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Malik Yoba was born on 17 September 1967 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Cool Runnings (1993), New York Undercover (1994) and Cop Land (1997). He has been married to Cat Wilson since 21 December 2003. He was previously married to Trisha Mann.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jazsmin Lewis was born on 22 March 1976 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), Traci Townsend (2007) and My Sisters World. She has been married to Brian Kelly since 2005. They have one child. She was previously married to Jesse Saunders.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Hughley is the second of four children. His father was an airline maintenance worker and his mother was a homemaker.
He grew up in L.A.'s South Central where he was a member of the Bloods gang after getting kicked out of high school. However, he turned his life around after a cousin was shot. He quit the gang and got a job as a telemarketer for the Los Angeles Times, where he moved into management and met his wife-to-be. She was the one who convinced him to try his humor onstage. After years of club dates, he was selected by BET as the first host of "Comic View" and subsequently got additional recognition with two very adult-oriented HBO specials.- Actor
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RonReaco Lee was born August 27, 1976 in Decatur Illinois. He is an actor who has appeared in Glory (1989), Guess who (2005), Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (2009), Sister, Sister (1994-1999), Survivor's Remorse (2014), and Moesha (1996-2001). He has been married since 2010 to Sheana Freeman and has two children.- Actor
- Producer
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Acting Career - Hailing from the Windy City, Kel Mitchell began his acting career at the young age of 12 with the ETA Creative Arts Foundation. Young Kel wowed audiences with his on-stage performances in Chicago theatrical productions such as "Kasimu & the Coconut Palm" and "Dirt." But it was his outstanding performance in "Eden" at the historic Victory Gardens Theater, which caught the attention of a prominent talent agent. At the age of 14, Kel got the opportunity of a lifetime. He flew to Florida to be on a TV show on the then new network for kids, Nickelodeon. Kel beat out thousands of other kids and was cast in what soon became a groundbreaking TV show. Mitchell was an original member on Nickelodeon's "All That" from 1994-1999. He and co-star Kenan Thompson also starred in the spin-off series "Kenan & Kel" from 1996-2000, as well as a 1997 major motion picture, titled "Good Burger", which is the movie version of one of his sketches from "All That". The duo also appeared together in episodes of "Sister Sister" and "The Steve Harvey Show" Kel Mitchell starred in the 1999 comedy "Mystery Men" with Ben Stiller and William H. Macy and in 2000, "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" with Robert De Niro, Jason Alexander and Rene Russo. Mitchell was also the voice of a mild-mannered and playful dog named T-Bone in the children's cartoon series "Clifford the Big Red Dog", alongside the late John Ritter from 2000 to 2003. In 2004, he also made an appearance in the Kanye West music video "All Falls Down" as a luggage collecting hotel valet. In 2005, Mitchell portrayed Manny Sellers in the sitcom "One on One" with Kyla Pratt, and in 2007 Kel starred in BET's new series "Take the Cake" Some of his other credits include in 2007 "Honeydripper" directed by John Sayles, with Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Charles S. Dutton and in 2008, Mitchell appeared in two Detroit-based stage productions, "Affairs" and "Laundromat", the latter written by Carlos Faison and also starred comedian Buddy Lewis and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons of R&B group SWV. In 2009 Kel became the voice of Ant on "The Ant and the Ardvark" new cartoon series from MGM studios "Pink Panther and Pals" for Cartoon Network. He has also filmed his writing and producing movie debut called "Dance Fu" in which he also stars as the lead role. It was directed by Cedric the Entertainer and also starring Tommy Davidson, Rodney Perry, Katerina Graham, and Affion Crockett. Kel voices Dutch in the animated series "Motorcity" on Disney XD and Jay-Jay in the animated series WildGrinders on Nicktoons. Mitchell most recently made is directorial debut with a short film that he also wrote called, "She Is Not My Sister" & starred as "D-Rock" on the CW's new web series called, "Stupid Hype" alongside of "Heart of Dixie's" Wilson Bethel.
Music Career - In 1996 he was a featured rapper on IMX's Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hit "Watch Me Do My Thing" as his "Good Burger" character, Ed. In 1997 he wrote and performed "Were All Dudes" feat Less then Jake, the title song for the "Good Burger" movie. In 1999 his rap group with his two childhood friends wrote and performed "Who Are Those Mystery Men" on the "Mystery Men" movie soundtrack. In 2000 He was a featured rapper on Youngstown's "Pedal to the Steel" for the Disney television movie "Alley Cat Strike". In 2006 he and Dru Hill's Jazz wrote and performed "Up the game" for the movie "Like Mike 2: Streetball", and in 2008 he wrote and performed "Pray Together" for the gospel film "Don't Touch If You Aint Prayed 2" He has also done several parodies of hit songs, Kel has parodied celebrities such as Prince, 50 Cent and Michael Jackson just to name a few on a DVD called "Kel Videos Live" and in 2009 Mitchell directed Pop Artist Colby O'Donis's music video "Let You Go". He has voiced and wrote music for the animated cartoon called "Freaknik: the Musical" executive produced by T-Pain on Adult Swim.
Philanthropist - Kel motivates kids by giving speeches at many junior high and high school's, he has a genuine interest in the youth and mentoring them to be future leaders. He is a spokesperson for and works with organizations like Nccsa: National Center for Child Safety and Awareness, The Boys & Girls Club, The National College Association from the producers of The Black College Expo, LA's Best After School Enrichment Program, Young Visionaries, Black Carson Chambers of Commerce and many more. Kel also host's a web-series called "Ask Pastor Zeigler" with his Pastor from Spirit Food Christian Center Church teaching youth how to use the words of the Bible and how to put there Godly faith to work. Mitchell also puts on a live dance competition each month for the inner city youth called "The Back House Party" he executive produces the show along with his wife, designer and Christian rap artist Asia Lee. They put on the show at "The Dream Center Gallery" located in Compton, California.
Mitchell was honored with a Cable Ace Award in 1997 for Best Actor in a comedy series for his work in the Nickelodeon series "Kenan and Kel" and also honored with a Kids Choice Award in 1999 for Best Actor in a comedy series for both Nickelodeon series "All That" and "Kenan and Kel". Mitchell later earned two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for his voice work as the lovable "T-Bone" in the award winning PBS series and book series "Clifford the Big Red Dog" in 2001 and again in 2002. Most recently, Mitchell provides voice work for his character as skateboarding germaphobe, "Jay-Jay" on the Rob Dyrdek creation & Nicktoons cartoon series, "Wild Grinders" and as cool teen mechanic "Dutch" on the Disney XD cartoon series "Motorcity".
Having a genuine understanding of today's youth and roots in kid's television, Mitchell speaks to youth across the country encouraging them to follow their dreams, to walk by faith and not by sight and live a Godly lifestyle. Kel is involved in putting on and hosting uplifting concerts in inner cities teaming up with major Gospel and Christian music artist. Mitchell is also the spokesperson for "The Black College Expo" providing numerous scholarships for students through out the year. Mitchell and his wife Asia Lee-Mitchell were recently honored with an award from the "Carson Black Chambers of Commerce" for their work in the city of Compton, California, providing a safe program for kids to show off their creative talents in a dance variety live show created by the couple called, "The Back House Party". Hopeful in reducing Bullying in school's, Mitchell has written and directed a faith-based film that both teachers and youth pastors use to teach their students about how to eliminate bullying by using the principles of forgiveness and unconditional love.
Mitchell is also a music video director. He directed the high-octane video called, "Battery". He directed this video for Clear sight music's Christian Pop artist "V.Rose" featuring Billboard top charting Christian hip-hop artist "Flame". Mitchell's recent acting in television includes, TV One's "Love That Girl" CW's "Stupid Hype", Disney's "Good Luck Charlie", "First Family" and BET's "The Game".- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Norman Reedus was born in Hollywood, Florida. He is of Italian, English, Scottish and Irish descent. He is an accomplished photographer with several books of his photography published and continues to do art shows in galleries all around the world every year. His first novel was published in 2022 and was on the New York Times best seller list as well as the Los Angeles Times best seller list titled "The Ravaged". Reedus has a production company named Bigbaldhead, Inc. With his producing partner Amanda Verdon as well as a first look deal with AMC studios.
Norman's first movie as an actor was Guillermo del Toro's horror thriller Mimic (1997), where he played the character Jeremy. He has also played roles in the movies Floating (1997), Six Ways to Sunday (1997), Gossip (2000), Blade II (2002) and Deuces Wild (2002). He also starred in the movies Red Canyon (2008), Robert Redford's The Conspirator (2010), and John Hillcoat's Triple 9 (2016). Norman played the role of Murphy MacManus in the movie The Boondock Saints (1999) opposite Sean Patrick Flanery and Willem Dafoe. He later reprised the role in the sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009).
His directorial debut happened in 2005 for the multi-awarded short film on Miles Davis I Thought of You (2006).
As of 2010, he stars as Daryl Dixon on the AMC television series The Walking Dead (2010). The character was not originally in the comic book series of the same name, but was created specifically for Reedus by Frank Darabont. The Walking Dead comic creator Robert Kirkman has stated he feels "absolutely blessed [Reedus] has honored the show with his presence, and the way he has come in and taken over that role and defined Daryl Dixon. A great deal of Norman's portrayal of the character in the first season inspired all the writers to do what we did with him in the second season. We love writing him and end up doing cool stuff with him."- Actor
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Self-proclaimed troublemaker Owen Cunningham Wilson was born in Dallas, to Irish-American parents originally from Massachusetts. He grew up in Texas with his mother, Laura (Cunningham), a photographer; his father, Robert Andrew Wilson, an ad exec; and his brothers, Andrew Wilson (the eldest) and Luke Wilson (the youngest). Expelled from St. Mark's School of Texas (Dallas, TX) in the tenth grade, Wilson finished his sophomore year at Thomas Jefferson School and then headed to a military academy in New Mexico. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he met his future mentor and friend, Wes Anderson. They wrote a screenplay, Bottle Rocket (1996), and sent it to their family friend, screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson, who sent it to producer Polly Platt, who gave it to James L. Brooks, who gave the Texans $5 million to make it into a feature film. Despite critical praise, Bottle Rocket (1996) only grossed one million dollars. After making the film, Wilson moved to Hollywood, setting up house with his two brothers and Anderson. Fairly quickly, Owen found himself acting in a series of big budget films, such as The Cable Guy (1996), The Haunting (1999), Anaconda (1997) and Breakfast of Champions (1999). This led to more work, such as Shanghai Noon (2000), Meet the Parents (2000) and Behind Enemy Lines (2001). He's known not only for his nose, which has been broken several times, but also for his 'free wheeling ways' with a script. He co-wrote the film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) with his oft partner Wes Anderson.He came into my job (a movie theater). He was alone and appeared slightly disheveled, but on purpose. Pretty cool overall. Definitely not the type I would expect to be going out in public alone. I told him I loved him in The Internship, mainly because it was the first one that came to mind and the only film of his I saw in that same theater in which I worked.- Actor
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- Soundtrack
Tony Grant was born on 22 October 1967 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Tell Hell I Ain't Comin' (2005), Athena and Soul Damage (2017).- Actress
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- Producer
Terri J. Vaughn was born on 16 October 1969 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Steve Harvey Show (1996), Friday (1995) and All of Us (2003). She has been married to Karon Riley since 19 January 2008. They have two children. She was previously married to Derrick A. Carolina.- Writer
- Producer
- Music Department
James Lipton was an actor, academic, author, choreographer, interviewer, scriptwriter, and producer for stage and television projects. He was known for creating and hosting the noted and popular TV series Inside the Actors Studio (1994), where successful and prominent actors discussed their craft for the benefit of acting students.
James Lipton was born Louis James Lipton in Detroit, Michigan, to Betty (Weinberg), a teacher and librarian, and Lawrence Lipton (originally Israel Lipschitz), a writer and beatnik poet. His father was a Polish Jewish emigrant, from Lodz, and his maternal grandparents were Russian Jews. Lipton's parents divorced when he was quite young. As a reaction against his beatnik father's anarchic and chaotic lifestyle, Lipton at first chose to pursue a stable and staid career as a lawyer. He originally took up acting as a sideline to finance his law studies but eventually he shifted the focus of his career to acting.
Lipton moved to New York City and undertook twelve years of intensive studies in the performing arts. He studied acting and directing under Stella Adler, widely regarded as the most respected acting teacher in the history of American dramatic arts. Adler's other students at various times have included Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. Lipton also studied with Harold Clurman and Robert Lewis. He studied movie/TV production and directing at New York University and at The New School. He also studied voice, modern dance, classical ballet, and jazz technique.
Lipton performed in the play "The Autumn Garden" on Broadway in 1951. He became active in several TV soap operas, joining the cast of Guiding Light (1952) where he acted and wrote scripts for several years and later became head writer, all while undertaking his formal acting studies. He was a scriptwriter for The Edge of Night (1956) and he became head writer for Another World (1964), The Best of Everything (1970), Return to Peyton Place (1972) and Capitol (1982).
Lipton wrote the book and the lyrics for the Broadway flop "Nowhere to Go But Up" (1962), and he did the same for "Sherry!" which was produced on stage in 1967 and released as an audio CD in 2004. Also for Broadway, he produced "The Mighty Gents" (1978), "Monteith & Rand" (1979) and co-produced the Tony award-winning "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978). He choreographed "Charlot" for ballet theater, and for Moliere's play "The Doctor In Spite of Himself" he translated from the original French, adapted it as a musical version, wrote the lyrics, directed and choreographed.
A lover of words, Lipton has made a study of group terms, sometimes called nouns of multitude (examples: a gaggle of geese, a host of angels, etc.). He has published the definitive work on the subject in a best-selling book titled "An Exaltation of Larks". It has been in print continuously since its first edition in 1968. The latest edition, now expanded, contains over 1,100 such phrases. In the book Lipton himself jumps into the lexical fray by offering many new terms of his own invention, including: a score of bachelors, an unction of undertakers, a shrivel of critics, and a queue of actors. Other writings of his have appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine and The Paris Review.
In 1983 Lipton published his novel "Mirrors" which is about the lives of dancers. He later wrote and produced it as a TV movie. In television, Lipton has produced some two dozen specials including: twelve Bob Hope Birthday Specials; Bob Hope on the Road to China (1979) , an NBC entertainment special produced in China; and the first time ever televised presidential inaugural gala, for Jimmy Carter.
In the mid-1990s Lipton sought to create a three year educational program for actors that would be a distillation of what he had learned in the twelve years of his own intensive studies. In 1994 he arranged for the Actors Studio -- the home base of "method acting" in the USA for some sixty years now -- to join with New York City's New School University, to form the Actors Studio Drama School, a formal degree-granting program at the graduate level.
At the same time, Lipton created a sub-project within the drama school: a non-credit class called Inside the Actors Studio (1994) where successful and accomplished actors, directors and writers would be interviewed and would answer questions from acting students. These sessions were also taped and broadcast on television for the general public to see. Lipton himself hosts the show and conducts the main interview.
The TV show Inside the Actors Studio (1994) has become a substantial success. In the more than 12 years that it has been on the air, the craft of acting has been discussed by the show's over 200 guests who have included Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, Kate Winslet, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Charlize Theron, Robin Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Samuel L. Jackson, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Cate Blanchett, Martin Scorsese and Dustin Hoffman. The show is viewed in 80 million homes in the USA on the Bravo cable channel and is seen in 125 countries. It has been nominated for 12 Emmy awards. The Actors Studio Drama School performed very well also. During Lipton's term as dean, the school became the largest graduate-level drama school in the United States.
Important changes began in 2004 for both the TV show and the drama school. The New School underwent a major reorganization and seriously cut back its support for drama education. The Actors Studio's collaboration with the New School came to an end and a new drama school as well as a new venue for the TV show were both set up at Pace University, also in New York City.
Lipton's TV show made him so famous that he was frequently parodied on Saturday Night Live (1975) by comic Will Ferrell. Lipton continued to host and produce Inside the Actors Studio (1994), and served as a vice president of the Actors Studio. He held the lifelong title of Dean Emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama Program. In 2007, he wrote a book about the TV show and his life, which was titled "Inside Inside."
The last episode of Inside he hosted aired on January 11, 2018, with Ted Danson as guest. The show began rotating hosts in its 2019 season. James Lipton died on March 2, 2020, in Manhattan. He was survived by wife Kedaki Turner.He's surprisingly short in person. Other than that, he's just like he is on TV, which was a bit of a surprise too in many ways. I told him how great it was to meet him and that he is just as famous and influential as the people he interviews. He was stoned-faced as he listened. Appreciative, but stoned-faced.- Actor
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A star collegiate basketball player, Diamond Dallas Page entered the nightclub business in the 1970s, becoming one of South Florida's top club owners and promoters. He began training to become an in-ring performer at the age of 35, the oldest rookie in Pro Wrestling history. "DDP" captivated audiences around the world with matches alongside greats like Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Ric Flair, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, and the N.W.O. before being inducted to the WWE Hall Of Fame.
In 2011, Page launched DDP YOGA for non-yoga audiences. Hundreds of thousands of people have purchased the program's DVDs and subscribed to its one-of-a-kind DDPYOGANOW APP. DDPY is regularly used by many notable athletes and touring musicians.
Page has also excelled in the film and television worlds. Projects include The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake, Ready To Rumble, First Daughter, Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects, Hollywood Squares, and Shark Tank.
He stars in the upcoming Adi Shankar series, Gods & Secrets.- Actress
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Entertainment Journalist, Pop Culture Specialist and TV Personality Tanika Ray, known for her quick & witty on-air banter, is truly a renaissance woman. Not only does she deftly manage the multi-layered responsibility of hosting and producing live red carpet events, but she has a unique ability to connect with guests one-on-one and can hold her own whenever appearing as a panelist, with a group or in a talk show format. As a pop culture expert, Tanika often appears as a guest herself on popular news shows where she effectively dishes about current trending topics.
Most recently seen hosting the CW network's successful award winning Extreme Musical Chairs competition show OhSit! 2013 and in a dual capacity 2011, hosting 2 shows, Design Star and HGTV'd for the wildly popular HGTV network.
Though many became familiar with Tanika's contagious energy when she was the go-to girl at Extra on NBC from 2004-2009, this versatile talent has deftly choreographed her eclectic journey in Hollywood as a go-to Entertainment Correspondent and Host on Extra, TV Guide Network & Yahoo, a guest panelist on shows like The Today Show, Larry King Live & Showbiz Tonight, Host of reunion shows like Basketball Wives (VH1) and For the Love of RayJ (VH1) and Live Red Carpet Hosting on every red carpet from the Oscars and the Met Ball Gala to the hottest blockbuster movie Premieres on the planet.
She graduated Cum Laude from Spelman College and studied theater at the NYU Tisch School of Arts.Met her at a film festival in 2013. We had both finished watching a documentary about why many black women can't seem to find a suitable counterpart. There were a group of women in the room who apparently felt strongly about the content during the showing and I found out at the end that she was in that group. She's beautiful without make-up, which never was a surprise. If we'd lived in same city I would've tried my luck with her.- Actress
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Lisa started in this industry as A backup dancer that toured and opened shows for artists such as Public Enemy, Candy Man, Epmd and many others. She became a rap artist herself in a group called 19 after several studio sessions and meetings with label executives "19" was on their way. They were offered a record deal but Lisa had a change of heart and answered her calling to the ministry. In 1999 she wrote and produced a Gospel stage play "A change is gon" come" directed by Tyler Perry. Little did she know a change was coming, she was thrust back Into the industry she was not supposed to leave. Lisa produced and was the host for an entertainment show called "The Industry" that aired on UPN. She wrote,produced and starred in a independent feature entitled "Blackball" , Co Produced the feature "Tapped out" She was cast on the Real housewives of Atlanta seasons 1,2 and 3. Lisa has acted in several movies; "Must be the Music" with Charles Dutton and Tasha smith, "Envy or Greed" with Rockmund Dunbar and Dorien Wilson, "First impressions" with Lamman Rucker and Elise Neal, "The Internship" with Vince Vaughn& Owen Wilson , she has guest starred on television shows. "Meet the browns" , "Born Again virgin" and many others as well as appearances on CNN and countless talk shows. She is currently one of the Hollywood Divas on TV One. Lisa has written written several books and co authored a book with Miasha Coleman entitled "When the cake is made" which is being adapted for the screen.- Actor
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The only member of the group nice enough to take a few seconds for a picture. My camera didn't work, but that was a personal flub. Considering that I planned on interacting with all of them and that they were almost adamantly against it (Wish Bone and I made eye contact and he still walk past me, Krayzie looked my way Layzie was talking to a family member, Bizzy must've snuck away), I really appreciate that he stopped.- Producer
- Actress
Rev. Dr. Iyanla (pronounced E-Yan-La) Vanzant's story reads like an epic adventure filled with near misses, struggle, strength, courage and triumph! From her life's experiences she has uncovered her life's purpose, discovered the power that lies within and recovered her authentic self Iyanla Vanzant has emerged as a living testament to the value in life's valleys and the power of acting on faith. The best part is, she teaches what she has learned.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in the back of a taxi cab to an alcoholic mother, Iyanla was a child of an extra martial affair. When Iyanla was two-years-old her mother succumbed to breast cancer. This left Iyanla and her older brother to be raised by father, who left his children in the care of a series a relatives, including an uncle who raped her at the tender age of nine. Although Iyanla knew her father, he was often not present physically and emotionally unavailable. By age 16, she was a teenage mother. By age 21 she had three children and a physically abusive husband. 9 years, two suicide attempts and many beatings later, Iyanla and her three children made their early morning escape into an unknown future; a future where she would raise her three children alone. Being a single mother, she sustained her family for several years on public assistance. Iyanla was inspired by a sign on the bus to change her life by attending Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. Three years later she graduated Summa Cum Laude and entered the City University of New York Law School at Queens College. Her brilliant oratory skills caught the attention of the Philadelphia Public Defender's office who offered her a job without a formal interview. Three years into her practice, Iyanla knew she had made the wrong choice for her life and left her position.
Like everyone else, Iyanla readily admits that she too has had long periods of confusion. Unlike many, however, she uses her difficult times to usher her into a new state of being. After leaving her prominent position as an attorney, Iyanla eventually found herself unemployed, sleeping on a sofa in a friend's basement with her pregnant 16 year-old daughter. A friend invited her to teach a class for women who were being trained to transition from welfare to work. Understanding their predicament very well, Iyanla took her new job seriously. She produced a workbook for the class. In 1988, that workbook became her first published work, Tapping The Power Within: A Path To Self Empowerment For Black Women. The 20th. Anniversary edition of this book was published in 2008. (Smiley Books/Hay House). Her second work, Acts of Faith: Daily Meditations For People of Color, crossed the racial divide to become a favorite companion for Tipper Gore, wife of then Vice President Al Gore. 13 publications and 5 New York Times Best Sellers were not a part of Iyanla's plans. Then again, the best laid plan tend to go awry.
Iyanla has received numerous awards and accolades for the power and impact of her work. She received She is hailed as one of Halle Berry's five "Sheros" (Glamour Magazine 2006); one of the country's most influential African Americans (Ebony Magazine 2004); among the country's most 100 Influential Women (Women's Day Magazine 2003); one of the "most dynamic speakers in the United States" (Emerge Magazine 2000). She is a woman of passion, clear vision and purpose.
Dr. Vanzant travels globally delivering her teachings and message of hope to thousands. A much sought after guest for prime time radio shows, her voice is a staple on The Tom Joyner Morning Show (Radio One); The Tavis Smiley Show (NPR); The Michael Baisden Show (ABC); and Tell Me More with Michel Martin (NPR). She has appeared as a host Life Coach on the NBC Daytime Drama, Starting Over (2004-2006); Iyanla, her own daytime talk show (2001-2002) produced by Barbara Walters and Billy Getty. She was also a recurring guest on Oprah (1998-1999) as part of the Change Your Life Faculty.
As Founder and Director of Inner Visions Institute of Spiritual Development, Iyanla shares her knowledge of Universal Principle and Law, Eastern and Western spiritual/religious traditions/teachings, and the truth of Unconditional Love to motivate others to create a better life, a better community and a better world! She spends most of her time now training Life Coaches and Ministers and conducting a series of community forums through Inner Visions.- Actor
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Mike Epps was born on 18 November 1970 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Friday After Next (2002) and The Hangover (2009). He has been married to Kyra Robinson Epps since 23 June 2019. They have two children. He was previously married to Mechelle McCain.- Actor
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A class clown since his earliest years, Mark quickly learned that a wild sense of humor could take him places. While working at a drugstore after quitting college he honed and polished a comedy act that he regularly practiced on customers. It was these customers, as well as his family and friends, who finally encouraged Mark to try his stand-up routine at area comedy clubs. With legendary comedian Richard Pryor as his inspiration, Mark made his debut in Oakland and eventually became the city's most sought-after stand-up comic. His success there paved the way for comedy-club bookings all over the world- Chris Spencer was born on 2 January 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), Postal (2007) and Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013). He has been married to Vanessa Rodriguez Spencer since 24 June 2006. They have two children.
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Faune Chambers Watkins was born on 23 September 1976 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Epic Movie (2007), White Chicks (2004) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). She has been married to Fonzworth Bentley since 10 July 2010. They have two children.- Actor
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Roger Guenveur Smith is an internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director who has created a prolific body of work on stage and screen.
He adapted his Obie Award-winning solo performance of A Huey P. Newton Story into a Peabody Award-winning telefilm, directed by his longtime colleague Spike Lee, with whom he continues to collaborate in a relationship which is unparalleled in the American cinema.
For Lee's Oscar-nominated Do The Right Thing, Smith improvised the stuttering hero, Smiley, after his debut as fraternity pledge Yoda in Lee's first studio film, school daze. The eclectic range of characters expanded with a Russian roulette-playing gangster in Malcolm X, a guitar-playing cop in Get On The Bus , the street philosopher Big Time Willie in He Got Game, a hardnose detective in Summer Of Sam, and an opportunistic insurance salesman in Chi-Raq.
Also among Smith's recent credits are The Birth Of A Nation, and Bitch, which have achieved distinction in three consecutive Sundance Festivals, and the acclaimed indies Mooz-Lum, and Better Mus' Come, in which he plays the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Smith's astonishing range is further demonstrated in the cult classics Deep Cover and King Of New York, Eve's Bayou, Hamlet, All About The Benjamins, and American Gangster, for which he was nominated for the Screen Actors' Guild Award. On HBO, Smith has starred in Steven Soderbergh's K Street, Oz, and Unchained Memories: Readings From The Slave Narrative.
Before entering the Yale School of Drama ( into a class which included Angela Bassett, Charles S. Dutton, and John Turturro) Smith studied history, earning an undergraduate degree in American Studies at Occidental College.
He has continued to combine his interests through an ever-evolving stage repertoire which includes Frederick Douglass Now, Christopher Columbus 1992, The Watts Towers Project, In Honor Of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Two Fires, Patriot Act, Juan and John, The End Of Black History Month, Who Killed Bob Marley?, Iceland, and, with Mark Broyard, Inside The Creole Mafia, a "not too dark comedy."
Smith's work is frequently developed through intense archival immersion and improvisation, a process which informs his performing history workshop, which he currently directs at Cal Arts.
Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, Steven Berkoff's Agamemnon, and the Bessie and Ovation Award-winning Radio Mambo, are also among his directorial credits.
Smith frequently collaborates with composer/videographer Marc Anthony Thompson (Chocolate Genius Inc.) and presents his work at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles.
Smith was born in Berkeley, and raised in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife, the writer LeTania Kirkland, and their three children. He has an adult daughter from a former marriage.- Actor
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Daryl Mitchell was born on 16 July 1965 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Inside Man (2006) and Galaxy Quest (1999). He has been married to Carol since 1998. They have four children.Met him twice. REALLY down to earth. Enjoys talking about himself, but never in an arrogant way. Good with people.- Actor
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John Witherspoon was an African-American actor from Detroit, Michigan known for playing Granddad from The Boondocks and Willie Jones from the Friday trilogy. He also acted in Boomerang, Little Nicky, Soul Plane, Vampire in Brooklyn, Black Jesus and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He passed away in October 29, 2019 due to a heart attack.Normal guy with just really special, REALLY funny way of explaining his point of view. Can you believe he actually put out an album, a rap album at that, based on his most famous catchphrases?!? If I remember correctly it's called "62 Cent".- Additional Crew
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- Actor
Expert in science fiction, futurist, bestselling author, acclaimed on-air personality, and popularizer of theoretical physics.
Dr. Kaku has starred in science programming for television including series for Discovery, Science Channel, BBC, ABC, and History Channel. Beyond his numerous New York Times bestselling books, he has also been a featured columnist for top science publications such as Popular Mechanics, Discover, Cosmos, WIRED, New Scientist, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Variety, Vanity Fair, and many others.
Kaku is a news contributor to several news organizations including CBS, CBSN, FOX News, CNN, and CNBC, also appearing on ABC, FOX Business, and RT. Dr. Kaku has made guest appearances on all major talk shows including The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Late Show, The Tonight Show, and Conan. He was profiled in the award-winning documentary film, "Me & Isaac Newton" by Michael Apted.
Kaku has also appeared in commercial media for Toyota, Samsung, TurboTax, Coca-Cola, and others.