My favorite actors/actresses (name start with V)
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Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, an accountant. "The Muscles from Brussels" started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, Van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career.
Over the next 6-years, he competed in both full-contact and semi-contact matches. He debuted under his birth name of Jean Claude Van Varenberg. In his first match, Jean-Claude was staggered by a round-house kick thrown by fellow countryman, Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium. Van Damme was badly stunned, but came back to knockout Van Oostrum moments later. In 1977, at the WAKO Open International in Antwerp, Belgium, Jean-Claude lost a decision to fellow team mate Patrick Teugels in a semi-contact match. At the 1978 Challenge De Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials),Jean-Claude placed 2nd in the semi-contact division. He defeated twenty-five opponents during the week long tournament, but lost in the finals to Angelo Spataro from the Naha Club. Later in 1978, Jean-Claude lost a 3-round match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship (semi-contact) to his fellow team-mate to Patrick Teugels.
In 1979, Jean-Claude traveled to the United States of America, to Tampa, Florida. In his first and only match against a United States opponent, Van Damme faced 'Sherman 'Big Train'Bergman', a kick-boxer from Miami Beach, Florida. For the first and only time in his career, Jean-Claude was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook from Bergman. However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with a perfectly timed ax-kick, knocked Bergman out in 56 seconds of the first round. Jean-Claude was a member of the Belgium team which competed on December 26, 1979 at the La Coupe Fancois Persoons Karate Tournament which was sanctioned by the Federation bruxelloise de Karate. Van Damme's final match victory enabled his team to win the European Team Karate Championship. In Full-Contact karate, Jean-Claude knocked out England's Micheal Heming in 46 seconds of the first round. In 1980, Van Damme knocked out France's Georges Verlugels in 2 rounds of a match fought under kick-boxing rules. Jean-Claude wanted to defeat his rival Patrick Teugels. At the Forest Nationals in Brussels, on March 8, 1980, Jean-Claude knocked Teugels down and Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue. Jean-Claude was awarded a first round victory.
Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels,Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) Kickboxing record, and a Semi-Contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981 Van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave Van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. Then in 1984 he got a role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie No Retreat, No Surrender (1985). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures, and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). But the movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if Van Damme did not help them to recut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the U.S. Shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star Jean-Claude Van Damme.
His martial arts assets, highlighted by his ability to deliver a kick to an opponent's head during a leaping 360-degree turn, and his good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), Lionheart (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office - The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999 he remarried his ex-wife Gladys Portugues and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003) which did averagely in box office terms, but he tried to give his fans the best, his acting in those movies got better, more emotional and each movie was basically in different action tones.1 - No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)
2 - Black Eagle (1988)
3 - Bloodsport (1988)
4 - Kickboxer (1989)
5 - Cyborg (1989)
6 - Lionheart (1990)
7 - Death Warrant (1990)
8 - Double Impact (1991)
9 - Universal Soldier (1992)
10 - Nowhere to Run (1993)
11 - Hard Target (1993)
12 - Last Action Hero (1993)
13 - Timecop (1994)
14 - Street Fighter (1994)
15 - Sudden Death (1995)
16 - The Quest (1996)
17 - Friends S2E13 (1996)
18 - Maximum Risk (1996)
19 - Double Team (1997)
20 - Legionnaire (1998)
21 - Knock Off (1998)
22 - Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
23 - Inferno (1999)
24 - Replicant (2001)
25 - The Order (2001)
26 - In Hell (2003)
27 - Wake of Death (2004)
28 - Second in Command (2006)
29 - The Hard Corps (2006)
30 - Until Death (2007)
31 - JCVD (2008)
32 - Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
33 - Assassination Games (2011)
34 - Dragon Eyes (2012)
35 - The Expendables 2 (2012)
36 - Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
37 - 6 Bullets (2012)
38 - Welcome to the Jungle (2013)
39 - Swelter (2014)
40 - Pound of Flesh (2015)
41 - Kill 'Em All (2017)
42 - We Die Young (2019)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Max von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Skåne, Sweden, to a middle-class family. He was the son of Baroness Maria Margareta (Rappe), a teacher, and Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, an ethnologist and folklore professor. His surname traces back to his partial German ancestry.
When he was in high school, he and a few fellow students, including Yvonne Lombard, started a theatre club which encouraged his interest in acting. After conscription, he began to study at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school (1948-1951), together with Lars Ekborg, Margaretha Krook and Ingrid Thulin. His first role was as Nils the crofter in Alf Sjöberg's Only a Mother (1949). After graduation, he worked at the city theatres in Norrköping and Malmö.
His work in the movies by Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal (1957), including the iconic scenes in which he plays chess with Death) made him well-known internationally, and he started to get offers from abroad. His career abroad began with him playing Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); Hawaii (1966) and The Quiller Memorandum (1966). Since then, his career includes very different kind of characters, like Karl Oskar Nilsson in The Emigrants (1971); Father Lankester Merrin in The Exorcist (1973); Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor (1975), Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon (1980); the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the Never Say Never Again (1983); Liet-Kynes in Dune (1984) the artist Frederick in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); Lassefar in Pelle the Conqueror (1987), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination; Dr. Peter Ingham in Awakenings (1990); Lamar Burgess in Minority Report (2002) and The Renter in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), which earned him his second Academy Award nomination.
He became one of Sweden's most admired and professional actors, and is the only male Swedish actor to receive an Oscar nomination. He was nominated twice: for Pelle the Conqueror (1987) in 1988 and for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) in 2012. He received the Guldbagge Award for Best Director in his directing debut, the drama film Ved vejen (1988). In 2016, he joined the sixth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011) as the Three-eyed Raven, which earned him his Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Max von Sydow died on March 8, 2020, in Provence, France, and was survived by his wife Catherine Brelet and four children. He was 90.1 - The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
2 - Skammen (1968)
3 - En passion (1969)
4 - The Exorcist (1973)
5 - Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
6 - Victory (1981)
7 - Never Say Never Again (1983)
8 - Dreamscape (1984)
9 - Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
10 - Awakenings (1990)
11 - Needful Things (1993)
12 - Judge Dredd (1995)
13 - Solomon (1997)
14 - What Dreams May Come (1998)
15 - Nuremberg (2000)
16 - La fuga degli innocenti (2004)
17 - Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007)
18 - Rush Hour 3 (2007)
19 - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
20 - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
21 - Game of Thrones : season 6 (2016)- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of the great movie villains, Clarence Leroy Van Cleef, Jr. was born in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia (Van Fleet) and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. His parents were of Dutch ancestry. Van Cleef started out as an accountant. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard minesweepers and sub chasers during World War II. After the war he worked as an office administrator, becoming involved in amateur theatrics in his spare time. An audition for a professional role led to a touring company job in "Mr. Roberts". His performance was seen by Stanley Kramer, who cast him as henchman Jack Colby in High Noon (1952), a role that brought him great recognition despite the fact that he had no dialogue. For the next decade, he played a string of memorably villainous characters, primarily in westerns but also in crime dramas such as The Big Combo (1955). His hawk nose and steely, slit eyes seemed destined to keep him always in the realm of heavies, but in the mid 1960s Sergio Leone cast him as the tough but decent Col. Mortimer opposite Clint Eastwood in For a Few Dollars More (1965). A new career as a western hero (or at least anti-hero) opened up, and Van Cleef became an international star, though in films of decreasing quality. In the 1980s, he moved easily into action and martial-arts movies and starred in The Master (1984), a TV series featuring almost non-stop martial arts action. He died of a heart attack in December 1989 and was buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills.1 - High Noon (1952)
2 - Ten Wanted Men (1955)
3 - The Big Combo (1955)
4 - Pardners (1956)
5 - Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
6 - The Young Lions (1958)
7 - The Bravados (1958)
8 - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
9 - How the West Was Won (1962)
10 - Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
11 - Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
12 - Ehi amico... c'è Sabata. Hai chiuso! (1969)
13 - El hombre de Río Malo (1971)
14 - È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta! (1971)
15 - The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972)
16 - Diamante Lobo (1976)
17 - The Octagon (1980)- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Alexa Ellesse PenaVega was born Alexa Ellesse Vega on August 27, 1988 in Ocala, Florida and raised in Los Angeles, California to Gina Denise Rue, a former model & Baruch Jairo Vega, a photographer. She is known for her role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids series and Shilo Wallace in the film Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008). In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The Rockits.1 - Nine Months (1995)
2 - ER S1E18 Sleepless in Chicago (1995)
3 - Twister (1996)
4 - The Glimmer Man (1996)
5 - Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! (1998)
6 - The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
7 - Spy Kids (2001)
8 - Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
9 - Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
10 - Sleepover (2004)
11 - Ghost Whisperer S4E22 Endless Love (2009)
12 - Mother's Day (2010)
13 - Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011)
14 - Café (2011)
15 - From Prada to Nada (2011)
16 - Machete Kills (2013)
17 - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of France's most beloved character stars from the 1950s through and including the 1980s was the Italian-born Lino Ventura. Born Angiolino Joseph Pascal Ventura to Giovanni Ventura and Luisa Borrini, on July 14, 1919, in Parma (northern) Italy, young Lino moved with his family at a young age to Paris, where he grew up. A school dropout at age eight, Lino drifted from job to job (mechanic's apprentice, etc.), unable to decide on what to do for a living. Marrying in 1942 at age 23, he and wife Odette Ventura had four children.
Lino finally found a career calling as a Greek/Roman-styled wrestler and went on to become a professional European champion in 1950. He was forced to abandon this sporting life, however, after incurring a serious injury in the ring. Looking for gangster types for his next film, director Jacques Becker gave the inexperienced 34-year-old his first acting job as bad guy support to star Jean Gabin in the crime thriller Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) [Grisbi]. Gabin was impressed and did more than just encourage Lino to pursue acting as a living. Lino went on to appear with Gabin in several of the star's subsequent movies, often playing a gangster, including Razzia (1955) [Razzia], Crime and Punishment (1956), Speaking of Murder (1957) [Crime and Punishment] and Inspector Maigret (1958) [Inspector Maigret].
A tough, brutish, burly-framed presence, Lino came into his own as a tough-nut character star in the 1960s playing both sides of the moral fence. Adept in both light comedy and dark-edged drama, he appeared in scores of films now considered classic French cinema. His homely, craggy-looking mug took the form of various criminals types as in Second Wind (1966) [Second Breath] and Happy New Year (1973) [Happy New Year], as well as dogged, good-guy inspectors in The French Detective (1975) [The French Detective], Illustrious Corpses (1976) [Illustrious Corpses'], and The Grilling (1981). Lino bore a patented weight-of-the-world-on-his-shoulders countenance that audiences sympathized with, even when playing the arch-villain. Over the course of three decades he built up an impressive gallery of blue-collar protagonists. Not to be missed are his embittered, vengeful husband in Witness in the City (1959) [Witness in the City]; corrupt police chief Tiger Brown in Three Penny Opera (1963) [The Threepenny Opera]; a WWII French Resistance fighter in Army of Shadows (1969) [Army in the Shadows]; and Mafia boss Vito Genovese in Charles Bronson's The Valachi Papers (1972), among many, many others. Toward the end of his career he played Jean Valjean in a French production of Les Misérables (1982) for which he received a Cesar award nomination (i.e, the French "Oscar"). He performed practically until the time of his fatal heart attack in 1987 at age 68 in his beloved France. Survivors included his wife of 45 years and children. Daughter Mylene died in a plane crash in 1998 and wife Odette died in 2013.1 - Touchez pas au grisbi (1954)
2 - Le chemin des écoliers (1959)
3 - Classe tous risques (1960)
4 - Les tontons flingueurs (1963)
5 - Les Barbouzes (1964)
6 - Ne nous fâchons pas (1966)
7 - Le clan des Siciliens (1969)
8 - L'armée des ombres (1969)
9 - Boulevard du Rhum (1971)
10 - L'aventure, c'est l'aventure (1972)
11 - L'emmerdeur (1973)
12 - La gifle (1974)
13 - The Medusa Touch (1978)
14 - Garde à vue (1981)
15 - Les misérables (1982)- Actress
- Music Department
Hanne Verbruggen was born on 3 March 1994 in Hamme, Flanders, Belgium. She is an actress, known for K3 en Het Lied van de Zeemeermin, K3 Love Cruise (2017) and K3: 10.000 luchtballonnen (2015). She has been married to Jorn Sarens since 29 August 2020. They have one child.1 - K3 Show : K3 Loves You (2016)
2 - K3 : Wij zijn K3 (2016)
3 - K3 Show : K3 in de ruimte (2017)
4 - K3 Love Cruise (2017)
5 - K3 Roller Disco vol. 1 (2018)
6 - K3 Roller Disco vol. 2 (2019)
7 - K3 Roller Disco vol. 3 (2020)
8 - K3 Roller Disco vol. 4 (2020)
9 - K3 Dans van de Farao (2020)
10 - K3 : 25 Jaar (2023)
11 - K3 Show : Vleugels (2023)- Francesca Vanthielen was born on 24 December 1973 in Eeklo, Flanders, Belgium. She is an actress, known for When the Light Comes (1998), Aspe (2004) and Baantjer (1995).1 - Aspe season 1 (2004)
2 - Aspe season 2 (2006)
3 - Aspe season 3 (2007)
4 - Aspe season 4 (2008)
5 - Aspe season 5 (2009)
6 - Aspe season 6 (2010)
7 - Aspe season 7 (2011)
8 - Aspe season 8 (2012)
9 - Aspe season 9 (2013)
10 - Aspe season 10 (2014) - Actress
- Producer
Tine van den Brande was born on 3 January 1968 in Gent, Flanders, Belgium. She is an actress and producer, known for Flikken (1999), Diamant (1997) and She Good Fighter (1995).1 - Windkracht 10 S1E1 Stormschade (1997)
2 - Windkracht 10 S2, Ep9 (1998)
3 - Flikken season 6 : episodes 4 to 13 (2004)
4 - Aspe S1E4 De vierde gestalte (2004)
5 - Flikken season 7 : episodes 6 to 13 (2005/06)
6 - Flikken S8E1 Rendez-vous (2007)
7 - Aspe season 6 : episodes 8 to 10 (2010)
8 - Aspe season 7 : episodes 5 to 7 (2011)
9 - Aspe season 9 : episodes 1 & 2 (2013)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Dick Van Dyke was born Richard Wayne Van Dyke in West Plains, Missouri, to Hazel Victoria (McCord), a stenographer, and Loren Wayne Van Dyke, a salesman. His younger brother was entertainer Jerry Van Dyke. His ancestry includes English, Dutch, Scottish, German and Swiss-German. Although he had small roles beforehand, Van Dyke was launched to stardom in the musical "Bye-Bye Birdie" (1960), for which he won a Tony Award, and, then, later in the movie based on that play, Bye Bye Birdie (1963). He has starred in a number of films through the years including Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Fitzwilly (1967), as well as a number of successful television series which won him no less than four Emmy Awards and three made-for-CBS movies. After separating from his wife, Margie Willett, in the 1970s, Dick later became involved with Michelle Triola. Margie and Dick had four children born during the first ten years of their marriage: Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Beth Van Dyke, Christian Van Dyke and Stacy Van Dyke, all of whom are now in their sixties and seventies, and married themselves. He has seven grandchildren, including Shane Van Dyke, Carey Van Dyke, Wes Van Dyke and Taryn Van Dyke (Barry's children) and family members often appear with him on Diagnosis Murder (1993).1 - Mary Poppins (1964)
2 - What a Way to Go! (1964)
3 - Columbo S4E2 Negative Reaction (1974)
4 - Highway to Heaven S3E15 Wally (1987)
5 - Airwolf S4E21 Malduke (1987)
6 - Dick Tracy (1990)
7 - Night at the Museum (2006)
8 - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
9 - Mary Poppins Returns (2018)- Actress
- Writer
Wendy van Dijk was born on 22 January 1971 in Weesp, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress and writer, known for Love Is All (2007), Ushi & Van Dijk (1999) and Moordvrouw (2012). She has been married to Erland Galjaard since 12 September 2014. They have one child.1 - Flodder S3E8 Van de wereld (1995)
2 - Moordvrouw season 1 (2012)
3 - Moordvrouw season 2 (2013)
4 - Moordvrouw season 3 (2014)
5 - Moordvrouw season 4 (2015)
6 - Moordvrouw season 5 (2016)
7 - Moordvrouw season 6 (2017)
8 - Moordvrouw season 7 (2018)- Actress
- Writer
- Art Department
Georgina Verbaan was born on 9 October 1979 in The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress and writer, known for 't Schaep met de 5 pooten (2006), Klem (2017) and Joyride (2005).1 - Costa! (2001)
2 - Amazones (2004)
3 - Alibi (2008)
4 - Hartenstraat (2014)
5 - De surprise (2015)
6 - Brasserie Valentijn (2016)
7 - Hartenstrijd (2016)
8 - De Matchmaker (2018)- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Emmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian actress and model. She began acting in grade school, after she was cast as an understudy in a play and had to fill in when the lead actor became ill. She modeled in Japan for three years. She made her acting debut in the 1995 made-for-TV movie drama, A Family Divided. She took up horseback riding in 2010; entered a Burbank, CA, horse show in which she placed third. She is involved with animal protection organizations including JIMI'S Angels and Best Friends Animal Society; she created Fluff-ball, an animal fundraiser event, to provide monetary support for the groups.1 - Ripper (2001)
2 - Charmed S5E6 The Eyes Have It (2002)
3 - Smallville season 2 (2002/03)
4 - Smallville season 3 E1&2 (2003)
5 - Veronica Mars season 1 (2004/05)
6 - Blonde and Blonder (2008)
7 - A Nanny for Christmas (2010)
8 - Supergirl S6E11 Mxy in the Middle (2021)- Actress
- Producer
Creativity goes beyond canvas, photos, film, and media. It also catalyzes charity, philanthropy, and activism.
Award-winning actress, history-making supermodel, staunch philanthropist, conscientious activist, author, and loving mom Patricia Velásquez applies an eternal creative spirit to everything she does-whether it be starring in blockbusters a la The Curse of La Llorona or launching the Wayúu Tayá Foundation and participating on the UNESCO Board. Regardless, she makes major strides by drawing on instinct and deliberately paving her own path.
"I look at my career as a long staircase," she says. "I took every single step up. It was amazing to do so, because there has been longevity. I just put my head down, moved one step at a time, and never stopped."
The metaphor directly resembles a formative experience. Born in Venezuela but raised in France and Mexico, she relocated to Venezuela after a handful of years. In South America, her parents worked in education and moved the family into a crowded apartment building with no water and inoperable elevators. In order to supply water for the unit, Patricia often carried heavy buckets up fifteen flights of stairs.
In between studying engineering and intense dance training, she endeavored to help the family however possible. Scouted to model in Milan, the multi talented artist's ascent to the top of the fashion world hinged on a promise to those she loved. She recalls, "When they asked me to go to Italy, I said, 'If can send thirty dollars a month back to Venezuela, it's worth it, because that will pay for the whole building's water'."
Patricia's success represented a turning point in fashion as she drew industry attention to South America for the first time. She experienced a big break upon becoming "the first model Karl Lagerfeld ever photographed" and going on to walk in shows, star in editorial spreads, and front ads for Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Chloe, Cover Girl, and Victoria's Secret, to name a few. Resonating around the globe, she appeared in Oprah and Ford Models' "Supermodel of the World" contest as well. Not to mention, she graced the covers of Vogue, Bazaar, Marie Claire, and many others. She artfully channeled her dance training during shoots.
She goes on, "I knew how to move the energy around the body without letting whoever looked at the photos later on know that I was actually dancing. It became a signature for me."
Simultaneously, she ignited an impressive acting career. Not only did she star in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, but she also appeared on The L Word, Arrested Development, CSI: Miami, Ugly Betty, and Rescue Me. In 2006, she made her stage debut by starring in School of the Americas-produced by Academy® Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and written by José Rivera at New York's famed Public Theater. Patricia not only starred in Cenizas Eternas, but also served as executive producer. Her production experience continued as star and associate producer of Liz in September. In recognition of the latter, she garnered "Best Actress, Women's Feature" at the 2015 North Carolina Film Festival.
However, Patricia kicks off a bold new chapter in 2019 by starring in The Curse of La Llorona.
"The movie is really important to me," she goes on. "It's a timeless independent folk tale, and I was honored to be a part of it. I fell in love with the story and really got into the character."
Throughout her career, she capitalized on every opportunity to give back. In 2002, she founded the Wayúu Tayá Foundation. This non-profit preserves the culture of indigenous groups throughout Latin America by way of support and the drastic improvement of living conditions. UNESCO invited her to be a celebrity advocate, and the United Nations granted her the 2009 Women Together Award. Other honors include the 2010 Solidarity Award, the 2015 La Femme Film Festivals' Humanitarian Award, and the 2018 Visibility Award from The Human Rights Campaign. 2018 saw the Organization for American States (OAS) appoint her as Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas in Washington, D.C. An outsider empathy continues to inform this myriad of charitable efforts.
"Going from France to Mexico to Venezuela and moving so much, I always felt like an outsider," she admits. "I could identify with indigenous communities because of this shared sensibility. One thing that kept bringing me back home and made me feel protected was knowing that I was indigenous. It keeps me grounded, so I do whatever I can to help."
As a published author, she penned a powerful and page-turning autobiography entitled, Straight Walk: A Supermodel's Journey to Finding her Truth. Released in 2015, it details her unbelievable career up that point..
In the end, Patricia's creativity always leaves a lasting impression.
"I've realized you can do the work you love, and the results can manifest on many different levels," she concludes. "You can take those things, turn them around, and create something environmentally friendly, sustainable, new, or beneficial to the world. Everything feeds off each other. It all comes from the same creative place."1 - Le jaguar (1996)
2 - The Mummy (1999)
3 - Committed (2000)
4 - The Mummy Returns (2001)
5 - Mindhunters (2004)
6 - The L Word season 5 (2008)
7 - The Curse of la Llorona (2019)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Mario Van Peebles is a highly regarded director, actor, producer and writer. His directorial skills can be seen in the retelling of the epic mini-series "Roots" starring Forest Whitaker and Matthew Goode. Van Peebles has directed award-winning shows such as the recent hit "Empire" and "The Last Ship," as well as "Sons of Anarchy," "Lost," "Damages," and "Boss." As an actor Van Peebles has credits are as equally impressive.
An independent filmmaker to his core, Van Pebbles grew up watching Melvin Van Peebles, his maverick filmmaker father. A true master craftsman in his own right, Van Peebles is defined as a director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer; known for funding his own work.
His many talents can be seen in films like his directorial breakout hit "New Jack City," "Posse" and "Panther;" plus Michael Mann's Oscar® nominated "Ali," in which he received critical acclaim for his role as real life minister and human rights activist Malcom X; the multi-award-winning "Cotton Club" written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Clint Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge;" and several projects with Ava DuVernay.
Throughout his career, Van Peebles has brought challenging, compelling material to the screen, including his hip hop coming-of-age film "We the Party," for which he wrote, directed and produced; his documentary short "Bring You're a Game;" and, of course, "Baadasssss!" This was Van Peebles' odyssey about the making of his father's groundbreaking film "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" and was one of Ebert and Roeper's ten best movies of the year for 2004.
As a director, Van Pebbles has affected unusually strong performances from his fellow actors. They often remark that he creates a collaborative climate where they feel free to do their best work. He believes his background as an actor helps him approach the actor's character development process internally. Conversely, he believes being a director has made him a more trusting, nuanced actor. Being able to do both is like creative crop rotation for Van Peebles. Not many directors get the privilege of being directed by other strong filmmakers. Acting for others is still "super exciting" to him.
In 1994, Hofstra University awarded Van Peebles an honorary doctorate of humane letters. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University, Van Peebles spent two years working at New York's Department of Environmental Protection before moving to Hollywood to try his hand at acting writing and directing.
In addition to directing and acting in features, Van Peebles is passionate about supporting education and eco-consciousness through media. With his reality show, Mario's Green House, he teamed up with his five children and his father to chronicle the Van Peebles family's often-humorous attempts to raise their eco-consciousness as they try to go green in Hollywood. Green "We never got to the full green, more like Olive green," jokes Van Peebles.1 - Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
2 - Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
3 - 21 Jump Street S3E16 High High (1989)
4 - 21 Jump Street S4E3 Eternal Flame (1989)
5 - Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright (2010)
6 - Blindspot S4,E6 (2018)- Actress
- Producer
Alexandra Vandernoot is a Belgian actress of Yugoslavian descent. To English-speaking audiences she is primarily known for portraying Tessa Noël, the first lover and confidant of immortal protagonist Duncan MacLeod in the fantasy series "Highlander: The Series" (1992-1998). Vandernoot was a regular cast member in all season 1 episodes and the first four episodes of season 2, but then departed the series for personal reasons. She has since had regular roles in many French-speaking television series and mini-series, such as the comedy-drama series "Station Horizon" (2015).
In 1965, Vandernoot was born in Brussels. Her father was André Vandernoot (1927-1991), an award-winning music conductor. He also served as the artistic director for various orchestras, and for the opera house La Monnaie. Vandernoot's mother was Dusanka Sifnios (1933-2016), a Yugoslavian ballerina and choreographer with an international career. Sifnios had served as the muse of choreographer Maurice Béjart (1927-2007) during the 1960s, and was the first person to perform Béjart's ballet version of Maurice Ravel's "Boléro".
Vandernoot studied drama at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels .She started her film career in the 1980s, but was often limited to minor roles. Among her few notable film roles was the period film "The Supper" (1992), which depicted the private meeting of a politician with the scheming diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838). Taleyrand was famous for serving leaders of four different French regimes, and for his betrayal of his supposed masters. Vandernoot portrayed Dorothea von Biron, Duchess of Dino (1793-1862), the favorite niece and alleged mistress of Talleyrand.
Vandernoot's first major role in a television production was that of Tessa Noël in "Highlander: The Series" . Her character was depicted as a French antique dealer, professional sculptor, and professional illustrator. Tessa was the long-term lover and business partner of immortal Duncan MacLeod, and one of the few peoples aware of his immortality and the struggles which he faced with rival immortals. She was also aware that he was destined to outlive her, and that he was sterile and unable to produce children with her. Tessa tended to remind Duncan that he was not omnipotent, and that the he was not solely responsible for the safety of the world.
While the role of Tessa made Vandernoot famous for a while, she found the work schedule of the series to be exhausting. "Highlander" had twice as many episodes per season as the average European television series, and she had to appear in all of them. Shootings for the series took place in two different series: Vancouver, Canada and Paris, France. This required Vandernoot to spend several months in Canada, where she had no family or friends. She found herself missing her family, and she requested to leave the series in order to re-establish contact with them. The producers and writers quickly developed a death scene for Tessa. Having already survived encounters with several dangerous foes over the previous episodes, Tessa is eventually ambushed and killed by a random mugger. Her death continued to haunt Duncan for the entire duration of the series.
Following her return to Europe, Vandernoot started a long-term with Bernard Uzan. Uzan was a French director and screenwriter. They had their first son, Léo in 1995. Their daughter Julia was born in 2003. Vandernoot eventually returned to "Highlander" for guest star appearances. She initially played a villain impersonating Tessa, and later an alternate reality version of Tessa. To Vandernoot's reported surprise, her character remained highly popular with the series' audience. This led to her guest appearances in the series, and also to Vandernoot's appearances in fan conventions.
Vandernoot had the supporting role of Christine Brochant in the box-office hit "The Dinner Game" (1998). Her character was the wife of Parisian publisher Pierre Brochant (played by Thierry Lhermitte). During her husband's brief association with a supposedly foolish civil servant, Brochant's new friend accidentally reveals to Christine that her husband has a mistress. This comedy was the top-grossing French film of 1998. It has inspired four different remakes.
During the 2010s, Vandernoot had several theatrical roles. She appeared in new plays by (among others) Bernard Uzan, Francis Vener, Éric Le Roch, and Alil Vardar. She has went on theatrical tours to perform her various notable roles. Vandernoot has kept working into the 2020s. By 2022, she was 57-years-old. She seems to have no plans to retire.1 - Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
2 - Le jaguar (1996)
3 - Le dîner de cons (1998)
4 - Le placard (2001)
5 - Le bleu de l'océan (2003)
6 - Meurtres à Belle-Île (2019)- Actress
- Director
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
aka Laly Vallade
1 - Story of Laly (2009)
2 - Laly's Angels (2010)
3 - Bangkok Connection (2011)
4 - Les secrets de Laly (2013)
5 - Lesbian Sitters (2014)
6 - Lesbian Legal 15 (2019)- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara Dávila de Vergara, is a housewife. Her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, provides cattle to the meat industry. She has five siblings. She was educated at a private bilingual Spanish/English school. She then went on to study pre-dentistry. However, Sofía was discovered by a photographer, whilst at the beach, and this led to various jobs in modeling and television. At age 23, she was a runway model. From 1995 to 1998, she co-hosted a travel show, Fuera de serie (1995), which gave her exposure in the United States. Her first film role was the criminal comedy Big Trouble (2002). Her breakthrough role was as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the American television series Modern Family (2009). In 2010-2013, she received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for this role. Sofía resides in Los Angeles, California with her son, Manolo.1 - Pledge This! (2006)
2 - The Smurfs (2011)
3 - New Year's Eve (2011)
4 - Machete Kills (2013)
5 - Hot Pursuit (2015)
6 - The Con Is On (2018)- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Paz Vega
A renowned international actress who has captivated audiences in Europe, North America, and Latin America with her talent and versatility in acting. After starting her career on the successful sitcom "Siete vidas", the Sevillian actress made the jump to the big screen with Julio Medem's "Sex and Lucia" in 2001, which earned her prestigious accolades as a breakthrough actress in Spain and the rest of Europe, including the Goya and the Chopard Trophy at the Cannes International Film Festival.
In 2006, Paz Vega took a significant step in her career by working in Hollywood, alongside director James L. Brooks, who invited her to co-star in "Spanglish" alongside Adam Sandler. This role allowed her to win the Best Breakthrough Actress award from the Phoenix Film Critics Society. Since then, she has worked with prestigious directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Frank Miller, Danis Tanovic, Oliver Parker, Michelle Placido, and the Taviani Brothers, and has shared the screen with big names in international cinema such as Scarlett Johansson, Diego Luna, Jason Clarke, Andie MacDowell, Eva Mendes, Adrien Brody, Colin Farrell, and legendary actors such as Rob Lowe, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, and Sylvester Stallone, to name a few. In 2022, Paz Vega starred in the comedy "A todo Tren 2", which achieved excellent results at the Spanish box office, becoming the third most-watched movie in the country. Additionally, that same year, Vega filmed "Luciérnagas en el Mozote", the first Hollywood movie made in El Salvador and produced by Bob Yari.
2023 has started exceptionally well for Paz Vega, who leads the cast of "Kaleidoscope" alongside Giancarlo Esposito, Tati Gabrielle, Rufus Sewell, and Jai Courtney, a new Netflix production produced by Ridley Scott that has already become a worldwide success. Additionally, Vega has ventured into directing and screenwriting, demonstrating her commitment and passion for the film industry and establishing herself as a multidisciplinary artist willing to continue surprising audiences. In short, Paz Vega is one of the most outstanding and recognized actresses in international cinema1 - Lucía y el sexo (2001)
2 - Hable con ella (2002)
3 - The Spirit (2008)
4 - Grace of Monaco (2014)
5 - All Roads Lead to Rome (2015)
6 - Rambo: Last Blood (2019)- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Enigmatic, dark-haired foreign import Alida Valli was dubbed "The Next Garbo" but didn't live up to postwar expectations despite her cool, patrician beauty, remote allure and significant talent. Born in Pola, Italy (now Croatia), on May 3, 1921, the daughter of a Tridentine journalist and professor and an Istrian homemaker, she studied dramatics as a teen at the Motion Picture Academy of Rome and Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia before snaring bit roles in such films as Il cappello a tre punte (1935) ["The Three-Cornered Hat"] and I due sergenti (1936) ["The Two Sergeants"]. She made a name for herself in Italy during WWII playing the title role in Manon Lescaut (1940), won a Venice Film Festival award for Piccolo mondo antico (1941) ["Little Old World"] and was a critical sensation in We the Living (1942) ["We the Living"]. She briefly abandoned her career, however, in 1943, refusing to appear in what she considered fascist propaganda, and was forced into hiding. The next year she married surrealist painter/pianist/composer Oscar De Mejo. They had two children, and one of them, Carlo De Mejo, became an actor. She divorced in 1955, then she came back to Italy,
Following her potent, award-winning work in the title role of Eugenie Grandet (1946), she was discovered and contracted by David O. Selznick to play the murder suspect Maddalena Paradine in Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947). She was billed during her Hollywood years simply as "Valli," and Selznick also gave her top femme female billing in Carol Reed's classic film noir The Third Man (1949), but for every successful film--such as the ones previously mentioned--she experienced such failures as The Miracle of the Bells (1948), and audiences stayed away. In 1951 she bid farewell to Hollywood and returned to her beloved Italy. In Europe again, she was sought after by the best directors. Her countess in Luchino Visconti's Senso (1954) was widely heralded, and she moved easily from ingénue to vivid character roles. Later standout films encompassed costume dramas as well as shockers and had her playing everything from baronesses to grandmothers in such films as Eyes Without a Face (1960) ["Eyes Without a Face"], Le gigolo (1960), Oedipus Rex (1967) ["Oedipus Rex"], The Big Scare (1974), 1900 (1976), Suspiria (1977), Luna (1979), Inferno (1980), Aspern (1982), A Month by the Lake (1995) and, her most recent, Angel of Death (2001).1 - The Paradine Case (1947)
2 - The Third Man (1949)
3 - Senso (1954)
4 - Novecento (1976)
5 - The Cassandra Crossing (1976)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Saar Vandendriessche was born on 28 February 1975 in Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Blue Belgium (2000), Costa! 1001 nacht (2005) and Spoed (2000).1 - F.C. De Kampioenen S12E6 De nieuwe kracht (2002)
2 - Aspe S1E10 De vijfde macht (2004)
3 - F.C. De Kampioenen S14E7 Kere weer om (2004)
4 - Matroesjka's (2005)- Ingrid Van Rensbergen was born on 25 July 1973 in Belgium. She is an actress, known for Spoed (2000), Buiten de Zone (1994) and Wat nu weer!? (1995). She is married to Manu. They have one child.1 - F.C. De Kampioenen S6E11 Gigolo Marc (1996)
2 - Flikken S2E12 Schone schijn (2000)
3 - F.C. De Kampioenen S11E8 (2001)
4 - Aspe S1E10 De vijfde macht (2004) - Actress
- Writer
Marie Vinck was born on 3 January 1983 in Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium. She is an actress and writer, known for De kus (2004), De Rodenburgs (2009) and Adem (2010).1 - De Rodenburgs season 1 : episodes 1 to 8 (2009)
2 - Smoorverliefd (2010)
3 - 13 Geboden (2017)
4 - Ritueel (2022)- Lien Van de Kelder was born on 30 October 1982. She is an actress, known for Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013), Vermist (2008) and Flikken Maastricht (2007).1 - Flikken S7E6 Groen (2005)
2 - Aspe S9E11 Hoogmoed komt voor de val (2013)
3 - Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Holly Rachel Valance was born 11th May 1983 in Melbourne, Australia to parents Rachel Stevens and Ryko Valance (Ryko legally changed his name at 18 from Vukadinovic). Holly's mother is from Southampton, England and her father is Serbian Montenegrin. Both of her parents were models and her father is a musician. Holly modelled from 12 and was signed to the famous Aussie TV soap "Neighbours" from the age of 15. At 19 Holly moved to the UK to pursue music, as she was signed to London Records (Warner) and released 2 successful albums worldwide. "Kiss Kiss", her first single reaching No.1 in the UK & Australia. At 20 she moved to LA full-time for 8 years focussing on film and TV. Holly now resides in London, England with her British entrepreneur husband Nick Candy. They also have a home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. The couple share 2 daughters Luka and Nova. Holly runs her own foundation with husband Nick, focussing on children with disabilities. The Candy Foundation.1 - DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
2 - Pledge This! (2006)
3 - Taken (2008)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Cerina Vincent is an actress, author, and producer with a fan base that spans all age groups and genres.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, she had a childhood in theatre and musicals from the age of 12. After hanging up her crown as Miss Nevada Teen USA 1996, she moved to Hollywood and began working in film and television. Cerina starred in the #1 kid's series in the world, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy as "Maya, The Yellow Power Ranger." And quickly went from a TV superhero to a silver screen siren from her "Saturn Award" nominated performance in the horror sensation Cabin Fever, and her daring, comedic role in Not Another Teen Movie. World renown as a "scream queen," horror fans also love her in Return to House on Haunted Hill, It Waits, MoniKa, Tales of Halloween and dozens of other genre-fan favorites, including a mini-series for AMC'S, The Walking Dead, and "Darkened Room, " a short film written for her and directed by David Lynch.
Cerina's comedy and drama can be seen on dozens of hit shows including Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly, Workaholics, Californication, CSI and NCIS to name a few. Cerina just wrapped 3 seasons of Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle where she quickly became kids favorite "TV Mom," as "Suzy Diaz" the quirky, frazzled, loving mother of 7 children. Cerina's latest movie, My Daughters Psycho Friend, premiered on Lifetime, and she just wrapped the lead role in another Lifetime thriller, Secrets in the Water, where she plays a grieving mother.
Cerina has also co-wrote the best-selling How to Eat Like a Hot Chick, How to Love Like a Hot Chick, and Live Like a Hot Chick from Harper Collins. She's been on The Today Show dozens of times giving her irreverent yet inspiring lifestyle advice for women, as well as blogged for The Huffington Post.
Cerina works every year to raise money for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and The Life After Project which supports mental health and suicide prevention.1 - Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
2 - Ally McBeal S5E19 Another One Bites the Dust (2002)
3 - MoniKa (2012)- Valentina Vargas is a Chilean-born French actress. She developed most of her career in France, where she was raised.
Vargas began her career in the dramatic art within the workshop of Tania Balachova in Paris and also later at the Yves Pignot School of Los Angeles. Her cinematographic career started via the filming of three French movies, namely Pierre Jolivet's Strictly Personal (1985), Luc Besson's The Big Blue (1988) and Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose (1986). Over the years, Vargas also worked with Samuel Fuller in Street of No Return (1989), Miguel Littín in Los Náufragos (1994) and Alfredo Arieta in Fuegos (1987).
Vargas is trilingual in Spanish, French and English. This has enabled her to pass without notice in films as varied as the cinematic horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) where she played the Cenobite Angelique, to the comedy Chili con carne (1999) of Thomas Gilou. She appeared opposite Jan Michael Vincent (Dirty Games (1989)), Malcolm McDowell and Michael Ironside (Southern Cross (1999)), and James Remar (Die Tigerin (1992)).
After her performance in Bloody Mallory (2002) where she played "Lady Valentine/Carmina Belladone", she turned to playing roles for television. Initially she played in a version of Dangerous Liaisons (2003) directed by Josée Dayan. She starred in this production with Catherine Deneuve, Rupert Everett, Leelee Sobieski and Nastassja Kinski.1 - Der Name der Rose (1986)
2 - Le grand bleu (1988)
3 - Faces in the Crowd (2011) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Lieke van Lexmond was born on 6 February 1982 in IJsselstein, Utrecht, Netherlands. She is an actress, known for Centraal Medisch Centrum (2016), Goede tijden, slechte tijden (1990) and De TV kantine (2009). She has been married to Bas van Veggel since June 2016. They have two children.1 - Rokjesdag (2016)
2 - Casanova's (2020)- Actress
- Producer
During her last year at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, she was cast for her first two leading roles - both Het Schnitzelparadiijs and Vet Hard went on to become box-office hits and her career took off. Bracha is one of the Netherlands most sought-after leading ladies.1 - Moordwijven (2007)
2 - Hartenstraat (2014)- Actress
- Writer
Astrid Veillon was born on 30 October 1971 in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, France. She is an actress and writer, known for Swordfish (2001), Highlander (1992) and Fabio Montale (2001).1 - Swordfish (2001)
2 - Meurtres à Aix-en-Provence (2016)- Julie Vermeire is known for F.C. De Kampioenen 4: Viva Boma! (2019), F.C. De Kampioenen 3: Kampioenen Forever (2017) and De Redders (2021).1 - F.C. De Kampioenen 3: Kampioenen Forever (2017)
2 - F.C. De Kampioenen 4: Viva Boma! (2019) - Misty Vonage was born on 31 October 1966 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress. She died on 27 July 2021 in Englewood, Florida, USA.1 - Blonde Beaver Eaters (2010)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lupe Velez was born on July 18, 1908, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, as Maria Guadalupe Villalobos Velez. She was sent to Texas at the age of 13 to live in a convent. She later admitted that she wasn't much of a student because she was so rambunctious. She had planned to become a champion roller skater, but that would change. Life was hard for her family, and Lupe returned to Mexico to help them out financially. She worked as a salesgirl for a department store for the princely sum of $4 a week. Every week she would turn most of her salary over to her mother, but she kept a little for herself so she could take dancing lessons. With her mature shape and grand personality, she thought she could make a try at show business, which she figured was a lot more glamorous than dancing or working as a salesclerk. In 1924 Lupe started her show business career on the Mexican stage and wowed audiences with her natural beauty and talent. By 1927 she had emigrated to Hollywood, where she was discovered by Hal Roach, who cast her in a comedy with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Douglas Fairbanks then cast her in his feature film The Gaucho (1927) with himself and wife Mary Pickford. Lupe played dramatic roles for five years before she switched to comedy. In 1933 she played the lead role of Pepper in Hot Pepper (1933). This film showcased her comedic talents and helped her to show the world her vital personality. She was delightful. In 1934 Lupe appeared in three fine comedies: Strictly Dynamite (1934), Palooka (1934) and Laughing Boy (1934). By now her popularity was such that a series of "Mexican Spitfire" films were written around her. She portrayed Carmelita Lindsay in Mexican Spitfire (1939), Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940), The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941) and Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event (1943), among others. Audiences loved her in these madcap adventures, but it seemed at times that she was better known for her stormy love affairs. She married one of her lovers, Johnny Weissmuller, but the marriage only lasted five years and was filled with battles. Lupe certainly did live up to her nickname. She had a failed romance with Gary Cooper, who never wanted to wed her. By 1943 her career was waning. She went to Mexico in the hopes of jump-starting her career. She gained her best reviews yet in the Mexican version of Naná (1944). Bolstered by the success of that movie, Lupe returned to the US, where she starred in her final film as Pepita Zorita, Ladies' Day (1943). There were to be no others. On December 13, 1944, tired of yet another failed romance, with a part-time actor named Harald Maresch, and pregnant with his child, Lupe committed suicide with an overdose of Seconal. She was only 36 years old.1 - Sailors, Beware! (1927)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sofie Van Moll was born on 20 February 1984 in Neerpelt, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Urbain (2005), Visions of Europe (2004) and 8eraf (2021).1.1 - Aspe S2E12 De orpheusfactor - Deel 1 (2006)
1.2 - Aspe S2E13 De orpheusfactor - Deel 2 (2006)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Maureen Vanherberghen is known for Helden van de zee (2016), Helden Boven Alles (2017) and Idool 2011 (2011).- Olympia Valance is known for Neighbours (1985), Heat (2023) and Ghetto Heaven (2017). She has been married to Tom Bellchambers since 12 June 2022.
- Actress
- Talent Agent
Isabel Vollmer was born on 11 September 1985 in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany. She is an actress and talent agent, known for Freundinnen - Jetzt erst recht (2018), Unter uns (1994) and Manta, Manta: Legacy (2023).- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Anneliese van der Pol was born on September 23, 1984 in Naaldwijk, Netherlands, to Dyan Ross and Willem van der Pol. She moved to the United States when she was a young child. Her American-born mother named her after Holocaust victim Anne Frank. A graduate of the Musical Theater Program at The Orange County High School of the Arts, California, Anneliese (pronounced AH-na-LEE-zah) has already made an impressive mark in the world of entertainment. For her captivating performance as Eva Péron in the Buena Park Civic Theater production of Evita (1996), she not only won rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times but also earned a place in history as the the youngest actress - at the age of 15 - to play the role in a professional production. More recently, Anneliese starred as Laurey in Oklahoma! (1955) for Austin Musical Theater, and received both an Austin Critics Table Award nomination for "Best Actress In a Musical" and a B. Iden Payne Award nomination for "Best Featured Actress in a Musical." In 2009, Van der Pol returned to theatre in Theatre Under the Star's Musical Production of Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as Esther Smith, in Houston.
On television, she starred as Chelsea Daniels, Raven's best friend and sidekick who often draws her into humorous escapades in the Disney Channel original comedy series That's So Raven (2003). The series went on to become Disney's most successful show to date surpassing the 100th episode mark.
On the big screen, Van der Pol starred in Divorce: The Musical (2001). Van der Pol also appeared in one of the Summer's most anticipated film, Bratz (2007) as Avery.
With Disney, Van der Pol participated in many musical projects. She performed part of the theme song for That's So Raven (2003), and was also a part of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars which recorded covers of "The Circle of Life" and "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes" along with other Disney Stars. Van der Pol was also asked to record the main track, "Over It", for the Disney Channel Original Movie, Stuck in the Suburbs (2004). Van der Pol also recorded several tracks for the "That's So Raven Too!" Soundtrack, including the album's second single, "A Day in the Sun." In attempt to jump start a musical career, she has worked with veteran music producer/song writer, Bob Esty and Jud Friedman on her first Demo CD.
Van der Pol made her Broadway debut in 2007 as Broadway's final Belle in "Beauty and the Beast." The musical ran for 13 years before closing to make room for "The Little Mermaid". "Beauty and the Beast" is Broadway's sixth-longest running production in history. in 2009, Anneliese originate the role of Kathy in Off-Broadway's "Vanities" and recorded the show's Original Cast Recording.- Actor
- Producer
Hollywood's original Latin Lover, a term that was invented for Rudolph Valentino by Hollywood moguls. Alla Nazimova's friend Natacha Rambova (nee Winifred Hudnut) became romantically involved with Rudy and they lived together in her bungalow from 1921 (during the filming of Camille) until they eloped to Mexico on May 13, 1922 believing that his divorce from Jean Acker was official. After their re-marriage two years later she left him because he signed a contract that barred her from being involved in his pictures and wasn't allowed on set. She went to Nice to live with her parents and never entered their new mansion, Falcon Lair. He began to date sexy Pola Negri and was also linked to Vilma Banky. While he was touring to promote his last film, an editorial in the Chicago Tribune accused him of "effeminization of the American male". He defended his manhood by challenging the article's writer to a boxing match; it never took place, but another writer for the paper did enter the ring on behalf of the author who would not be named, and Valentino defeated him. He died shortly afterward while he was in New York attending the premiere of his last film. He collapsed in his hotel on August 15, 1926 and died on August 23, after an operation that led to an infection. 80,000 mourners nearly caused a riot at his New York funeral. Another funeral followed in California.