Primal Zodiac Sign - Boxer
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- Art Department
Paul Cézanne was born on 19 January 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, France. He is known for Cezanne, I Am, Pioneers of Modern Painting (1971) and Karussell (1977). He was married to Marie-Hortense Fiquet. He died on 22 October 1906 in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.- Connie Mack was born on 22 December 1862 in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was married to Katherine Holahan and Margaret Hogan. He died on 8 February 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Music Department
Swami Vivekanand narrated the Mahabharata in his lecture in California
A short excerpt from his lecture
The other epic about which I am going to speak to you this evening, is called the Mahabharata. It contains the story of a race descended from King Bharata, who was the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Maha means great, and Bharata means the descendants of Bharata, from whom India has derived its name, Bharata. Mahabharata means Great India, or the story of the great descendants of Bharata. The dispute was over the region of the north western India. So the region of the quarrel is not very big. This epic is the most popular one in India; and it exercises the same authority in India as Homer's poems did over the Greeks. As ages went on, more and more matter was added to it, until it has become a huge book of about a twenty thousand couplets. The central story of the Mahabharata is on Karna and his brothers whose heroism and glories were spread all over Bharatvarsha that time. They conquered the Aryavartha at different periods of time and subjugated many old nations, kingdoms and republics of the great ancient India! The core of the story is on the control over the empire of India and mainly Hastinapur. The story's hero comes from the Suta tribe and his name is Karna, the possessor of all qualities and also known as Vasusena who gets into the Kuru family and becomes the backbone of the Kurus. Out of the brothers, Karna and Yudhisthira were on the verge to sit on the throne of Hastinapur whereas the rest characters were subordinates and supporters of them. The irony in this situation is that Yudhisthira does not know that Karna is his eldest brother and the rightful heir to the throne though Karna knows it but at the play of destiny, he was bound to side against Yudhisthira and the rest Pandavas. As I told you in the Ramayana, Bharat despite being the 2nd eldest brother sits on the throne, in the Mahabharata also Yudhisthira sits on the throne. However just like every ancient Indian text, the ending of the epic will not be tragic one but will be in the heaven where the 106 brothers unite and Karna being the eldest brother will be crowned as the king of the Aditya Lok. In the Ramayana also, the ending was not tragic, Rama united with his brothers and was crowned as the king of Ayodhya. The positive ending in ancient epics by the authors and writers of times immemorial is to show that the life is 'unending' and should be always taken as a positive aspect to move forward in life and finally attain the highest goal which is the 'salvation'. Unlike Buddha's teachings, these pieces of history teach us heroism, the way to live.- Actor
- Music Department
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Albert Schweitzer was born on January 14, 1875, in Kaysersberg, near Strasbourg, Elsass-Lothringen, Germany (now in Alsace, France). His father and both grandfathers were pastors and organists. His family had been devoted to education, religion and music for generations.
Schweitzer took music lessons from his grandfather, a church organist. He spoke German and French in his bilingual Alsace family, and later added English to his studies. From 1893-1899 he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Strasbourg, University of Berlin and the Sorbonne. In 1899 he completed a doctorate dissertation on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. From 1905-1912 he studied medicine in Strasbourg and Paris, and received his MD degree in tropical medicine and surgery in 1912.
From the age of 9 Schweitzer started regular performances of organ music in his father's church and continued his organ recitals until the age of 89. In 1905 he wrote a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, in French, then he rewrote and updated the Bach book--in German--in 1908, the version considered definitive. Schweitzer also published a book on organ building and playing in 1906. He was involved in the restoration of many valuable historic organs worldwide, including construction of the organ at his hospital in Lambarene, where he played music for his patients. He was described as the doctor who returns health to ill people and music to old organs. Albert Schweitzer made notable organ recordings of Bach's music in the 1940s and 1950s. Schweitzer based his interpretation on his profound knowledge of personality, education, religious and social life of Bach.
In 1905 he began his medical studies at the University of Strasbourg, because he decided to go to Africa as a medical doctor rather than a pastor. His medical knowledge was in urgent need during an epidemic of sleeping sickness there. In 1913 he obtained his MD degree, but was turned down by the Paris Missionary Society because his very liberal views of Christ's teachings did not conform to the Society's orthodox beliefs. Schweitzer and his wife went to Lambarene, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon), and started a hospital in a tent, gradually adding rooms for special cases of sleeping sickness, leprosy, paediatrics and surgery. After his release from French internment Schweitzer practiced medicine in Strasbourg from 1918-1923. In 1924 he returned to his hospital in Lambarene, which was to be restored after years of decay during his absence. There his medical practice included paediatrics, infectious diseases and epidemiology, as well as surgery and traumatology. His versatility in medicine helped to save many thousands of lives. Schweitzer donated his royalties from public performances and book publications to the hospital, which expanded to 500 beds by the 1950s. "Everyone must have his 'Lambarene'", said Schweitzer.
Schweitzer gained great reputation for writing "The Quest of the Historical Jesus" (1906). He was acclaimed for his two concise books on in 1905-1908. In 1917 Schweitzer and his wife were arrested by the French administration in Africa for being Germans, and sent to a French internment camp at the St. Remy mental institution. There Schweitzer was kept at the same room where Vincent Van Gogh lived before his suicide. The Schweitzers were prisoners of war until the end of the First World War in 1918. After his release Schweitzer gave a major speech about his "Reverence for Life" (1920). He spent six years in Europe and published "The Decay and the Restoration of Civilization" (1923) and "Civilization and Ethics" (1923), which he drafted during his captivity in St. Remy.
Schweitzer saved lives by his medical work, by writing and teaching and by advocating for peace and nuclear control. He admittedly followed the similar line as that of the Russian humanitarian and writer Lev Tolstoy. As the founder of a free public hospital, a writer and humanitarian, Schweitzer became the leading proponent of accessible medicine for all. He was also involved in the foundation of the Goethe Institute. From 1952 until his death Schweitzer worked against nuclear weapons together with Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. On December 10, 1953, Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He donated his prize money to build a leprosy clinic in Lambarene. In 1957 Schweitzer co-founded The Committee for a sane Nuclear Policy.
As it was told, many girls adored Schweitzer, but Helene Bresslau offered him thoughtful partnership and practicality instead of flattery. Schweitzer and Helen began their relationship in 1898, as students. In many hundreds of their letters they only once used the word "love". Schweitzer called his medical work "the religion of love, actually put into practice." The disapproval, conservatism and shallowness of many Christian friends and even his own father did not stop him from his career change to medicine in 1905. Only Helene Bresslau understood him. In 1912 Schweitzer married her before they went to Equatorial Africa. It was a passionate, profound joining of souls. She trained as a nurse and became his assistant in medical work, in writing and in international public service. Their daughter, Rhena, was born in 1919, she later became the lab analyst at her father's hospital in Africa. His cousin Anne-Marie Schweitzer was the mother of Jean-Paul Sartre, who called Schweitzer 'Uncle Al'.
Schweitzer was a multifaceted person, a true Renessance man. He was a doctor, a pastor, a teacher, a writer, a musician, a father and husband, an international lecturer and the leading proponent of peace, all at the same time. He admired all people as brothers and sisters. His openness and helpfulness to strangers was disarming and ennobling. He was learning from simple people through his entire life, being himself patient, modest and humble. "Why are you traveling in the 4th class?" some official asked him - "Because there is no 5th class", answered Schweitzer.
His humor was legendary. His look resembled that of his friend Albert Einstein. Once on a train he was asked by two schoolgirls, "Dr. Einstein, will you give us your autograph?" He did not want to disappoint them, so he signed their autograph book: "Albert Einstein, by his friend Albert Schweitzer."
He died on September 4, 1965, in the hospital, which he founded in 1913, and was laid to rest in the ground of his hospital in Lambarene, Gabon.- Infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone was born in the tough Williamsburgh section of Brooklyn, NY, the fourth of nine children of Italian immigrants from Naples. Capone was a born sociopath. In the sixth grade he beat up a teacher and promptly quit school. He picked up his education from the streets, "making his bones" when he joined the notorious James Street gang. This was run by Johnny Torrio, who later graduated Capone into the even more notorious Five Points gang. It was here that Capone became friends with Lucky Luciano, another who would become a hallmark in the '30s gangster era.
By his late teens Capone had been hired by Torrio and Frankie Yale as a bouncer at a saloon / brothel in Brooklyn. In 1918 he was involved in a bar fight over a prostitute with hoodlum Frank Galluccio. Gallucio went after Capone with a knife, resulting in Capone's picking up the moniker by which he would be known for the rest of his life--"Scarface" (although that word was NEVER used in his presence). Capone, however, would attribute the scar to wounds he received in battle while fighting with the famous "lost battalion" in France during World War I (the fact that Capone never spent one minute in the army was a minor point, apparently). By 1919 he was already suspected by New York police of at least two murders, so he moved to Chicago to work under Torrio's uncle, "Big" Jim Colosimo, a Chicago gangster who ran a string of brothels. Torrio and Colosimo had a dispute over bootlegging during the Prohibition era--Torrio was for it and Colosimo was against it. Torrio hatched a plot with Capone to have Colosimo "rubbed out" and they got their old pal Frankie Yale to do it. Over the next few years the new Torrio-Capone regime went to war with rival bootlegging gangs in Chicago. In 1924 they killed Charles Dion O'Bannion, head of the Irish North Side gang. That didn't end the war, however, which went on for several more years. Capone's younger brother Frank died in a hail of rival gangsters' bullets in 1924. In February 1925 Torrio, who had been badly wounded in a shootout, decided to retire. He told Capone, "It's all yours". At the tender age of 26, Al Capone found himself in control of a sophisticated crime organization with 1,000 gunmen at his command and a $300,000-a-week payroll. He was up to it, however, and made a smooth transition from a simple gun-toting leg-breaker, pimp and killer to a "business executive" (his business card stated that he sold "second-hand furniture"). It was estimated that at one point he had approximately half of Chicago's police department on his payroll, and his reach extended to the highest levels of Chicago's city government and even into the Illinois legislature (he was also suspected of having the Illinois governor "in his pocket"). He controlled the local political process by terrorizing voters into voting for candidates he picked. So great was his power that he claimed he "owned" Chicago, and once publicly assaulted the mayor of nearby Cicero--who was on his payroll--on the steps of City Hall for doing something without his clearance, while the local police looked the other way.
Capone was probably the first "equal-opportunity" mob boss. While many of his fellow Italian and Sicilian gangsters would only hire those from their own ethnic group, Capone hired Jews, Irish, Poles, Slovaks, blacks--as long as he considered them trustworthy, they could work for Capone. He even purged the Chicago organized crime scene of "Mustache Petes", the old-time Sicilian gangsters who he didn't think were capable of running a "modern" crime organization. Capone ran Chicago's gambling, prostitution and bootlegging empire, getting rich giving people what they wanted. He was soon wildly popular among the citizenry and was even cheered at the ballpark, while "respectable" citizens like President Herbert Hoover were not. Capone absorbed smaller gangs into his own--sometimes by negotiation, other times by gunfire--extending his reach to outside the Chicago environs and expanding his empire even further. He was, however, always concerned for his own safety and surrounded himself with trusted bodyguards (including Frank Gallucio, the man responsible for his nickname, "Scarface"). Several attempts were made on his life by rival mobsters--one time a convoy of cars full of gangster Hymie Weiss' gunmen shot up a restaurant at which Capone was dining; the place was destroyed, but Capone came through unscathed. Another time would-be assassins poisoned his soup, but his luck held out again.
On Valentine's Day in 1929 Capone ordered the bloody "St. Valentine's Day Massacre". His underlings found out the location of the warehouse of his rival George Moran (aka "Bugs" Moran) and that Moran was to attend a meeting there at a particular time. Capone sent a carload of his gunmen dressed as police officers to the address. Once there they lined up the seven men they found, but Moran wasn't among them; he was on the sidewalk heading towards the building when he saw the "police car" pull up in front and he quickly ducked into a nearby store. Nevertheless, Capone's gunmen machine-gunned them to death. Following the massacre (when Moran was later asked who he thought was responsible for the murders, he replied, "Only Capone kills like that"), public opinion about Capone began to change. He was not above killing on his own, either. When he was informed that his bodyguards John Scalise and Albert Anselmi were part of an assassination plot against him, he decided to take care of the matter himself. To put their minds at ease, he threw a banquet in their honor. While delivering a glowing testimonial to them, Capone suddenly pulled out an Indian club and beat both men to death.
Although local and state authorities had been trying to bring down Capone for years, the federal government finally managed to do it by prosecuting him for income-tax evasion. He was tried, found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, GA. In 1934 he was transferred to Alcatraz, a federal prison on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay that was set up to hold the nation's worst criminals. He never finished out his sentence, though. In 1939 he was paroled because of the ravages of neurosyphilis, a disease he contracted while running Torrio's and Colosimo's whorehouses. He lived the last eight years of his life as a virtual zombie at his estate in Florida, his brain almost totally destroyed by the disease. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Thelma McQueen attended public school in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from high school in Long Island, New York. She studied dance with Katherine Dunham, Geoffrey Holder, and Janet Collins. She danced with the Venezuela Jones Negro Youth Group. The "Butterfly" stage name, which does describe her constantly moving arms, actually derives from dancing the "Butterfly Ballet" in a 1935 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Her stage debut was in "Brown Sugar," directed by George Abbott for whom she did several other stage shows. In 1939 she appeared as the shop girls' assistant Lulu in The Women (1939) and in her most famous role, the irresponsible, whiny Prissy of Gone with the Wind (1939) ("Oh, Miss Scarlett, I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies").
Two other notable appearances among her string of silly maid parts were in Flame of Barbary Coast (1945) and Mildred Pierce (1945). From 1947 to 1951, she was a regular on the radio show "Beulah" and then in the TV version 1950-52.
In 1980, a Greyhound Bus Lines guard mistook her for a pickpocket and handled her roughly, throwing her against a bench and cracking several of her ribs. She sued for assault, and after several years of litigation, she was awarded $60,000. She chose to live very frugally on the money and retired to a small town outside Augusta, Georgia, where she lived in anonymity in a modest one-bedroom cottage.
On the night of Dec. 22, 1995, a fire broke out in her home, and she was found by firefighters lying on the sidewalk outside with severe burns over 70 percent of her body. She said her clothes caught fire while she was trying to light a kerosene heater in her cottage, which was destroyed by the fire. She was taken to Augusta Regional Medical Center, where she died at age 84.- Actress
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Ava Lavina Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, to Mary Elizabeth (née Baker) and Jonas Bailey Gardner. Born on a tobacco farm, where she got her lifelong love of earthy language and going barefoot, Ava grew up in the rural South. At age 18, her picture in the window of her brother-in- law's New York photo studio brought her to the attention of MGM, leading quickly to Hollywood and a film contract based strictly on her beauty. With zero acting experience, her first 17 film roles, 1942-1945, were one-line bits or little better. After her first starring role in B-grade Whistle Stop (1946), MGM loaned her to Universal for her first outstanding film The Killers (1946). Few of her best films were made at MGM which, keeping her under contract for 17 years, used her popularity to sell many mediocre films. Perhaps as a result, she never believed in her own acting ability, but her latent talent shone brightly when brought out by a superior director, as with John Ford in Mogambo (1953) and George Cukor in Bhowani Junction (1956).
After three failed marriages, dissatisfaction with Hollywood life prompted Ava to move to Spain in 1955; most of her subsequent films were made abroad. By this time, stardom had made the country girl a cosmopolitan, but she never overcame a deep insecurity about acting and life in the spotlight. Her last quality starring film role was in The Night of the Iguana (1964), her later work being (as she said) strictly "for the loot". In 1968, tax trouble in Spain prompted a move to London, where she spent her last 22 years in reasonable comfort. Her film career did not bring her great fulfillment, but her looks may have made it inevitable; many fans still consider her the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history. Ava Gardner died at age 67 of bronchial pneumonia on January 25, 1990 in Westminister, London, England.- Actor
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As a kid in the 1930s growing up in a tough New York neighborhood, kinetic wiseguy Larry Storch took in the multi-ethnic flavor of his surroundings and started blurting out various accents as a juvenile to provoke laughs and earn attention. Little did he know that this early talent would take him on a six-decade journey as a prime actor and comedian.
The 5'8" actor was born on January 8, 1923, in New York City, the son of a realtor and telephone operator. Although he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he never graduated, earning money as a stand-up comic. Larry's gift as an impressionist paid off early during those teen years in vaudeville houses. Following military duty during WWII as a seaman (1942-1946), a happenstance meeting with comedian Phil Harris in Palm Springs led to an opening act gig at Ciro's for Lucille Ball's and Desi Arnaz' show.
Larry received his biggest break on radio with "The Kraft Music Hall" when he was asked to sub for an ailing Frank Morgan. He not only delivered his patented star impersonations, he did a devastating one of Morgan himself that went over famously.
Moving to the small screen, a summer hosting replacement on the TV variety show Cavalcade of Stars (1949) was followed by Larry's own variety series, The Larry Storch Show (1953). In musical revues from the early 1950s with such showcases as "Red, Hot and Blue" and "Curtain Going Up," he also became a fixture on the nightclub circuit. He made a leap into legit acting with the musical "You Never Know" (1955) and comedies "The Tender Trap" (1956) and "Who Was that Lady I Saw You With?" (1958), in which he played a hyper Russian spy.
A long-lasting friendship with Tony Curtis that formulated during his Navy days paid off in spades. Curtis started finding work for his buddy in his films, beginning with an unbilled bit in the Universal costumer The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951). When Larry's career was going through a noticeable lull in the early 1960s, Curtis again came to the rescue by giving him top supporting roles in some of his prime cinematic fluff--Who Was That Lady? (1960) (in which he recreated his stage role), 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), Sex and the Single Girl (1964) and Wild and Wonderful (1964).
TV audiences soon started seeing his manic-looking mug regularly on episodic TV, including The Phil Silvers Show (1955) and Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). Larry's biggest claim to fame would come via his Emmy-nominated role as Forrest Tucker's loyal but not particularly bright sidekick Cpl. Randolph Agarn in the western comedy F Troop (1965).
While continuing to make an "impression" in nightclubs, Larry found a lucrative outlet in animation, too, giving vocal life to four decades' worth of cartoons, including the series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963), Underdog (1964), The Pink Panther Show (1969) and Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969). He also provided the voice of Koko the Clown in the syndicated cartoon show Out of the Inkwell (1961).
Beginning in the 1980s Storch made a comic resurgence of sorts under the theater lights with a healthy run opposite Jean Stapleton and Marion Ross in "Arsenic and Old Lace" from 1986-1988, and in the musicals "Oklahoma!" (1990) and "Annie Get Your Gun" (2000), the latter as Chief Sitting Bull. He also appeared with his friend Curtis again, this time in a musical stage version of Curtis' classic film Some Like It Hot (1959).
Larry went on to appear in typical oddball form in such films as Airport 1975 (1974), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977), Record City (1977), Without Warning (1980) (as a scoutmaster), S.O.B. (1981) (as a guru), Fake-Out (1982), Sweet Sixteen (1983), A Fine Mess (1986), The Perils of P.K. (1986), The Silence of the Hams (1994), Funny Valentine (2005) and Bittersweet Place (2005). TV guest appearances included "The Fall Guy," "Knight Rider," "Out of This World," "Married ... with Children," "Days of Our Lives," and his last, a 2010 appearance on "Medium Rare."
He was married to actress Norma Storch from 1961 until her death from cancer in 2003.- Actress
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Jean Stapleton was born Jeanne Murray in Manhattan, New York City, to Marie A. (Stapleton), an opera singer, and Joseph Edward Murray, a billboard advertising salesman. Her paternal grandparents were Irish. She was a cousin of actress Betty Jane Watson. Other relatives in show business were her uncle, Joseph E. Deming, a vaudevillian; and her brother Jack Stapleton, a stage actor. She graduated from Wadleigh High School, NYC, in 1939. She worked as a secretary before becoming an actress. Stapleton made her stage debut at the Greenwood Playhouse, Peaks Island, Maine, in the summer of 1941, and her New York stage debut in "The Corn Is Green" (1948). She appeared on Broadway in the musicals "Damn Yankees" (1955) and "Bells Are Ringing" (1956), and later repeated her roles in the movie versions (Damn Yankees (1958) and Bells Are Ringing (1960)). Her other Broadway roles included the original companies of "Rhinoceros" (1961) and "Funny Girl" (1964). Stapleton also played Abby Brewster in the 1986-87 revival of "Arsenic and Old Lace".- Actress
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One of the world's most famous and distinguished actresses, Dame Maggie Smith was born Margaret Natalie Smith in Essex. Her Scottish mother, Margaret (Hutton), worked as a secretary, and her English father, Nathaniel Smith, was a teacher at Oxford University. Smith has been married twice: to actor Robert Stephens and to playwright Beverley Cross. Her marriage to Stephens ended in divorce in 1974. She was married to Cross until his death in 1999. She had two sons with Stephens, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens who are also actors.
Maggie Smith's career began at the Oxford Playhouse in the 1950s. She made her film debut in 1956 as one of the party guests in Child in the House (1956). She has since performed in over sixty films and television series with some of the most prominent actors and actresses in the world. These include: Othello (1965) with Laurence Olivier, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978) with Michael Caine and Jane Fonda, A Room with a View (1985), Richard III (1995) with Ian McKellen and Jim Broadbent, Franco Zeffirelli's Tea with Mussolini (1999) with Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Cher and Gosford Park (2001) with Kristin Scott Thomas and Clive Owen, directed by Robert Altman. Maggie Smith has also been nominated for an Oscar six times and won twice, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978).
Smith later appeared in the very successful 'Harry Potter' franchise as the formidable Professor McGonagall as well as in Julian Fellowes' ITV drama series, Downton Abbey (2010) (2010-2011) as the Dowager Countess of Grantham.- Actor
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Russ wasn't discovered, he discovered show business at the age of 5 when, with other youngsters at Inglewood, California, he went to Saturday matinees at the Granada Theatre. One afternoon while waiting for the show to start he got on the stage and did an impromptu dance which the kids loved. He repeated it the following week and became so popular that when he didn't appear there was almost a riot. The theater manager spoke to his parents and his mother let him take dancing lessons. Once started on a career he expanded his talents to take in singing and acrobatics performing his first back flip at 10. He later added juggling, a magic act, piano, and drums to his talents which made him a regular performer at local clubs. He made his stage debut with a small theater group directed by Lloyd Bridges which in turn led to his film debut in 'The Boy With Green Hair' followed by a part in 'Samson and Delilah' and the title role in 'The Kid From Cleveland.' He earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for 'Peyton Place' receiving high praise from both director Mark Robson and choreographer Michael Kidd, who was a close friend of Jerome Robbins, and who'd worked with Russ on 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.' Summoned for both a dancing and acting screen test with Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins he was cast as Riff the leader of the Jets in the Oscar winning film 'West Side Story.' In his films up to 1952 he was credited as Rusty Tamblyn and Russ Tamblyn after that.- He grew up there in poor circumstances, got on the wrong track as a child and became enthusiastic about boxing at an early age. At the age of 14, Patterson began boxing. At the beginning of the 1950s he initially pursued an amateur career in the middleweight division. From 1951 to 1952 he was US champion in this weight class. At the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952, at the age of 17, he won the gold medal. Immediately after winning the Olympics, Patterson began his career in professional boxing. After a few victorious fights, he won by knockout in the fifth round against Archie Moore in 1956. of this: This brought him - at the age of 21 as the youngest heavyweight champion - the world heavyweight title.
Patterson was able to successfully defend his world title four times. In 1959 he lost to the Swedish challenger Ingemar Johansson, who became the new world champion. The following year, Patterson knocked out Johansson in the rematch, regaining the world title. The world champion was subsequently able to defend his title several times - including again against Johansson in 1961 - only to lose it in September 1962 to Sonny Liston, whom he defeated by knockout. lost in the first round. After losing his world championship title, Patterson continued his professional career until the early 1970s.
In 1965 he took on the newly crowned world champion Muhammad Ali, but he was knocked out in the 12th round. succumbed. On September 20, 1972, Patterson was in the ring for his last fight, which he won by knockout. lost again to Ali in the seventh round. Patterson lived in New Paltz, New York. In his professional career he had won 55 times in a total of 63 encounters, 40 of which were by knockout. After retiring from sports, he served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission for many years.
Floyd Patterson died on May 11, 2006 in New York. - Music Artist
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Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Presley (née Gladys Love Smith) and Vernon Presley (Vernon Elvis Presley). He had a twin brother who was stillborn. In 1948, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he attended Humes High School. In 1953, he attended the senior prom with the current girl he was courting, Regis Wilson. After graduating from high school in Memphis, Elvis took odd jobs working as a movie theater usher and a truck driver for Crown Electric Company. He began singing locally as "The Hillbilly Cat", then signed with a local recording company, and then with RCA in 1955.
Elvis did much to establish early rock and roll music. He began his career as a performer of rockabilly, an up-tempo fusion of country music and rhythm and blues, with a strong backbeat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing 'black' and 'white' sounds, made him popular - and controversial - as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop music. Teenage girls became hysterical over his blatantly sexual gyrations, particularly the one that got him nicknamed "Elvis the Pelvis" (television cameras were not permitted to film below his waist).
In 1956, following his six television appearances on The Dorsey Brothers' "Stage Show", Elvis was cast in his first acting role, in a supporting part in Love Me Tender (1956), the first of 33 movies he starred in.
In 1958, Elvis was drafted into the military, and relocated to Bad Nauheim, Germany. There he met 14-year old army damsel Priscilla Ann Wagner (Priscilla Presley), whom he would eventually marry after an eight-year courtship, and by whom he had his only child, Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis' military service and the "British Invasion" of the 1960s reduced his concerts, though not his movie/recording income.
Through the 1960s, Elvis settled in Hollywood, where he starred in the majority of his thirty-three movies, mainly musicals, acting alongside some of the most well known actors in Hollywood. Critics panned most of his films, but they did very well at the box office, earning upwards of $150 million total. His last fiction film, Change of Habit (1969), deals with several social issues; romance within the clergy, an autistic child, almost unheard of in 1969, rape, and mob violence. It has recently received critical acclaim.
Elvis made a comeback in the 1970s with live concert appearances starting in early 1970 in Las Vegas with over 57 sold-out shows. He toured throughout the United States, appearing on-stage in over 500 live appearances, many of them sold out shows. His marriage ended in divorce, and the stress of constantly traveling as well as his increasing weight gain and dependence upon stimulants and depressants took their toll.
Elvis Presley died at age 42 on August 16, 1977 at his mansion in Graceland, near Memphis, shocking his fans worldwide. At the time of his death, he had sold more than 600 million singles and albums. Since his death, Graceland has become a shrine for millions of followers worldwide. Elvis impersonators and purported sightings have become stock subjects for humorists. To date, Elvis Presley is the only performer to have been inducted into three separate music 'Halls of Fame'. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales, and remains one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music.- Actor
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Bob Denver was attending college at Loyola-Marymount University, in Los Angeles, when he got into acting. At first, Denver wasn't sure he wanted to be an actor, but gradually gave in, deciding that's what he was going to do for a career. Before he became established, he worked as a mailman and teacher. He then got a screen test for the part of Maynard G. Krebs and to his surprise won the part. After four years on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), Denver got his most famous part of Gilligan, in Gilligan's Island (1964). After Gilligan's three-year run ended he did a few other television shows (including the Gilligan wannabe Dusty's Trail (1973)) and Broadway plays. On September 2, 2005, he died of complications related to cancer treatment at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina. He had most recently lived in Princeton, West Virgina. He is survived by his wife Dreama Perry Denver, and four children.- A.J. Foyt was born on 16 January 1935 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Racin' for a Livin' (2006), ESPN Speedworld (1979) and Formula 1 (1950). He has been married to Lucy Zarr since 8 June 1956. They have three children.
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Susan Lucci was born on December 23, 1946, in Scarsdale, New York, to Jeanette (Granquist) and Victor Lucci, a building contractor. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, German, and French (mother) descent. Susan grew up in Garden City. Since she can remember, she wanted to be a performer, and through her teenage years, took voice lessons, dance lessons, and participated in community theater. In high school she was the ideal student: took many honors classes, was a cheerleader, staff writer for the school newspaper, was a foreign exchange student to Norway, and performed in the school musicals, including lead roles in "Oklahoma" and "The King and I". After graduating with Honors from Garden City High School, she was accepted and attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, which was noted for its theater program. After graduating with a BFA in theater arts, she moved to New York City, and began going to auditions. One of her first jobs was that of a color girl for CBS. Every day she would report to the studio, and sit on a stool, as technicians developed the new color cameras. Most of her acting work consisted of Off-Broadway understudy roles, day-player roles on soap operas, and extra and stand-in work for movies. In 1969 at the age of twenty-three, she auditioned for a brand new soap opera that was to be called All My Children (1970). She landed the role of Erica Kane, which is still considered by many critics to be one of the best roles on television written for women. Around this time, she met an married restaurant owner Helmut Huber. In 1978, Susan received her first Daytime Emmy nomination. She was nominated again in 1981, and nominated almost every year since then. In the early 1980s, she became the first soap opera actress to appear on the cover of major magazines, as well as the first to star in Movies of the Week. But what made her a household name by the late 1980s was her string of Emmy losses. It became a running joke that the 'Queen of Daytime Television' had no crown. It seems that every time that she would have a real knockout year, another daytime diva would have a more unique story line, or a more challenging acting role, including multiple personalities, or an actress playing more than one character. But in 1999, on her 19th Emmy nomination, she won. She received a four minute standing ovation. Now, after twenty one nominations, she is considered to be one of the most honored performers in the history of television, daytime or primetime.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and grew up living beside the the Gulf of Mexico. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi he worked his way to success in the music industry. His hits in the 1970s including "Margaritaville" and "Come Monday". He struck a chord and helped to build a huge fan-base of all ages over the decades. Now married with three kids, Buffett loves fishing, flying and world travel. Buffett is also the author of numerous books including the bestselling "A Pirate Looks At Fifty" and has added movies to his repertoire as co-producer and co-star of an adaptation of Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot (2006).- Composer
- Actor
- Writer
Edgar Winter was born on 28 December 1946 in Beaumont, Texas, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Air America (1990), My Cousin Vinny (1992) and Wag the Dog (1997). He has been married to Monique Winter since 1979.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Daughter of Eva, the Baroness Erisso, and Major Glynn Faithfull, a WWII British spy. Recorded the first song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "As Tears Go By" (1964). Involved in a major drug scandal with Jagger, Richards, and others, which ultimately turned public opinion favorably towards the 'Rolling Stones' and other rock groups. In the '70s she became addicted to heroin and was homeless in London's Soho district for a couple of years. Recorded numerous albums in the '80s while struggling with cocaine and alcohol. Has remained sober and productive since.- Actress
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- Writer
Patti Smith was born on 30 December 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Noah (2014), Song to Song (2017) and Barb Wire (1996). She was previously married to Fred 'Sonic' Smith.- Producer
- Actress
- Executive
Diane von Furstenberg first entered the fashion world in 1970 with a suitcase full of jersey dresses. Four years later, she created the wrap dress, which came to symbolize power and independence for an entire generation of women. By 1976, she had sold over a million of the dresses and was featured on the cover of Newsweek. In 1997, after a hiatus from fashion, Diane re-launched the iconic dress that started it all, reestablishing her company as the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today. DVF has expanded to a full collection of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories that include: shoes, handbags, small leather goods, scarves, and jewelry. The company also offers luggage, eye wear, and home furnishings. DVF is now sold in over 55 countries, including 132 DVF owned and partner stores throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
In 2005, Furstenberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion, and one year later was elected the CFDA's President. In this significant role, she has dedicated herself to fostering emerging talent and helping to establish the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which protects designers from counterfeit reproductions of their work. In 2015, Furstenberg was named Chairman of the CFDA.
Furstenberg's commitment to empowering women is expressed not only through fashion, but also through philanthropy and mentorship. She sits on the board of Vital Voices, a non-governmental organization that supports female leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. In 2010, with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Furstenberg established the DVF Awards to honor and provide grants to women who have displayed leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to their causes. In 2012, Forbes magazine named Furstenberg the "Most Powerful Woman in Fashion." In 2014, Furstenberg published a memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be. In 2015, she was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.
With her corporate headquarters in New York's Meatpacking District, Furstenberg has long been a vocal member of the local community and was actively involved in the campaign to save the historic High Line railway and to develop The High Line Park into what it is today. She also serves on the board of Culture Shed, the new center for artistic and cultural innovation in New York City.
Furstenberg is married to Barry Diller. She has two children, Alexander and Tatiana, and four grandchildren. With all of her successes, Furstenberg happily maintains that "[My] children are my greatest creation."- Director
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Don Bendell is known for The Instructor (1981).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.
Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.
However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.
In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.
The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.
In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.
After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.
In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.
On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.- Producer
- Actress
Born in Albany, Georgia, Deen is a notable graduate of Albany High School. She married her first husband after graduating high school in 1965. Her parents both died by the time she was 23, and a resultant fear of death led to chronic agoraphobia. She was a proficient Southern cook, and used it to help deal with her condition. in 1986, she felt okay enough to take a job as a bank teller. She was robbed at gunpoint the next year, and that incident led her to deal with her agoraphobia head-on. After the family moved to Savannah in 1989, she decided to parlay her cooking experience into a clandestine catering service. She made sandwiches and other meals, and her sons delivered them.- Rickey Henderson was born on 25 December 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for 1999 National League Championship Series (1999), 1992 American League Championship Series (1992) and MC Hammer: 2 Legit 2 Quit (1991). He has been married to Pam Palmer since 1983. They have three children.
- Actress
- Director
- Additional Crew
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is the daughter of Sydney Anne, an artist, and Lee Paul Neuwirth, a mathematician. Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, she started out as a dancer. Her New York career started out in "A Chorus Line". She won a Tony Award for her part in "Sweet Charity" and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Lilith Sternin Crane of Cheers (1982).- Mark Martin was born on 9 January 1959 in Batesville, Arkansas, USA. He has been married to Arlene Martin since 27 October 1984. They have five children.
- Music Artist
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- Actress
Sade was born on 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a music artist and composer, known for A Wrinkle in Time (2018), True Lies (1994) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). She was previously married to Carlos Scola.- Actress
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- Music Department
Susanna Hoffs is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, actress, novelist and co-founder of the multi-platinum selling group, The Bangles. Her voice is instantly recognizable on such hit singles as, "Eternal Flame", "In Your Room" (both co-written by Hoffs), and "Manic Monday".
Her first novel, "This Bird Has Flown" was released in 2023 and received rave reviews in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR, among others. Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.
She played the role of Gillian Shagwell, in the fictional band, "Ming Tea" in all three "Austin Powers" films.
In 1990, she began a solo music career and has released five studio albums; "When You're a Boy" (1991), "Susanna Hoffs" (1996), "Someday" (2014), "Bright Lights" (2021), and "The Deep End" (2023). The albums yielded hit songs such as, "My Side of the Bed", "Unconditional Love", and "All I Want". She collaborated with Matthew Sweet on "Under the Covers" volumes 1, 2, and 3. She has toured with the Bangles and as a solo artist with such artists as Don Henley, Aimee Mann, and Matthew Sweet.
Notable solo artist performances include the Lilith Fair, the Academy Awards (duet with Randy Newman), Grammy Salute to Prince (duet with Chris Martin), and Grammy Salute to Paul Simon.
Entertainment Weekly wrote about her performance with Chris Martin saying, "This was the night's tenderest moment and certainly one of the most still, particularly in a catalog full of uptempo delights. Hoffs and Martin intertwined their voices, stripping the sweet lament to a gorgeously elegiac place".
In 2019, Hoffs inducted the Zombies into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hoffs vocals and songs have been featured in films (and on the soundtracks for), "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery", "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me", "Austin Powers in Goldmember", "Meet the Parents", "Bombshell", and numerous others. Her single, "Eternal Flame", which she performed lead vocals on with The Bangles, has been used in over 60 films and TV shows.
In addition to co-writing songs for the Bangles, Hoffs has co-written songs for the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, and Bette Midler as well as contributing vocals on albums by such artists as the Talking Heads, Rufus Wainwright, Travis, and :The Lilith Fair: Celebration of Music" compilation album (featuring Sarah McLachlin, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, and others).- Actor
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- Executive
Taye Diggs was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Marcia (Berry), a teacher and actress, and Andre Young, a visual artist. When he was a child, his mother married Jeffries Diggs, whose surname Taye took. He received a BFA degree in musical theater from Syracuse University. Taye made his show business debut in the ensemble cast of the five-time Tony Award winning play "Carousel." Taye Diggs is the oldest of five. His two brothers are musicians, one sister is a dancer and the other is going to college to be a veterinarian.- Actor
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Jeremy Lee Renner was born in Modesto, California, the son of Valerie (Tague) and Lee Renner, who managed a bowling alley. After a tumultuous yet happy childhood with his four younger siblings, Renner graduated from Beyer High School and attended Modesto Junior College. He explored several areas of study, including computer science, criminology, and psychology, before the theater department, with its freedom of emotional expression, drew him in.
However, Renner recognized the potential in acting as much through the local police academy as through drama classes. During his second year at Modesto Junior College, Renner role-played a domestic disturbance perpetrator as part of a police-training exercise for an easy $50. Deciding to shift his focus away from schoolwork, Renner left college and moved to San Francisco to study at the American Conservatory Theater. From there he moved to Hawaii and, in 1993, to Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles, Renner devoted himself to theater, most notably starring in and co-directing the critically acclaimed "Search and Destroy." He pursued other projects during this time as well, landing his first film role in 1995's National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995). After several commercials and supporting roles in television movies and series, Renner captured the attention of critics with his gripping, complex portrayal of the infamous serial killer in the 2002 film Dahmer (2002). Renner's performance, which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination, is especially remarkable for painting a humane and sympathetic, yet deeply disturbing, portrait of the title character.
In 2003, Renner took a break from small indie films to work on his first commercially successful movie, S.W.A.T. (2003), with Colin Farrell. In 2005, he played the leading role in Neo Ned (2005) as an institutionalized white supremacist in love with a black girl, winning the Palm Beach International Film Festival's best actor award. Renner's pivotal supporting roles in 2005's 12 and Holding (2005) and North Country (2005) earned him accolades from critics, and his 2007 turn in Take (2007) garnered him the best actor award at California's Independent Film Festival. Also in 2007, Renner played a leading role in the horror film 28 Weeks Later (2007) as well as a supporting role in the underrated Western epic The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), with Casey Affleck, Brad Pitt, and Sam Rockwell.
Renner's depiction of Jeffrey Dahmer in 2002 caught the attention of director Kathryn Bigelow, and, in 2008, she cast him in his most famous role as Sergeant First Class William James in The Hurt Locker (2008). Renner's performance as a single-minded bomb specialist scored him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. He also earned best actor nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards, the Screen Actors Guild, and the BAFTA Awards, as well as wins in this category from several film critics groups.
In 2009, Renner starred in the short-lived TV series, The Unusuals (2009), and in 2010 he played the chilling but loyal criminal Jem in Ben Affleck bank-heist thriller The Town (2010). In the fall of 2010, Renner began filming Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011). He has also since starred in The Avengers (2012), American Hustle (2013), and Kill the Messenger (2014).
Renner's strengths as an actor derive not only from his expressive eyes but also from his ability to thoroughly embody the characters he portrays. His visceral depiction of these individuals captivates audiences and empowers him to steal scenes in many of his films, even when playing a minor role. Renner gravitates toward flawed, complicated, three-dimensional characters that allow him to explore new territory within himself.
In addition to his work as an actor, Renner continues to cultivate his lifelong love of music. A singer, songwriter, and musician, he performed with the band Sons of Ben early in his career. Scenes in Love Comes to the Executioner (2006), North Country (2005), and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) briefly showcase Renner's singing talents.
Despite traveling the world for film roles and, recently, as a United Nations Goodwill Peace Ambassador to raise awareness for mine-clearing efforts in Afghanistan, Renner remains close to his roots. In 2010, Modesto Junior College presented him the Distinguished Alumnus award in recognition of his body of work as an actor. He also headlined at a benefit for Modesto's Gallo Center for the Arts in the fall of 2010.
Renner maintains a sense of humility and gratitude, even in the wake of his recent successes and recognition. He keeps himself grounded by renovating and restoring old and rundown iconic Hollywood homes, an enterprise he began back in his early days in Los Angeles. He values loyalty and a sense of both age and history, and enjoys the opportunity to help conserve these qualities in a town that favors the young and the new.- Music Artist
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Mary J. Blige was born on 11 January 1971 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Mudbound (2017), Rock of Ages (2012) and The Help (2011). She was previously married to Kendu Isaacs.- Music Artist
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Robert James Ritchie or Kid Rock is an American rapper, rock musician, singer and actor from Romeo, Michigan. He performed with Joe C and Uncle Kracker for his band. He is known for his appearances on The Simpsons, Joe Dirt and Osmosis Jones. He was previously married to Canadian actress Pamela Anderson.- Actor
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Jonathan Howsmon Davis was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He recorded demos in his father's studio during his teenage years. Then he later joined a band called Sex Art, which also included Ryan Shuck (now he is the guitarist for Orgy). Sex Art only ever released one song, entitled "Inside". One night, when Sex Art was playing in a club, James 'Munky' Shaffer & Brian 'Head' Welch, then of "L.A.P.D.", saw him singing, and asked him to join their band "Creep". After Jon auditioned, he immediately got the job and they became Korn. KoRn have gone on to release twelve studio albums:
Korn (1994) Life Is Peachy (1996) Follow the Leader (1998) Issues (1999) Untouchables (2002) Take a Look in the Mirror (2003) See You on the Other Side (2005) Untitled album (2007) Korn III: Remember Who You Are (2010) The Path of Totality (2011) The Paradigm Shift (2013) Serenity of Suffering (2016)
In 2012, Jonathan Davis released two EDM/Dubstep albums under the monikers, JDevil and Killbot: Sound Surgery.
In 2012, Davis became an advocate for the Wounded Warriors program, which aids and spreads awareness to the wounded veterans of war, and also starred in the Wounded Warriors documentary (2013).- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Shawn Mathis Wayans is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Along with his brother Marlon Wayans, he wrote and starred in The WB's sitcom The Wayans Bros.(1995-1999) and in the comedy films Don't Be a Menace (1996), Scary Movie (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001), White Chicks (2004), Little Man (2006), and Dance Flick (2009). He made his debut on In Living Color (1990-1993).- Actress
- Producer
Kristin Kreuk was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Deanna Che, who is of Chinese ancestry, and Peter Kreuk, who is of Dutch descent. Her parents are landscape architects. She attended and graduated from Eric Hamber Secondary School. Although she did some stage work in school, she focused more on her studies. She described herself as shy and boring.
For her first professional work, she went to an open casting audition for Edgemont (2000), a teen drama series aired on CBC Television in Canada. She plays the role as "Laurel Yeung". Laurel was the last main character to be cast because the casting director was having a problem finding an actress. Fortunately, for them (and us), they found Kristin just in time.
Her career was set to take off when she landed on the highly acclaimed serial drama series for The WB, Smallville (2001). It follows the story of "Clark Kent" in his pre-Superman days in a small town of Smallville, Kansas. Kreuk played the role as "Lana Lang", Clark Kent's object of desire before he meets "Lois Lane".
Smallville (2001) proved to be a giant step for Kristin's acting career, as she landed several interviews with several magazines, including YM (Young and Modern) and Rolling Stone. She also did a commercial for Neutrogena, popular for its skin care products.- Actress
- Producer
Kate Bosworth was born in Los Angeles, California, to Patricia (Potter), a homemaker, and Harold Bosworth, who was an executive for Talbots. Unlike the characters Bosworth has portrayed in television and in film, which are known as "townies", Kate spent most of her childhood in different cities and states. At age 6, she and her parents moved to San Francisco, then to Connecticut at 9, and to Cohasset, Massachusetts, at 14. It was at 14 that Kate, a champion equestrian, learned of a casting call for a movie about horses.
Although Kate attended the open audition in New York for the Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer (1998) simply in hopes of getting the experience of what it was like to audition for a movie role, she won the role of the female lead's best friend and the chance to work with director/star Robert Redford. Her previous acting experience had consisted of singing at county fairs in California and acting in a community theatre production of "Annie". However, since landing the movie role, Kate seemed to be in more sound stages than ranches. Fearful that an early career would rob her of her childhood, she took 18 months off to live a normal life before opting to plunge into acting again. In 2000, she landed the role of the bratty sister in the feature film The Newcomers (2000) and the part of a football co-captain's girlfriend in the Denzel Washington movie Remember the Titans (2000).
Throughout high school, Kate maintained academic excellence and was an honor roll student and a member of National Honor Society. In her spare time, she has volunteered with various non-profit organizations, including a Los Angeles program for physically challenged children who learn to ride horses with assistance.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Samantha Mumba was born on 18 January 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress and composer, known for The Time Machine (2002), Evolution (2001) and Legally Blonde (2001). She has been married to Torray Scales since 24 February 2012. They have one child.- Producer
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- Transportation Department
Gerald R. Molen was born on 6 January 1935 in Great Falls, Montana, USA. He is a producer and production manager, known for Rain Man (1988), Jurassic Park (1993) and Schindler's List (1993).- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Joe Wizan was born on 7 January 1935 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He was a producer and actor, known for Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Kiss the Girls (1997) and And Justice for All (1979). He was married to Melanie Trivette. He died on 21 March 2011 in Westlake Village, California, USA.- Actor
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A native of suburban Detroit, Michigan, Dick Enberg grew up near Pontiac, one of Detroit's suburbs. Upon graduating from high school Enberg went to college first at Central Michigan University and then at Indiana University. After graduating from college Dick moved to Los Angeles to become an assistant baseball coach at Northridge State University (Cal State-Northridge).
Shortly thereafter Dick became a sportscaster. At first Enberg called local minor league sports, but then became the play-by-play man for the (then) Los Angeles Rams, the California (now Anaheim) Angels, and the UCLA Bruins. He first earned national fame on the cartoon Where's Huddles? (1970), then earned a breakthrough role as the host of Sports Challenge (1971). His NBC connection began with Baffle (1973), and, upon the cancellation of Three for the Money (1975) became a full-time sportscaster for NBC, calling NFL games that year. Eventually he rose to become NBC's top play-by-play announcer, calling during the late '70s, the '80s and '90s such sports as college and NBA basketball; golf, including many U.S. Opens in the '90s; tennis, including Wimbledon and the French Open; baseball; and, of course, NFL football, including 8 Super Bowls, the last of which also was NBC's final NFL game and was held in San Diego, California, where he currently resides. Months after NBC lost the NFL, Enberg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as a sportscaster. After NBC lost NFL rights Enberg was seen rarely on the Peacock web, calling only a few sports events, including college basketball and tennis. In 1999 he was replaced on NBC's golf coverage by Dan Hicks , and at years's end left NBC and joined CBS, not only to resume NFL football, but also to become of the Eye web's college basketball announcers. In addition, he now calls the U.S. Open tennis tournament for CBS.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ronnie Hawkins was born on 10 January 1935 in Huntsville, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Heaven's Gate (1980), The Last Waltz (1978) and Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987). He was married to Wanda Hawkins. He died on 29 May 2022 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
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Nick Clooney was born on January 13, 1935 in Maysville, Kentucky, USA as Nicholas Joseph Clooney. He is an actor and writer, known for The Monuments Men (2014), AMC's Behind the Screen with Nick Clooney (1998) and Rebound: A Basketball Story (2009). He has been married to Nina Clooney since November 30, 1959. They have two children, including actor George Clooney.- Actor
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The nicknames, "The Prince of Pandemonium", "The Master of Mayhem" and "King of Camp and Confetti", are but a few valid applications that were thrust upon zany comedian Rip Taylor, whose flamboyant blend of burlesque and self-deprecating humor entertained audiences for over four decades. He headlined the top showrooms of Las Vegas, appeared on scores of television shows, starred in various musical stage slapstick comedies and even toyed with dramatic material over the years.
He was born Charles Elmer Taylor, Jr. in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1931 to Charles Elmer Taylor Sr. and Elizabeth Evans Taylor. He began his career by tossing out one-liners in nightclubs and had his first big break on Ed Sullivan's The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) TV show in 1964. The tacky costumes, ridiculous props, handlebar mustache, wacky wigs and manic confetti-tossing didn't take long to follow as professional trademarks, and they soon made their way into the 1970s pop culture.
Frequently appearing on television, he appeared in everything from variety shows to talk shows (Merv Griffin and David Letterman) to sitcoms like The Monkees (1965). He was the gag man who delightfully wrangled out of every groan-inducing one-liner there was, eventually finding the perfect avenue for his brand of insanity via producer Chuck Barris and his syndicated TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s. Rip became a favorite panelist judge, along with Jaye P. Morgan, on Barris' The Gong Show (1976), and later served as host of the equally tacky The $1.98 Beauty Show (1978).
A mainstay in Las Vegas, whether as ringleader of a topless chorus line or opening act to a major entertainer, Rip also slayed 'em on Broadway ("Sugar Babies") and has demonstrated a fine singing instrument in musicals including "Anything Goes", "Oliver!" (as "Fagan"), "Peter Pan" (as "Captain Hook") and in a 1999 production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (as "Pseudolus").
On a more serious side, he played Demi Moore's crusty boss in Indecent Proposal (1993) and showed up sans confetti as Kate Hudson's father in the Rob Reiner feature, Alex & Emma (2003).
For the most part, he continued merrily in such campy films as Barris' The Gong Show Movie (1980); the "Exorcist" spoof, Repossessed (1990), with Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen; the foreign-made The Silence of the Hams (1994)and Jackass: The Movie (2002). Beginning in the early 1960s, when he first provided additional voices for The Jetsons (1962), Rip continued making voice-over work a viable means of income. His voice can be heard in such animated films as DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992) and Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003), and animated TV series as Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (2002) and The Emperor's New School (2006). He was nominated for an Emmy award for voicing "Uncle Fester" in the TV cartoon program, The Addams Family (1992).
Having suffered an epileptic seizure the week prior, 88-year-old Rip died of congestive heart failure on October 6, 2019, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Once briefly married to Las Vegas showgirl Rusty Rowe, whom he divorced in the early 1960s, Rip was involved in a long-term relationship with Robert Fortney at the time of his death.- Additional Crew
- Editorial Department
- Visual Effects
Not all of our most important filmmakers are the most well-known. Hailed as a genius by Stanley Kubrick and described by Jonathan Demme as "the best designer of film titles in the country today," Pablo Ferro has distinguished himself in film for more than three decades as a director, editor and producer specializing in graphic design, special effects, sequences and main titles, trailers and print campaigns. A significant influence on the "look" of the 1960s, he may have had an even more decisive impact on the world of advertising. In addition to creating and designing some of the more striking TV and print ads of the decade (one highlight was creating the corporate logo or Burlington Mills with fast-moving multicolored stitching animation for a classic commercial campaign), Ferro helped bring the "hard-sell" visual razzmatazz of cutting-edge advertising techniques to Hollywood films that strove to reflect the changing social scene. Often pointed and satirical, much of his best film work has been in association with directors once allied, to varying degrees, with so-called countercultural values such as Kubrick. Ferro may be best known as an early master of quick-cutting and for using multiple images within the frame. In his commercials and title sequences, he would create a continuous flow of imagery that drew upon a wide range of graphic materials from various media. The goal was to sell a product, a movie or an idea by visualizing abstract concepts with a thought-provoking mixture of animation, live-action, clips from newsreels, still photographs and original art work. His style of montage seemed strangely apt for the dawn of the age of media overload; Ferro found the poetry in the potential cacophony of too much information. With a strong foundation in animation, Ferro was a filmmaker in his own right. He produced and helmed a number of experimental shorts, pioneered the use of video for narrative storytelling and did second unit work for a number of his assignments. Despite a decided fondness for high-tech, another Ferro trademark is his elongated hand-drawn lettering--such as in the title sequence of Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove"--which emphasized the all-too-human hand of the artist in the filmmaking process. Raised on a remote farm in Cuba, Ferro emigrated to NYC with his parents as a teen. In 1953, as a high school student, he began teaching himself animation techniques from a book by Preston Blair (a frequent collaborator with celebrated animation director Tex Avery at MGM) with which he and two Brooklynite friends joined Abe Liss to build their own animation boards and stand for their own modest animation studio. The teens were able to shoot artwork with a 16mm Bell and Howell camera that photographed single frames. The young Ferro expanded his interest in the cinema working as an usher in a 42nd Street theater that screened foreign films. Ferro sharpened his graphic sense working with Stan Lee (the future editor of Marvel Comics) at Atlas comics where, as a penciller, he churned out a reasonable series of EC-inspired horror, sci-fi and adventure stories before segueing into animation. He landed his first job at a studio that produced black-and-white commercials. There he got firsthand training from a legendary animator, former Disney veteran William Tytla, who was best known for animating the devil in "The Night on Bald Mountain" sequence of "Fantasia" (1940). Ferro learned his lessons well, graduated to animation director and toiled at various NYC-based animation houses. In 1997 Ferro had a stellar year, creating the title designs and sequences for the Oscar award winning films "Good Will Hunting", "As Good as It Gets", "L.A. Confidential" and "Men in Black". Some of his other credits for this time period include the remake of "Dr. Dolittle" (1998), Forrest Whitaker's "Hope Floats" (1998), and the HBO biopic "Winchell" (1998) which we are happy to report did received a Golden Globe Award as well as an Emmy. Also in 1998, Pablo entered into his 7th collaboration with Jonathan Demme on the Oscar nominated film "Beloved". In October of 1998, Pablo was honored with a Special Achievement Award, presented by Michael Cimino at an Award Presentation at the Directors Guild of America. A Night With Pablo Ferro, hosted by the Latino Committee of the DGA was well attended by the industries finest. Pablo's peers and admirers were there to congratulate him, and see a special montage of his work, and attend the reception following the award presentation. In his most recent collaboration with Sam Raimi and Kevin Costner, he created the nostalgic title sequence in "For Love of the Game" (1999). On the small screen, Pablo has created titles for HBO's "Witness Protection" (1999), the new NBC pilot M.Y.O.B. (2000), as well as the new FOX pilot "The Street" (2000), a Darren Singer Production. In addition, Pablo has again been recognized by his peers, and has won the DaimlerChrysler Design Award for Film Design in 1999. The Daimler Chrysler award has honored elegant and innovative task solving, in activities ranging from human-powered flight to compelling visual persuasion. Spouse - (1957-1967) Susan Aurora Ferro, Model, artist / Divorced Daughter - born c. 1965 Joy Michelle Moore, Business Manager, Publicist Son - born c. 1957 Allen Ferro, Film editor, screenwriter- Actor
- Soundtrack
Stuart Wilson was born in Guildford, Surrey in England, on December 25th, 1946. He went to thirteen different schools, as his father served in the Royal Air Force and travelled around the world. After the RAF, his father worked as an engineer in the copper mines in Rhodesia. Stuart moved to London in the mid-sixties and trained at RADA. After RADA, he began working in repertory in Liverpool and at the RSC. His career took off when he played "Johann Strauss, Jr." in the The Strauss Family (1972), in which his character aged from 14 to 74. He continued to have a successful television career, playing various roles, including "Vronsky" in Anna Karenina (1977) and "Major Jimmy Clarke" in The Jewel in the Crown (1984). In the late 1980s, Stuart moved to Hollywood, where he landed roles in The Age of Innocence (1993) with Martin Scorsese, Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden (1994). Stuart Wilson occasionally returns to the London stage and, in 2002, played "Antony" in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the RSC.- David Allen Brooks was born on 9 January 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Manhunter (1986), Cast Away (2000) and Crusade (1999).
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Feisty, spirited and gutsy red headed actress Sondra Currie has amassed an impressive number of television, film and stage credits to her name - including "Linda Garner," Zach Galifianakis' doting mother, in one of the biggest all-time comedy franchises, "The Hangover" trilogy. "Would a cupcake kill you?" Sondra also recurred as "Ms. Vivian" in Tyler Perry's popular comedy series "Love Thy Neighbor" and starred alongside Barbara Bain and Eileen Grubba in a new film "Take My Hand".
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sondra grew up in a "show business family." As the daughter of actress, Marie Harmon ("Gunsmoke," "The El Paso Kid," "Night Time in Nevada." "Ladies Courageous"), Sondra grew up with a natural passion for acting and the art of filmmaking. She was discovered in her teens by the legendary producer and director, Howard Hawks ("Sergeant York," "To Have and Have Not," "The Big Sleep," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," and "Rio Bravo.") Hawks cast Sondra in her first film, "Rio Lobo" starring the Duke himself, John Wayne. Sondra relates the story of their first meeting, as he extended his hand to the very young actress and said "How do you do, I'm John Wayne"...to which the red faced actress replied "Yes, I know, I'm Sandy Currie!"
Sondra was known for her adventurous spirit and her willingness to take risks in her film roles and choices - including performing her own stunts. She went on to star in numerous features, among them, 1970's cult favorites "Jessi's Girls," "Policewomen" and "Mama's Dirty Girls" and the '80's "Concrete Jungle". She refers to these early projects as "slice and dice" films where she definitely got her degree at the college of human nature. Since then, Sondra has continued her focus on working and training with the best that Hollywood has to offer. Sondra is a lifetime member of the famed Actors Studio, studying under such greats as Martin Landau, Mark Rydell, Lou Antonio and Salome Jens. Sondra also studied under Milton Katselas' as a member of his Master Class for 17 years.
Sondra has guest starred in well over 125 television shows, including "NCIS," "ER," "JAG," "7th Heaven," "Cheers," "Murder She Wrote," "The Golden Girls," multiples of "Three's Company," multiples of "Simon & Simon," "Magnum P.I.," and "Knight Rider." Starring roles in television Movies of the Week include two "Columbo" films, "Kid Cop," "The Secretary," "The Perfect Wife," "Thicker Than Water" and "Alien Nation: Dark Horizon."
Sondra and her husband, renowned producer/director Alan J. Levi, co-own Lumina Pictures and Entertainment LTD. together. Lumina Pictures has several projects in various stages of production, having just completed "Take My Hand." As part of a large, extended entertainment family, Sondra and Alan enjoy incorporating the talents of friends and family members alike in their creative endeavors... including Cherie Currie ("The Runaways"), Marie Currie ("The Narrow Road Of Light"), Robert Hays ("Airplane!") and Jake Hays ("Maudlin Strangers").
Sondra is also very active in Los Angeles area theatre - as an actress, producer and ardent advocate. Her favorite stage credits include "The Vagina Monologues," "Death of a Salesman," "AfterThe Fall," "The Chesterfield Woman" and "Hatful of Rain". She was a founding member of Camelot Artists - now the Katselas Theatre Company - and is a member of the prestigious Theatre West. She considers her mentor, her husband, her luckiest gift of all. "He's the most patient, giving, talented person I've ever known. And, I'm the smartest, I married him!"
Sondra and Alan served on the Board of the California Independent Film Festival together and were Jury Members for the first ten years of the Festival. In 2008 they were honored to be invited to be Jurors of the First International Indie Film Festival in Sapporo, Japan, where Sondra was the sole woman on the panel.
One of her most rewarding endeavors is being a member of SHARE Inc. (Est. 1953). SHARE inc. is a highly visible and successful Los Angeles charity devoted to helping at-risk youth, developmentally disabled and abused and children-in-need. "This is a place where I might really be able to make a difference," she says. "I see it first-hand. The children are so receptive, and it's such a positive experience. It helps me keep everything else in perspective."
In her spare time, Sondra is an avid photographer. "I love to explore through my lens, it really gives me an intimate look at my subject", she loves to garden and tend her orchids and she and her husband are ardent travelers. They've explored almost every canal in France and many canals in England, Belgium, Holland and Italy on a small boat that they manage themselves. "Alan navigates and I do the ropes and locks myself" she beams. Meeting the locals in the small villages is most rewarding and we've made some life-long friends. It's our time to just drop off the planet. "My life is very rich."- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Heralded as "one of the funniest women on Broadway" by the New York Times, ANDREA MARTIN is a multi-talented award-winning actress who won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in MY FAVORITE YEAR. She has since become the featured actress with the most Tony Award nominations in a musical, with a record number for her performances in CANDIDE (also Drama Desk Award nomination), OKLAHOMA! (also Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (also Drama Desk Award nomination), and PIPPIN for which she received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Elliot Norton, and IRNE Awards. Her Broadway appearance in the revival of NOISES OFF earned her an additional Tony Award nomination. She has also been seen on stage in the revival of EXIT THE KING (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), in the Broadway adaptation of Moss Hart's ACT ONE (Outer Critics Circle Award), which also aired on PBS, and in her one-person play NUDE NUDE TOTALLY NUDE (Drama Desk Award nomination).
Martin received two Emmy Awards for writing and an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Variety Series for her work on the legendary sketch comedy show SCTV. She also received a special Emmy Award for her contributions on SESAME STREET and had her own special for Showtime, ANDREA MARTIN, TOGETHER AGAIN. Her additional television appearances include HAIRSPRAY LIVE!, MODERN FAMILY, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, 30 ROCK, THE GOOD FIGHT, and HARLEM. Following her simultaneous runs on the NBC comedy series GREAT NEWS and the Hulu series DIFFICULT PEOPLE. Martin appears in the hit Hulu show, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, as well as the Paramount + series EVIL, for which she received a Critics Choice Award nomination.
Martin's film appearances include CANNIBAL GIRLS, CLUB PARADISE, STEPPING OUT, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, WAG THE DOG, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, ALL OVER THE GUY, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (SAG Award nomination for Best Ensemble and People's Choice Award), and its sequels MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 and 3.
Martin recently received a star on the Canada Walk of Fame. Her critically acclaimed book LADY PARTS was released by Harper Collins.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Alan Shearman was born on 15 January 1947 in the USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Bullshot Crummond (1983) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Takeshi Kitano originally studied to become an engineer, but was thrown out of school for rebellious behavior. He learned comedy, singing and dancing from famed comedian Senzaburô Fukami. Working as a lift boy on a nightclub with such features as comic sketches and striptease dancing, Kitano saw his chance when a comedian suddenly fell ill, and he went on stage in the man's place. With a friend he formed the comic duo "The Two Beat" (his artist's name, "Beat Takeshi", comes from this period), which became very popular on Japanese television.
Kitano soon embarked on an acting career, and when the director of Violent Cop (1989) (aka "Violent Cop") fell ill, he took over that function as well. Immediately after that film was finished he set out to make a second gangster movie, Boiling Point (1990). Just after finishing Getting Any? (1994), Kitano was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that almost killed him. It changed his way of life, and he became an active painter. This change can be seen in his later films, which are characterized by his giving more importance to the aesthetics of the film, such as in Fireworks (1997) and Kikujiro (1999).- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
Born in Houston, Texas, raised and educated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Doug Claybourne first came into the film business from a background of advertising and art direction studies after obtaining a BS degree from the University of Tulsa. Thereafter came two years of post graduate study at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles before Claybourne turned to film. It took a six month stint as an assistant art director on The City of San Francisco magazine and a working relationship with the owner, Francis Coppola, to convince Claybourne to make the switch official.
Early in 1976, during his first semester of film school after exiting City magazine, Claybourne, prompted by a quote attributed to Coppola, "...the problem with most film students is, they're afraid to take risks," Claybourne offered to work "at no charge" for the next eight weeks, just to find out if the movie business was something he really wanted to pursue over the long term. The film was Apocalypse Now (1979) and eight weeks turned out to be 3 1/2 years.
Falling back on his Vietnam, Marine Corps experience, he joined the Coppola unit in the Philippines as a production assistant wrangling helicopters. Later he became the assistant director on the 2nd unit, coordinating the shooting of helicopter and patrol boat footage. Eventually, he graduated to the main unit taking over as Coppola's 1st assistant director. He stayed on after shooting as the post production coordinator and special assistant to the producers during the remaining two and a half years of production and post production until the release in August 1979.
Claybourne's mentor association with Coppola and Zoetrope continued through the years with "The Black Stallion" (1979) (assistant director), "The Escape Artist" (1982) (producer), "The Black Stallion Returns" (1983) (producer/assistant director), "Rumble Fish" (1983) (producer), "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), (assistant director) and "Jack" (1996), as executive producer.
The Zoetrope relationship also produced the 1992 Emmy and ACE award winning documentary, "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" (1991), which Claybourne conceived with George Zaloom and executive produced with his long time associate Fred Roos. "Hearts of Darkness" was directed by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper with the original documentary footage directed and shot by Eleanor Coppola.
Claybourne also produced "Ernest Saves Christmas" (1988) for Disney's Touchstone banner as a birthday present for his daughter Signe Laurin, born December 6.
In July of 1998, Claybourne completed work on "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) for 'Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Tristar Pictures. Zorro filmed on location in multiple locations across Mexico. The picture was nominated for two Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Antonio Banderas along with two academy awards nominations for Sound and Sound Effects achievement.
Claybourne met Rob Cohen while doing a favor for a friend, as an assistant director during the making of "The Legend of Billie Jean." This meeting led to a three picture producing association with the Taft/Barish company and more recently to The Fast and the Furious (2001) with Cohen directing. This film became Doug's son's favorite movie and his birthday present at 14. It was also touted as a "cultural phenomenon" as it opened to a phenomenal June 22, 2001 weekend of $41.7 million with a negative cost of $39 million dollars.
Other movies with Cohen were Light of Day (1987) with 'Michael J. Fox and Serpent and the Rainbow, (1988) with Wes Craven directing and the opportunity to meet and share producing credit with David Ladd.
Claybourne completed production on "North Country," with Charlize Theron, Fran McDormand, Sissy Spacek and Woody Harrelson with Niki Caro directing in New Mexico and Minnesota in 2004. Thereafter he produced the documentary "Every Twenty One Seconds...8 stories of Brain Injuries:" written and directed by his partner, writer/director Laura Napier which completed post in November 2005. The documentary is narrated by Woody Harrelson and was released in 2006. This is one of the first documentaries outlining the challenge of traumatic brain injury to veterans.
Doug executive produced "Nights in Rodanthe" with Diane Lane and Richard Gere which was released in 2008 to a $72 million world wide gross and his 3rd picture with Ms. Lane.
Doug continues to actively develop projects for his production company, Poetry & Pictures Inc. while pursuing his passion for writing poetry and painting in watercolors. He has written more than twenty five books of poetry, since 1995, only one of which has he self published.
That book is entitled "One hundred love sonnets and one sad poem..." It was given as a wrap gift following filming of "The Mask of Zorro." It was written as one poem per day during the hundred days of filming.
Doug completed "The Rainbow Prince" in 2022, a passion project that took 5 years to finance and see to completion. The film answered his youngest daughter's question, "Where are all the brown princesses that look like me?" There were none 5 years ago, so she and her Mom, Laura Napier wrote the book of the same title. Laura wrote the script and we made the 35 minute short film to screen in schools in five key markets to give kids new models to foster conversation about heroes of all colors. "Once upon a time a Brown Princess saves the Prince."- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
A tall, wavy-haired US actor with a deep, resonant voice, Clancy Brown has proven himself a versatile performer with first-class contributions to theatre, feature films, television series and even animation.
Clarence J. Brown III was born in 1959 in Urbana, Ohio, to Joyce Helen (Eldridge), a concert pianist, conductor, and composer, and Clarence J. "Bud" Brown, Jr., who helped manage the Brown Publishing Company, the family-owned newspaper started by Clancy's grandfather, Clarence J. Brown. Clancy's father and grandfather were also Republican congressmen from the same Ohio district, and Clancy spent much of his youth in close proximity to Washington, D.C. He plied his dramatic talents in the Chicago theatre scene before moving onto feature film with a sinister debut performance bullying Sean Penn inside a youth reformatory in Bad Boys (1983). He portrayed Viktor the Monster in the unusual spin on the classic Frankenstein story in The Bride (1985), before scoring one of his best roles to date as the evil Kurgan hunting fellow immortals Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery across four centuries of time in Highlander (1986).
Brown played a corrupt American soldier in the Walter Hill-directed hyper-violent action film Extreme Prejudice (1987), another deranged killer in Shoot to Kill (1988) and a brutal prison guard, who eventually somewhat "befriends" wrongfully convicted banker Tim Robbins, in the moving The Shawshank Redemption (1994). His superb vocal talents were in demand, and he contributed voices to animated series, including Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1995), Street Sharks (1994), Gargoyles (1994) and Superman: The Animated Series (1996). Brown then landed two more plum roles, one as a "tough-as-nails" drill sergeant in the science fiction thriller Starship Troopers (1997), and the other alongside Robin Williams in the Disney comedy Flubber (1997).
The video gaming industry took notice of Clancy's vocal abilities, too, and he has contributed voices to several top selling video games, including Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001), Lands of Lore III (1999), Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002) and Crash Nitro Kart (2003). His voice is also the character of cranky crustacean Mr. Eugene H. Krabs in the highly successful SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) animated series and films, and he contributed voices to The Batman (2004), Jackie Chan Adventures (2000) and Justice League (2001) animated series. A popular and friendly personality, Clancy Brown continues to remain busy both through his vocal and acting talents in Hollywood.- Actor
- Producer
Ralf Rudolf Moeller (born on 12. January 1959) is a German-American actor and former Mr. Universe. He is well-known for his roles as Brick Bardo in Cyborg, Kjartan in The Viking Sagas, as hero in the TV series "Conan the Adventurer", Hagen in Gladiator, Thorak in The Scorpion King and Ulfar in Pathfinder - The Legend of the Ghost Warrior. Since 2014, Moeller is both a German and an American citizen.
Moeller's first role came in 1988, in the German "Tatort: Gebrochene Blüten," where he appeared alongside the German actors Götz George and Eberhard Feik. In the following year, Moeller appeared in Cyborg and in 1992 he had a role in Roland Emmerich's Universal Soldier, where he appeared alongside global stars Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude van Damme. One year later, in 1993, he played the role of the villain Brakus, the archenemy of Philip Rhee and Eric Roberts in "Best of the Best 2 - the Unbeatable." After Cyborg and Universal Soldier, "Best of the Best 2" was his third role in an American movie and the second time he played a supporting role.
His two most popular and biggest roles were in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000), in which he starred alongside Oscar-winner Russell Crowe as well as his role in The Scorpion King (2002). Aside from these two films, he also played the starring role in The Viking Sagas and in Conan the Adventurer. The series ran from 1997-1998 and told the story of Conan, who had been - accompanied by his three cronies - anointed by Crom to fight the evil Hissah Zul and to destroy it so that Conan could become the king, as had once been predicted to him.
Ralf Moeller's acting career continued in the movie "El pardino (2004)," a continuation of the movie The Bad Pack. In the movie he played the role of special agent Kurt Mayers. In 2005, he had a role as Bruno alongside Rosanna Arquette in "My Suicidal Sweetheart." In the movie "Beerfest (2006)" - which included actors Donald Sutherland and Jürgen Prochnow - Moeller played the role of Hammacher. That same year he appeared in the film "Ozzie", a movie in which greats like Joan Collins appeared. In addition, he played the role of warden Arnold Calgrove in the movie "Seed." In 2007, "Seed" received an award for having the best special effects at the horror film festival in New York. "Pathfinder" followed in 2007 - and in "Postal" Ralf Moeller played the role of Officer John. In the following years, he appeared in "Alone in the Dark II (2008)"and "Dejection (2009)" before landing roles in "The Sword and the Sorcerer II," "Tales of an Ancient Heart" as well as "The Tourist" - all in 2010. "The Sword and the Sorcerer II" received nominations in six categories. "The Tourist" (Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Timothy Dalton and others) was honored with the ASCAP Award for best box office movie. He was also awarded the Teen Choice Award for the best action role. In 2014, Ralf Moeller appeared in "Love, Hate & Security."
Apart from these US movies, Ralf Moeller also had numerous (guest) roles in German productions. However, in the made-for-TV movie "Der Superbulle und die Halbstarken" (RTL, 2000; 4 million viewers) Ralf Moeller played the lead role. Even in the 2003 movie "Hai Alarm auf Mallorca (Shark Attack on Mallorca)", Moeller had the lead role. "Shark Attack" remains one of RTLs most successful productions over the course of many years (almost 7 million viewers). Aside from a guest role (Ferox) in "Held der Gladiatoren (2003)", Moeller also played the role of King Thorklit in "Die Nibelungen" that same year. In 2008, Moeller appeared in "Far Cry," a German-Canadian co-production also featuring Til Schweiger. In "Time of the Comet," he appeared as Freiherr von Keittel. Ralf Moeller also had roles in the TV series "Die Küstenwache" und "Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei."- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jason Stuart is a prolific character actor & stand-up comic. Born in the Bronx and raised in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, and now residing in Palm Springs and lives next door to his 85 year old Jewish mother Gloria, but does not live with her! Stuart is a self-described insecure Jewish kid who turned to theatre and performing to mask his emerging sexual identity. He confesses, "Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl" saved my life". Streisand inspired him in such a deep way that was indescribable, and like many other gay men of a certain age...ironically found himself attracted to Omar Sharif. He has concurred type casting by playing "Joseph Randall" a heterosexual, Christian, plantation owner in 1831. A major supporting role in one of the most talked about films in recent history in "The Birth Of A Nation" from filmmaker Nate Parker. The drama reflected the prejudice he's fought against his entire life and gave him the kinda confidence that he has today. Stuart, a LGBTQ rights advocate through his subtle characterizations, reflects his enlightenment to his life's calling by combining his humanitarian beliefs with his mastery of the craft of acting. As a teenager he played Santa Claus in a play. Wearing a fat suit afforded him the insight that being a Jewish and closeted gay teenager was like wearing a Santa fat suit. Being a huge fan of "I Love Lucy," Stuart saw Ms. Ball got the biggest laughs when she was pregnant. He realized the key to great acting is doing the unexpected, and performed the role as if he was "Lucy" pregnant! A formula that's worked for him, and he hasn't looked back since.
Hollywood began to take notice by casting him in films like "Kindergarten Cop," "Vegas Vacation," and TV shows like "The Closer" and "My Wife & Kids." Frustrated by years of living in the closet, Jason chose to come out publicly on an infamous episode of Geraldo Rivera focused on "Unconventional Comedians." He went on to guesting on shows as "Goliath" opposite JK Simons, "Love" from comedy guru Judd Apatow, and indie films like "Tangerine" from filmmaker Sean Baker and "Love is Strange" opposite John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. But Stuart hit comedy gold with his co-star & co-creator Mitch Hara for their Amazon comedy series "Smothered" for which won the Indie Series Awards for Best Actor In A Comedy, which lead to a wave of interest for Stuart & Hara as "Content Creators", hitting a nerve in the zeitgeist and giving his them new material, energy, and a purpose. Their motto is "we do not wait for permission to create". They are now in post production on season 2 which will drop in the fall.
These days, Jason keeps his comedy chops polished through stand-up gigs all over the country with his recent comedy album "I'm The Daddy And I Have Candy" that's been featured on Sirius XM radio. Jason's also an in demand speaker on diversity in the workplace with his autobiography "Shut Up, I'm Talking!". In addition, he serves as the National Co-Chairman of the Sag-Aftra Lgbtq Committee, which he co-created in 2004. He's also recently completed a number of projects that are streaming with diverse roles such as the thriller "Immortal" opposite Sam Levine & starring Dylan Baker & Tony Todd, the action film "Abducted" on Showtime (playing detectives in both) and a starring role in the indie drama "Hank" from director Hongyu "Neo" Li, about a couple who consider an open relationship, which continues to earn high praise at numerous festivals, including winning the Best LGBTQ Short at The Los Angeles International Film Festival and was also nominated for Best Actor at the Glendale International Film Festival.
Stuart, one of the busiest and respected actors & stand-up comic's, always remembers the genius of Lucille Ball and the words of Viola Davis, that "My dreams had to be bigger than my fears." Stuart keeps his eye on the big prize: A substantial role in a major Hollywood feature film. But always remembers where he came from "My Dad, who passed a 10 years ago, was a Jewish immigrant who always said to me (in a thick Polish accent, "When you go to the interview, wear a tie and show them you mean business". Stuart took that to mean, "Be your best self". And that's who he strives to be.- Actress
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Liz Larsen was born on 16 January 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for Madoff (2016), One Percent More Humid (2017) and The Americans (2013). She has been married to Sal Viviano since 29 May 1994. They have two children.- Actress
- Producer
Constance Estevez was born on 17 January 1959 in the USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Jet Set (2013), Alibi (2007) and Mr. Jinx (2003). She has been married to Joe Estevez since August 2004.- Actor
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Larry Wade Carrell is an award-winning American writer, actor and director. He is best known for his horror creation Jacob. The film earned 16 awards worldwide including the Platinum Remi Award for Best Picture at the 45th Annual Worldfest International Film Festival. Jacob was well-received by critics gaining Carrell a solid fan base as a director and actor in the multi-million dollar indie film world, and the film went on to be released worldwide. Larry Wade Carrell most recently joined forces with Zeph Daniel (a.k.a. Woody Keith) writer of such cult classics as Society, Bride of Re-Animator to produce and direct the much-anticipated "Girl Next" from Crazed House Ltd. Other highlights include the award- winning "She Rises," starring Angus Macfadyen. Carrell lives in Houston, Texas- Actress
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Regina King was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician. She began her career in the television show 227 (1985), followed by a role in Boyz n the Hood (1991). She began to be recognized by a mainstream audience after her role as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's wife in Jerry Maguire (1996). She co-starred in Enemy of the State (1998) as Will Smith's character's wife.- Actor
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Gregg Prosser was born in Brooklyn New York. Growing up with strong Irish-Catholic influences, Gregg attended Good Shepherd grammar school and then went on to Xavier High School in Manhattan. He attributes much of who is today , to his time spent at Xavier.Gregg attended T.Shreiber Studios and has trained privately with Paul Calderon and Pamela Scott- Soundtrack
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For the last decade, the words "Yeah," "Okay," and "What" have been synonymous with Grammy award winning artist Lil Jon. He has been one of the most prominent figures in music and pop culture alike, performing for hundreds of thousands of fans with Afrojack, Steve Aoki and Sydney Samson at Ultra Music Festival. The last few years have proven that he's a mainstay in music as he went back to his DJing roots - with a residency at The Wynn/Encore in Las Vegas - bringing his "Let's F**** Lose It" tour all across the country and over-seas. The success of his Vegas residency is evident, even being named the Las Vegas Resident DJ of The Year (Surrender, Tryst, XS).
Lil Jon continues to be a master at marketing and business with an Oakley endorsement deal (since 2005), becoming a Don Julio tequila brand ambassador, partnering with SOL headphones - helping to launch SOL Deck by starring in the Radio Shack commercial in Fall 2013 - and launching his own clothing line 2Vicious. His marketing chops came in helpful when casted on NBC's primetime show Celebrity Apprentice (Spring 2011) quickly becoming a fan-favorite nationwide. Lil Jon was back on primetime television in the Spring of 2013 on the cast of Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars where he came in 3rd and raised almost $200,000 for the American Diabetes Association.
Known best for his role in creating and popularizing the southern movement and lifestyle known as Crunk, Lil Jon delivered a string of regional hits (in the 90's) with the East Side Boyz eventually becoming a national force in 2001 thanks to the tracks "Bia Bia" and "Put Yo Hood Up." Crunk became so popular that Jon became a fixture on Chappelle's Show and artists not directly connected to him (such as Mary J. Blige) began using the word Crunk, in their own music. Jon helped usher the word 'Crunk' not only a national scale, but worldwide. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary added the word into their book in 2007.
Widely known for his platinum-selling productions, Lil Jon has crafted groundbreaking hits for a diverse array of artists such as Usher, Ciara, The Ying Yang Twins, E-40, Ice Cube and more. He has also worked with will.i.am, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Bret Michaels, Travis Barker, Jennifer Lopez, Machine Gun Kelly and many more. As an artist, he has sold millions of records as the frontman of Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, whose smash hits "Get Low" and "What U Goin' Do" have been among some of the biggest crossover hip-hop records. His songs have been featured in huge blockbuster movies including The Hangover, The Proposal and the Step Up franchise.
His consistent hit-making has earned him legions of fans from Los Angeles to New York to the Midwest and of course his native region, the South. This is no more evident as Lil Jon won BMI's Songwriter of the Year award as well as scored eight Billboard Awards (for the two hit Usher tracks "Yeah!" and "Lovers and Friends"), a Grammy, a Radio Music Award, a BET award, two MTV Video Music Awards, and an American Music Award.- Art Department
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- Production Designer
Jacob Mohlin was born on 17 January 1971 in Ludvika, Dalarnas län, Sweden. He is an actor and production designer, known for Long Live the Bonus Family (2022), Leva för Döden (2013) and Tillbaka till Bromma (2014).- Actress Dru Mouser grew up in the country on a farm in Rainbow, Texas, the youngest of five siblings. Dru began doing Theatre after moving to Fort Worth when she was ten years old. After graduating High School with Honors, Dru attended Texas Tech University on a theatrical scholarship. By age 19, Dru had signed with Dallas based Kim Dawson Talent Agency and had begun cultivating a career in Film and Television. Dru moved to Los Angeles soon thereafter, continuing her Film and Television career; appearing in numerous studio and independent movies, prime-time and cable television shows, as well as featured in over a hundred commercials. Dru is known for her ability to play a multitude of different types of characters, as well as her improvisation and comedic background. Dru shares a son with Writer/Producer Cliff Dorfman.
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Arnaud Binard was born on 18 January 1971 in Bordeaux, France. He is an actor and producer, known for Modern Family (2009), Banking District (2017) and Murders in Valenciennes (2018).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Mike Romo was born in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor and executive, known for After the Wizard (2011), Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) and The Universe Unplugged (2017).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Rachel Luttrell is an accomplished actress and singer who has worked in film, television, and on stage. Rachel Zawadi Luttrell was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and is the second-born of four daughters of Veronica Makihiyo Shenkunde Luttrell, the daughter of a powerful medicine man of the Washambala tribes people, and William Leon Luttrell Jr., a Bossier City, Louisiana, native and then well-respected professor of economics at the University of Dar es Salaam. Shortly after her fifth birthday, Rachel and her family immigrated to Canada, settling in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto. As a child in Toronto, Rachel studied piano at the Royal Conservatory and ballet at the Russian Academy of Classical Ballet. Her father, a former member of both the critically acclaimed Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Canadian Opera Company, trained Rachel's soprano voice. Later, she studied with other fine vocal coaches. Rachel played the alto saxophone in high school and also studied English horseback riding. As a young girl, Rachel was always hamming it up for the camera and would often entertain guests at her parents' dinner parties by staging self-produced shows with her three sisters, Gillian, Amanda, and Erica. The Luttrell house was always full of music and laughter. Everyone sang and most played an instrument.
Luttrell landed her first film role while still in high school, playing Billy Dee Williams's daughter in the made-for-television movie Courage (1986), which also starred Sophia Loren. From there, Luttrell appeared in commercials and starred on popular Canadian television programs, including the long-running drama Street Legal (1987). Upon graduating from high school, Luttrell enrolled in the musical theater program at Sheridan College to pursue her passion for dancing, singing, and acting. However, after a year of study, Luttrell felt the call of a more academic education and left the college to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in English literature at the University of Toronto. While studying at U. of T., she auditioned for the Canadian premiere production of "Miss Saigon" alongside her older sister Gillian and several hundred other young hopefuls. Luttrell and her sister were both cast, and thus she began her musical theater career as a chorus girl and understudy for the lead character of Ellen. Luttrell went on to perform in the Canadian premiere production of Walt Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" (once again with big sister Gillian), and later to star in the American productions of "Once On This Island," "Goblin Market," and alongside Richard J. Alexander in his workshop musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations."
In the summer of 1995, Luttrell moved from Toronto to Los Angeles to continue to pursue her career in film and television. She was kept very busy guest-starring on several popular TV shows, including ER (1994) and Charmed (1998), and in the short-lived but well-received show Sleepwalkers (1997), alongside Naomi Watts and Bruce Greenwood. In 2001, Luttrell appeared in Anne Rice's critically acclaimed TV movie The Feast of All Saints (2001), in which she played Peter Gallagher's on-screen daughter in a cast that also included Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Beals, and Ossie Davis. Later that same year, Luttrell appeared in a small but memorable role in the feature film Impostor (2001), opposite Gary Sinise.
Despite all of this success, Luttrell became frustrated with the life of a struggling young actress in Hollywood, and almost gave it up to pursue architecture at UCLA. Before throwing in the towel, Luttrell auditioned for BADA (British American Drama Academy) and won a spot in its prestigious President's Group. She spent a glorious summer in Oxford, UK, studying at Balliol College with some of the industry's best directors, teachers, and performers, including Alan Rickman and John Barton, one of the world's most esteemed Shakespearean scholars. When Luttrell returned to Los Angeles, she was cast in the premiere production of Lynn Nottage's "Las Meninas," earning wonderful reviews.
Shortly thereafter, Luttrell was cast in the role of Teyla Emmagan in the Sci-Fi Channel's spin-off series Stargate: Atlantis (2004), a show that won the loyalty of a worldwide fan base and ran for five seasons (2004 - 2009). In 2011, Luttrell completed her first CD titled "I Wish You Love," on which she collaborated with many of the music industry's finest performers, world-renowned percussionist Jeff Hamilton and stand-up bass virtuoso Jennifer Leitham among them. The CD was a grand collaborative effort spanning three countries and recorded in part at legendary Capitol Records in Hollywood. After Stargate: Atlantis (2004) finished, Luttrell made guest appearances on True Justice (2010), NCIS (2003), NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), No Sleep Till 18 (2015), and Arrow (2012).
When not in front of the camera, Luttrell indulges her love of writing, something that has always brought her great joy and reward.- Actor
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Julian Morris is a familiar and popular face to film and television audiences worldwide.
Morris stars in the Emmy-winning Man in an Orange Shirt for the BBC, opposite Vanessa Redgrave; in Amazon's Hand of God directed by Marc Forster; and on the global-hit, Pretty Little Liars.
His recent work includes playing Bob Woodward opposite Liam Neeson in Felt, a film about the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon; and in the feature film Viper Club, opposite Susan Sarandon and produced by JC Chandor.
Other work includes the BAFTA-winning film Kelly + Victor, New Girl, and the BBC/PBS adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women with Emily Watson and Michael Gambon.
He is currently shooting Morning Show for Apple, opposite Reese Witherspoon, and in a cast that includes Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston.- Melody Johnson was born on 17 January 1983 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Jason X (2001), The Virgin Suicides (1999) and A Simple Favor (2018).
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Samantha Mumba was born on 18 January 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress and composer, known for The Time Machine (2002), Evolution (2001) and Legally Blonde (2001). She has been married to Torray Scales since 24 February 2012. They have one child.- Actress
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Nicola Peltz is emerging as a force to be reckoned with, on both the big and small screen. Her most prominent roles include the series Bates Motel (2013), and the films The Last Airbender (2010) and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014).
Nicola was born in Westchester County, New York, to Claudia (Heffner), who has worked as a model, and Nelson Peltz, a billionaire businessman whose assets include the Snapple brand of drinks. Nicola is of Ashkenazi Jewish (from her father) and Italian and German-British (from her mother) heritage. She made her stage debut in 2007, opposite Jeff Daniels and Alison Pill, in the Laurence Olivier Award-winning production of "Blackbird", at the Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Joe Mantello. In 2012, she starred,alongside Melanie Lynskey and Campbell Scott, in Eye of the Hurricane (2012), a compelling family adventure about a small Everglades community struggling to put their lives back together in the wake of a devastating hurricane. In 2010, Peltz starred in M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender (2010), opposite Dev Patel and Jackson Rathbone. The film was written, directed and produced by Shyamalan and was based on the first season of Nickelodeon's animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). Peltz made her feature film debut in 2006 in Deck the Halls (2006), with Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.
In Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Peltz stars alongside Mark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor. She plays Tessa Yeager, the daughter of a mechanic (Wahlberg) who makes a major discovery that catches the attention of the Autobots, Decepticons, and the U.S. government. The film is the fourth in the blockbuster series of live-action films, and is scheduled for release by Paramount on June 27th.
Later in the summer, Peltz also starred in Kevin Asch's Affluenza (2014), which received a limited release in July. Also featuring Ben Rosenfield and Gregg Sulkin, the film is a coming-of-age story, inspired by "The Great Gatsby," and set among the upper-class in the Long Island suburb of Great Neck during the weeks leading up to the financial meltdown of 2008.
On the small screen, Peltz reprised her role as "Bradley Martin," a troubled high school student, in the second season of A&E's critically-acclaimed series, Bates Motel (2013). The series is a modern re-imagining and prequel to the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock cult classic, Psycho (1960), which focuses on the life of "Norman Bates" and his mother, "Norma Bates," portrayed by Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga.- McKenna Knipe was born on 14 January 1995 in the USA. She is an actress, known for Catwalk (2008), Corpse (2006) and Life of Ryan (2007).
- Connor Cruise was born on 17 January 1995 in Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Red Dawn (2012) and Seven Pounds (2008).