School taught in the Jesuit mode, placing heavy weight on the correct use of language and oratory skill. Theatre was used as a teaching tool. At an early age, Victor's acting in, directing, and writing plays stemming from the Bible became a normal part of his daily routine and education. His talent and efforts gained recognition when he was asked to join a select handful of students in reading the Book of Genesis aloud to their church congregation. Toward the end of high school, after being selected and appearing in leads in the school plays, Victor's guidance counselor pulled him out of class to announce good news: he'd been awarded a scholarship to study acting at Ohio State. Victor turned it down. The summer before, he had spent 10 weeks as an apprentice at the Lakewood Musical Playhouse. From an early age he spent his free time making drawings in pencil and ink. He couldn't see himself pursuing acting as a career after seeing those amazing performers drawing their $75 dollar a week paycheck and no job after the ten weeks.
So, at the ripe old age of 17, he moved to New York City to become a visual artist. A friend who worked as a scenic designer from that summer of stock called from out of the blue and asked Victor if he'd like to paint scenery for the venerable Chautauqua Opera Company in western New York State. Victor arranged for a brief leave of absence from the advertising firm. A life in the theatre had called to him by a most circuitous route. He never went back to the ad firm. When his work at Chautauqua ended, he landed a job stage managing variety acts - a country/western band, a juggler, and a magician - at the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. In an era before Amazon or Barnes and Noble, he began to hunt for books on acting. His first introduction to Uta Hagen was in his Speech and Drama class where he heard a recording of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf".
His first professional jobs came from regional theatre, roles like Rodolfo in A View from the Bridge at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and several stints at Hartford Stage, including Eben in Desire Under the Elms playing opposite Frances Fisher; Whit in Of Mice and Men with fellow Youngstowner Ed O'Neill, and Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest with Mary Louise Parker. Exceptional material and the chance to work with great artists kept Victor in New York when so many of his peers moved west to pursue Los Angeles. Stage jobs in the city soon beckoned. His performance as Lachlan in The Hasty Heart at Mirror Repertory off-Broadway led to his being cast opposite Geraldine Page at the same venue in Ibsen's Ghosts, directed by fellow Ohioan Austin Pendleton. Television jobs followed including a recurring role on ABC's Guiding Light (1952).
Broadway beckoned in 1993. Victor played John Cleary in Frank Gilroy's Any Given Day (the precursor to The Subject was Roses) alongside Sada Thompson at the Longacre Theatre. Following that he played Dr. Sugar in Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer at Circle in the Square with Elizabeth Ashley, JFK in Jackie: An American Life with Margaret Colin at the Belasco Theatre, Mr. Robinson in The Graduate with Kathleen Turner at the Plymouth Theatre, and John the Baptist in Salome with Al Pacino at the Barrymore Theatre.
Film roles began to pop up as well: The Devil's Own (1997) (directed by Alan J. Pakula with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt) and The Bridges of Madison County (1995) (with Meryl Streep, directed by Clint Eastwood). After Uta Hagen's death in 2004, Victor received phone calls from HB Studios asking him to consider teaching. Harkening to a need to give back to the school and the craft that had nurtured him, he eventually agreed to work a class into his schedule "I went to teach my first class and found that the Studio had put me in the same room where I'd first met Uta." He serves on the Board of the HB Playwrights Foundation, a position he's held since 2009 and makes time each year to be a part of their CORE program. He is also a member of the Actor's Studio and The Ensemble Studio Theater.
He is known throughout the industry for playing roles of particular power and complexity -- Enrico Brulard on HBO's Treme (2010); the Deputy Director of the CIA in John Singleton's feature film Abduction; Jamie Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre; and as Mike Wallace in the musical Superfly.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Music Department
Vince Gill was born on 12 April 1957 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Maverick (1994), For Love of the Game (1999) and Borat (2006). He has been married to Amy Grant since 10 March 2000. They have one child. He was previously married to Janis Oliver.- Valerie Cruz has appeared in over 100 television episodes, including recurring roles on The CW series "Charmed," starring as the charmed one's mother 'Marisol,' ABC's "The Rookie" and the CW drama "Life Sentence" alongside stars Lucy Hale and Dylan Walsh. She has been a series regular on shows hailing from some of most prolific and critically acclaimed creators, counting among these credits, "Nip Tuck" for Ryan Murphy, "Off The Map" for Shonda Rhimes and "The Following" and "Hidden Palms" for Kevin Williamson. For her portrayal of 'Lt. Connie Murphy' in the SyFy Channel original series, "The Dresden Files," Valerie was honored with an Alma Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. While portraying the recurring role of 'Sylvia Prado' opposite Michael C. Hall during the Golden Globe nominated third season of the Showtime hit series "Dexter," Cruz was honored alongside the cast with a Screen Actors Guild award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble. Other notable recurring roles include 'Major Joy Mendez' on the award-winning Showtime series "Homeland," and fan favorite vampire 'Isabel Beaumont' on HBO's "True Blood." Valerie's extensive guest starring credits include celebrated shows such as "Scandal," "Law & Order: SVU," "Grey's Anatomy," "Bosch," "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," "Quantico" and "The Resident." She also starred opposite Viola Davis in the Lifetime Films original movie "Custody" for writer/director James Lapine. Cruz made her feature film debut in the action thriller "Cellular" opposite Chris Evans for director David Ellis. Subsequent film credits include the notable independents "The Line," opposite Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta, "The Devil's Tomb" opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ron Perlman, "The Loft" with Rachael Taylor and Karl Urban, and the film "Locating Silverlake" with Zelda Williams and Finn Wittrock.
- Vinny Guadagnino was born on 11 November 1987 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Gate of Fallen Angels (2009), 90210 (2008) and Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012).
- Actress
- Production Designer
Viveka Davis was born on 19 August 1969 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress and production designer, known for Cast Away (2000), Edtv (1999) and Curly Sue (1991).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Vonzell Solomon was born on 18 March 1984 in Baxley, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for Cinderoncé (2013), American Idol (2002) and Shortcomings.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Vondie Curtis-Hall was born on 30 September 1950 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Romeo + Juliet (1996), Falling Down (1993) and Waist Deep (2006). He has been married to Kasi Lemmons since 19 August 1995. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov was born in Tula, to Natalia, a puppet theatre director, and Lev Mashkov, an actor. He worked for Oleg Tabakov's theatre where he performed in Alexander Galich's "My Big Land", Neil Simon's "Biloxy Blues", Nickolai Gogol's "The Inspector General", Jean-Batiste Moliere's "Don Juan", and other plays. As a director, he staged "A Star Hour By Local Time", "Passions For Bumbarash", "The Death-Defying Act" and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera".- Vivienne Powell was born in Sydney, Australia, to an Australian mother and an English father. She holds a Master of Creative Arts from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and has undertaken acting studies at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, the Howard Fine Acting Studio and Ted Brunetti Studio in Los Angeles. Vivienne has acted and sung on stage and screen in Australia and the US. Her first television role was as Mark Twain's Mother in 'Predictions, Premonitions and Dreams Come True', for the Seven Network in Sydney. She has performed as an opera singer with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, and is an experienced classical concert artist, as well as a musical theatre and cabaret performer. She performed her solo cabaret show, 'Sentimental Journey with Doris, Ella & Julie' in Sydney in 2012.
Now based in Los Angeles, Vivienne performed the role of Elizabeth in a stage production of 'Voices of the Un-Heard', at the Barnsdall Theater in Hollywood. Film work includes the lead role of Carla in the short film, 'Song From a Blackbird' (selected for the Court Métrage, Cannes International Film Festival 2014) and The Grim Nurse in 'The Good Life'. Also in 2013, she was cast in principal roles in two independent feature films, the embittered Mrs Maple in 'Ugly Benny' (selected for screening at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival), and the cold-blooded British killer, Victoria, in 'Beautiful Destroyer'. - Actor
- Producer
Vlade Divac was born on 3 February 1968 in Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia. He is an actor and producer, known for Eddie (1996), Space Jam (1996) and Juwanna Mann (2002). He has been married to Snezana Divac since 1 July 1989. They have three children.- Actress
- Producer
Vivien Lyra Blair was born on 4 June 2012. She is an actress and producer, known for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), The Boogeyman (2023) and We Can Be Heroes (2020).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Vivica A. Fox was born in South Bend, Indiana, on July 30, 1964, and is the daughter of Everlyena, a pharmaceutical technician, and William Fox, a private school administrator. She is of Native American and African-American descent and is proud of her heritage. She is a graduate of Arlington High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and, after graduating, moved to California to attend college. Vivica went to Golden West College and graduated with an Associate Art degree in Social Sciences. While in California, she started acting professionally, first on soap operas, such as Generations (1989), Days of Our Lives (1965) and The Young and the Restless (1973). In another early role, she played Patti LaBelle's fashion designer daughter, "Charisse Chamberlain", on the NBC-TV series, Out All Night (1992). Her first big break was in the film, Independence Day (1996), along with Will Smith, and also Set It Off (1996). She has earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Maxine" in the 1997 motion picture, Soul Food (1997), which netted her MTV Movie Award and NAACP Image Award nominations. In 2000, she was casted in the medical drama, City of Angels (2000), as "Dr. Lillian Price". She has had roles in many other movies ever since, such as: Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Two Can Play That Game (2001) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). In 2004, Fox was in an episode of Punk'd (2003), where her pregnant friend pretended to go into labor, but they became angry when a paramedic appeared to care more about taking pictures than delivering the baby. Vivica also took another television role, from 2004 to 2006, as she starred in the drama series, 1-800-Missing (2003), on the Lifetime Television Network. In 2007, she was a contender on Dancing with the Stars (2005) and stayed until she was voted off in the fourth week. In 1998, Vivica A. Fox married singer Christopher Harvest (aka Sixx-Nine), whom she later divorced in June 2002. She also dated rapper 50 Cent, however this was a brief relationship.- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
Vivian Wu (Chinese name : Wu JunMei) is a Chinese American actress and producer. Born in Shanghai, China, to Zhu ManFang, a famous Chinese actress and Wu ChengYe, a college professor, she was discovered by female director HuangShuQin during her visit to her mother's film set when she was 15 years old and was offered one of the lead roles in Huang's Long Live Youth launching her prolific acting career. While completing high school, Wu was also starring in numerous films and soon became one of the nation's most promising young stars.
During her third year as an actress Vivian was chosen by legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci to play the role of Wen Xiu, in his iconic Oscar-winning film, The Last Emperor. Bertolucci's film introduced Vivian to the international stage outside of mainland China. Vivian was the first Asian actress to receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the prestigious Italian David Donatello film festival.
Vivian then went to Hawaii Pacific University to study Travel Industry Management. After moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she was selected by People Magazine as one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world. Since 1990, she has dedicated herself full-time to her acting career.
Besides for The Last Emperor, she is also known for her roles in The Joy Luck Club, and Heaven and Earth. More notably, Vivian starred with Ewan McGregor in Peter Greenaway's award-wining The Pillow Book which also won Cannes' Certain Regard Award. Vivian's remarkable portrayal of Nagiko, a deeply obsessed Japanese woman earned her international raving reviews.
In addition to her notable Western films and television work, Vivian continues her impressive career in China. She has starred in several independent feature films and garnered excellent reviews for such international films as Chinaman and Eve and the Firehorse, the latter which earned her a nomination for Canada's Genie Award, for her outstanding performance of MeiLing.
In 2018, Cathy Yan offered Vivian the leading role in her directorial debut Dead Pigs. Vivian's energetic performance of Candy won her and her three costars a Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Recent television credits then include hit series such as Wo Ju, Ru Yi Zhuan, Hot Mama etc..
Vivian has also been involved in many charity foundations. In 1999, she founded the "Vivian Wu and Friends Educational Charity Foundation" in Shanghai to aid children with special educational needs.
Vivian has been married to Oscar Luis Costo, a Cuban/American producer/writer/director. The two met on the set of Vanishing Son, in which Vivian starred in and Oscar produced. Their 1996 Shanghai wedding in China was featured by People Magazine in their Celebrity Weddings of the Year Special Edition. Vivian was selected as the best-dressed bride of the year. She and Oscar have collaborated on several projects together, and in 2004, Vivian produced and starred in Oscar's feature film Shanghai Red.
In 2019, Vivian spent over half a year in North America, playing the role of Dr. Lu Wang, a series regular, on the Netflix series Away - a new dramatic series premiering globally on September 4th, 2020.- Vivian Jovanni is an American model and actress born to parents Eduardo Adin Pupo and Oleidys Laura Pupo on August 17, 1995 in Houston, Texas. She grew up in Houston. Her acting passion began to show at the age of 5, when she began telling people, that she was going to be an actress someday. At the age of 15, her parents took her to a talent agency where she got signed as a model, she then joined a talent competition which would take her to Los Angeles.
She then won the "Fitness Model of the Year", and was awarded a metal in recognition for her acting. One thing led to another and at the age of 17, she signed with the Dreamscope Entertainment and finally moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 2015, she booked a lead role of Ciara Brady on soap opera "Days of our Lives". - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy was born on 8 March 1992 in Murmansk, Russia. He is an actor and director, known for Slasher Party (2019), 211 (2018) and Bad Agents (2018).- Virginia Kiser was born on 5 April 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for Poltergeist (1982), Dreamscape (1984) and Max Headroom (1987). She was previously married to A.E. Hotchner and Arthur Storch.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Vincent Peter Jones was born on January 5, 1965 in Watford, England. He first came to public notice as a professional footballer, playing in the English Football League. Noted as one of football's hard men, he leaped to fame when a photographer, at a match, snapped him "marking" Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne, by grabbing his testicles. He has played for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers. Internationally, he played for Wales, qualifying for that nationality through his grandparents. He made his first acting appearance in the British comedy/thriller, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), at age 33, although he had previous presented a video on football's hard men (for which he was censured by the Football Association).
He starred in the blockbuster, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), as "Cain Marko", also known as "The Juggernaut". Prior to that, he played the scowling soccer coach illustrating both his likability and comedic side in Dreamworks' She's the Man (2006), with Amanda Bynes. Other projects include a lead role in Johnny Was (2006), starring Roger Daltrey, Eriq La Salle and Lennox Lewis, and he also appears in the independent feature, The Riddle (2007), starring Vanessa Redgrave and Derek Jacobi.
Over the years, he has received a number of prestigious awards, which showcase his accomplishments as a talented actor. In 1997, he won Satellite TV's "Personality of the Year", from Satellite TV Europe Magazine. In 1998, GQ Magazine named Jones "Man of the Year". He was awarded Best Actor for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) at the Odeon Audience Awards and also won the award for Outstanding New Talent from the Sir James Carreras Award Variety Club of GB. Jones won Best Debut in 1999 for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) at Empire Magazine's "The Awards 1999" and was titled the Male Cigar Personality of the Year at the Millennium Cigar Awards. In 2001, he was named Best British Actor for Empire Magazine's "The Awards 2001". In 2002, Jones received the award for Best Supporting Actor for Night at the Golden Eagle (2001) at the New York Film Festival and, in 2005, he was honored with Best Newcomer for Slipstream (2005) at London's Sci-Fi Film Festival.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Vincent Ventresca was born on 29 April 1966 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Invisible Man (2000), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Prey (1998). He has been married to Dianne Shiner since 1994. They have two children.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Vincent Van Patten was born on 17 October 1957 in Bellerose, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for 7 Days to Vegas (2019), World Poker Tour (2003) and The Break (1995). He has been married to Eileen Davidson since 15 April 2003. They have one child. He was previously married to Betsy Russell.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Sound Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Vincent Rodriguez III was born on 10 August 1982 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Mortal Kombat 1 (2023). He has been married to Gregory Wright since August 2015.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Vincent Piazza is an American film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of gangster Lucky Luciano in the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire. He has also played Earl Hefner in the comedy-drama Rocket Science (2007) and singer Tommy DeVito in Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of Jersey Boys (2014).- Actor
- Producer
Pastore was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx, New York City, and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Following his graduation from high school, he enlisted as a sailor in the United States Navy and then attended Pace University for three years, before eventually going into the acting industry after befriending Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon. On June 3, 2015, during an appearance on Good Day New York, Pastore said he was in the club business for close to 30 years, and got into acting in his forties.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Vincent De Paul was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a mortuary scientist and owned funeral homes in Maryland. His mother, a Maryland socialite, dedicated her time to Chairing committees for the March of Dimes, Children with Birth Defects and Relief to Earthquake victims in Naples. De Paul's acting career began with his first role as Beowolf, in one of the oldest Scandinavian epics. De Paul is a Miami, New York, Los Angeles bi-coastal film and television actor. He's been in the entertainment industry for more than 15 years. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland (Studying Epidemiology, Biomedical ethics and Bio statistics), Vincent De Paul moved to Miami Beach to work at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. While working at the Miami Beach Hospital he was discovered and began doing fashion shows for the late Gianni Versace . www.vincentdepaul1.com Represented by Wilhelmina Creative, Vincent has worked internationally and has appeared, and been interviewed in, numerous magazines including, GQ, Vogue (Spain), Cosmopolitan (Greece, Spain, Poland, Russia) 8 covers of Men's Health (Peru, Ecuador, USA edicion en Espanol, Mexico, & Columbia), Men's Exercise, Vanidades, Complot and Metrosource magazine. Vincent has been featured in the following Campaigns worldwide, L'Oreal (France) w/Stephanie Seymour directed by Patrick Dermachelier, El Corte Inglese (Spain with Ricky Martin, Christian Dior (Latin America) Oscar De la Renta (Mexico) and FUJI (Mexico) Avon Campaign USA, Guy La Roche Campaign (USA & Canada). His film career spans more than a decade. The first feature film was Hairspray in which he played one of the original Corny Collins Dancers (Dir. John Waters), Riding in Cars with Boys with Drew Barrymore as a Line Backer directed by Penny Marshall. His TV career includes appearances on West Wing, Frasier, Charmed, Sex in the City, HBO's Six Feet Under as a Hollywood junkie snorting the ashes of his best friend, and most recently appeared on NBC's Medical Investigation. He has re-occurred for the last 4 years on As The World Turns as Charlie the Bartender at the Metro. He has served on the Audrey Hepburn Red Rose Award committee with Sean Hepburn Ferrar. He volunteers his time at the House of Camillus for battered women.- Vince Ross is known for Journey to Hell (2022), Mac Daddy & the Lovers (2015) and Prince Charming (2011).
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Vince Vieluf recently wrapped Love Inc, a pilot for UPN, he quickly returned to Vancouver, British Columbia where he has been working alongside Paul Bettany and Harrison Ford in the feature film Firewall. Vince packed up all his belongings in 1996, rented a 13 foot U-haul and with his cat Groovy made the trek to Los Angeles. He quickly found a bartending job in a nightclub and in a vortex of timing, luck and preparation he met his first agent having a drink at his bar.
That relationship led him to his first role in a feature film, "Brad" in An American Werewolf in Paris. He has been working steadily since, landing roles alongside Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Pheonix in Clay Pigeons, Seth Green in Rat Race and Pinked with Rose McGowan. We have more recently seen Vince starring alongside The OC star Adam Brody in the skateboarder cult favorite Grind. Comfortable both on stage and in front of the camera, he starred in the plays Cool Cops and The World of Wrestling at the Actor's Gang Theatre in Los Angeles. Vince has also appeared in some of the most popular shows on television, guest starring on ER and Jesse, as well as appearing on Friends and CSI. In the fall of 2005 Love, Inc. will air Thursdays at 9:30pm.- Casting Department
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Vince Rimoldi was born on 19 July 1981 in San Diego, California, USA. He is an actor and casting director, known for The Crier, Eureka (2006) and Undressed (1999).- Actor
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Vince Neil was born on 8 February 1961 in Hollywood, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Dirt (2019), Friday Night Lights (2004) and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). He has been married to Lia Gherardini since 9 January 2005. He was previously married to Heidi Mark, Sharise Ruddell and Elizabeth W. Lynn.- Producer
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Vince McMahon, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of WWE, Inc. (WWE), is a third-generation promoter who has made WWE into the global phenomenon it is today.
As a pioneer in the television syndication business, a recognized television personality throughout the world, a visionary promoter and a fearless marketer, he continues to make his presence known as a leader within the broadcast and entertainment industries. In 1972, McMahon joined his father's company, Capitol Wrestling Corporation, on a full-time basis. By 1979, the company had syndicated programming to 30 television stations. In 1982, he purchased the Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father and decided to take what had been a regional operation and turn it into a national venture.
McMahon soon became an innovator in the cable television industry by leveraging the new technologies of pay-per-view and closed-circuit television for the first WrestleMania in 1985. Now, not only had he built a brand that people would watch in syndication, he had built the WWE into a brand that people would pay to watch. In April 2000, more than 1 million fans purchased WrestleMania X-6, at the time making it the most-watched non-boxing event in pay-per-view history. In February 2014, WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 direct-to-consumer network, launched live in the U.S.
In 2016, WrestleMania 32 set a new attendance record of 101,763, as fans from all 50 states and 35 countries converged on AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The previous WWE attendance record was at WrestleMania 3 in 1987, where 93,173 fans filled the Pontiac Silverdome.
Today, WWE produces seven hours of live weekly programming 52 weeks a year with no off season. Programs such as "Monday Night Raw" and "WWE NXT" on USA Network and "Friday Night SmackDown" on FOX are ratings successes that can be seen in more than 900 million homes in 180 countries and heard in 28 languages. In addition, WWE hosts more than 550 live events a year within the United States and abroad, making WWE the largest traveling show in the world.
Under McMahon's leadership, WWE has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today. WWE is an integrated media and entertainment company that features a portfolio of specialized businesses that creates and delivers original content to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. In addition to its headquarters in Stamford, CT, WWE has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. WWE trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WWE.
In 2017, McMahon established and personally funded a separate entity from WWE, Alpha Entertainment.
For his accomplishments in entertainment, television, and pay-per-view, McMahon, one of the longest running personalities on television, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He also has received a Promax/BDA Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the 2008 Cablefax Hall of Fame. He has been included in Variety's annual Variety500 listing since 2017, which honors the most influential business leaders shaping the media industry. In 2019, McMahon was named as one of the Most Influential People in Sports Business by Sports Business Journal.
In recognition of WWE's work to support children over the past 30 years, McMahon, in 2005, was appointed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America's National Advisory Council. He is a tireless supporter of the U.S. military, bringing WWE Superstars to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 to entertain the troops. WWE was the recipient of the USO of Metropolitan Washington's first ever Legacy of Hope award for the company's extensive support of our troops and the USO's Operation Care Package program. In 2006, WWE and McMahon received the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award for its support of deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the company received the GI Film Festival's Corporate Patriot Award.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Vincent Mattis appears as the lead character Eli Hale in the cult hit Teen Wolf (2023) Movie for Paramount Plus, from Executive Producer Jeff Davis. He also plays Clive in the ABC Signature Disney + pilot Witch Mountain. Vince has trained extensively in martial arts with ten years of Hung Gar Kung-Fu experience. Vince is a singer/songwriter and plays guitar.- Actress
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Vikki Carr is one of the best-loved and most accomplished entertainers in the United States, Latin America and Europe. She is celebrating her fifth decade of a career in which she has won four Grammy Awards and has released over 60 best-selling recordings. Her concert tours of 2006-2007 sold out shows in the U.S., Mexico and South America. She has performed for the Queen of England, five United States Presidents, wartime soldiers in Vietnam and sold-out audiences around the world. She has worked in radio, television, film and theater. Her music embraces two languages and she is among the first artists to bridge the cultures of the United States and Latin America, paving the way for many performers today.
In 2008, Vikki Carr was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Latin Recording Academy.
In 2008, Vikki filmed a TV special Fiesta Mexicana (2008) for PBS TV.
EMI-Gold released a 3-disc set, "Vikki Carr: The Ultimate Collection" to rave reviews. Recordings made in the very early years of Vikki's career debut on this compilation. Along with many of her well known hits such as "It Must Be Him" (in English, Italian and Spanish), "With Pen In Hand", "He's A Rebel" and concert staple including "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". In April 2007, EMI-Gold released "Vikki Carr: Ways to Love a Man/Nashville by Carr" a 2 on 1 CD that allowed fans to hear a very emotional delivery of classics like "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", "Singing My Song" and "A Dissatisfied Man". Sony Mexico just released a CD/DVD collection titled "Las Numero 1" featuring 20 of Vikki's top Spanish hits on CD along with 10 of her television performances on DVD.
In 2002, Vikki starred in the Reprise production of Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical "Follies" in Los Angeles. She garnered glowing reviews for her performance from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Her latest recording projects include "The Vikki Carr Christmas Album", released on Delta, which features Christmas Classics in both English and Spanish. Another recording, the PBS special "Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias", is a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940's and 1950's, which were originally composed by Latinos. Produced by KCET/Hollywood, the program recreates the elegant setting of Hollywood supper clubs and theaters where popular artists of the era performed. The show, which features Jack Jones, Pepe Aguilar and Arturo Sandoval, was first released on video and CD through the national PBS pledge campaigns.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad. Frank Sinatra said, "She possesses my kind of voice", Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business" and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald named her among their three favorite female singers of all time. Elvis Presley was also very fond of her and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in which she attended. Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children, began performing at the tender age of four singing Adeste Fidelis in Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty Records in 1961. She recorded "He's A Rebel", which first became a hit in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable release, "It Must Be Him", which charged up the charts in England. One year later, the single was released in the United States and earned Carr four Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck (1987). After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits including "With Pen In Hand", for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, "The Lesson", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", "For Once in My Life" and "Eternity".
In the States, Vikki became a darling of the White House, performing regularly at State Dinners and at President Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural celebration. President Gerald Ford called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for Presidents' Ronald Reagan, George Bush and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President Bill Clinton. A frequent guest-star on major network variety shows, including Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, Jimmy Dean and Carol Burnett, Vikki also taped six specials for London Weekend TV. Vikki was the first female to regularly guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). She was also a visitor and guest host on Michael Jackson's ABC radio show.
Vikki made her acting debut on The Bing Crosby Show (1964). She has had several guest roles in numerous television series ranging from Mod Squad (1968) to Fantasy Island (1977), and has co-hosted the nationally syndicated Mrs. America and Mrs. Woman of the World Pageants. Carr also made two guest appearances on the popular series Baywatch (1989) and, most recently, in the motion picture Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004). Vikki's music has been featured in movies such as The Silencers (1966), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Walt Disney's "Oliver & Company" in Spanish, HBO thriller "Mrs. Harris" and, recently, in John Turturro's Romance & Cigarettes (2005).
The critics praised Vikki for her stage performances in "South Pacific" at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City and in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", with the John Kenley Players in Ohio. In 1983, her starring performance in "I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road" broke house records at the Westport Playhouse in St. Louis. Columbia Records signed Vikki Carr in 1970, releasing such favorites as "Love Story", "Live at the Greek" and "One Hell of a Woman", and "Ms. America", which was so ahead of its time.
Proud of her Mexican heritage, Vikki Carr has always shared her birth name with her concert audiences and held a deep desire to one day record an album in Spanish. In 1972, she went to the head of Columbia Records for permission to do so and, while her request was initially met with resistance, Carr had a solution to every argument. "My Anglo audience has asked me to do this", she responded firmly. Several months later, she released her first Spanish language album, "Vikki Carr En Espanol". Somos Novios, Grande, Grande Grande and Se Acabo became momentous successes and Vikki was established as one of the most popular and loved recording artists in the Latin World.
Since making her first personal appearance in Mexico in 1972, the country has had a love affair with Vikki Carr. She is the first non-National named Mexico's "Visiting Entertainer of the Year". Playing nightly to standing ovations and appearing on numerous TV programs, her two-hour special broke ratings records, attracting more than half of the viewers in Mexico. In 1980, because of the enormous success of her first Spanish language album, Columbia Records in Mexico offered her a contract and beginning with Vikki Carr y El Amor, her triumphs were unbridled, especially in Latin America. Songs like Total, Disculpame, Esos Hombres, Mala Suerte earned her Gold and Platinum albums in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. Carr followed with Grammy Award nominees Simplemente Mujer in 1986, Cosas del Amor in 1992, Brindo a la Vida, al Bolero y a Ti in 1993, Recuerdo a Javier Solis in 1995, and Emociones in 1997 taking three of the five awards. In 2008, Vikki Carr was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Latin Recording Academy. She marked the occasion with an appearance on the Latin Grammy telecast in which she performed "Cosas del Amor" with Olga Tangan and Jenni Rivera.
She has received prestigious awards, which include the 2005 National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award, 2003 Latino Spirit Award, 2003 Tito Guizar Award, 2002 Trefoil Award, 2000 Inductee, Latino Legends Hall of Fame, 1998 Imagen Foundation "Humanitarian Award", 1996 Hispanic Heritage Award, 1988 Nosotros Golden Eagle Award, 1984 Hispanic Woman of the Year, 1981 Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1974 Doctorate in Law from San Diego University and Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University, 1972 American Guild of Variety Artist's "Entertainer of the Year", and the Los Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" for 1970.
She earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award and was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award. In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected as both an artist and a humanitarian, she devotes time to many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years, she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971, Vikki established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Juggling engagements, recording sessions, charity events and family, the pace is frantic, but she remains calm. Smart, successful, warm and engaging, Vikki Carr's energy and style are as radiant and irresistible as her extraordinary voice.- Actor
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Since his screen debut as a young Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness (1985), Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded performances.
Mortensen was born in New York City, to Grace Gamble (Atkinson) and Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr. His father was Danish, his mother was American, and his maternal grandfather was Canadian. His parents met in Norway. They wed and moved to New York, where Viggo, Jr. was born, before moving to South America, where Viggo, Sr. managed chicken farms and ranches in Venezuela and Argentina. Two more sons were born, Charles and Walter, before the marriage grew increasingly unhappy. When Viggo was seven, his parents sent him to the St. Paul's boarding school, in the Córdoba Sierras, in Argentina. Then, at age eleven, his parents divorced. His mother moved herself and the children back to her home state of New York.
Viggo attended Watertown High School, and became a very good student and athlete. He graduated in 1976 and went on to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. After graduation, he moved to Denmark - driven by the need for a defining purpose in life. He began writing poetry and short stories while working many odd jobs, from dock worker to flower seller. In 1982, he fell in love and followed his girlfriend back to New York City, hoping for a long romance and a writing career. He got neither. In New York, Viggo found work waiting tables and tending bar and began taking acting classes, studying with Warren Robertson. He appeared in several plays and movies, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where his performance in "Bent" at the Coast Playhouse earned him a Drama-logue Critic's Award.
He made his film debut with a small part in Witness (1985). He appeared in Salvation! (1987) and married his co-star, Exene Cervenka. The two had a son, Henry Mortensen. But after nearly eleven years of marriage, the couple divorced.
In 1999, Viggo got a phone call about a movie he did not know anything about: "The Lord of the Rings." At first, he didn't want to do it, because it would mean time away from his son. But Henry, a big fan of the books, told his father he shouldn't turn down the role. Viggo accepted the part and immediately began work on the project, which was already underway. Eventually, the success of "The Lord of the Rings" made him a household name - a difficult consequence for the ever private and introspective Viggo.
Critics have continually recognized his work in over thirty movies, including such diverse projects as Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Sean Penn's The Indian Runner (1991), Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993), Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane (1997), Tony Scott's Crimson Tide (1995), Andrew Davis's A Perfect Murder (1998), Ray Loriga's My Brother's Gun (1997), Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon (1999), and Peter Farrelly's Green Book (2018).
Mortensen is also an accomplished poet, photographer and painter.- Victoria Yeates was born on 19 April 1983 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) and Call the Midwife (2012). She has been married to Paul Housden since June 2018.
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Victoria Tennant trained for eight years at the Elmhurst Ballet School and for two years at the Central School for Speech and Drama in London. In her first film, she starred in the title role of The Ragman's Daughter (1972), written by Alan Sillitoe and directed by Harold Becker. Extensive television work began with Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the fifteen hour miniseries, The Winds of War (1983). For the thirty-hour miniseries War and Remembrance (1988), she received her second Emmy nomination.
She also wrote and co-produced the film Edie & Pen (1996) for HBO and produced Sister Mary Explains It All (2001) for Showtime with her producing partner and husband, Kirk Stambler.
Ms. Tennant's work in the theatre includes the Santa Barbara Theatre Company's production of "Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley, for which she won the Santa Barbara Independent's Indie award, The Vagina Monologues at the Canon Theatre and the Napa Valley Opera House, The Misalliance at LA Theatreworks, Love Letters at Steppenwolf in Chicago, Getting Married at Circle-in-the-Square on Broadway, and The Taming of the Shrew at the Westport Playhouse.- Actress
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Principal is the elder daughter of Ree (née Veal) and Victor Rocco Principal. Her paternal grandparents were Italian, while her mother's family was from Gordon, Georgia, and South Carolina. Her father, a United States Air Force sergeant, was often transferred to different duty stations, so the family constantly moved, and Victoria grew up in London, Florida, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, and Georgia, among other places. She and her sister attended 17 different schools. Victoria's acting career began when she made a commercial at age five, and she began modeling in high school. She enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College, and wanted to study chiropractic medicine. However, being seriously injured in a car crash at age 18 made her refocus her energy on her love of acting. She moved to New York City, where she worked as a model and actress. She then studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 1971.
Her first film was as a Mexican mistress in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), starring Paul Newman. Four years later, she became so disappointed with her career that she quit acting and spent the next three years working as an agent. In 1978, she planned on going to law school and later become a studio executive, but Aaron Spelling offered her a year's tuition to accept a role in the pilot of Fantasy Island (1977). She agreed, and soon after that, she landed the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on CBS' long-running soap opera Dallas (1978). She left the series after nine years, and began her own production company, Victoria Principal Productions. She continues to work as an actress and producer, and has also created a line of skin care products and written three books about beauty and skin-care.- Victoria Hester was born on Father's Day in June 1996 in Alabama. She was her parent's first child and the family moved to Tennessee before Victoria's first birthday. Her brother, Labon, was born just before Victoria turned two.
Just after Victoria's third birthday in June 1999, the family moved once again, this time to Malawi, a small country in Africa. One of Victoria's favorite things about living there was getting to see all of the animals in the wild. Weekend safaris were a favorite pastime for her family.
The Hester family returned to Tennessee in April of 2001. Victoria began kindergarten that fall. It was during her kindergarten year that Victoria went on a fieldtrip to see the play, "Peter Pan." She left the theater saying, "I want to do that!"
Her family decided to home school her in the fall of 2002 and that afforded Victoria the opportunity to act in shows that had daytime performances.
It was then that Victoria auditioned for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and was awarded the role of Gladys Hurdman, one of the "worst kids in the whole history of the world." She was the youngest member of the cast and the youngest to play this role at Germantown Community Theater.
In the spring of 2003, Victoria was cast as Young Kim in the Poplar Pike Playhouse rendition of the musical "Showboat." Once again, she was the youngest member of the cast.
In the fall of 2003, Victoria once again tried out for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and was asked to reprise her role as Gladys Hurdman. Through a contact that was made while working on this play, Victoria, her brother, and her mom were asked to be in the independent film "Sheriff." Her mom actually played her mother in the film and Labon Hester (her brother in real life) played her brother!
This trend was to continue when the three were cast in another independent film, "Chosen." Victoria's mom played a housewife and Victoria and Labon were her kids. Each of them morphed into horrid characters with Victoria becoming the most evil of the three.
Next was the indie "Rookie Bookie" in the spring of 2004. Victoria's mom played the wife of a corrupt judge. Victoria and Labon were once again cast as her children.
Victoria returned to the stage in May 2004 in "Seussical the Musical" at Poplar Pike Playhouse. She played one of the Little Who's.
Victoria just could not seem to shake being typecast in film when she got a part once again as her mother's child in the independent film "The Streaker." They cast two friends to play her older brother and younger sister in this film.
In June 2004, Victoria auditioned for the feature film "Walk the Line." In mid-July, she received a phone call saying that they wanted to use her for the role of Carlene Carter. She was especially excited to learn that Reese Witherspoon (and not her real mom!) would be playing her mother in the film! The phone call came just three days before she was scheduled to start filming. The same friend who played her sister in "The Streaker" was asked to play her sister, Rosie Carter, in "Walk the Line."
Victoria has taken dance since 2001 and also took voice last year. Victoria also takes karate. She took gymnastics for three years but has taken a break from it and from voice to free up a bit more of her schedule. After all, she needs some time just to have fun! She enjoys singing, riding her bike, swimming, and playing with her brother and friends. Victoria also loves animals. - Actress
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Victoria Gabrielle Platt is an actress, singer and producer, known for Star-Crossed (2013), The Gates (2010), All My Children, Guiding Light (1952), 'Round Midnight (1986) and Winchell (1998). She was born to a West Indian mother and Polish father in Queens, NY. Victoria and Terrell Tilford have been married since September 29, 2001.- Actress
- Producer
Victoria Carroll was born on 21 January 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) and Nightmare in Wax (1969). She has been married to Michael Bell since 1984. They have one child.- Actress
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Victoria Clark was born on October 10 in Dallas, Texas. She studied music at Yale University and originally intended to be a director, but was encouraged to act by a casting director whom she met while attending graduate school at New York University. She won her first Broadway role as an understudy in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George shortly after she decided to change her career path, and has worked steadily in the theatrical community ever since. In 2005, she won New York theatre's three most prestigious awards (the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle) for her portrayal of fierce Southern matriarch Margaret Johnson in "The Light in the Piazza" at Lincoln Center. When she is not performing, she plays the roles of teacher, giving lessons in vocal technique to up and coming talent based on her own experience, and proud mother to her son.- Actress
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Victoria Beckham was born Victoria Caroline Adams on 17 April 1974 in Harlow, Essex, England, to Jacqueline Doreen (Cannon), an insurance clerk and hairdresser, and Anthony William Adams, an electronics engineer. She does not like being called Vicky. Instead, call her Posh, which stands for the best of everything (an old luxury liner term, P.O.S.H. stood for "Port Out, Starboard Home"-- the best rooms). Growing up, she didn't like being driven to school in her father's Rolls Royce (they were very wealthy; later, as Posh, she would have an image of someone who revels in wealth). Victoria began as a dancer before eventually landing a spot as a member of Spice Girls. While in college, Victoria was briefly in another band. After completing the 3-year course at Lanie Arts, she answered an ad in "The Stage" magazine, which was looking for 5 girls who could sing and dance. Victoria was picked, history was about to be made. (Victoria had met: Emma who had been in a play with her when they were kids; Geri while auditioning for a role in Tank Girl (1995); Mel C. attended a rival school when they were 15; and Mel B. at the audition for the forming of the band.) The Spice Girls became fantastically successful, achieving international fame. The wildly popular Spice Girls performed at sold-out concerts, did tours, and of course the Spice World (1997) movie. Victoria married soccer player David Beckham. The couple has four children.- Actor
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Victor Williams was born on 19 September 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Affair (2014), Sneaky Pete (2015) and The King of Queens (1998). He is married to Zia Williams. They have one child.- Actor
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Victor Manuel Turpin was born into a diverse family in Latin America. His father Victor Turpin, was an Afro-Colombian, well- known baseball player/ TV personality in his native country and his mother a Colombian Spanish European descendant. As a teenager, Victor began performing with choirs and cover bands in his native city Medellin. With a repertoire ranging from American pop/rock to Colombian popular music. Victor's love of music led him to perform in some of the city's most respected venues. He also began his acting career, appearing in some of Colombia's most beloved telenovelas.
After graduating from college, with a Graphic Design and Marketing degree, Victor moved to Los Angeles to pursue his artistic career.
Since moving to Los Angeles, Victor has landed roles in both film and TV. He soon will be seen alongside Vince Vaughn, Michelle Monaghan and Natalie Martinez in the new Apple TV+ Show "Bad Monkey', created by the multiple award winning writer/creator Bill Lawrence. He is also starring alongside Mel Gibson and Cole Hauser in the feature film, "PANAMA". Victor won accolades for his role in the hit NBC drama, "SHADES OF BLUE" alongside Jennifer Lopez. He also was seen in a pivotal role in the relaunch of the ground-breaking TV show, "WILL & GRACE", in a memorable episode that allowed him to represent his LGBTQ+ community.
With such a multi-faceted and talented background, Victor was invited to be a judge in the NBC-UNI Short Film festival in 2018, which focused on bringing diversity to the film industry by giving minorities a platform to showcase their talent as filmmakers.
Other notable credits include roles in the Netflix film, "MURDER MYSTERY" with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, and "MA" starring Octavia Spencer. He can also been seen in numerous TV appearances such as "SEE DAD RUN" (Nickelodeon), "HAPPILY DIVORCED" with Fran Dresher, (TV Land), the comedy "KILLING HASSELHOFF", and the thriller, GREENLIGHT, to name a few.
During his time in Los Angeles, Victor has amassed a career spanning TV, Film, Stage, and New Media. With a commitment and passion to diversity and representation, Victor hopes to continue expanding his artistic reach for years to come, following the path of other Latin/immigrant artists that came before him and trying to open new paths for the generations to follow.- Victor Rivers was born in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. He is known for The Mask of Zorro (1998), The Air I Breathe (2007) and Hulk (2003). He has been married to Mim Eichler Rivas since 1988. They have one child.
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Victor Rasuk was born on 15 January 1984 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Lords of Dogtown (2005), Godzilla (2014) and Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).- Actor
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Victor McCay was born on 22 April 1971 in Alabama, USA. He is an actor, known for The Accountant (2016), The Founder (2016) and The Good Lie (2014).