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Jamia Suzette Mays was born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Susan (Norris) and James Mays, and was raised in Grundy, Virginia with her older brother and sister. Her father was a high school teacher at Grundy Senior High School for seven years, before spending 25 years working in the coal-mining industry. He is now retired and lives with Jayma's mother in Bristol.
At school, Jayma enjoyed Math and singing. She graduated from high school in 1997. She then went on to get an Associate degree from Southwest Virginia Community College. She then did a year at Virginia Tech, transferring to Radford University. After earning her degree in Theatre in 2000, she moved to California.
She started out with an internship with actor Timothy Busfield, of the television series Thirtysomething (1987). In 2004, she had her screen television debut on Joey (2004). Her first feature film came, a year later, in Red Eye (2005). Her breakthrough role came when she won the role of "Emma Pillsbury" on the hit show Glee (2009).- Actor
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Gino Conforti was born on 30 January 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Man of La Mancha (1972), Thumbelina (1994) and Monsters, Inc. (2001).- Actor
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Born in Manila, Philippines, Bryan Callen made his television debut as a series regular on Mad TV (1995) and the HBO prison series Oz (1997). He was recently seen as Kirstie Alley's wisecracking assistant on Showtime's comedy series Fat Actress (2005). Callen has appeared on several television series including Sex and the City (1998), 7th Heaven (1996), Stacked (2005), The King of Queens (1998), Las Vegas (2003), Significant Others (1998), The West Wing (1999), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), NYPD Blue (1993), Suddenly Susan (1996), Frasier (1993) and NewsRadio (1995), among others. In addition, Callen has appeared in such feature films as Bad Santa (2003) and Old School (2003) and has performed stand up comedy on several TV shows.- Actress
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Cobie Smulders was born on April 3, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. As a girl, Cobie had set her sights on becoming a doctor or a marine biologist. In fact, it wasn't until high school that Cobie started to explore acting after appearing in several school productions. As a teenager, Cobie caught the eye of a modeling agency, which led to several years of world travel to places such as France, Japan, Italy, Greece, and Germany. Yet even as Cobie's modeling career was on the rise, she still managed to attend school, graduating from high school in 2000 with honors.
Once out of high school, Cobie continued modeling internationally until the opportunity arose to audition for film and television. It was not long before Cobie's natural ability as an actress impressed casting directors, landing her guest spots on television series such as Special Unit 2 (2001) and Jeremiah (2002). In addition, Cobie also appeared in the short Candy from Strangers (2001) directed by fellow Canadian rising star Eric Johnson.
Cobie got her big break just months later when she landed the role of Juliet Droil in the ABC program Veritas: The Quest (2003). The series marked her first series role for television.- Actress
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Briana Venskus was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Sorry for Your Loss (2018), The Walking Dead (2010) and Grace and Frankie (2015).- Actress
Ashley Nocera is known for Fanged and King Bachelor's Pad (2012).- Actor
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Over the last few years, Andrew Bachelor, better known as King Bach, has quickly parlayed from one of the most influential names on the internet to being an in-demand actor, producer, and content creator. His comedy has spawned national catchphrases, captured a global audience, and has launched him into the entertainment industry as a bonafide "one to watch".
Bachelor has starred in the films Fifty Shades of Black (2016), Meet the Blacks (2016), The Babysitter (2017), and Where's the Money (2017), and will appear in the upcoming films When We First Met (2018) and To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018). Additional television credits include Dead House (2017), which he created, directed and executive produced, Easy (2016), Resident Advisors (2015), Black Jesus (2014), The Mindy Project (2012), and Angie Tribeca (2016).
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and raised in the U.S., he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in business in 2010. While attending FSU, he was a high-jump star athlete, consistently ranking among the top fifteen high-jumpers in the NCAA. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue one of his greatest passions, a career as an actor. He took acting classes at the New York Film Academy in LA, and Bachelor established his own production company, Bach Enterprises, where he produced, directed, and performed in several projects including the short film Agent Steele (2012). In a few short years, he rose to be one of the most-followed people on Vine with 15 million subscribers and over 5 billion total views. His other social media channels also flourished, with tens of millions following his content.
In 2003, Bachelor founded The RuJohn Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide the necessary tools for education to rural and inner-city schools throughout Jamaica and the United States. The foundation also organizes annual youth-focused financial literary workshops, sports camps led by professional athletes, and acting workshops led by successful actors and entertainers.
Bachelor has been named one of the "top influencers" by both Forbes and Time, and in 2015 he received the Streamy Award for Viner of the Year. The following year, he won the Shorty Award for Viner of the Year, and in 2017 he was nominated for the Streamy Award for Storyteller of the Year. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most-followed account on Vine.- Actor
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Jaleel White is an American actor, producer, and writer who is known for playing Steve Urkel from "Family Matters" and voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in three cartoon series released during the 1990s. He also acted in "Big Fat Liar" starring Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, "Scooby-Doo", "Guess Who", "Dreamgirls", "Grown Ups", and "Bones."- Actor
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Christopher "Chris" O'Dowd (born 9 October, 1979) is an Irish actor and comedian best known for his role as Roy Trenneman in the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd (2006). O'Dowd created and is starring in the Sky 1 television series Moone Boy (2012). He had a recurring role on the drama series Girls (2012) and starred in the television series Family Tree (2013). O'Dowd is also known for his films, most notably Bridesmaids (2011), This Is 40 (2012), The Sapphires (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Calvary (2014), and St. Vincent (2014). He made his Broadway debut in the play adaptation of Of Mice and Men in 2014, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.- Actress
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Rachel Dratch grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a degree in Drama and Psychology, she moved out to Chicago, where she studied with Del Close at Improvolympic. She was on the house team, "Victim's Family", with Adam McKay. Rachel went on to tour with the Second City Touring Company and eventually advanced to the Second City Mainstage, where she appeared in four revues: "Pinata Full Of Bees", "Citizen Gates", "Paradigm Lost" and "Promisekeepers Losers Weepers". For the latter two, she received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Revue. After leaving the mainstage, she wrote and performed in the 2-person sketch show, "Dratch and Fey", with Tina Fey. The show was seen at Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC, and the Aspen Comedy Festival. In the fall of 1999, Rachel joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975), where she performed for 7 years. Her memorable characters include Boston teen "Denise", the "Lovers" professors with Will Ferrell, junior high school student "Sheldon" and "Debbie Downer".- Actress
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Emily Jean "Emma" Stone was born on November 6, 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona to Krista Jean Stone (née Yeager), a homemaker & Jeffrey Charles "Jeff" Stone, a contracting company founder and CEO. She is of Swedish, German & British Isles descent. Stone began acting as a child as a member of the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, where she made her stage debut in a production of Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows". She appeared in many more productions through her early teens until, at the age of fifteen, she decided that she wanted to make acting her career.
The official story is that she made a PowerPoint presentation, backed by Madonna's "Hollywood" and itself entitled "Project Hollywood", in an attempt to persuade her parents to allow her to drop out of school and move to Los Angeles. The pitch was successful and she and her mother moved to LA with her schooling completed at home while she spent her days auditioning.
She had her TV breakthrough when she won the part of Laurie Partridge in the VH1 talent/reality show In Search of the Partridge Family (2004) which led to a number of small TV roles in the following years. Her movie debut was as Jules in Superbad (2007) and, after a string of successful performances, her leading role as Olive in Easy A (2010) established her as a star.- Producer
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Let's face it: in our increasingly tepid, polite and politically correct culture we need more people like Sebastian Maniscalco. Forever able to seize the moment, never failing to speak his mind, always telling it like it is, this is one man who isn't afraid to put it all out there. Yes, the Chicago-area born, Italian-immigrant-raised comedian behind wildly successful network specials including last year's "Sebastian Maniscalco: Why Would You Do That?," "What's Wrong With People?," and "Aren't You Embarrassed?" is that little voice within all our heads. The one we are too timid to unleash. Maniscalco is bearing the burden of our bizarre and head-scratching modern-day world. You can thank him later.
Make no mistake: Maniscalco's is a meticulous, hard-won comedic point of view.
Distinguished by the New York Times as having his "own kind of panache," Maniscalco is a success story resulting from years of hard work and a keen self-awareness of innate talent. A natural born-storyteller, one constantly regaling his family with madcap tales at the dinner table, Maniscalco moved to Los Angeles in 1998 and began pounding the pavement on his comedic quest. The tireless worker first made his name at the city's famed Comedy Store where he performed at every opportunity -- even if that meant rushing over to the club on a break from his waiter job at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
It's quite the understatement: Maniscalco now sits as one of the premier standup comedians. And a multi-faceted one at that: following a massive standup tour of theaters last year, the coming months are monumental ones for the 2016 Just for Laughs Stand Up Comedian of the Year. In addition to starring in his own wildly popular SiriusXM program, "The Pete and Sebastian Show," Maniscalco will make several major motion picture appearances in the coming year. Notably, a voice-over role in the animated feature "Nut Job 2," premiering this year; a role in the New Line Feature comedy "The House" starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler (directed by Andrew Cohen); and a turn in the independent drama "Cruise" directed by Rob Siegel and produced by Jeremy Renner.
Still, for Maniscalco, the work continues.- Actress
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Megan is an only child born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Martha, was a model, and her father, Carter Mullally Jr., was a contract player for Paramount. Megan first entered Northwestern University intending to study acting, but switched to English literature. However, she still ended up starring in several campus musicals, which gained attention from producers and prompted her to drop out of school. In 1985, she moved to Los Angeles with no particular success. But, in 1994, she co-starred in "Grease" on Broadway with Rosie O'Donnell and, in 1995, in "How To Succeed In Business" with Matthew Broderick. Her star has been rising ever since. Her band Nancy and Beth have recorded two albums and tour extensively. She has directed four music videos for Nancy and Beth, which can be found at nancyandbeth.com.- Actress
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Liza Koshy is a multi-faceted talent - actor, producer, entertainer - who has trailblazed a path from digital creator to one of the Hollywood's brightest young stars. Koshy will next be seen in Susanna Fogel's upcoming psychological thriller, Cat Person, in which she appears alongside Nicholas Braun and Emilia Jones. She also wrapped production on the Netflix original film Players, opposite Gina Rodriguez, and Damon Wayans Jr. Most recently, Liza has joined Kathy Bates, Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Zac Efron in the upcoming romantic comedy film, Family Affair, directed by Richard LaGravenese, and is set to premiere on Netflix on November 17, 2023. Koshy was most recently announced as the voice of female autobot, Arcee, in the international release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premiering in theatres on June 9, 2023.
In 2022, taking the social media dance craze to a new level, NBC joined forces with Liza Koshy, Shakira and Nick Jonas on the exciting dance-challenge series "Dancing with Myself." Koshy was most recently seen in the Netflix film My Little Pony: A New Generation as the voice of "Pip," also starring James Marsden, Vanessa Hudgens, and Sofia Carson. Koshy also starred opposite Sabrina Carpenter in the Netflix Original film Work It from executive producer Alicia Keys and Leslie Morgenstein (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). She is the co-creator, executive producer, and star of "Liza on Demand." In its second season, the premiere episode was the most-watched YouTube Originals debut episode in its first week on the streaming network to date. She directed an episode in the series' second season, which was nominated for two Streamy Awards: Show of the Year and Scripted Series. Koshy again directed an episode in the third and final season, which premiered in October 2021.
In December of 2021 and December of 2022, Koshy co-hosted "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," which was the highest rated network New Year's Eve special. It exceeded its 2021 ratings and numbers in its 2022 broadcast. In a new version of the Food Network's long-running series "Chopped," Koshy served as a host of the competition series, "Chopped Next Gen." The series, which is currently streaming on Discovery+, challenges a new guard of rising, Generation Z chefs. She has also hosted two seasons of the Nickelodeon "Double Dare" revival alongside Marc Sommers. In its second season the show was nominated for Outstanding Game Show at the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2018 and 2019, Koshy served as Vogue official Met Gala red carpet correspondent.
In March 2020, Koshy appeared in the YouTube Original special, "Creators for Change with Michelle Obama: Girl's Education." For the special, which won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special, she joined Mrs. Obama, Julia Roberts, Lana Condor, Veronica Ngo, and Jenna Bush Hager, on a trip to Vietnam. During their visit, the group met with girls benefiting from an education program of Room to Read, a nonprofit working with the Girls Opportunity Alliance to support adolescent girls' education in Vietnam. Koshy also served as a co-chair of the Michelle Obama founded non-profit "When We All Vote," alongside Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Liza has also been featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment List, TIME Magazine's Inaugural TIME 100 Next List, TIME's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet and Teen Vogue's Young Hollywood Class of 2020. Liza was most recently featured on the March 2022 Women's Health Magazine cover.- Actress
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Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress and comedian known for her deadpan style. She portrayed April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation (2009), and after appearing in supporting roles in several films, had her first leading role in the 2012 comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (2012).
Plaza began her career as an intern. After performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, she appeared in the web series The Jeannie Tate Show (2007). She later appeared in films such as Funny People (2009), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Life After Beth (2014).- Actress
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Eden was born December 26, 1991. She was raised in Los Angeles, California, where she resides with her family. Eden began acting at the age of 8, participating in school plays and local theater. She has done numerous commercials, including voice-over work. Eden also appeared in the short film Stuck (2001), a few years before landing a permanent role on ABC's short-lived sitcom Sons & Daughters (2006), as Carrie -- the precocious teenage niece. Shortly after hearing that her contract would not be renewed for a second season, Eden was soon booked to appear in episodes of Showtime's Weeds (2005) for its second run.
She plays the role of Sue Heck, the middle child, in the TV series The Middle (2009).
She also gained her first voice acting role as Star Butterfly in the Disney XD series Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2012).- Actor
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Jonathan Southworth Ritter was born in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. He was the son of legendary country singer/actor Tex Ritter (born Woodward Maurice Ritter) and his wife, actress Dorothy Fay (née Dorothy Fay Southworth). The couple married in 1941 and had their first child, Tom Ritter, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. John was destined to follow in his parents footsteps. He was enrolled at Hollywood High School where he was student body president.
After graduation from high school, he attended the University of Southern California where he majored in Psychology and minored in Architecture. His first appearance on TV was in 1966 as a contestant on The Dating Game (1965) where he won a vacation to Lake Havasu, Arizona. After making his very first cameo appearance, he was induced to join an acting class taught by Nina Foch. He changed his major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama. He also studied acting with Stella Adler at the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop. Between 1968 and 1969, he appeared in a series of stage plays in England, Scotland, Holland and in Germany.
His TV debut came playing a campus revolutionary on Dan August (1970) which starred Burt Reynolds and Norman Fell, who later starred with him on Three's Company (1976). Then he appeared as "Reverend Matthew Fordwick" on The Waltons (1972). He continued making more guest appearances on Medical Center (1969), M*A*S*H (1972), The Bob Newhart Show (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), Kojak (1973), Rhoda (1974) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970). While working on The Waltons (1972), he received word that his legendary father had passed away, just a day after New Year's Day in 1974. The following year, in late 1975, ABC picked up the rights for a new series based on a British sitcom, Man About the House (1973). Ritter beat out 50 people, including a young Billy Crystal, to get a major role. The first pilot was trashed, and in order for it to be improved, Joyce DeWitt, an unknown actress, played the role of "Janet Wood", along with Susan Lanier as the dumb blonde, "Chrissy Snow". It did better than the first pilot, but the producers still needed a change and Suzanne Somers came to the show at the very last minute to play "Chrissy". The series, Three's Company (1976), was born. When it debuted as a mid-season replacement, it became a ratings hit. It focused mainly on his character, "Jack Tripper", a chef who pretended to be gay in order to share an apartment with two attractive ladies.
Before playing "Jack Tripper" on the small screen, he also made his box office debut in the movie Nickelodeon (1976). Two years later, he worked with his close friend, Jenny Sullivan, in Breakfast in Bed (1977), and the following year, played "Pres. Chet Roosevelt" in the movie Americathon (1979). Also in 1977, he and his brother emceed the Annual United Cerebral Palsy Telethon which he continued to support for over 15 years. He also became more popular with movies such as Hero at Large (1980) and They All Laughed (1981). In 1980, when Three's Company (1976) was sold into syndication, the show became a ratings phenomenon. At the height of Ritter's popularity, he won a Golden Globe in 1983 for Best Performance by an Actor after being nominated twice for Best TV Actor in a Musical-Comedy Series and, one year later, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series after being nominated twice. By its eighth season, the show began to drop in the ratings and was canceled in 1984. After cancellation, he starred in its spin-off, called Three's a Crowd (1984), also starring Mary Cadorette, but it lasted for only one season.
His first animated movie was that of a man turning into a dragon, whose job was to defeat "Ommendon" in The Flight of Dragons (1982). The following year, he came back to series television as "Detective Harry Hooperman" in the comedy/drama, Hooperman (1987) for which he was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1988 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also won a People's Choice Award for this role. He continued doing more box-office films such as Skin Deep (1989), in which he played a womanizing, alcoholic writer whose life seemed to be falling apart at the seams. In the movies, Problem Child (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991), he played the surrogate father of a rebellious little boy who wrought havoc on the family. He also worked on Noises Off... (1992) and Stay Tuned (1992) before returning to another TV sitcom called Hearts Afire (1992) that also starred Billy Bob Thornton. The show had well-written scripts but failed to reach a massive audience which led to its cancellation in 1995. While he was working on Hearts Afire (1992), he played "Ward Nelson" on North (1994). Then, he had the opportunity to work with Billy Bob Thornton, in the movie Sling Blade (1996), in which Ritter played the gay manager of a department store. He also provided the voice of "Clifford" in Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000). He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award 4 times in a row, totaling seven Emmy nominations in his 35-year career. In 1999, he was also nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series playing the role of "George Madison" on an episode of Ally McBeal (1997).
Soon afterwards, he landed his last television role in 8 Simple Rules (2002), based on the popular book. On this sitcom he played "Paul Hennessey", a loving, yet rational dad, who laid down the ground rules for his three children and dealt with such topics as curfews, sex, drugs, getting arrested, etc. The show was a ratings winner in its first season and won a People's Choice Award for Best New Comedy and also won for Favorite Comedy Series by the Family Awards. While working on "8 Simple Rules," he also starred in his second-to-last film, Manhood (2003). That same year, he felt ill while rehearsing on set, and was taken across the street to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, where he was mistakenly treated for a heart attack. He died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection which is a tear in the wall of the aorta. He underwent surgery and died on September 11, 2003, just six days shy of his 55th birthday. In the years that he worked, John Ritter was a brilliant comedian and a passionate actor, who wanted to make everybody laugh. Shortly before his death, his eldest son, Jason Ritter, was cast in the role of "Kevin" in the highly-rated drama Joan of Arcadia (2003).- Actress
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Sunny Mabrey is an actress, writer, and comedian who hails from Rainbow City, Alabama. After traveling the world on the modeling circuit for a year following high school, Sunny went on to graduate with a B.A. in Theatre from University of Mobile, a small liberal arts school where she discovered her passion for acting and entertainment. She relocated to New York upon graduation. Soon after, a Sony film brought Sunny to the West Coast. Since then, she has gone on to achieve recurring roles on ABC's Once Upon a Time (2011), CBS's MacGyver (2021), Lifetime's The Client List (2011), AMC's Mad Men (2007), TNT's Memphis Beat (2010), and CMT's Still the King (2016). She has starred in many studio and independent films, playing a young Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy (2020), co-starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the feature film, xXx: State of the Union (2005) and again in the cult comedy-thriller, Snakes on a Plane (2006). Her independent film One Last Thing... (2005) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Taking the world of Vine, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook by storm with her quirky brand of comedy, she quickly amassed a following of over 2 million. By relating to her audience through many different mediums, Sunny uses these platforms to release her creativity, express her ideas, promote and share news on film and television projects, help charitable organizations, and display branded content. In addition to acting, Sunny writes, directs, and produces films and music videos. She also spends much of her time creating music and fronting a band she formed with her husband and fellow actor, Ethan Embry and musician, Ashley Mendel. Sunny splits her time between Los Angeles and Atlanta.- Actor
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Ennis' first standout acting role was in 2006, as the temperamental janitor Zoltan in the Gemini Awards-winning Billable Hours - this role set a precedent in Esmer's career, as what was originally a one-off appearance was expanded to a recurring role because of the popularity of his take on it. His next major role came in 2009 in The Listener as Osman 'Oz' Bey, the best friend to telepathic paramedic Toby Logan (played by Craig Olejnik). Esmer was nominated once in 2010 for an ACTRA Award, and twice in 2010 and 2011 for Canadian Comedy Awards for this role. In the opposite seasons to shooting The Listener in Toronto, Esmer was shooting his role as Eddie, the failed actor and apartment manager, in The L.A. Complex.
Starting in 2014, Esmer had regular roles in You Me Her, Private Eyes, Red Oaks, and Blindspot, once again often shooting in opposite or even the same seasons. In Audience Network's polyamory comedy You Me Her, he played Dave Amari, best friend and neighbour of Jack Trekarsky, the 'Him' of the title. In Global Television Network/Ion Television's Private Eyes, he played Kurtis 'Maz' Mazhari, a Detective who helped main characters Matt Shade (played by Jason Priestley) and Angie Everett (played by Cindy Sampson) solve crimes. He would be nominated in 2019 for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards for this latter role.
In Amazon Studios 1980's set comedy-drama Red Oaks, he played the Turkish lothario tennis instructor Nash. He said of the role, 'It's fun to play a character who is a pretty decent representation of my ethnicity...His ethnicity doesn't define the role, and he gets to be a full person aside from that, and in fact, because of that.' In NBC's Blindspot, Esmer again took a role that was an originally a one-off spot in season one, and went first to recurring then series regular in season four. His instinctive improvisational style and delivery made fan-favourite Rich Dotcom what show creator Martin Gero said was the character that defined the series. Esmer also had a memorable 3-episode arc as Emir Kaplan, the travel blogger who broke Stevie Budd's heart, in season five of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series Schitt's Creek.
Esmer currently stars in CTV's comedy Children Ruin Everything, a role for which he won the 2023 Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
In film, Esmer has worked extensively in Canadian indie short and feature-length films. He started his film career in a bit part as Ronnie in the American film How to Deal in 2003. His breakout film role was in 2007's Young People Fucking, co-written by his longtime friend and later Blindspot show runner Martin Gero and other longtime friend Aaron Abrams. This film was notable not just for winning multiple Genie Awards and nearly sweeping the film category of the Canadian Comedy Awards, but also because of the furor around funding caused politically by its name and perceived content.
In 2014, Esmer starred in his first lead film role as Leonard Crane, a small-town newspaper reporter, in Big News from Grand Rock, a comedy-drama about the demise of small-town newspapers - on which he also served as an executive-producer. The same year, he played a supporting role as Sean in the romantic comedy Dirty Singles, for which he was nominated for an ACTRA Award, and won best male performance at the Canadian Comedy Awards. In 2015, he played a supporting role in sex comedy How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town, directed by Jeremy Lalonde, again serving as executive-producer. In 2016, he played a supporting role in Miss Sloane with Jessica Chastain. That same year, he played Moe, a flight crash investigator, in the television film Brace for Impact, for which he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018. Also in 2018, he played the astrophysicist Charlie in Clara, a science-fiction film which won the Jury Prize at the Austin Film Festival. He can next be seen in Ally Pankiw's dramedy I Used To Be Funny, Mackenzie Munro's coming of age comedy Boot Camp, and Incendo's updated remake of The Amityville Curse.
Esmer has also undertaken several hosting duties in Canada - hosting, among others, the Gemini Awards (twice), the Canadian Screen Awards, and the ACTRA Awards, even virtually hosting the feature films section of the Directors Guild of Canada Awards in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also the co-host of Wipeout Canada alongside the legendary Jonathan Torrens, and currently hosts Roast Battle Canada on CTV Comedy. Esmer first came to prominence as a host on Toronto 1's variety series The Toronto Show in 2003.- Actor
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Steve Carell, one of America's most versatile comics, was born Steven John Carell on August 16, 1962, in Concord, Massachusetts. He is the son of Harriet Theresa (Koch), a psychiatric nurse, and Edwin A. Carell, an electrical engineer. His mother was of Polish descent and his father of Italian and German ancestry (Steve's grandfather had changed the surname from "Caroselli" to "Carell"). Steve was educated at The Fenn School, an all-boys private school in Concord, Massachusetts, then at Middlesex School in Concord. After graduating from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, he moved to Chicago where he taught an improvisational comedy class and performed with The Second City troupe, alongside Stephen Colbert.
Carell made his film debut as "Tesio" in Curly Sue (1991). In 1996, he became a cast member of The Dana Carvey Show (1996), and provided the voice for Gary, opposite Colbert in "The Ambiguously Gay Duo". This animated short series produced by Robert Smigel continued on Saturday Night Live (1975), but Carell has joked that he auditioned for SNL and lost the job to Will Ferrell. Carell made a number of guest appearances on such shows as Come to Papa (2004), Just Shoot Me! (1997), and Watching Ellie (2002), before landing a regular stint as a correspondent on The Daily Show (1996) from 1999 until 2005.
Carell played Evan Baxter opposite Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (2003), and Uncle Arthur opposite Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in Bewitched (2005). He broke out as a leading man after starring in the summer box-office hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), which he also co-wrote; the film was chosen as one of the Top Ten movies of 2006 by the American Film Institute. He next starred in the critically acclaimed Little Miss Sunshine (2006), an indie dark comedy which became a surprise hit and earned four Oscar nominations, and won two (Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin and Best Screenplay for Michael Arndt). In 2007, Carell reprised his role as Evan Baxter, filling Jim Carrey's leading-man shoes as a politician asked by God to build a giant ark in Evan Almighty (2007), the second installment of the "Almighty" franchise, co-starring Lauren Graham and Morgan Freeman. In 2008, he re-united with Jim Carrey in the highly successful animation hit Horton Hears a Who! (2008), then appeared as Agent Maxwell Smart in the popular comedy Get Smart (2008).
Throughout this time, Carell maintained a successful career in television, starring as Michael Scott in the American remake of the Britain's existential comedy, The Office (2005). He received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Television Comedy for this leading role in 2006, and earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations each consecutive show until he departed in 2011.
In 2010, Carell announced he was leaving "The Office" to concentrate on his film career, and has made steady appearance in such films as Date Night (2010), Despicable Me (2010), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012). Carell's most recent roles are the comedies Despicable Me 2 (2013), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), and the drama Foxcatcher (2014), and the more serious Beautiful Boy (2018) and Vice (2018).
Steve Carell has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife, actress Nancy Carell, whom he met when she was a student in an improv class he was teaching at The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. The couple have two children, daughter Elizabeth (born in May 2001), and son John (born in June 2004). Steve Carell lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.- Writer
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Robert John Odenkirk was born in Berwyn, Illinois, to Barbara (Baier) and Walter Odenkirk, who worked in printing. His ancestry includes German and Irish. He grew up in Naperville, IL, the second of seven children. He worked as a DJ for WIDB, his college radio station at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Three credits shy of graduation, he moved to Chicago. He began work there in local improv workshops. He also did open-mic stand-up comedy for several years. In Chicago, he became friends with Robert Smigel, who would later help him become a writer for Saturday Night Live (1975).
In 1987, Bob was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live (1975) and in 1989 he went on to win an Emmy for his writing work. He worked on the show from season 13 to 20 (1987-1995). However, he had trouble getting his work on the air, so he began work as a writer for Get a Life (1990) starring Chris Elliott. The show was quickly canceled, but he was soon hired as writer for The Dennis Miller Show (1992). On that show he made his acting debut and was noticed by Ben Stiller, who later hired him as a writer and actor for The Ben Stiller Show (1992). The show only lasted for 13 episodes, but Bob won another Emmy for his writing.
After The Ben Stiller Show (1992) was canceled, Bob made recurring appearances (1993-1998) on The Larry Sanders Show (1992) as Stevie Grant, Larry's hyperactive agent. He also wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) during 1993-94. During this time Bob hooked up with fellow The Ben Stiller Show (1992) writer David Cross, also a stand-up comedian. They started doing sketch-comedy shows together in Los Angeles. In 1995, they got their own show on HBO (Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)). The show lasted for four seasons and 30 episodes.
After Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995) ended, Bob wrote Run Ronnie Run (2002) and directed three feature films (Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003), Let's Go to Prison (2006) and The Brothers Solomon (2007)), and appeared in . After 1998, he also made many guest appearances on TV shows like Just Shoot Me! (1997), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), Ed (2000), Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Less Than Perfect (2002), Arrested Development (2003), How I Met Your Mother (2005) and Weeds (2005). From 2009 to 2013, he appeared on 43 episodes of Breaking Bad (2008) as Saul Goodman, a shyster lawyer, and, starting in 2015, he reprised that role as the main character in Better Call Saul (2015).- Actress
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Manon Mathews was born on 22 October 1988 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Holiday Breakup (2016), Broad City (2014) and Single by 30 (2016).- Writer
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Jenny Zigrino was born on 8 January 1987. She is a writer and actress, known for Bad Santa 2 (2016), FabUless (2019) and Fifty Shades of Black (2016).- Actor
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Joe Brogie is an American actor, voice actor, magician, and comedian. Joe is known for his work as the voice of Matty on Nickelodeon's The Beatbuds, Donatello in Injustice 2, and Sylvain from Fire Emblem. In college, he was a martial arts instructor of Hapkido and Taekwondo while studying biology and acting.- Actress
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Natasha Leggero is an American comedian, actress and writer. She rose to fame after appearing as the host of the MTV reality television series The 70s House in 2005, and as a regular round-table panelist on Chelsea Handler's late-night talk show Chelsea Lately from 2008 to 2014. Leggero created the Comedy Central period sitcom Another Period (2015-2018) with Riki Lindhome, which she starred in as Lillian Abigail Bellacourt, a daughter of the fictional Bellacourt family. As a voice actress, Leggero has starred in several adult animated sitcoms, voicing the roles of Callie Maggotbone in Ugly Americans (2010-2012), Ethel in Brickleberry (2013-2015) and Shannon in Hoops (2020). She also starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Free Agents (2011) as Emma Parker, in the Showtime comedy series Dice (2016-2017) as Carmen, and in the CBS sitcom Broke (2020) as Elizabeth.- Actress
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At sixteen years old, Melanie Lynskey dazzled the film world with an audacious debut in Peter Jackson's revered psychological crime picture, Heavenly Creatures (1994). Her electrifying portrait of Pauline Parker - high school misfit whose fierce rapport with her only friend (a pre-fame Kate Winslet) spirals dangerously out of control - was deemed "perfect" (Richard Corliss, TIME) and secured the humble New Zealander a Best Actress trophy in her motherland. Following a three-year interval spent studying at university and relocating to Los Angeles, Lynskey made a welcome return to the silver screen when she was cast as Drew Barrymore's sweet-natured stepsister in Andy Tennant's 'girl power' twist on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998). Parts in But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), Snakeskin (2001), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Shattered Glass (2003), and Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated war epic Flags of Our Fathers (2006) came next.
In the consequent years, Lynskey emerged as one of the industry's most celebrated character actors, picking up plaudits for a host of appearances in prestige vehicles such as Sam Mendes's Away We Go (2009), Jason Reitman's Up in the Air (2009), Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (2009), Tom McCarthy's Win Win (2011), Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (2021). Prolific supporting roles - opposite the calibre of George Clooney, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio - aside, spotlight turns in Hello I Must Be Going (2012), Happy Christmas (2014), The Intervention (2016) - for which she scored a Special Jury Prize at Sundance - and the genre-bending I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) have equally proved her mettle as a dynamite leading lady.
Since entering the annals of 21st century popular culture with her riotous embodiment of Rose - on the toweringly successful Two and a Half Men (2003), where she appeared for over a decade as Charlie Sheen's duplicitous admirer - Lynskey has injected her scene-stealing prowess into a multitude of small-screen gigs: among them, HBO's exalted tragicomedy Togetherness (2015), which showcased her "sublime" (Vanity Fair) depiction of a dissatisfied stay-at-home mom; macabre Stephen King spookfest Castle Rock (2018), where she headlined as pill-popping psychic Molly Strand; and all-star political period piece Mrs. America (2020), in which she joined forces with Cate Blanchett. For her spellbinding work on Showtime's Yellowjackets (2021) - where she's front-and-centre as Shauna, a suburban housewife consumed by horrific secrets - Lynskey collected the coveted Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2022), with Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall describing her turn in the runaway cult smash as the "dark, messy, charismatic part she's been waiting her whole career to play".- Actress
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Melissa McCarthy was born in Plainfield, Illinois, to Sandra and Michael McCarthy, and was raised on her family's corn and soybean farm. She began her performing career as a stand-up comedian in New York where she appeared at the famous clubs, Stand Up New York and The Improv. She worked on her acting skills at The Actors Studio and appeared in many stage productions in the city before moving to Los Angeles in the late-1990s. She made a number of TV and movie appearances before making her big breakthrough as Sookie in Gilmore Girls (2000). A steady stream of comedy performances followed, leading to her starring role in the sitcom Mike & Molly (2010).
In the 2010s, McCarthy became known for her starring roles in the films Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), St. Vincent (2014), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018).- Actor
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- Actor
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Matt Rife is an American standup comedian & actor originally from Ohio. Matt first started standup comedy at the age of 15 and has since toured around the world performing with some of the biggest names in comedy; Dane Cook, Ralphie May, Finesse Mitchell, Mike Epps, Deray Davis, Erik Griffin, etc... Now living in Los Angeles, Matt has become a popular regular in the comedy scene, including being the youngest male regular performer at the World Famous Laugh Factory. Comedy in his roots, Matt has easily transitioned into his much larger passion, acting. Getting his start on a couple of Disney shows until his break came when he was added as a leading cast member on MTV's hit show Wild N Out back in season 7.- Actress
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Holly Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia, to Opal Marguerite (Catledge), a homemaker, and Charles Edwin Hunter, a part-time sporting goods company representative and farmer with a 250 acre farm. She is the youngest of seven children. Her parents encouraged her talent at an early age, and her first acting part was as Helen Keller in a fifth-grade play. In 1976 she went to Pittsburgh to pursue a degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating in 1980, she went to New York City, where she met playwright Beth Henley in a stalled elevator. Hunter went on to get roles in a number of Henley's southern Gothic plays, including Crimes of the Heart and The Miss Firecracker Contest. In 1982 the actress went to Los Angeles. She landed her first starring role in the movies in the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona (1987), a part that is said to have been written with her in mind. She gained stardom in 1987 when she played the driven TV news producer Jane Craig in James L. Brooks' Broadcast News (1987). In 1993 she earned an Academy Award and worldwide acclaim with her performance as a mute bride to a New Zealand planter in The Piano (1993).- Writer
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Theo's podcast, This Past Weekend, is one of the top comedy podcasts, garnering 5m listens a month on audio alone. Theo has a Netflix special titled No Offense from 2015.
Theo has appeared numerous times on Joe Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, regularly on Joey Diaz's The Church of What's Happening Now, and was voted guest of the year on The Fighter and The Kid by TFATK listeners in both 2017 and 2018. Previously, Theo was the host of TBS's hidden camera show Deal With It from EP Howie Mandel, which ran for three seasons. He also hosted Yahoo's popular daily recap show Primetime in No Time - one of the most-watched shows on the web with nearly one million views per day. Theo also made appearances on Inside Amy Schumer, Why? with Hannibal Buress, Arsenio, Last Comic Standing, was the winner of Comedy Central's Reality Bites Back, and Live at Gotham.
Theo can be seen in season 4 of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, episode premiered in March 2018. He also co-hosts The King and the Sting with his friend, comedian Brendan Schaub.
Theo lists his favorite entertainers as Joe Rogan, Tom Segura, Chris D'elia, Bill Burr, Jerry Clower, and Richard Pryor; and his role models as Joe Rogan, Jocko Willink, Maurice Clarett, Dustin Poirier, and his brother Zefferino vonKurnatowski.- Actress
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Maya Rudolph was born on July 27, 1972 in Gainesville, Florida, to Richard Rudolph, a music producer, and soul singer Minnie Riperton. Her mother was African-American and her father is Ashkenazi Jewish (from a family from Lithuania, Russia, Germany, and Hungary). In 1973, Maya, her parents, and her older brother, Marc Rudolph, moved to California to further Minnie's music career. Here Minnie recorded "Lovin' You", her most famous single, in which one can hear her sing "Maya, Maya, Maya" at the end of the song; Riperton said that the song was used as a lullaby for Maya.
During adolescence, Maya attended St. Augustine by the Sea School, where she met childhood friend, Gwyneth Paltrow. The Paltrows and the Rudolphs became family friends and, in 2000, Richard Rudolph and Maya filled the role of music supervisors on the Bruce Paltrow-directed film Duets (2000), which starred Gwyneth.
In 1990, Maya enrolled at the University of California at Santa Cruz, majoring in photography. It was here that Maya formed the band "Supersauce" with fellow students. After graduation in 1994, Maya left the band and soon joined The Rentals, fronted by Weezer bassist Matt Sharp. Maya was featured on the 1999 release "Seven More Minutes", where she sang backup vocals on "Barcelona" and "My Head is in the Sun". Maya began touring with the group, singing backup and playing Moog synthesizer. When The Rentals disbanded, Maya decided to pursue her dream of a career in comedy, joining the famed troupe "The Groundlings".
On May 6, 2000, Maya joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975), and became one of that show's most popular performers. Famous sketches include a dead-on impression of fashion diva Donatella Versace; high school flake "Megan", the host of her own morning talk show, "Wake-up WakeField"; and one of the members of the R&B parody "Gemini's Twin". In 2006, she co-starred in the film A Prairie Home Companion (2006), directed by the legendary Robert Altman and based on the NPR show by Garrison Keillor.
Maya has four children with her partner, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.- Actor
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Ken Jeong is an American actor, comedian, and physician. He is known for his roles as Ben Chang on the critically acclaimed NBC/Yahoo! sitcom Community (2009) and gangster Leslie Chow in The Hangover (2009) Trilogy. He appeared in Michael Bay's Pain & Gain (2013), as Johnny Wu, a motivational speaker.
Ken was born in Detroit, to Korean parents. He completed his internal medicine residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans while developing his stand-up comedy. He is a licensed physician in California.