Bonnie Franklin's Classic Contemporary American Plays
This organization was founded by the beloved actress, Bonnie Franklin, with friends and others to help educate and inspire students in the Los Angeles public school system. You can visit the website at http://www.bfccap.org for more information. From her death in 2013, it was renamed in Bonnie Franklin's memory.
In the summer of 2000 at Bonnie Franklin's Encino home, Bonnie, her agent and friend Marilyn Shapiro, and sister Judy Franklin Bush developed an organization to connect American theater to high school students.
Bonnie's sister, Judith Franklin Bush, was also a founder and is president. She is also outreach coordinator.
Ernest A. Figueroa was also a Board Member; associate producer; and director.
Victoria Franklin Kupetz (Bonnie and Judy's sister) Board Member.
Honorary Board Members:
Rabbi Leonard Beerman
Joan Beerman
Barbara Sanders
Barbara Yaroslavsky
Advisory Board:
Susan Braig
Alison J. Graham: Public Relations.
Educational Board:
Keren Goldberg, Chair
Robin Lithgow
Jennifer Pust
Steve Segal
James Waller
Mark Slavkin
Linda Tross; stage manager.
In the summer of 2000 at Bonnie Franklin's Encino home, Bonnie, her agent and friend Marilyn Shapiro, and sister Judy Franklin Bush developed an organization to connect American theater to high school students.
Bonnie's sister, Judith Franklin Bush, was also a founder and is president. She is also outreach coordinator.
Ernest A. Figueroa was also a Board Member; associate producer; and director.
Victoria Franklin Kupetz (Bonnie and Judy's sister) Board Member.
Honorary Board Members:
Rabbi Leonard Beerman
Joan Beerman
Barbara Sanders
Barbara Yaroslavsky
Advisory Board:
Susan Braig
Alison J. Graham: Public Relations.
Educational Board:
Keren Goldberg, Chair
Robin Lithgow
Jennifer Pust
Steve Segal
James Waller
Mark Slavkin
Linda Tross; stage manager.
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- Actress
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Bonnie Franklin, of the freckled, fair-skinned, hazel-eyed, rosy-cheeked, carrot-haired variety, could light up a room with her buoyant, folksy personality, but she could be quite serious in a take-charge manner when it came to purposeful acting work. It took Norman Lear and a highly popular TV sitcom to finally make the 31-year-old performer a household star in the mid-1970s.
She was born Bonnie Gail Franklin in Santa Monica, California on January 6, 1944, the daughter of Samuel Benjamin, an investment banker, and Claire (née Hersch) Franklin, both of Jewish descent. She was thrust onto the stage at a very young age as a child tap dancer and became the protégé of consummate tapper Donald O'Connor. At age 9, she performed with O'Connor on NBC's The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950). A year later, she performed as one of the Cratchit daughters in the Shower of Stars (1954) TV version of "A Christmas Carol", starring Fredric March and Basil Rathbone as "Scrooge" and "Marley", respectively. The young girl then appeared, unbilled on film, playing sweet young things in the rural comedy, The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956), Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956) and the Sandra Dee/Troy Donahue's box office tearjerker, A Summer Place (1959).
At age 13, the family moved from Santa Monica to upper-scale Beverly Hills. Graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1961, Bonnie studied at Smith College for a time where the freshman co-ed acted in an Amherst College production of "Good News". She then transferred to UCLA and majored in English. Following her studies, she returned to TV and appeared in lightweight comedies that welcomed her perky, pixie-like presence. These included mid-to-late 1960s episodes of Mr. Novak (1963), Gidget (1965), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965) and The Munsters (1964). In 1967, she married Ronald Sossi, a playwright best-known for his writing/producing chores on the TV series, The Rat Patrol (1966). The marriage, however, was short-lived and ended in 1970.
It was on the musical stage that Bonnie found breakthrough success. Following diligent work in "Drat the Cat!" (1965), "Your Own Thing" (1968), "George M.!" (1969) and "Dames at Sea" (1969), she took her first Broadway curtain call in "Applause", the well-received 1970 musical version of All About Eve (1950), starring Lauren Bacall. Bonnie played a theater "gypsy", named "Bonnie", who sings and dances to the title song backed by her "band of gypsies". Bonnie won the Outer Critics and Theatre World awards and a 1970 Tony nomination for her effort here. She continued on the stage with prime roles in "A Thousand Clowns" (1971), the title role in "Peter Pan" (1973), and the revue "Oh, Coward!" (1975).
It wasn't until Bonnie was handed the prime role of "Ann Romano", a divorced mom raising two daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) on One Day at a Time (1975), did she become a viable star. Although her contagious cheerfulness and beaming smile was part of her value on the comedy show, Franklin desired to focus on taboo TV subjects such as divorce, birth control, sexual harassment and suicide, as well as getting laughs. While the program didn't match the ground-breaking importance or success of an All in the Family (1971), the show did command consistent and respectable ratings ("Top 20" for seven of its nine years) and lasted on CBS until 1984. Bonnie received one Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations during the sitcom's run, and managed to find time to squeeze in a few other TV-movie projects as well -- A Guide for the Married Woman (1978), Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (1979), the title role in Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger (1980) and Your Place... or Mine (1983). Bonnie also directed episodes of One Day at a Time (1975), Karen's Song (1987) Charles in Charge (1984) and The Munsters Today (1987).
Following the show's demise, Bonnie seemed to keep a lower profile on camera, focusing instead on theatre roles and in several humanitarian efforts. Sporadic guest roles on Burke's Law (1994) (revived), Almost Perfect (1995) and Touched by an Angel (1994) was highlighted by a 2005 TV reunion with her One Day at a Time (1975) TV family, The One Day at a Time Reunion (2005). Her return to the theatre, after a break of 14 years, included roles in a variety of plays: "Happy Birthday and Other Humiliations" (1987), "Annie Get Your Gun" (1988) (as "Annie Oakley"), "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" (1988), "Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life" (1990), "Grace & Glorie" (1996), "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" (1997), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1999), "Same Time, Next Year" (2000), "Dancing at Lughnasa" (2003), "A Touch of the Poet" (2005), "A Delicate Balance" (2007) and as crotchety "Ouisar" in "Steel Magnolias" (2011). In addition, she put together and toured in her own cabaret act and appeared in nearly a dozen staged readings with Los Angeles' Classic and Contemporary American Playwrights.
Bonnie was a tireless activist for a variety of charities and civic-oriented issues, among them AIDS care and research and the Stroke Association of Southern California. More recently, Bonnie reunited with "One Day at a Time" daughter Valerie Bertinelli in a 2011 episode of Bertinelli's sitcom, Hot in Cleveland (2010), and, a year later, played a recurring nun in the daytime The Young and the Restless (1973).
In September of 2012, Bonnie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died several months later on March 1, 2013. Her second husband of 29 years, TV/film producer Marvin Minoff, who produced Bonnie's TV movie, Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger (1980), as well as the film, Patch Adams (1998), died in 2009.Co-founder and was an active part of the organization. She had appeared in many stage readings. Upon her loss, this organization was renamed in her memory. Artist and director.- Producer
- Writer
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Marilyn Shapiro was born in 1931 in New York City, New York, USA. Marilyn was a producer and writer, known for Let's Tap (1984), I Hate to Exercise, I Love to Tap (2004) and The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977). Marilyn died on 20 July 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Co-founder: She, Bonnie Franklin, and her sister, Judy Franklin Bush founded the organization in the summer of 2000; Marilyn was Bonnie's best friend and manager. She was also director.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Velina Hasu Houston is known for Path of Dreams (2018), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) and Hiroshima, Dance.Board of Directors. Board Member.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Production Manager
Patricia Fass Palmer is known for One Day at a Time (1975), Gilmore Girls (2000) and Love and Marriage (1996).Board of directors: Vice President.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Jenny Sullivan was born on 14 December 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984) and Getting Straight (1970). She was previously married to Jim Messina.Board of directors: Board Member: Director.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Hattie Winston was born on 3 March 1945 in Lexington, Mississippi, USA. She is an actress, known for Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Jackie Brown (1997) and Becker (1998). She has been married to Harold Wheeler since 16 December 1978. They have one child.Board of directors: Vice President. Now known as Hattie Winston Wheeler. Director.- Mike Antonovich was born on 12 August 1939 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He has been married to Christine Hu since 15 February 1998. They have two children.Advisory board of directors
- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Gilbert Cates was born on 6 June 1934 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for I Never Sang for My Father (1970), Absolute Strangers (1991) and Dragonfly (1976). He was married to Dr. Judith Reichman and Jane Betty Dubin. He died on 31 October 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Advisory board of directors- Advisory board of directors: Honorary Board Member.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Shuko Akune was born on 17 April 1959 in Wahoo, Nebraska, USA. She is an actress, known for E/R (1984), G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987) and Alien Nation (1988).Artist- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Oklahoma-born Lou Antonio is English-French-German on his mother's side and Greek on his father's side. A talented baseball player as a teenager, he was scouted by the Boston Red Sox while in high school, but an injury ended his dreams of playing professional baseball. He attended Oklahoma University on a journalism scholarship and graduated with a degree in French, all the while acting in school plays.
Accepted into the prestigious Actors Studio in 1958, Antonio was a working actor through much of the 1960s, doing summer stock, plays, TV guest roles, and the occasional movie, most notably Cool Hand Luke (1967).
After moving to Hollywood, TV work became more consistent over the next 40+ years, both as an actor, such as in Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (1969), and even more as a director.Artist- Actor
- Director
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Adam Arkin was born on 19 August 1956 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Get Shorty (2017), A Serious Man (2009) and Sons of Anarchy (2008).Artist- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Edward Asner was born of Russian Jewish parentage in Kansas City, to Morris David Asner (founder and owner of the Kansas City-based Asner Iron & Metal Company) and his wife Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Seliger). After attending college, Ed worked various jobs, including in a steel mill, as a door-to-door salesman and on an assembly line for General Motors. Between 1947 and 1949, he attended the University of Chicago. The onset of the Korean War saw him drafted into the U.S. Army Signals Corps and posted to France where he was primarily assigned clerical tasks. Upon demobilization, Asner joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago but soon progressed to New York. In 1955, he appeared off-Broadway in the leading role of the beggar king Jonathan Peachum in Brecht's Threepenny Opera. Five years later, he made his debut on the Great White Way in the courtroom drama Face of a Hero, co-starring alongside Jack Lemmon. He also began regular TV work in anthology drama.
From the early '60s, Asner, now based in California, earned his living as a busy supporting actor. His many noted guest appearances included turns in Route 66 (1960), The Untouchables (1959), The Fugitive (1963), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) (sinister dictator-in-exile Brynov), The Invaders (1967) (twice -- as aliens) and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (1998) (one of a couple of ghostly residents in a haunted mansion). Heavy-set and distinctively gravelly-voiced, Asner established his reputation as tough, robust and uncompromising (though, on occasion, good-hearted) authority figures. Excellent at conveying menace, he was memorably cast as the brutish patriarch Axel Jordache in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and as the slave ship's morally conflicted master, Captain Thomas Davies, in Roots (1977), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award in 1977. The immensely prolific Asner (417 IMDB screen credits!) would receive seven Emmys in total (from 21 nominations), all Primetime, and become the only actor to win in both the comedy and drama category for the same role. That was also the part which made Asner a household name: the gruff, snarky newspaper editor Lou Grant (1977). Grant began as a mainstay on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), a 30-minute sitcom.
When the character was promoted to West Coast editor of The Los Angeles Tribune, Asner went on to star in his own much acclaimed drama series. Despite consistently high ratings, the show was axed after five seasons amid rumours of disharmony between the star and producers, possibly due to the former's outspoken political views. Indeed, Asner has been a controversial figure as an activist and campaigner, engaged in a variety of humanitarian and political issues. A self-proclaimed liberal Democrat, he published a book in 2017, amusingly titled "The Grouchy Historian: An Old-Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs."
Between 1981 and 1985, Asner served twice as President of the Screen Actors Guild, during which time he was critical of former SAG President Ronald Reagan -- then the president of a greater concern -- for his Central American policy. In 1996, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and in 2002 received the Screen Actors Guild's Life Achievement Award. In addition to appearing on screen and stage, he performed extensive work for radio, video games and animated TV series. He voiced the lead character Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's Oscar-winning production of Up (2009), starred as Santa in Elf (2003), and played Nicholas Drago in The Games Maker (2014). Ed passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 91 on August 29, 2021.Artist- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
William Atherton's career has spanned motion pictures, Broadway and television. He first achieved international recognition as the leading man in Steven Spielberg's debut feature The Sugarland Express (1974), and next starred in John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust (1975), Robert Wise's The Hindenburg (1975) and Richard Brooks' Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). He is known worldwide for what have become his signature film characters: the television reporter, Dick Thornburg in the action blockbusters Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990), the EPA official, Walter Peck in Ghostbusters (1984), Professor Jerry Hathaway, the conniving professor in Real Genius (1985) and Dr. Noah Faulkner, the mad scientist in Bio-Dome (1996). Among his more than 30 feature films are co-starring roles in John Landis' Oscar (1991), Bill Duke's Hoodlum (1997), Richard Pearce's No Mercy (1986), Alan J. Pakula's The Pelican Brief (1993), Costa-Gavras' Mad City (1997) and Edward Zwick's The Last Samurai (2003).
On television, he has starred in numerous miniseries including the classic Western Centennial (1978) and headed the all-star cast in Malibu (1983). His many made-for-TV movies include leading roles in TNT's production of Joan Didion's Broken Trust (1995) and his portrayal of Darryl F. Zanuck in HBO's Golden Globe winner Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999). Atherton was a recurring series lead opposite Damien Lewis on NBC-TV's Life (2007) and portrayed Principal Reynolds in the final season of Lost (2004). He has reprised his role as Walter Peck in the video game Ghostbusters (2009), released on June 16, 2009.
Consistently honored for his work on the stage, Atherton has created roles on and off Broadway for many of America's leading playwrights. These include the title role in Joseph Papp's original production of David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel", the role of Ronnie in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves" and Bing Ring Ling in his "Rich and Famous". He also starred in the Broadway premiere of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock" and the Tony-winning revival of Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial". Among his more than 20 well-known productions are the acclaimed New York premieres of Franz Kafka's "The Castle" and Kressman Taylor's "Address Unknown". For his work on the stage, he has received the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Circle Critics Award, the Theatre World Award and nominations for an Obie and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award.Artist- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
René Murat Auberjonois was born on June 1, 1940 in New York City, to Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline (Murat), who was born in Paris, and Fernand Auberjonois, who was Swiss-born. René was born into an already artistic family, which included his grandfather, a well-known Swiss painter, and his father, a Pulitzer-nominated writer and Cold War-era foreign correspondent. The Auberjonois family moved to Paris shortly after World War II, and it was there that René made an important career decision at the age of six. When his school put on a musical performance for the parents, little René was given the honor of conducting his classmates in a rendition of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?". When the performance was over, René took a bow, and, knowing that he was not the real conductor, imagined that he had been acting. He decided then and there that he wanted to be an actor. After leaving Paris, the Auberjonois family moved into an Artist's Colony in upstate New York.
At an early age, René was surrounded by musicians, composers and actors. Among his neighbors were Helen Hayes, Burgess Meredith and John Houseman, who would later become an important mentor. Houseman gave René his first theater job at the age of 16, as an apprentice at a theater in Stratford, Connecticut. René would later teach at Juilliard under Houseman. René attended Carnegie-Mellon University and studied theater completely, not only learning about acting but about the entire process of producing a play. After graduating from CMU, René acted with various theater companies, including San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum. In 1969, he won a role in his first Broadway musical, "Coco" (with Katharine Hepburn), for which he won a Tony Award.
Throughout his life, René acted in a variety of theater productions, films and television presentations, including a rather famous stint as Clayton Endicott III on the comedy series Benson (1979), not to mention seven years on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) as Odo. René also performed dramatic readings of a variety of books on tape, and appeared in projects like The Patriot (2000), starring Mel Gibson, Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000), and NBC's Frasier (1993) and ABC's The Practice (1997).- Actor
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Richard Azurdia was born on 20 August 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for East Los High (2013), Weeds (2005) and Ladrón que roba a ladrón (2007).Artist- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Eileen Barnett was born on 8 May 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for ER (1994), Brothers & Sisters (2006) and S.W.A.T. (2017). She has been married to Bruce French since 20 January 1991.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Meredith Baxter is an American actress from California, better known for television roles. Her most famous roles include Catholic teacher Bridget Fitzgerald in the sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie" (1972-1973), divorced mother Nancy Lawrence in the family-themed drama "Family" (1976-1980), and architect Elyse Keaton in the sitcom "Family Ties" (1982-1989).
In 1947, Baxter was born in South Pasadena, California. South Pasadena is a small city in Los Angeles County, located within San Gabriel Valley. The larger city of Pasadena is located north of Baxter's hometown. Baxter was the daughter of radio announcer Tom Baxter (John Thomas Baxter, Jr.) and actress Whitney Blake (1926-2002). Baxter's maternal grandfather was Harry C. Whitney, an agent of the United States Secret Service. Harry Whitney had served as a bodyguard to President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924, term 1913-1921).
In 1953, Baxter's parents divorced. Whitney Blake received custody of Baxter and her two older brothers. In 1957, Blake married talent agent Jack Fields. This marriage ended in divorce in 1967. In 1968, Blake married television writer Allan Manings (1924-2010). This marriage lasted until Blake's death in 2002. Baxter reportedly maintained a familial relationship with her second stepfather until his own death.
Baxter received part of her secondary education at James Monroe High School, located in the neighborhood of Sepulveda (later renamed to North Hills) in Los Angeles. She later transferred to Hollywood High School. She graduated in 1965. During her senior year, Baxter also received voice lessons at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Interlochen was an arts education institution located in Michigan.
In 1966, Baxter married Robert Lewis Bush. At the time, she was only 19-years-old. They had two children, son Theodore Justin "Ted" Bush (born1967) and daughter Eva Whitney Bush (born 1969) . The couple separated in 1969, and their divorce was finalized in 1971.
Baxter aspired to an acting career, like her mother. She remained fairly obscure until the early 1970s. Her highest-profile work were guest-star roles in then-popular television series, such as "The Doris Day Show" and "The Partridge Family". Baxter received her big break when cast as the female lead in the sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie" (1972-1973). The main premise was an interfaith marriage between Catholic teacher Bridget Fitzgerald and Jewish taxi driver Bernie Steinberg. The series was the 5th highest-rated show on television during its single season, though it was controversial due to its subject matter. Jewish organizations protested that the show violated Judaism's prohibition against interfaith marriage, and organized protest campaigns. Baxter herself received threatening house visits by members of the Jewish Defense League, a vigilante organization known for violent crimes. The controversy led to the series' cancellation by the network CBS. Only 24 episodes were ever broadcast. As of 2002, the series remained the highest-rated American show to be canceled after a single season.
Following the series' cancellation, Baxter maintained a relationship with her co-star David Birney (1939-). In 1974, Baxter and Birney married each other. Their marriage lasted until 1989. They had three children: daughter Kathleen Jeanne "Kate" Birney (born 1974) and twins Mollie Elizabeth and Peter David Edwin Birney (born 1984). Several years following the end of their marriage, Baxter claimed that she had been physically abused by Birney during their marriage. Her co-workers were reportedly unaware that she had a problematic family life, or that she had struggled with alcoholism for several years.
During the 1970s, Baxter started regularly appearing in television films. She had a starring role in the horror film "The Cat Creature" (1973), involving a curse by the cat goddess Bastet. The film was scripted by noted horror writer Robert Bloch (1917-1994), and paid tribute to classic horror films of the 1940s. She also had starring role in the romantic drama "The Stranger Who Looks Like Me" (1974), as a grown woman who is searching for the birth parents who had abandoned her.
Baxter had one of her few feature films roles in the political thriller "All the President's Men" (1976), which depicted the early phases of the Watergate scandal. She played the supporting role of Debbie Sloan, the pregnant wife of witness Hugh W. Sloan Jr. (1940-). The real-life Hugh Sloan was the treasurer of the Committee to Re-elect the President, and later testified about the Committee's criminal activities. Sloan was depicted as one of the few honest men involved in Richard Nixon's shady organization. The film earned about 70.6 million dollars at the domestic box office, one of the greatest commercial hits in Baxter's career.
Baxter had another shot at television stardom when cast as Nancy Lawrence in the family-themed drama "Family" (1976-1980). The series depicted a middle-aged couple who still lives with their three grown-up children. The character of Nancy was depicted as a divorced mother who moved back in with her parents. She was trying to raise her own child, while attending law school. Baxter's role was critically acclaimed, and she was twice nominated for the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series". The award was instead won by rival actresses Kristy McNichol (1962-) and Nancy Marchand (1928-2000).
"Family" lasted for 5 seasons, and 86 episodes. It maintained solid ratings for most of its run, though a change to its time slot had led to rapid decline in ratings. Afterwards, Baxter was again in high demand for television roles. In 1981, Baxter co-starred in a television production of the play "Vanities" (1976) by Jack Heifner. The play follows the life of three best friends over an 11-year-period (1963-1974), from their high school and college years to adulthood. The friendship dissolves when the women discover that they no longer have any common interests. Joanne has become a conservative housewife and is trapped in an unhappy marriage, Mary owns a gallery specializing in erotic art and has become an advocate of sexual liberation, and Kathy has become a bookworm with a jaded view of life.
Baxter gained her next major role as successful architect Elyse Keaton in the hit "Family Ties" (1982-1989). The main premise of the series was an exploration of the generation gap, between two generations with different political views. The parents of the Keaton family were former hippies, lifelong liberals, and successful professionals. Their only son Alex was a Young Republican who was mainly driven by his own greed and ambition, their eldest daughter Mallory was a typical "material girl" with apolitical views, and their youngest daughter Jennifer was a tomboy mainly interested in athletics,.
"Family Ties" maintained high-ratings for most of its run, though it was not particularly well-liked by critics. The series lasted for 7 seasons, a total of 176 episodes, and a television film. It was considered indicative of the conservative political landscape of the 1980s. Its main legacy was turning actor Michael J. Fox (who played Alex) into a household name. Baxter was at the height of her popularity in the 1980s. However, she later claimed that she had no actual social life for its duration. She went straight from home to the television studio, and from the studio back to home.
In 1986, Baxter played the main role in the television film "Kate's Secret". It was acclaimed for its groundbreaking depiction of eating disorders. The main character Kate Stark (played by Baxter) appears to have an idyllic life. She is married to a man with a successful career, appears to have a loving family, and a close social circle. The truth depicted is less than idyllic. Kate's husband prioritizes his career over their marriage, and there is little actual affection in their relationship. Kate's "loving" mother is a domineering woman who criticizes her daughter for many perceived flaws. Kate's friends have no idea that she is suffering from bulimia nervosa, and Kate systematically hides her problems from everyone. The problems escalate until they become apparent to people surrounding Kate.
In 1989, Baxter received a divorce. At the time, she was 42-years-old. In 1990, the then-recently divorced Baxter managed to overcome her alcoholism. She has reportedly been sober ever since. Also in 1990, Baxter played kidnapper Florence Tulane in the television film "The Kissing Place". She was playing against type, as she had previously mostly played morally upright characters in television.
In 1992, Baxter had another well-received role in a television film. She played the main character in "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story". The film dramatized the life of Betty Broderick (1947-), a divorced woman who had murdered her ex-husband Daniel T. Broderick III and his second wife Linda Kolkena. The case had attracted much publicity because Daniel Broderick was the president of the San Diego Bar Association, and had apparently used his legal influence to to win sole custody over their children, to sell their house against Betty's wishes, and to bilk Betty out of her rightful share of his income. For this role, Baxter was nominated for the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie". The award was instead won by rival actress Gena Rowlands (1930-).
In 1994, Baxter received an award by the "National Breast Cancer Coalition". Baxter had reportedly helped raise awareness of breast cancer and its effects through her then-recent work. In 1999, Baxter herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received medical treatment, and she is thought to have fully recovered.
In 1995, Baxter married the novelist (and screenwriter) Michael Blodgett (1939-2007). This was Baxter's third marriage and Blodgett's fourth and last marriage. Baxter became the stepmother of Blodgett's three daughters from previous marriages. The couple received a divorce in 2000. A few years later, Blodgett died due to heart disease.
In 1996, Baxter starred in the short-lived sitcom "The Faculty". The series was set in a typical middle school, with Baxter playing vice-principal Flynn Sullivan. Flynn was depicted as a single mother who was trying to balance her career and her family life. While the series was praised for its dignified main character, most critics found that the show lacked memorable supporting characters and was not particularly humorous in its depiction of school life. The series never had high ratings, and was canceled after a single season. Only 13 episodes were broadcast.
In 1997, Baxter guest-starred in a two-part episode of the politically-themed sitcom "Spin City" (1996-2002). She played Macy Flaherty, the mother of protagonist Mike Flaherty (played by Michael J. Fox) Mike was depicted as the deputy mayor of New York City, skilled in politics but inept in managing his personal life. In this two-part episode, Macy has a brief romantic relationship with mayor Randall Winston (played by Barry Bostwick) , Mike's boss. She is then asked to help cover-up Randall's past relationship with a prostitute, which is thought to be damaging to his political career. The episodes were thought to be memorable for reuniting Baxter with her former co-star Michael J. Fox.
In the early 2000s, Baxter had been reduced to playing one-shot characters in various television series. In 2006, Baxter joined the cast of the police procedural series "Cold Case" (2003-2010). She played the supporting character Ellen Rush, mother of the protagonist Lilly Rush (played by Kathryn Morris). Lilly was depicted as a homicide detective, who specialized in resolving decades-old cold cases. Ellen was depicted as an alcoholic single mother, who had managed to raise two daughters despite her personal problems. In seasons 3 and 4 of the series, Ellen was slowly dying from cirrhosis of the liver and Lilly had to take care of her. The storyline of the character was concluded with Ellen's death, and Baxter left the series in 2007.
In 2009, Baxter publicly came out as a lesbian. She had been dating general contractor Nancy Locke since 2005. Baxter married Locke in 2013, and their marriage is still ongoing (as of 2021). This is Baxter's fourth and (so far) last marriage. Baxter revealed that she had been dating women since 2002, having previously had no same-sex relationships.
In 2011, Baxter published her memoir "Untied", revealing previously unknown details about her personal and family life. Some of the details came as a surprise to longtime co-workers of Baxter, as she had never confided in them about her personal problems. Baxter's former husband David Birney publicly disputed the veracity of the book's narrative. The book became a New York Times bestseller.
In 2014, Baxter briefly joined the cast of the long-running soap opera "The Young and the Restless" (1973-). She played Maureen Russell, a new drinking buddy for prominent character Nikki Newman (played by Melody Thomas Scott). Maureen was described as a charming middle-class woman with social-climbing aspirations. This was the first recurring television role Baxter since departing "Cold Case". For this role, Baxter was nominated for the "Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series". The award was instead won in a tie by three rival actors: Donna Mills (1940-), Fred Willard ( 1933-2020), and Ray Wise (1947-).
From 2014 to 2015, Baxter had a recurring role in the short-lived teen drama "Finding Carter" (2014-2015). The premise of the series was that teenage girl Carter Stevens (played by Kathryn Prescott) reunites with her biological family, after years of being raised by a kidnapper. Carter has trouble acclimating to her new life. Baxter played Grandma Joan (nicknamed Gammy), Carter's wealthy grandmother. The main subplot involving Joan was that she had never accepted her daughter's marriage to a professional writer with no fixed income. The series lasted for 2 seasons, and a total of 36 episodes. So far, this has been Baxter's last recurring role in television.
As of 2021, Baxter is 74-years-old. She has never fully retired from acting, though she infrequently appears in new roles. Several of her past roles are still fondly remembered. Baxter has never won any major acting award, despite multiple nominations over several decades. But she has remained quite popular with the general public.Artist- Actor
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Jordan Belfi was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Entourage (2004), All American (2018) and Grey's Anatomy (2005). He has been married to Rachelle Dimaria since 27 October 2018.Artist- Producer
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Jahmela Yarbrough was born on 21 February 1983 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for First (2022), First (2014) and In-Between.- Actor
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David began his career with the repertory companies at the Barter Theatre in Virginia America and the Hartford Stage Company followed by his New York debut as one of the twins in A Comedy of Errors in Joseph Papps Shakespeare Festival. In 1968 he played the lead in Summertree at New York's: Lincoln Centre winning the Clarence Derwent Award and the Theatre World Award. Later he played the lead role of Mark Elliott in the television series Love is a Many Splendored Thing followed by the part of Bernie in the comedy series Bridget Loves Bernie. Both were top ranking shows making him a well known name across America and earning numerous awards. He made his film debut in Caravan to VaccaresArtist- Additional Crew
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Denise Blasor was born in France, educated in Italy and of Puerto Rican parents; she returned to the island during her teens until she moved to Chicago and joined the St. Nicholas Theater Ensemble working with Steven Schachter and William H. Macy. She later became a Los Angeles regular on the theatre scene, working at the Odyssey Theatre, Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, LATC, Skylight Theatre, Fountain Theatre, Million Dollar Theatre, The Orpheum Theatre, etc. She also began working on independent features, cartoon voices such as Ceci in Bruce Willis Lee Unkrich - Oscar Winner Film Coco (2017) Coco, Adelie Chica in George Miller Oscar Winner Film Happy Feet (2006) and guest starred in several TV Pilots and shows including FX's: Snowfall (2017) Snowfall in the recurring role of Doña Rosa and as Felicidad Noriega in Roger Spottiswoode Roger Spottiswoode Showtime's Film - Noriega: God's Favorite (2000)Noriega: God's Favorite with Bob Hoskins Bob Hoskins. While starring in the title role of "Yerma" by 'Federico Garcia Lorca', she was seen by producer Moctesuma Esparza. Impressed by her stunning, heart-wrenching performance, he cast her in Death in Granada (1996) with Esai Morales and Andy Garcia. She portrayed Spanish Diva Margarita Xirgu who was Lorca's main stage actress and the star of "Yerma." Denise continues to produce, direct, write and perform on stage. She is Artistic Director of L.A. Diversified and has performed in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. She's now Associate Artistic Director of Bilingual Foundation of the Arts and has been nominated best director for various productions including Fefu and her Friends, Blood Wedding, Wild in Wichita and Casa de Bernarda Alba. She directed and performed in the Political Musical Calle de la Resistencia (2021) Calle de la Resistencia which was produced and shot during the 2020 Pandemic with original music by Milton Carrero and produced by Carrero Creatives & Rollin' Dice Productions. Calle de la Resistencia is an emotional look at the struggle of the Puerto Rican people. Uniquely shot, the film blends real-life footage and staged musical production.- Actor
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Character actor and comedian Charlie Sanford Brill was born in Brooklyn, New York. His older brother was the piano prodigy and nightclub entertainer Marty Brill. Charlie made his screen debut in 1958. He met his future wife, the actress Mitzi McCall, the following year at a Paramount comedy workshop. They married in 1960. Together, they went touring the U.S. in a comic act. On television, they had a regular segment as a feuding couple on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) and appeared as celebrity contestants on the game show Tattletales (1974). In addition to many TV guest spots and voice-over work in animation (including several Hanna-Barbera productions), Charlie also enjoyed a lengthy stint as Captain Harry Lipschitz in the CBS crime drama Silk Stalkings (1991), his wife Frannie being played by his real life spouse. However, Charlie will most likely be best remembered for playing the devious Arne Darvin (he got the audition for the part courtesy of Leonard Nimoy), a Klingon saboteur masquerading as a human in the classic Star Trek (1966) episode The Trouble with Tribbles. He reprised the Darvin character three decades later for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) homage episode Trials and Tribble-ations.
Happily retired since 2015, he declared in a recent interview "I smoke cigars, I drink coffee and I hang out with a bunch of guys who drink coffee and smoke cigars."Artist- Ivar Brogger was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor, known for Jersey Boys (2014).Artist
- Chris Butler was born on 5 October 1963 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Rescue Dawn (2006), 24 (2001) and True Blood (2008).Artist
- L. Scott Caldwell was born in Chicago and now lives in New York City. She has an extensive background in feature films, television and theater. Her film credits include "Mystery Alaska," "Waiting to Exhale," "The Net," "The Fugitive," "Dutch" and "Without a Trace." Caldwell had a recurring role in Judging Amy, and has guest-starred in JAG, "Chicago Hope," "City of Angels" and "Promised Land," all on CBS. Her additional television credits include "The Practice," "The Division," "Any Day Now," "Murder One," "The Pretender," "Grace Under Fire," "Melrose Place," "Lois and Clark" "ER", "Nip and Tuck" and "L.A. Law."
On Broadway, Caldwell won a Tony Award for her role in Joe Turner's "Come & Gone." Her other Broadway credits include "Proposals," "A Month of Sundays" and "Home." She has also appeared Off Broadway in "About Heaven & Earth," "Colored People's Time," "Old Phantoms," "A Season to Unravel" and "The Imprisonment of Obatala."Artist - Actor
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Born in Manila, Philippines, Bryan Callen made his television debut as a series regular on Mad TV (1995) and the HBO prison series Oz (1997). He was recently seen as Kirstie Alley's wisecracking assistant on Showtime's comedy series Fat Actress (2005). Callen has appeared on several television series including Sex and the City (1998), 7th Heaven (1996), Stacked (2005), The King of Queens (1998), Las Vegas (2003), Significant Others (1998), The West Wing (1999), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), NYPD Blue (1993), Suddenly Susan (1996), Frasier (1993) and NewsRadio (1995), among others. In addition, Callen has appeared in such feature films as Bad Santa (2003) and Old School (2003) and has performed stand up comedy on several TV shows.Artist- Actress
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Born in Dallas, Texas, K Callan's first professional job was at the Margo Jones Theatre. She first gained national attention as Peter Boyle's mousy wife in the legendary Joe (1970). Her career includes film, television and theater. Other memorable films include American Gigolo (1980) and A Touch of Class (1973). A regular guest star in countless television movies and series, her favorite television roles include the lesbian Veronica in the Emmy-winning "Cousin Liz" episode of All in the Family (1971), Superman's mom on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993) and the wife of an Alzheimer's patient on Nip/Tuck (2003).
Callan is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy and is a past Board Member of the Screen Actors Guild. In addition to her work as an actor, she has also authored a string of showbiz reference books: "How to Sell Yourself as an Actor", "The Script is Finished, Now What do I Do?", "Directing Your Directing Career", "The Los Angeles Agent Book" and "The New York Agent Book".Artist- Artist
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Lanei Chapman was born on 23 January 1973. She is an actress, known for Rat Race (2001), Space: Above and Beyond (1995) and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001).Artist- Actress
- Producer
Award-winning Canadian actress Susan Clark, born on March 8, 1943, took up acting at an early age (12) in her hometown of Sarnia, Ontario. Her family moved to Toronto around that period of time and she joined the Toronto Children's Players Theatre. Her first professional curtain call took place on the musical stage in a 1955 production of "Silk Stockings" which starred veteran actor Don Ameche.
The "acting bug" bit hard and a very determined Susan pressed her family to allow her to study at London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She gained valuable experience in repertory, making her London debut in "Poor Bitos" in the early 1960s. She even got a taste of on-camera work when she won multiple roles on a 1965 episode of The Benny Hill Show (1957). Returning to Canada, however, due to the illness of her father, she subsequently decided to trek, instead, to Los Angeles to continue her professional career. In search of on-camera work, she attracted notice in some guest roles on TV and this eventually led to a Universal contract. The ten-year contract was one of the last of its kind as Hollywood was witnessing the demise of the studio contract system.
After gaining some exposure on episodes of The Virginian (1962) and Run for Your Life (1965), Susan's first screen assignment for Universal was as the second female lead in the soap-styled drama Banning (1967) starring Robert Wagner, in one of his typical jet-setting playboy parts, and the scintillating Jill St. John, who would wed her "Banning" leading man two decades later. From there, Susan only grew in stature. Playing the second female lead again in the critically-praised crimer Madigan (1968) starring Richard Widmark and Inger Stevens, she finally earned top female billing opposite Clint Eastwood in Coogan's Bluff (1968) playing a sexy parole officer and enjoying romantic clinches with the up-and-coming film icon on film.
Tall and willowy with incandescent blue eyes, Susan continued to impress on celluloid with roles in Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969), Valdez Is Coming (1971) and, in particular, Skin Game (1971). It was 70s TV-movies, however, that would take full advantage of Susan's vibrant, intelligent acting talents. First came the tender-hearted mini-movie Something for a Lonely Man (1968). While a vehicle for Bonanza's Dan Blocker, co-star Susan made a strong, spunky impression as his small-town romantic interest. This was followed by choice roles in The Challengers (1970) and The Astronaut (1972).
1975 was a banner year for Susan who not only provided a couple of excellent scenes as Gene Hackman's wife in the film-noir Night Moves (1975) but, made a resounding, Emmy-winning impression on TV audiences as feminist track-and-field Olympian-turned-golf star Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who is later felled by cancer, in the TV mini-bio Babe (1975). This was a pronounced victory for Susan both professionally and personally for it was on this set that she met her second husband, co-star Alex Karras, who played Babe's spouse George. Susan was in immediate demand and was quickly cast as another feisty, ill-fated heroine, this time in the form of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart (1976). Predictably, Susan was wonderful and earned a second Emmy nomination for her efforts (she didn't win).
She and Karras (who had a child, Katie, in 1980) went on to jointly act in and/or produce various film and TV projects, including the TV movies Jimmy B. & André (1980), and Maid in America (1982), and the films Nobody's Perfekt (1981) and Porky's (1981). This culminated in their biggest collaborative effort with the sitcom series Webster (1983) wherein both were unmercifully upstaged by the hopelessly cute antics of its tyke star Emmanuel Lewis. While the series hardly tested the couple's acting mettle and the plot was pretty much a "Diff'rent Strokes" rehash, the show proved quite popular on its own and put Clark and Karras firmly on the TV map between 1983 to 1988. Susan, herself, earned a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series".
Following the sitcom' demise, Susan relinquished the limelight a bit and found contentment on the local Southern California stage. Relishing acting challenges in such wide-ranging plays as "Meetin's on the Porch" (1990) with Patty Duke and Carrie Snodgress, "Afterplay" (1998), "Bicoastal Women" (2003) and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2004) (as Lady Bracknell), she eventually became a dedicated member of the Rubicon Theater Company in Los Angeles, gracing such plays there as "The Glass Menagerie", "Dancing at Lughnasa", "The Devil's Disciple" and, most recently, "A Delicate Balance."
Featured in the TV movies Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story (1994), Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story (1994) and Toe Tags (1996), she was last seen on camera co-starring in the dramatic TV series Emily of New Moon (1998) as ever-rigid Aunt Elizabeth, who assists in raising her orphaned niece.
Susan has a daughter, Katie, by husband Karras who died of kidney failure in 2012.Artist- Actress
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Julie Cobb was born into a theatrical family. Her mother, Helen Beverley, was a renowned Yiddish stage and film actress, and her father was famed award-winning actor Lee J. Cobb. Her grandparents on her mother's side were also performers and theater owners. Involved in theater at Beverly Hills High School with classmates Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks, among others, she followed her pursuit to San Francisco State University. She left college to begin working in Los Angeles. She has appeared in over seventy television programs in her over forty year career.
She may be best-remembered as Jill Pembroke on the CBS series Charles in Charge (1984) and had recurring roles on Knots Landing (1979), Hearts Afire (1992), Magnum, P.I. (1980), Family Ties (1982), and Judging Amy (1999), among other television series. At Company of Angels Theater she was awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance as Maggie in Arthur Miller's "After the Fall", and won the same honor in addition to the Dramalogue Award for her direction of Reginald Rose's "Twelve Angry Men".
A published writer, her column "The Path" appeared in the magazine journal Country Connections for several years. Trained and certified by Coaches Training Institute, she worked with clients helping them realize their most productive selves. Her daughter, Rosemary Morgan, continued in the family business as an actress before becoming a practicing attorney. The first film she wrote and directed, Night Vet (2014) won for Best Short Film at the Lady Filmmakers Festival.- Actress
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Ms. Cohen starred in the Television series GRAVITY for starz network and has made additional TV appearances on: CRISTELA, N.C.I.S., THE MENTALIST, THE DEFENDERS, INVASION, THE CLOSER, ANGEL,THE STRAND, N.C.I.S. L.A., STARVED (season 1,recurring), LAX (recurring) and others. Select Film credits include: Wes Anderson's THE LIFE AQUATIC opposite Bill Murray, THE CELESTINE PROPHECY, ZZYZX, BEAU JEST (with Lainie Kazan), ROAD HARD (opposite Adam Carolla) and James Franco's films GOOD TIME MAX, FOOLS GOLD, BUKOWSKI, and THE INSTITUTE. Robyn has also appeared in sci-fi thrillers ASCENSION and BEDEVILED slated for a 2017 release.
On the Stage, Robyn has enjoyed playing Lady Bellaston at The Actors Theatre of Louisville under the direction of Jon Jory in his adaptation of Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones" (2013) and Margot Wendice in "Dial M for Murder" with Cleveland's Classic Theater Company/Idaho Shakespeare Festival where she rounded out their Repertory season as Regan in "King Lear" directed by Joseph Hanreddy in 2015. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Cohen has worked with Broadway directors Jeff Calhoun in "Will Rogers Follies" (Sacramento Light Opera), Doug Hughes in "Farragut North" (Ida u/s Geffen Playhouse) Tony Stevens in the National Tour of "Cabaret" and under the direction of Jerry Herman in his revival of "The Grand Tour" produced at The Colony Theater in Burbank CA. Under Neil Labute's supervision she played Jenny in the West Coast Premiere of "The Shape of Things" at The Laguna Playhouse, and also starred opposite Jeff Goldblum in the west coast premiere of "The Exonerated." Most recently in L.A. she played opposite Melanie Griffith and Scott Caan in the premiere of "No Way Around But Through" at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theater, and prior to that as Catherine in "Proof" at The Long Beach Playhouse. Around the country she has played in The Ford's Theater (D.C.'s "A Christmas Carol), "Carousel" at the Paper Mill Playhouse (under Mark Hoebee), "BRIGADOON" at the Goodspeed Opera House, "The Music Man" at North Shore Music Theater, a season with The Bucks County Playhouse, four seasons with the Sacramento Music Circus and in "RIGOLETTO" at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion/LA Music Center under the direction of Bruce Beresford and Peggy Hickey. Other favorite Los Angeles credits include playing Masha in "The Three Sisters," Hannah in "Modern Orthodox," and opposite James Franco in "Encounters," "Fools Gold," and "THE APE" at Playhouse West Rep. Ms. Cohen also enjoyed the west coast premiere of "From Door to Door" by James Sherman at The Electric Lodge Theater and "Rocket to the Moon" (Cleo) with LA's Odyssey Theatre under Peter Ellenstein. She has been seen in over 85 national Commercials. And has been and Acting Teacher since 2006.Artist- Misty Cotton is known for F.A.R.T. The Movie (1991).Artist
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Born in Los Angeles but raised in Manhattan and educated at Middlebury College and Carnegie-Mellon University, James Cromwell is the son of film director John Cromwell and actress Kay Johnson. He studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon, and went into the theatre (like his parents) doing everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays. He started appearing on television in 1974, gaining some notice in a recurring role as Archie Bunker's friend Stretch Cunningham on All in the Family (1971), made his film debut in 1976, and goes back to the stage periodically. Some of his more noted film roles have been in Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and the surprise classic about a charming pig, Babe (1995). He garnered some of the best reviews of his career (many of which said he should have received an Oscar) for his role as a corrupt, conniving police captain in L.A. Confidential (1997).Artist- Actor
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"Born and raised in New York City, the acting bug hit a young Alex Desert early, with two incidents forever changing his trajectory. First, while perusing the audio section of the Donell Public Library, our young hero happened upon a record which would forever impact him - Paul Williams' soundtrack for the Alan Parker film, Bugsy Malone. While obsessively listening to the musical score, Alex would intensely scour and review the record cover secretly wishing he was one of the actors in this film. Second, when Desert's older brother explained to him that the characters on TV's M*A*S*H were not, in fact, doctors but rather actors, Alex knew he had found his calling.
After graduating NYC's acclaimed School of the Performing Arts (yes...the Fame school), Desert relocated to Los Angeles and has since had a varied acting career. As well as being a series regular on such hit shows as CBS's Becker, Boy Meets World and The Flash, he has also appeared in numerous guest starring roles on shows including Grey's Anatomy, Mom, and House MD. Film roles include such cult classics as Swingers, High Fidelity and PCU.
Not to be tied down to just one form of the acting arts, Alex has also voiced characters for animation and video games. Most notably, Desert can be heard as the voice of Nick Fury in Marvel Animation's Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and can also be heard as Wise in the web series The LeBrons.
In addition to his acting career, Desert also lends his singing talents to two of Los Angeles' most influential world music groups, Hepcat and The Lions. Having released four albums, Hepcat's exposure has included European and American tours, national magazine features and even an appearance on the Conan O'Brien show. Alex's latest musical collaboration, The Lions, is a 12-piece collective of seasoned Los Angeles musicians playing what they have dubbed "dusty reggae soul". Their latest album, Soul Riot, is currently available on Stones Throw Records.
And there you have it. A brief history of Alex Desert."Artist- Actor
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Clifford Tobin De Young was born on February 12, 1945 in Los Angeles, California. He was the lead singer of the late-1960s rock band Clear Light, which played with such artists as The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. He went to New York City in 1970 after the band broke up, starred in the Broadway production of "Hair" and the Tony Award-winning "Sticks and Bones". After four years in New York, he came back to California and starred in the television movie Sunshine (1973) and the subsequent series of the same name (Sunshine (1975)). He has made more than 80 films and television series, including Harry and Tonto (1974), The 3, 000 Mile Chase (1977), Centennial (1978), Shock Treatment (1981), Flight of the Navigator (1986) and Glory (1989). After 25 years and countless performances in films, television and theater, he is still going strong in such projects as the ABC drama series Relativity (1996), and the films The Substitute (1996) and Suicide Kings (1997).Artist- Actress
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Zooey Deschanel was born in 1980 into a showbiz family. Her father, Caleb Deschanel, is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer (perhaps most notably for The Passion of the Christ (2004)) and her mother, Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir), is an actress who appeared in Twin Peaks (1990). Her paternal grandfather was French, and her other roots include English, German, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch.
Driven from an early age to become a successful actress, Zooey got her big break, at age 17, playing a model in the TV sitcom, Veronica's Closet (1997). She got her first film role, the following year, in Mumford (1999), which prompted her to quit university to pursue acting full-time. Mostly thanks to a role in Cameron Crowe's popular biopic, Almost Famous (2000), Zooey's rise to fame has been steadily increasing as the 21st century wears on. Her distinctive acting style found her critical acclaim in 2003, when she was voted Best Actress at the Mar Del Plata Film Festival for her role in David Gordon Green's All the Real Girls (2003). She also gained a Best Female Lead nomination (for All the Real Girls (2003)) at the following year's Independent Spirit Awards, but lost out to Charlize Theron.
Zooey has appeared in such films as 500 Days of Summer (2009), Our Idiot Brother (2011), Yes Man (2008) (opposite Jim Carrey), Elf (2003) (opposite Will Ferrell), Your Highness (2011), The Happening (2008) (opposite Mark Wahlberg), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and is the star of the FOX sitcom, New Girl (2011).
Zooey is often compared to golden era Hollywood starlets and is also a talented singer. She has said in interviews that she believes her singing ability was pivotal in gaining the role of "Jovie" in Elf (2003). She also sang (and acted) in the Disney-produced musical, Once Upon a Mattress (2005).Artist- Actress
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James Eckhouse has had a varied and distinguished career as an actor and director in film, television, and theater for over 35 years.
Recent film credits: ' The Happy Camper' coming out this winter, 'Saving Paradise', and 'A Simple Wedding' Other notable film credits include: The Avengers, S.W.A.T., Guess Who, One True Thing, Junior, Defending Your Life, 84 Charing Cross Road, Fat Man and Little Boy, Fatal Attraction, Cocktail, Big, Leaving Normal, and the voice of 'Potiphar' in the Dreamworks animated film, Joseph - King of Dreams.
Well known to TV audiences as 'Jim Walsh' on FOX's original 'Beverly Hills 90210', James has had guest starring roles on over seventy TV movies and series including Chicago Med, The Rookie, Station 19, The Affair, Code Black, NCIS, Major Crimes, Castle, The Good Wife, Southland, Criminal Minds, West Wing, and Once and Again. He starred in HBO's hit series High and Mighty, as the mad scientist Don Knotts.
James has performed in plays ranging from Shakespeare to Shepard on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in most of the nation's regional theaters. On Broadway he starred in the Tony Award winning 'All The Way' with Bryan Cranston. Other stage credits: the world premiere of Jane Anderson's 'The Escort' at the Geffen Playhouse, 'The Great Leap' at the Pasadena Playhouse, IAMA Theatre's 'Redline', 'The Goat' at the Mark Taper Forum; 'Six Degrees of Separation' at The Old Globe; and 'Mother Courage' at the La Jolla Playhouse. He has created roles in dozens of world premieres Off-Broadway and in regional theaters in the works of many of this country's most notable playwrights including Richard Nelson, Michael Ondaatje, Christopher Durang, Wendy Wasserstein, and Lanford Wilson.
James' directing credits include several episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 and ABC's award winning drama 'Once and Again' starring Sela Ward and Evan Rachel Wood. He has directed plays at Pasadena Playhouse, The Matrix, IAMA, The Odyssey, Boston Court, and The Falcon. His documentary 'Protecting The Possibilities' won a Cine Golden Eagle Award.
James began his training at Chicago's Second City and went on to receive a BFA in Drama at the Juilliard School in NYC.Director- Actor
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Joe Egender was born on 16 March 1976 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Unnatural Selection (2019), The Night Of (2016) and American Horror Story (2011).Artist- Actress
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Maya Erskine was born on 7 May 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for PEN15 (2019), Wine Country (2019) and Blue Eye Samurai (2023).Artist- Actress
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Vibrant, increasingly lovely teen fave Shelley Fabares withstood the test of time by transitioning successfully into adult parts unlike many of her 1960s "teen queen" peers who faded quickly into the memory books. She was born Michele Marie Fabares on January 19, 1944, in sunny Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Elsa Rose (Eyler) and James Alan Fabares. As the niece of singer/comedienne Nanette Fabray, she was indoctrinated early into the show biz life. Tap dancing from age three, she also modeled during her elementary school and began appearing on such TV shows as Captain Midnight (1954) and Annie Oakley (1954) (the latter a recurring role). At age 12, she made her professional film debut in the Rock Hudson/Cornell Borchers tearjerker Never Say Goodbye (1956) as Hudson's daughter, and went on to play kid sister roles in the rock 'n' roll-themed Rock, Pretty Baby! (1956) and its sequel Summer Love (1958) both starring John Saxon.
Teen-idol status came with her coming-of-age role as the ever-wholesome daughter "Mary Stone" on The Donna Reed Show (1958), a part she played for five seasons before embarking on a more grown-up film career. During the run of the classic sitcom, she and TV "brother" Paul Petersen grew so popular that they sprinted to adjoining pop singing celebrity, although both admitted that their vocal talents were limited. Shelley especially enjoyed a #1 Billboard hit with the breathy, sultry-edged "Johnny Angel." The character of "Mary Stone" was gently phased out of the show as her character "left for college."
By this time, Shelley had turned into quite a curvaceous stunner. Her acting mettle hardly tested, she managed to become part of the bikini-clad blonde set with top femme parts in such fun-and-frolic fare as Ride the Wild Surf (1964), Hold On! (1966), which was a vehicle for British singing sensation Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, and three of Elvis Presley's less-acclaimed vehicles of the later 1960s: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967).
A serious Vietnam-era stream of consciousness began to pervade film audiences in the late 1960s and Shelley's perky innocence that found so much favor during the Camelot years had lost its appeal. After a notoriously dry spell, she bounced back as the altruistic wife of a dying footballer "Brian Piccolo" in Brian's Song (1971), opposite James Caan, and settled comfortably again on the small screen with bright co-star roles on the series The Little People (1972), The Practice (1976), and Highcliffe Manor (1979). A more prickly character than usual, however, reared its head in the late-night soap spoof Forever Fernwood (1977), and this led to the equally malicious, vainglorious role of Bonnie Franklin's business competitor on the already-established hit sitcom One Day at a Time (1975). The show also featured her aunt Nanette Fabray as Franklin's meddling mom. In the late 1980s, Shelley found a fleshier character as Craig T. Nelson's resourceful mate on Coach (1989), earning steady work for eight seasons and two Emmy nominations in the process. A return to film stardom, however, would eclipse her.
Married and separated from record producer Lou Adler during her fun-in-the-sun years of the mid 1960s (they eventually divorced in 1980 after a separation of almost 14 years), Shelley found marital stability with actor/activist Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H (1972) fame, and became stepmother to his two children from a prior marriage. Following her recovery from a home accident that broke several ribs in 1998, Shelley was tested and diagnosed with severe auto-immune hepatitis, which resulted in a liver transplant in 2000. Thankfully, she survived the near-fatal ordeal and has been more heard than seen in recent years. She supplied the voice of "Martha Kent" on the Superman: The Animated Series (1996) animated series but has done little else in the ensuing years.Honorary Board Member.- Actress
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A sparkling, entertaining, highly energetic presence ever since her early days (from age 4) as a singing and tap dancing child vaudevillian, Nanette Fabray was once billed as "Baby Nanette".
She was born in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, then moved to the United States, to Louisiana-born parents, Lily Agnes (McGovern) and Raoul Bernard Fabares, a train conductor whose own father was from France. She worked with the top headliners of the era, notably Ben Turpin, in the Los Angeles area. She also sang on radio. It was widely rumored that she appeared in the "Our Gang" ("Little Rascal") film shorts of the late 1920s; however, this was not true. Later the young hopeful received a scholarship to the Max Reinhardt School of the Theatre and appeared in the school's productions of "The Miracle", "Six Characters in Search of an Author" and "A Servant with Two Masters", all in 1939.
The musical comedy stage, however, would be Nanette's forte. Appearing in such hit New York productions as "Meet the People" (1940), "Let's Face It" (1941), "By Jupiter" (1943) and "Bloomer Girl" (1945), she capped this period of great productivity earning awards for her Broadway work in "High Button Shoes" (1947 - Donaldson Award), and "Love Life" (1948 - Tony and Donaldson Awards).
Strangely, Nanette never obtained a strong foothold when it came to film. Aside from secondary roles in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, and the melodrama A Child Is Born (1939), her one claim to movie fame would be her vital participation in the blockbuster MGM musical The Band Wagon (1953) in which she memorably performed the songs "That's Entertainment" and "Louisiana Hayride," and joined Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan in the standout "Triplets" number.
Into the 1950s, Nanette started checking out what television could do as a possible medium for her. It did a lot. She managed a fine feat by winning two consecutive Emmy awards as Sid Caesar's partner on the now-called Caesar's Hour (1954) following the departure of the seemingly irreplaceable Imogene Coca earlier. This led to Nanette eventually starring in her own sitcom, the short-lived Westinghouse Playhouse (1961) (aka "Yes, Yes, Nanette"), in the role of a Broadway star who becomes a makeshift mom after marrying a widower (Wendell Corey) with two children.
Broadway musicals continued to flourish with parts in "Arms and the Girl" (1950) and "Make a Wish" (1951). Nanette later copped another Tony nomination starring as a fictional "First Lady" opposition "President" Robert Ryan in the musical "Mr. President" (1962). Other tailor-made stage vehicles for her came in the form of "Plaza Suite", "Wonderful Town", "Never Too Late", "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and "Cactus Flower", among others.
On the TV front, Nanette adjusted well into a lively and graceful support player. She served up a number of delightfully daffy moms, wisecracking friends and intrusive relatives in guest appearances -- sometimes alongside her own niece, actress Shelley Fabares, as was in the case of their regular roles on One Day at a Time (1975). Nanette was also a popular game show personality during the '60s and '70s, appearing on The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965), The New High Rollers (1974), Password (1961) and The Match Game (1962), among others. The singer-comedienne could be counted on for TV musical variety appearances courtesy of headliners Dinah Shore, Andy Williams, Dean Martin and Carol Burnett.
Most importantly, Nanette's humanitarian efforts over the years were long recognized. A positive force as a hearing-impaired performer, she gave much time and effort in achieving equality for all types of handicapped and disabled people, including actors. Nanette was the widow (since 1973) of writer and sometime director/producer Ranald MacDougall, appearing in a few of his credited works, including the film The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970), the TV pilot Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966) and the TV-movie Magic Carpet (1972). She and MacDougall have one child. Still as lively as ever, Nanette appeared in a 2007 L.A. musical revue, "The Damsel Dialogues".
Nanette died on February 22, 2018, in Palos Verdes, California. She was 97.Artist- Takayo Fischer was born on 25 November 1932 in Hardwick, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Moneyball (2011) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). She has been married to Sy Fischer since 29 November 1980. They have three children.Artist
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Jane Fleiss was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is known for Concourse, Escape and Lucky Bastard (2009).Artist- Actor
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Bruce French was born on 4 July 1945 in Reinbeck, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Jurassic Park III (2001), Fletch (1985) and Mr. Deeds (2002). He has been married to Eileen Barnett since 20 January 1991.Artist- Robin Gammell was born on 22 September 1936 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor, known for Skyline (2010), Bulworth (1998) and Contact (1997).Director
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Teri Garr can claim a career in show business by birthright. She was the daughter of Eddie Garr, a Broadway stage and film actor, and Phyllis Garr, a dancer. While she was still an infant, her family moved from Hollywood to New Jersey but, after the death of her father when she was 11, the family returned to Hollywood, where her mother became a wardrobe mistress for movies and television. While Garr's dancing can be seen in five Elvis Presley movies, her first speaking role in motion pictures was in the 1968 feature Head (1968), starring The Monkees. In the 1970s she became well established in television with appearances on shows such as Star Trek (1966), It Takes a Thief (1968) and McCloud (1970), and became a semi-regular on The Sonny and Cher Show (1976) as Cher's friend, Olivia. Garr has since risen to become one of Hollywood's most versatile, energetic and well-recognized actresses. She has starred in many memorable films, including Young Frankenstein (1974), Oh, God! (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Mr. Mom (1983), After Hours (1985) and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Supporting Actress in Tootsie (1982). Other film roles include The Black Stallion (1979), One from the Heart (1981), The Escape Artist (1982), Firstborn (1984), Let It Ride (1989), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Out Cold (1989), Short Time (1990), Waiting for the Light (1990), Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), Perfect Alibi (1995), Ready to Wear (1994) and A Simple Wish (1997).Artist- Actor
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Chuma Gault was born on 26 July 1972 in the USA. He is an actor and director, known for Game of Silence (2016), Nina (2016) and Girlfriends (2000).Artist- Actress
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Kimiko Gelman was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Hunger Games (2012), Chicago Hope (1994) and Providence (1999). She has been married to John Prosky since 17 September 2000. They have one child. She was previously married to Jeff Cazanov.Artist- Actor
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Harold Gould earned a Ph.D. in theater and taught speech and drama at Cornell University.
Pursuing off-Broadway work in the 1950s, he decided to practice what he preached and became a full-time professional actor in the 1960s.
He appeared in hundreds of TV programs during his distinguished performing career, usually playing a father, grandfather, or other varieties of authority figures.Artist- Actor
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Michael Gross was born in 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, to Virginia Ruth (Cahill), a telephone operator, and William Oscar Gross, a tool designer. He was involved with a gang for a couple of years during high school before becoming a better student. He went on to be senior class president. Received an M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Drama. Worked in theater before moving to New York to begin an acting career. This eventually led to his breakthrough role on the show Family Ties (1982).
He has moved on to several other projects since the show's end, including three of the In the Line of Duty movies, narrating audio books, and, probably most notably, playing the character Burt in the Tremors (1990) films.Artist: director.- Actor
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Robert Peter Williams Guillaume was an actor from St. Louis, Missouri who was known for playing Rafiki from The Lion King, Benson DuBois from Soap and Benson, and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls. He had five children from two marriages. He passed away in October 24, 2017 due to prostate cancer complications.Artist- Actress
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Lisa's mother, Tina, is a retired social worker. Her late father, Ira, worked as an engineer and then went into business as a general contractor. A sister, Heidi, is a lawyer. Lisa started acting as a child and played Flip Wilson in a 3rd grade performance. During junior high, she started traveling by train to Manhattan for private acting lessons and acted in summer drama camps. Her principal interest initially was to act in Shakepearean drama. She earned her degree from theatre from New York University and followed it up with a second BFA from Julliard. In 1993, she got her first break at the New York Shakespearean festival playing Isabella opposite Kevin Kline in "Measure for Measure". She was later turned down to play the role of Hester Prynne in a production of "The Scarlet Letter" because of race. Upset, she wrote a letter to 'The Village Voice' to protest legal racism. The play's playwright, Phyllis Nagy, responded with a criticism of her acting, which obviously made things worse. She went on to have a successful career in theater. In 1995-96, her portrayal of a South African singer in Athol Fugard's Valley Song garnered an Obie Award and the Clarence Derwent Award. More recently, Hamilton earned critical acclaim, her second Obie, and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for her role as Suzanne Alexander in Adrienne Kennedy's, "The Ohio State Murders." Besides appearing in over two dozen films, Hamilton directed the documentary film Beah: A Black Woman Speaks in 2003. This film, about pioneering black actress Beah Richards, dealt with Hamilton seeking out Richards, an African-American actress who had broken ground making inroads for black actresses.Artist- Melinda Page Hamilton is an American actress, best known for her role as Odessa Burakov in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids, and for her leading role in the independent film Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006). She has had recurring roles on Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, and Big Love.
Hamilton was born in New York City. She attended Princeton University and later the Tisch School of the Arts in New York University. She starred in the number of theatre productions, including role of the title character in the original stage production of Cornelia, written by Mark V. Olsen. She made her television debut in the episode of NBC legal drama Law & Order in 1997, and as of 2003 began playing regular guest-starring roles, in shows like Star Trek: Enterprise, Nip/Tuck, Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Castle, NCIS, Modern Family and True Blood.
Her memorable 2003 Star Trek Enterprise role of Feezal, the alien scientist and second wife of Doctor Phlox, explored the concept of Polygamy.
Hamilton played a supporting role in the 2004 film Promised Land, and the leading role in the 2006 film Sleeping Dogs Lie. She also appeared in the films Corporate Affairs (2008), Not Forgotten (2009) and God Bless America (2011).
On television, she had a recurring roles in the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives as Sister Mary Bernard, a nun trying to pursue married man Carlos Solis, and well on the AMC period drama Mad Men where she played the role of Anna Draper, polio survivor and widow of the man whose identity Don Draper stole in Korea. She also guest-starred on Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice, and all of CSI shows: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami. She also appeared in HBO drama series Big Love from 2009 to 2010.
In 2013, Hamilton was cast as Odessa Burakov in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids. She worked with a dialogue coach to hone a Russian accent for her role in show. She appeared in the first two seasons. In 2015, she had the recurring roles in the USA Network series, Dig, and SundanceTV drama, Rectify.Artist - Actress
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Ren Hanami grew up in Huntington Beach, California with roots in Hawaii. Her parents were Alice Akimi Hanna of Japanese descent originally from the sugar plantation on Kekaha, Hawaii, and James Arthur Hanna, a rocket scientist who worked on Navstar, the first GPS satellite. Hanna descended from the Clan Hannay and Sorbie Tower in south west Scotland. (en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbie_Tower)tt4591680
Hanami is a 2021 Inductee into the Asian Hall of Fame and is Co-Chair of its Trauma Advocacy Initiative. She is known for being the long time National Chair of the SAG-AFTRA Asian Pacific American Media Committee and advocate for representation of Asian Pacific Islanders in entertainment. #RepresentationMatters. Hanami is an award-winning actress and singer known for Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Star Trek: Picard (2020) and Disney's Bunk'd (2015). She is also an award-winning writer and director known for Like Last Night (2017) and Lizard Lesson (2016). She began her show business career as a singer and dancer at Disneyland and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and a Certificate in Feature Film Writing from U.C.L.A. Hanami's self-produced CDs are "Akimi: Songs For My Mom," "Alien" and "Private Island." Her soprano voice can be heard singing "You've Got A Friend," on Maki Mae's Asian Hall of Fame album "Down By The Water."Artist- Actor
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Hill Harper, an accomplished film, television and stage actor, stars in the hit CBS drama series, CSI: NY (2004). He portrays "Dr. Sheldon Hawkes", a reclusive coroner who walked away from a promising surgical career after the traumatic loss of two patients. This February, he will star in the HBO movie, Lackawanna Blues (2005), which is based on the critically-acclaimed stage play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Recently, "People" magazine selected Harper as one of their "Sexiest Men Alive" (2004).
Prior to CSI: NY (2004), Harper co-starred as an ambitious undercover FBI operative on the CBS series, The Handler (2003), alongside Emmy Award nominee Joe Pantoliano. The role earned him a 2004 Golden Satellite Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He has also been recognized by the NAACP Image Awards with a nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the CBS series, City of Angels (2000).
Harper received critical acclaim for his performance in the independent film, The Visit (2000), directed by Jordan Walker-Pearlman, which tells the story of two brothers who are forced to come together when the younger sibling (played by Harper), who is HIV-positive, is sentenced to death row for a crime he seemingly did not commit. His performance, which Daily Variety called "riveting", earned him a Best Actor nomination by the Independent Spirit Awards. He re-teams with Walker-Pearlman in the upcoming independent feature, Constellation (2005), which chronicles the lives and loves of a family in the Deep South.
His recent film roles include the lead in the independent film, Love, Sex and Eating the Bones (2003), which was accepted into the Toronto International, Palm Springs, and Pan African film festivals. This intriguing film won "Best Canadian First Feature Film" in the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival and both "Best Feature" and "Audience Favorite" in the 2004 Pan African Film Festival. He has also completed work on the independent film, America Brown (2004), which was accepted into the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. Harper's other screen credits include: Loving Jezebel (1999)_, The Nephew (1998) (with Pierce Brosnan), The Skulls (2000) (with Joshua Jackson), In Too Deep (1999) (with Omar Epps, LL Cool J and Nia Long), Beloved (1998), Hav Plenty (1998), He Got Game (1998) (with Denzel Washington), and Get on the Bus (1996). Other films include Zooman (1995) (with Louis Gossett Jr., Charles S. Dutton and CCH Pounder), "Full Court Press" (with Ellen Burstyn and Taye Diggs) and One Red Rose (1995), which he also co-wrote, for Showtime.
As a television actor, Harper has had numerous guest-starring roles. He recently appeared on recurring episodes of Showtime's Soul Food (2000) and guest-starred on HBO's The Sopranos (1999). He also starred in the CBS mini-series, Mama Flora's Family (1998) and the UPN Network comedy/drama, Live Shot (1995). Other guest appearances include: ER (1994), NYPD Blue (1993), Murder One (1995), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) and Married... with Children (1987).
Harper's stage credits include appearances in off-Broadway productions of "Your Handsome Captain", "Freeman", and David Mamet's "American Buffalo". He completed a starring run of Jessica Hagedorn's "Dogeaters" at New York's Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduated with a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School, as well as with a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government. He is a full-time member of Boston's Black Folk's Theater Company, one of the nation's oldest and most respected African-American traveling theater troupes. Harper's Bazaar wrote, "You might expect Hill Harper to be the next actor vying for the presidency... but he has other things on his agenda".Artist- Actor
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Pat Harrington Jr. was born on 13 August 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for One Day at a Time (1975), The President's Analyst (1967) and Move Over, Darling (1963). He was married to Sally Cleaver and Marjorie Ann Gortner. He died on 6 January 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Honorary Board Member: Artist- Actress
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Jackée Harry was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and reared from the age of nine in Harlem, New York, by her mother, Flossie. At the tender age of fourteen, Jackée landed the lead role of the King in her school's production of The King and I. Upon graduation from New York City's High School of Music and Art with a distinction in Opera, Jackée attended the University of Long Island, where she earned her B.A. degree in education.
Jackée began her career as a history teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School but left after two years to pursue a career in acting. She studied acting at the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side and made her professional acting debut in 1973 in Richard Wesley's Goin' Through Changes; not long afterward, she made her Broadway debut in A Broadway Musical as Melinda Bernard.
In 1983, Jackée made her television debut opposite Morgan Freeman in the daytime soap opera Another World. A year later, she landed her iconic role of Sandra Clark on the NBC sitcom 227. As the breakout star of the series, Jackée became the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. Her performance on 227 inspired NBC producers to create a television pilot for her entitled Jackée. After departing 227 in 1989, she starred opposite Oprah Winfrey in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel The Women of Brewster Place.
In 1991, Jackée joined an all-star cast led by Della Reese when she played the role of Ruth 'CoCo' Royal in The Royal Family. From 1994-1999, she starred as the adoptive mother of Tia and Tamara Mowr and y's characters on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister, winning the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Jackée also made guest appearances on Amen, Designing Women, Dave's World, Hollywood Squares, 7th Heaven, and That's So Raven, before joining the cast of Everybody Hates Chris in 2006.
Hollywood success did not lead Jackée to turn her back on theater; in 1994 she returned to the stage as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, and in 2003 she played the role of the Madam in The Boys From Syracuse on Broadway. More recently, Jackée performed before sold-out audiences across the nation in the J.D. Lawrence stage play The Cleanup Woman.
More recently Jackée has starred in The First Family on Centric and has had a recurring role on BET's Let's Stay Together.Artist- Actress
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Mariette Hartley was born Mary Loretta, a name she dislikes, in Weston, Connecticut. She was raised in accordance with the principles espoused by her behavioral psychologist grandfather, John B. Watson, who believed that children should never be held or cuddled. She says that the lack of warmth at home is what drove her to the theatre. She studied with John Houseman at the Repertory Stratford and with Eva Le Gallienne at Lucille Lortel's White Barn Theatre. It took her six years to get her first movie, Ride the High Country (1962) with Joel McCrea. She then made a series of TV appearances and sitcoms. She is most known, however, for her series of Polaroid commercials with James Garner. Mariette's father committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot in 1962. Her family kept it a secret for 25 years, but she eventually revealed the incident. This brought her considerable acclaim for speaking out about her devastation. She co-founded a suicide prevention foundation based on her own past situation. She continues to work in the theatre and, in 2000, was hosting the syndicated Wild About Animals (1995). Her children, Justine E. Boyriven (b. 1978) is an actress and singer, and Sean Boyriven (b. 1975) is a film-school graduate.Artist- Actress
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Katherine Marie Helmond was born on July 5, 1929, in Galveston, Texas. After her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother, Thelma (nee Malone) Helmond, and her maternal grandmother, both of Irish Catholic descent. She attended Catholic school, and appeared in numerous school plays and pageants. She took a job at a local theater while still in high school, hammering and sawing the scenery, cleaning the bathrooms and pulling the curtain.
After her stage debut in "As You Like It", she worked in New York theatres during the 1950s and 1960s. She operated a summer theatre in the Catskills for three seasons and also taught acting in university theatre programs. She made her TV debut in 1962 but had to wait another 10 years until her breakthrough came in the 1970s. She stayed busy on TV as well as on stage and earned a Tony nomination for "The Great God Brown" (1973) on Broadway. She honed her acting abilities with Alfred Hitchcock in Family Plot (1976) and in numerous TV series, notably in ABC's cult sitcom Soap (1977), for which she had four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. On the big screen she starred in Brazil (1985) as Jonathan Pryce's mother who is addicted to plastic surgery and snooping in her son's messed-up life.
In 1983 she studied at the Directing Workshop of the American Film Institute and then directed four episodes of the series Benson (1979) as well as episodes of Who's the Boss? (1984). She also picked up Emmy nominations for her role as Mona Robinson, a liberated grandmother in "Who's the Boss?", and as Lois in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996). Although Helmond was a bona-fide TV star since her "Soap" days, she continued working on stage in the 2000s and was acclaimed for her performances in "The Vagina Monologues".
Katherine Helmond was married twice. She had no children. She turned to Buddhism in later years. She shared her time between her home in Los Angeles and homes in New York and London.- Marin's parents met while serving in the Peace Corps. She was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, but her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, when she was four months old. Two years later, her brother Mark was born. Her father, Rodney, is a retired school teacher. Her mother, Margaret, is a judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court.
Marin wanted to be a ballerina and studied dance until age 16, when an ankle injury ended her dancing aspirations. While concerned about her decision to pursue acting, her parents nonetheless urged her to follow her dreams, but they encouraged her to get a Master's degree so she could at least fall back on a teaching career in case things did not work out. She graduated from Brown University and then enrolled at New York University, where she says she was pretty terrible in her acting classes. In 1992, she met her husband Randall, a New York theater director. After her success, they both moved to a Hollywood home that they leased after a a 9-month separation.
Marin had her first successes performing in New York theater ("Electra" & "The Tempest"), then got some minor movie roles and then guest roles on several television shows before her co-starring role on Once and Again (1999). She then got a role as Judith Harper on the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003) and did several guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).Artist - Actor
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Jim Jansen was born on 27 July 1945 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Water for Elephants (2011), Gilmore Girls (2000) and Death Becomes Her (1992).Artist- Make-Up Department
Peter Janson is known for Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1991) and Slumber Party Massacre III (1990).- Eve Kagan was born on 5 January 1980 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Notebook (2004), Alias (2001) and Columbo (1971).Artist
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Best known to television viewers as a series regular on two Chuck Lorre hit comedies: "Dharma & Greg" (5 seasons) and "Mom" (8 seasons). She garnered a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Marjorie in Season 1 of "Mom" before becoming a series regular in Season 2.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Kennedy ignited her acting career on stage opposite TV legend Sid Caesar in Neil Simon's "Last Of The Red Hot Lovers," along with Doris Roberts, who became a friend and mentor. As one of the principal stars of "3 Girls 3," a musical-variety mini-series co-starring Debbie Allen and Ellen Foley, she played opposite Bob Hope, Carl Reiner, Tony Curtis, Flip Wilson, and Steve Martin (in his prime-time TV debut). Regular TV series roles followed including, as Stockard Channing's sister In "Just Friends" and co-starring with Peter Cook in "The Two of Us." As Queen-B Ruth Sloan on "Homefront," Kennedy netted another American Television Critics nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. She recurred as CIA Director and House Minority Leader in HBO's "The Brink" and "Veep," respectively.
Her most notable films include "In the Loop," "Midnight in Paris," "Pump Up the Volume," "Erin Brockovich," "Man in the Chair," and "The Five-Year Engagement." 2021 releases include the Tony Hale comedy "Eat Wheaties!" and the feel-good film "Saving Paradise."
Her memoir "Taken To The Stage" was praised for addressing the moral and psychological challenges of an acting career. She is updating it for paperback and Audible release.Artist- Actress
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Marsha Kramer was born on 19 June 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Jumper (2008), Red Riding Hood (2011) and Double Jeopardy (1999). She was married to Jim Keller. She died on 23 January 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Advisory Board: Artist- Actor
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Carlos Lacamara was born in Havana, Cuba on November 11, 1958. He and his parents, Adria and Carlos Sr., left Cuba to escape the Cuban Revolution when Carlos was just 2 years old. From there he moved to Washington D.C., then to Puerto Rico, then to California, where he resides now. Carlos graduated from UCLA, and then started his acting career with looping jobs (looping movies such as Big, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, Jurassic Park, Team America: World Police, etc.), then went on to have small appearances on television shows such as Family Ties, T.J. Hooker, Cosby, etc. In 1991, he got a regular role on the show Nurses, as Paco Ortiz. When the show was canceled in 1994, he did more small roles on Friends, the movie Independence Day, etc. In 2000, he got another regular role on The Brothers Garcia, as Ray Garcia (the dad). To this day, he does more small roles, and lives with his wife Carol, and his sons Lucas and Diego.Artist- Artist
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Dawnn Lewis was born August 13, 1961. She is remembered mostly from her role as Jaleesa Vinson on A Different World (1987). Dawnn composed the theme song with Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner that was used for the series. She left the show in 1992 to join the cast of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) as Robin Dumars. From 1995-1996, she continued a career in acting, doing mostly voice-overs, which included characters on Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994), Bruno the Kid (1996), and C-Bear and Jamal (1996). In 1998, she helped write the movie Black Jaq (1998). She continues to make guest appearances on various shows.Artist- Actor
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Steve Landesberg was born on 23 November 1936 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Barney Miller (1975), Wild Hogs (2007) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). He was married to Nancy Ross. He died on 20 December 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Artist- Actor
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Eric Lange was born on 19 February 1973 in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Escape at Dannemora (2018), Narcos (2015) and Lost (2004). He has been married to Lisa Sabatino since 9 November 2013. They have two children.Artist- Actress
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Piper Laurie was a three-time Oscar nominee, nominated by BAFTA as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best performance by an actress in 'The Hustler' with Paul Newman.
Laurie was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan, to Charlotte Sadie (Alperin) and Alfred Jacobs, a furniture dealer. She had an elder sister. Her family was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent.
Young Rosetta had been studying acting with Benno and Betomi Schnider for three years when she auditioned for Universal Studios, who signed her to a long term contract and was renamed Piper Laurie. She made more than twenty films, appearing opposite such actors as Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson and Tyrone Power.
Disgusted with the lack of serious roles, Laurie finally broke her lucrative Hollywood contract, moved to New York, lived on a budget, worked on live television and theater, and within two years changed her life and her career.
She stopped working for fifteen years after 'The Hustler' to devote her energies to the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, feeling acting was less important. When she accepted work again she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for 'Carrie' with Sissy Spacek, and again as Best Supporting Actress in 'Children of a Lesser God' with Marlee Matlin. She won the Golden Globe for her role in the David Lynch cult favorite 'Twin Peaks' and was nominated for an Emmy for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in 'Twin Peaks'.
She was nominated a total of twelve times for the Emmy, including one for the original and celebrated live broadcast of 'The Days of Wine and Roses' with Cliff Robertson, directed by John Frankenheimer, as well as for her comedic performance in 'Frasier'. She won an Emmy for her performance in 'Promise' opposite James Woods and James Garner. She was Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, and she also received an SFECA award for her performance as Dolly in the film 'The Grass Harp'.
In 2010, she played an elderly grandma who learns to smoke a bong in the feature film 'Hesher', with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Natalie Portman. Most recently she appeared as Grandma Hershe in White Boy Rick, starring Matthew McConaughey, and as Rose Muller in 'Snapshots', directed by Melanie Mayron. In 2013, she made her musical stage debut in 'A Little Night Music' as Madame Armfeldt.
Laurie performed on Broadway in the Tony-nominated Lincoln Center production of 'Mornings at Seven' directed by Dan Sullivan at the Lyceum Theatre. She also appeared on Broadway in the 20th Anniversary production of 'The Glass Menagerie', in which she played Laura Wingfield, with Maureen Stapleton (only 7 years older) as her mother, Amanda, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Off-Broadway, she appeared in Molly Kazan's 'Rosemary and the Alligators' and in Larry Kramer's 'The Destiny of Me'. She toured in a one-person play about Zelda Fitzgerald, written by Bill Luce. In 2010 she directed Jim Brochu in his one-man show 'Zero Hour', for which he received the Drama Desk Award for best solo performance on or off Broadway, playing Zero Mostel.
Laurie was divorced from Wall Street Journal's movie critic, Pulitzer Prize-winner Joe Morgenstern. They had a daughter. Laurie's autobiography, Learning to Live Out Loud, was published by Crown in 2011 to rave reviews and is now available as an audio book on audible.com.Artist- Actress
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Four-time Best Actress Emmy Award winner Michael Learned was born on April 9, 1939 in Washington, D.C. The oldest of six daughters of a U.S. State Department employee, she was raised on her family's farm in Connecticut. The family moved to Austria when she was age 11, and it was while attending boarding school in England that she fell in love with the theater and decided to become an actress.
Learned married Oscar winner Robert Donat's nephew Peter Donat, a Canadian citizen, when she was 17 years old, a marriage that lasted 17 years and produced three sons. She learned her craft while acting for the Shakespeare Festivals in both Canada and the U.S. while simultaneously raising a family. She and her husband Peter acted together with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in the early 1970s. Her breakthrough came when she was appearing in an ACT production of Noël Coward's "Private Lives", where she was spotted by producer Lee Rich, who cast her as Olivia Walton in his new television series about a Depression era family, The Waltons (1972).
Learned won three Emmy Awards playing the role, and another Emmy for her next foray into series TV, Nurse (1981). She escaped typecasting as Olivia Walton (although she re-prised the role that made her famous in a 1995 TV-movie reunion) while appearing on numerous shows and TV movies, including top-drawer, made-for-TV specials such as the 1986 adaptation of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1987) with co-star James Whitmore.Artist- Actor
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Matt Letscher attended the University of Michigan and received a BA in Theatre, but it was a pair of workshops with the legendary Uta Hagen that cemented his love of the craft. His career since has ranged from stage to screen, beginning with a role in Jeff Daniel's original play The Tropical Pickle, which premiered at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, MI. He's been honored to work with directors Spike Jonze, Atom Egoyan, James Mangold and Bart Sher and writers Lanford Wilson, Beth Henley, Neil Simon, and Greg Berlanti, among many others.
As a writer, his plays Sea Of Fools and Gaps In The Fossil Record received productions at The Purple Rose Theatre and Pacific Resident Theatre, respectively. His pilot, Gentrification(co-written with Nipper Knapp and Andrew Newberg) won the award for Best Writing at the 2010 New York Television Festival.Artist- Actor
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Sal Lopez grew up in a bilingual home in South Central Los Angeles. He is the second of eight boys born to immigrant parents and attended public schools. He is a founding member of The Latino Theater Company and has co-created theater with the company for over 38 years. A veteran actor he has worked with numerous oscar nominated actors and directors. He is married with two children and resides in Los Angeles.Artist- Euriamis Losada was born in Santa Fe, Cuba to Rev. Luis and Maria Losada. At the age of 6, his family moved to Miami and before long, E.L. began pursuing his interests in both singing and acting. He hit the South Florida theater scene, playing a great variety of roles in stage plays and musical theater, receiving critical acclaim and 'Best Actor' awards for Jekyll & Hyde, Romeo & Juliet and Bat Boy. E.L. moved to Los Angeles to expand into TV and film, gathering credits that include Cold Case, Trophy Wife and Steven Soderbergh's award winning biopic Che: Part One.
E.L. is known for his versatility as an actor on stage and screen, and as a powerfully rich tenor singer. In September 2014, he took over the lead role as the iconic Cuban band leader 'Ricky Ricardo' in the 2014-15 national tour of "I Love Lucy Live on Stage".Artist - Janet MacLachlan was born on 27 August 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Tick, Tick, Tick (1970) and Tightrope (1984). She died on 11 October 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Artist
- Monette Magrath is known for Weeds (2005), Jake's Closet (2007) and Miss Dial (2013). She has been married to David Andrew Macdonald since 2018. They have one child.Artist
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Nancy Malone was born on 19 March 1935 in Queens Village, Long Island, New York, USA. She was an actress and director, known for Naked City (1958), Merlene of the Movies (1981) and The Long, Hot Summer (1965). She died on 8 May 2014 in Duarte, California, USA.Director- Actor
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From February 2014 Dakin is taking on the iconic role of Mickey, the grizzled no-mercy trainer in ROCKY, THE MUSICAL at Broadway's Winter Gardens Theatre. This role was originally played by veteran screen actor Burgess Meredith in the original 1976 movie and he received an Academy award nomination for his achievement.Artist- Zilah Mendoza was born in Salt Lake City, but was raised on the beaches of Southern California and the deserts of Arizona. She began her professional acting career at an early age in both television and theatre. Her first professional play was with Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad in the play Eastern Standard Time. One of her first experiences on a sit-com was working with Kevin James, Leah Remini, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller on the King of Queens. She has originated many characters in the contemporary theatre, working with such powerhouse writers as Lisa Loomer (Girl Interrupted) , Sarah Ruhl (Pulitzer Nominated), Luis Alfaro (Prada to Nada), Billy Corbin(Cocaine Cowboys) and Aurin Squire (This is Us). In her spare time, she loves to read new scripts and historical fiction, to travel, to learn about new cultures and to spend time with her family and friends. Zilah was awarded the OBIE for outstanding lead performance in Lisa Loomer's Living Out as well as the Lucille Lortel award. She has received several Backstage Awards and a Garland for various new works.Artist
- Graham Miller is known for The Lego Movie (2014) and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).Artist
- Actress
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Iona Morris was born on 23 May 1957 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for X-Men: The Animated Series (1992), Robotech: The Movie (1986) and Megazone 23 (1985).Artist- Actor
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Javi Mulero - Biography
"This is an actor who can make the theater tremble." - Welton Jones, 'San Diego Union-Tribune'
"Mulero makes a startling transformation as a man who, without love, must suffer all the harsh rules and ravages of time." - Laurie Winer, 'LA Times'
"One of the surprises of this handsome, lush production, is that one roots for him as one would root for life. As played by the very appealing Javi Mulero, (he) manages to be at once charismatic and ruthless, seductive and repellent. The moment one dismisses him, there is an almost hypnotic desire to pull him back, if only to see what outrageous thing he will do next." - Nancy Churnin, 'LA Times'
Javi Mulero, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in El Condado, began his theatrical acting career in Plays and Industrial Films in Chicago, IL, to where he moved right after his University years and where he obtained two of his first acting Union Cards, having secured an agent in LA by the time he moved there 3 ½ years later.
His first speaking role on TV was in one of the first episodes of "Doogie Howser, M.D.", in which he got to display his English and Spanish bilingual skills. At the same time, he started working in various Equity workshops in plays at both the Mark Taper Forum (LA) and South Coast Rep (Costa Mesa, CA) thanks to the late, great Stanley Soble and Ms. Martha McFarland, respectively. Other roles followed in TV's "Hunter," "Murder She Wrote," "Super Force," "E.R.", "Resurrection Blvd", "Matlock", and a few TV Pilots and movies-of-the-week.
Theater kept calling and he worked in full productions at the Mark Taper Forum, Taper Too (at John Anson Ford), South Coast Rep., Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, Sierra Rep., Dallas Theater Center, Arizona Theatre Co., and Pasadena Playhouse, among others.
He created, among others, two roles in two different Humana Festivals at Actors Theatre of Louisville: the role of 'Nelson De la Luna" in "Cloud Tectonics," which he soon after reprised at La Jolla Playhouse, Playwrights Horizon (NYC), and Santa Fe Stages; as well as the enigmatic central role of 'Zhao' in the comedy "Natural Selection." Javi also toured for 7 months in the Pulitzer Prize Winner "Anna in the Tropics," going from Dallas, Tucson, Phoenix, and into the legendary Pasadena Playhouse, in CA. He also did other different productions of "Anna" in Sonora, CA; at the Hippodrome (Gainesville, FL); at the Open Fist (LA), and with Bonnie Franklin's Classic Contemporary American Plays.
Javi has never ever missed a performance, yet. Ever.
Other great turns in TV Guest spots include "NYPD Blue", "Ironside", "NCIS", "The Ghost Whisperer", "Cane", and "Bosch: Legacy", among many others (like "Reyes y Rey" and "Four Corners"). He appeared in the opening segment of the Sci-Fi movie "Tremors 3" and in the recent Festival darling/Movie Musical "Calle de la Resistencia", which was recently released by Caribbean Cinemas in Puerto Rico, where it played for 12 weeks. He has worked on TV with Jimmy Smits, Dennis Franz, Angela Lansbury, Ann-Margret, Sonia Braga and Mimi Rogers.
Javi trained with Joanna Sanchez (Meisner Method); Barbara Gaines, in Chicago (Shakespeare); and for 10 months with the late Lynn Redgrave, every week (Shakespeare Master-Class).
Javi is also a writer; has had several of his Plays both workshopped and produced; he is a Member of ALAP (Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights); SAG-AFTRA; and AEA.Artist- Lou Myers was born on 26 September 1935 in Cabin Creek, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for The Wedding Planner (2001), Volcano (1997) and Tin Cup (1996). He died on 19 February 2013 in Charleston, West Virginia, USA.Artist
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Craig T. Nelson was born on 4 April 1944 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Coach (1989), The Incredibles (2004) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Doria Cook-Nelson since 1987. He was previously married to Robin McCarthy.- Music Department
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Originally from Havana, Cuba, Ali fell had a passion with the guitar at age fourteen and taught herself to play that musical instrument. While residing in Jacksonville, Florida, she was chosen to participate in the international stage musical "Up With People" and graduated from their traveling high school program. During her two years of touring the world, she started writing her own songs, her graduation "speech" being one of the first. She subsequently began her solo music career while attending USF in Tampa, doing college concerts and performing at Walt Disney World before making her way to Los Angeles. In 2001, Ali received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Song on NBC's soap opera, Passions. She co-wrote the theme to Disney's Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003) and "Aloha, E Komo Mai," the end title song for Stitch! The Movie (2003) which is also featured at a Tokyo Disneyland attraction. Among her other music credits are The Road to El Dorado (2000), Thunderheart (1992), Out for Justice (1991), and Friends & Lovers (1999). Ali won first place in the Latin category of Billboard's 7th Annual Song Competition for her bilingual song "I'll Get over You." She is also the featured vocalist and guitarist on "Two Brothers" with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Disney's American Adventure in Epcot and "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" at Disneyland. An accomplished studio singer, she has sung on numerous Latin albums by artists like Chayanne and Roberto Carlos, as well as on many radio and television commercials, including Coca-Cola Classic, Toyota, and McDonald's. Her unique vocal style and ability to write in both English and Spanish have led to writing Spanish lyrics for songs by Diane Warren, Amanda McBroom ("The Rose") and Tom Snow. She also adapted the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for audiences in Mexico City. One of her most exciting musical experiences was getting to perform a world premiere of her Christmas song, "A Ver, A Ver Al Niño Jesus" (Los Tres Reyes Magos) with the Inland Empire Philharmonic, under the direction of Dr. Michael Isaacson. It has subsequently been performed by various church choirs throughout the Los Angeles area.Artist- Actress
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Arianna Ortiz was born in Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Nine Days (2020), This Is Us (2016) and Parenthood (2010).- Director
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- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Bennet Perry; Artist.- Actress
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Mackenzie Phillips was known for her role in the 1973 hit movie American Graffiti (1973). Two years later, she got the role that changed her life in the 1975 sitcom One Day at a Time (1975). The show was an instant success, and everything was going well until the third season was launched, when she was arrested for cocaine possession and lied about the incident on her uncredited appearance on Dinah and Her New Best Friends (1976). During the run of the 1979-1980 season, Mackenzie started to fall off the deep end. The producers didn't know what was wrong; she started getting tired and showing up late for rehearsals. On the set she was incoherent and the producers gave her a six-week leave of absence. In 1980, she was fired from the series, went to rehab, then returned in the fall of 1981. Sadly, in 1983, she fell asleep during a rehearsal. Producer Patricia Fass Palmer told her that she had to take another drug test, but she refused and left. She has since recovered and returned to acting.Honorary Board Member: Artist- Actress
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Tonya Pinkins has won or been nominated for nearly every award there is in the American theater. She is a Fulbright Specialist. As a producer, writer and director she conceived "Truth and Reconciliation of Womyn; Narrative Stories and Songs for the Soul in ten minutes or less." The women involved in this project span the globe in age, culture and ethnicity.Artist- Actor
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Lawrence Pressman was born on 10 July 1939 in Cynthiana, Kentucky, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for 9 to 5 (1980), American Pie (1999) and Shaft (1971). He was previously married to Lanna Saunders.Artist