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Kate Walsh was born in San Jose, California, on October 13, 1967. She grew up partly in San Jose and partly in Tucson, Arizona, later attending the University of Arizona, where she got involved in regional theater. She later moved to Chicago where she began working with the Piven Theatre Workshop and, later, the Chicago Shakespeare Repertory. She performed on National Public Radio in the production of the radio play "Born Guilty". Walsh later moved to New York City and joined the comedy troupe "Burn Manhattan", performing in a number of Off-Broadway plays.
Her first major television appearance came on The Drew Carey Show (1995) where she portrayed Niki Fifer, Drew's girlfriend and a woman struggling with her weight. She went on to portray Carol Nelson in HBO's The Mind of the Married Man (2001) television series, and played Norm MacDonald's romantic interest in the sitcom Norm (1999). She continues to appear on television programs in supporting or bit parts.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kerry Lynne Bishé is a New Zealand-born American actress, known for her lead role as Donna Clark in the AMC television series Halt and Catch Fire (2014). Bishé played the lead/narrator role on the final season of ABC's medical sitcom Scrubs (2001) and starred in the critically acclaimed drama film Argo (2012). Bishé was born in New Zealand, and shortly afterward, she and her family moved to Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She graduated from Montclair Kimberley Academy (where her father, Kenneth Bishé, taught social studies) in 2002, and then studied at Northwestern University. Bishé toured professionally with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks during the summer of 2004, performing the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She also appeared in a 2006 production of Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape and in the Roundabout revival of Shaw's Pygmalion. Bishé made her screen debut in 2007, when she portrayed Sarah Rosen in The Half Life of Mason Lake (2007), a low-budget production. After appearances as an extra in the film adaptation of Sex and the City (2008) and The Lucky Ones (2008), and a small role in The Understudy (2008), Bishé was cast in Night Life (2008), a TV movie directed by Scrubs star Zach Braff. The production did not make Bishé well-known, but did introduce her to Zach Braff, with whom she later worked on Scrubs (2001). Bishé was busy in 2009 with television roles, appearing in an episode of the US version of Life on Mars (2008), an episode of cable TV series Royal Pains (2009), and a lead role in the TV movie made from the failed pilot of the proposed sci-fi series Virtuality (2009). In December 2009, Bishé assumed the lead role on ABC medical sitcom Scrubs (2001), that of Lucy Bennett, the show's new narrator, taking over from Zach Braff. ABC cancelled the show on May 14, 2010. Bishé co-starred in the independent movie, Nice Guy Johnny (2010), with Edward Burns and Matt Bush. She also played a supporting role in Kevin Smith's horror film Red State (2011) and Ben Affleck's drama film Scoot McNairy. Bishé co-starred in the independent movie, Grand Piano (2013), with Elijah Wood. From 2014 to 2017, Bishé starred as Donna Clark in the acclaimed AMC television drama series, Halt and Catch Fire (2014). By coincidence, her character's husband in Halt and Catch Fire (2014) is portrayed by actor Scoot McNairy, who also played her spouse in Argo (2012). In season three of the Netflix Original series, Narcos (2015), she portrays the recurring role of Cristina Jurado, the American wife of the Cali Cartel's Harvard-educated money launderer Franklin Jurado.- Annazette Chase was born on 18 December 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Truck Turner (1974), The Toy (1982) and The Greatest (1977).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Popular African-American vocalist and entertainer Barbara McNair dazzled audiences with her singing prowess and exceptional beauty for well over four decades until her death on February 4, 2007 of throat cancer in Los Angeles. The Chicago-born entertainer and one-time secretary was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, one of five children born to Horace and Claudia Taylor McNair. She sang in her church choir and was encouraged by her parents to pursue voice. Following music studies at the Racine Conservatory of Music and the American Conservatory of Music in her hometown Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles and attended USC before relocating once again to New York to pursue her dream.
Barbara worked her way up from typist to singer of small supper clubs to headlining large showrooms as one of America's more visible singers of the late 50s and 60s. A jazz stylist influenced by the great Sarah Vaughan at first, she gently eased into popular music. Her first big break came with a week-long gig on Arthur Godfrey's talent show, which led to bookings at The Purple Onion, The Persian Room and L.A.'s Cocoanut Grove. She began receiving invites on the TV variety circuit ('Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town," "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Tonight Show") and made it to Broadway with the musicals "The Body Beautiful" (1958) and "No Strings" (1962), replacing original star Diahann Carroll in the latter. At different times she recorded on the Coral, Signature and Motown labels resulting in such modest hits as "You're Gonna Love My Baby" and "Bobby."
In the late 60s Barbara made a choice to scout out acting roles, hoping to parlay her singing success into a movie career. The singer showed initial promise as a sexy lead alongside Raymond St. Jacques in the gritty crime drama If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968) in which she made news with her celebrated nude sequences. She also wore a nun's habit alongside Mary Tyler Moore in Elvis Presley's last feature film Change of Habit (1969), and appeared opposite Sidney Poitier as Virgil Tibbs' wife in both They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) and The Organization (1971). A warm, inviting presence, she pioneered her own syndicated musical TV show The Barbara McNair Show (1969), a rarity at the time for a black entertainer, and guested on all the popular TV programs of the day including "Mission: Impossible," "Hogan's Heroes" and "I Spy."
The early 1970s were a difficult time for Barbara when offers suddenly stopped coming in and her husband/manager, who had mob affiliations, was shot and killed in 1976. Barbara went on to appear in such stage musicals as "The Pajama Game" and "Sophisticated Ladies", and was also seen in a recurring role for a time on General Hospital (1963) in later years. She was also spotted in a couple of obscure films in the 80s and 90s. Barbara's love of performing continued even in lesser venues -- cabaret clubs, cruise ships, special events and even retirement centers in Florida -- still sporting her stunning looks and vocal sparkle. In 2006 she opened for Bob Newhart in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Married four times in all, Barbara died at age 72 and was survived by husband, Charles Blecka.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Teresa Ruiz is considered one of the most prominent actresses in Mexican cinema. Her work in film has garnered her awards for Best Actress internationally, which include The Prix d'Interprétation Féminine in France, The India Catalina in Colombia, The Silver Mayahuel, and the Mexican Academy Award: The Ariel.
Teresa appears in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico (2018) portraying the role of Mexican drug cartel leader Sandra Avila Beltrán AKA The Queen of Cocaine.
She stars in Sony's Father Stu, based on the true story of Boxer-Turned-Priest Stuart Long, starring opposite Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson. Ruiz can next be seen in the A24 x Netflix series, MO, co-written and executive produced by Ramy Youssef, starring opposite series creator Mo Amer. In the can, she has Josh Roush's independent feature Wrong Reasons opposite Fred Armisen, David Koechner, and Kevin Smith, who is also executive producing.
Other works include The Marksman alongside Liam Neeson, Aquí en La Tierra (Here on Earth (2018)) created by Gael García Bernal which premiered at the first edition of The Cannes Series Festival in April 2018; The Last Ship (2014), produced by Michael Bay as well as the hit Netflix series Luis Miguel and The Delivery co-starring next to Mickey Rourke and directed by Louis Leterrier.- The actress and model Alejandra Guilmant was born in Mexico City. She gained recognition in the modeling industry after signing a three-year contract alongside professional surfer Alana Blanchard for Rip Curl's global campaign. Alejandra has collaborated with fashion brands like Zac Posen, All Saints, Levis, Paco Rabanne, and L'Oréal. She was part of Playboy's 60th-anniversary celebration with Kate Moss on the cover, photographed by Mert and Marcus.
Her editorial work includes features in GQ, Harper's Bazaar's Art Issue, and In Style. Alejandra has graced the covers of magazines such as Elle and Maxim Magazine. Throughout her career, she appeared in various music videos, including Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Otis," directed by Spike Jonze.
Alejandra transitioned to acting with the short film "Likeness," starring Elle Fanning and directed by renowned cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. She was then cast as Pamela in the film "A la Mala," directed by Pedro Pablo Ibarra and produced by Videocine.
In addition, she has taken part in projects like "Aquí en la Tierra," alongside Tenoch Huerta, playing Anat, the right-hand of the main drug lord portrayed by Gael García Bernal. Alejandra also acted in Netflix's "NARCOS" Mexico seasons 1 and 2 with Diego Luna, directed by Andres Baiz and produced by Erick Neumann.
Alejandra Guilmant studied Meisner Modules in New York and modules with Fernando Piernas in Mexico. She resides between Los Angeles, Mexico, and New York. - Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Jessica Paré first turned heads in Stardom (2000), broke our hearts in Lost and Delirious (2001), played the catalyst for karmic intervention in Bollywood/Hollywood (2002) and, somehow, pulled off being a secret villain in Posers (2002). She then went onto made-for-TV movies, starting with a small role in Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999). She eventually was part of the twice Gemini-nominated mini-series, Random Passage (2002). Now, she can be seen on CTV, most recently as "Nancy Eaton" in The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton (2004), and Lives of the Saints (2004). She made her Hollywood debut as Josh Hartnett's fiancée in Wicker Park (2004), which premiered in 2004. She has since gone on to perform in other American productions, both on television and the big screen.- Born Verna Charlene Stavely. Holt, a former "Miss Maryland," enjoyed a rewarding modeling career prior to her screen work in both films and television that began when caught director Howard Hawks's attention when he saw her in a lipstick commercial. After her debut appearance in the Sandra Dee-Bobby Darin comedy, If a Man Answers (1962), Holt went on to appear in such films as Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Man's Favorite Sport? (1964), Red Line 7000 (1965), Zigzag (1970), and the TV movie Wonder Woman (1974). Her television series appearances included guest roles on Hawaiian Eye (1962), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963), Perry Mason (1965), It Takes A Thief (1968), and CHiPs (1980). Following the filming of El Dorado in 1966, Holt married millionaire real estate developer William A. Tishman in 1966. The couple enjoyed traveling and collecting antiques and artwork for their lavish home in Trousdale Estates in West Los Angeles until their 1972 divorce. Her last screen appearance before retiring was in Melvin and Howard (1980).
- Actress
- Producer
Martina Garcia was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia.She is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and a bit of Italian.She has baccalaureate diploma in literature from Lycée Français Louis Pasteur. She also have a Diploma in Acting from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
In 2010, she was a member of the Feature Film Jury of the Festival Biarritz.- Actress
- Casting Director
- Additional Crew
Florencia is most thankful that her parents moved to the United States from Argentina because she's "had so many opportunities having been born and raised here." Playing the witty, intelligent, hard as nails attorney Tèa Delgado is Florencia's first television series. She has acted in regional theatre in such plays as "Hamlet." Describing herself as curious, she is presently learning how to meditate. Florencia is currently living in New York City and is single.- Carolina Acevedo was born on 7 October 1979 in Bogotá, Colombia. She is an actress, known for Nuevo rico, nuevo pobre (2007), Loving Gloria (2005) and From Foot to Head (1993). She was previously married to Salomon Korn and Roberto Cano.
- Louise Troy was born on 9 November 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Ghostbusters II (1989), The Swimmer (1968) and The United States Steel Hour (1953). She was married to Douglas Seale and Werner Klemperer. She died on 5 May 1994 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Ulla Strömstedt was born on 27 November 1939 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Catalina Caper (1967), Den gula bilen (1963) and I Spy (1965). She was married to Gilbert Cole. She died on 13 June 1986 in Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Vanity was a glamorous Canadian model and lead singer of the all-girl group "Vanity 6." She specialized in playing sultry female characters often in trouble with the law.
Vanity was born Denise Katherine Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Helga Senyk and James Levia Matthews. She was of African and German descent. Vanity first appeared on screen in the biographical tale of writer Jack London titled Klondike Fever (1979), before venturing into more gritty territory such as the slasher film Terror Train (1980), the very odd chick flick Tanya's Island (1980), a B-grade martial arts film entitled The Last Dragon (1985) and the totally weird Never Too Young to Die (1986).
However, her best two performances were as the naive stripper assisting blackmail victim Roy Scheider in the under-rated thriller 52 Pick-Up (1986) and as a seductive, smart-talking nightclub singer teaming up with cop Carl Weathers to defeat murderous car tycoon Craig T. Nelson in the violent Action Jackson (1988).
Unfortunately, the remainder of Vanity's film work was of the "straight-to-video" variety and she only scored minor roles in several low-budget thrillers such as Neon City (1991) and Da Vinci's War (1993). In late 1995, Vanity turned her back on Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and dedicated her life to the Christian faith.
Vanity, who suffered from sclerosis encapsulating peritonitis, died on February 15, 2016 in Fremont, California.- Arlene Martel was likely best-known (if not by name) to Star Trek (1966) fans, and possibly most television viewers of a certain age, as Spock's treacherous Vulcan betrothed, T'Pring, in the episode, Amok Time (1967).
Born Arline Greta Sax to Austrian Jewish immigrants on April 14, 1936 in New York City, she spent her early years in one of the poorest slums in the Bronx. When her mother's boss saw her poor living conditions, he personally underwrote her attendance at an upper-crust boarding school in Connecticut. At age 12, she assumed personal responsibility to audition for New York's famed High School of the Performing Arts. Not only did she gain entrance, she went on to excel at the school and graduated with the school's top drama award. Her professional career began in her teens when she landed the role of Esther in the Broadway production of 'Uncle Willie', also starring Norman Fell.
After heading to Hollywood, Martel began making guest appearances on television series such as The Untouchables (1959), Route 66 (1960) and The Twilight Zone (1959). She had the recurring role of Tiger on the situation comedy Hogan's Heroes (1965). Her facility with accents and dialects enabled her to play a wide variety of characters, earning her the nickname of "The Chameleon". Her relationship with James Dean was chronicled in Joe Hyams's biography, "The James Dean Story".
Married and divorced three times, Arlene had three children: Adam Palmer, Avra Douglas, and Jod Douglas.
Martel died at age 78 of a heart attack on August 12, 2014 in Santa Monica, California. She had battled breast cancer some years earlier. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Moira Redmond was born on 14 July 1928 in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for A Shot in the Dark (1964), Melissa (1974) and The Winter's Tale (1967). She was married to Herbert Wise and Anthony Hughes. She died on 16 March 2006 in London, England, UK.- Actress
- Producer
Celeste Yarnall was an amazing woman of many talents who had been very successful in a diverse number of fields. There appeared to be nothing she couldn't do when she put her mind to it. Apart from her initial career as model, spokesperson and actress, Celeste has also managed several talented screenwriters, segued into the commercial real estate business, became a championship Tonkinese cat breeder, ran her own successful company, hosted a radio show, produced a "How to" video and regularly appears as a speaker/lecturer.
At a time when many people would be thinking of an easier life, Celeste studied for and received her Ph. D in nutrition in 1998 and served as adjunct professor of nutrition at the Pacific Western University. In addition, Celeste has written two best selling books: 'Natural Cat Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Cats' and 'Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Dogs.'
As a model and actress, Celeste was renowned for her beauty and very becoming figure, being named the Foreign Press' Most Photogenic Beauty of the Year at the Cannes Film Festival in 1968. She was also the National Association of Theater Owners Most Promising New Star of 1968. Celeste was featured as Miss April in Cedco Publishing's popular wall calendar for 2002. The April 2002 issue of 'Femme Fatale' magazine also features a detailed article about Celeste.
For Elvis Presley fans, Celeste is remembered as "Ellen," the beautiful young woman Elvis romanced with the song, "A Little Less Conversation," in the film, Live a Little, Love a Little (1968). As Elvis fans know, the track was re-mixed by progressive music producer/DJ Tom Holkenborg, and topped the charts around the world.
As one of the "swinging chicks of the 1960s," Celeste was not only interviewed by Thomas Lisanti for his fascinating book, "Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema (Interviews with Twenty Actresses from Biker, Beach and Elvis Movies)," but an eye-catching photograph of her was also used for the front cover. Celeste lived and based her health care practice for cats and dogs in Los Angeles and lived in her new home in Westlake Village.- Lyn Peters was born on 28 February 1941 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress, known for Get Smart (1965), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and The Rat Patrol (1966). She was married to Paul Burke, Horacio Fernando Castro Escalada and Lars Erik Steiner. She died on 10 September 2013 in Palm Springs, California, USA.
- Actress
- Producer
Inge Jaklyn was born on 11 May 1941 in Vienna, Austria. She is an actress and producer, known for It Takes a Thief (1968), Pooltime (2010) and In Like Flint (1967). She has been married to Milt Altman since 1969.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Christine Belford was born on 14 January 1949 in Amityville, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Christine (1983), Outlaws (1986) and The Greatest American Hero (1981). She has been married to Nicholas Pryor since July 1993.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Actress and model Danielle Riley Keough was born in Santa Monica, California to musicians Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough. She is the eldest grandchild of legendary singer Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley. Keough started modeling as a teenager. She first appeared on a runway for Dolce & Gabbana. She has also appeared on the cover of "Vogue" with her mother and grandmother.
Keough began her acting career in 2010 when she won the role of Marie Currie in The Runaways (2010). Other roles followed in The Good Doctor (2011), Jack & Diane (2012), and Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike (2012).
She has been married to Ben Smith-Petersen since February 4, 2015. They have one child.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Stardom somehow eluded this vastly gifted actress. Had it not perhaps been for her low-level profile compounded by her McCarthy-era blacklisting in the early 1950s, there is no telling what higher tier Marsha Hunt might have attained. Perhaps her work was not flashy enough, or too subdued, or perhaps her intelligence too often disguised a genuine sex appeal to stand out among the other lovelies. Two studios, Paramount in the late 1930s and MGM in the early 1940s, failed to complete her star. Nevertheless, her talent and versatility cannot be denied. This glamorous, slimly handsome leading lady offered herself to well over 50 pictures during the 1930s and 1940s alone.
Christened Marcia Virginia Hunt, the Chicago-born actress was the younger of two girls born to an attorney and voice teacher/accompanist. The family relocated to New York when she was quite young and she attended such schools as PS #9 and Horace Mann School for Girls. She developed an interest in acting at an early age (3), performing around and about in school plays and at church functions. Following her high school graduation the young beauty found work as a John Powers model and as a singer on radio, a gift obviously inherited from her mother. Marcia (she later changed the spelling of her first name to Marsha) studied drama at the Theodora Irvine Drama School (one of her fellow students was Cornel Wilde).
Encouraged to try Hollywood by various New York people in the business, the young photogenic hopeful moved there in 1934. She was only 17 but was accompanied by her older sister. It didn't take long for the studios to take an interest in her and she was signed up by Paramount not long after. Marsha's very first movie was in a featured role opposite Robert Cummings and Johnny Downs in the old-fashioned The Virginia Judge (1935). Displaying an innate, fresh-faced sensitivity, she moved directly into her second film, playing the title role in Gentle Julia (1936), this time with Tom Brown as her romantic interest.
Marsha continued to show promise but these well-acted roles were, more often than not, overlooked in mild "B"-level offerings. Appearing in co-starring roles in everything from westerns (Desert Gold (1936) and Thunder Trail (1937)) to folksy or flyweight comedy (Easy to Take (1936) and Murder Goes to College (1937)), she could not find decent enough scripts at Paramount. Though she was once deemed one of the studio's promising starlets, one of her last films there was another prairie flower role--[error]--with cowboys John Wayne and Johnny Mack Brown vying for her attention. At about this time (1938) she married Jerry Hopper, a Paramount film editor who turned to directing in the 1950s. This marriage lasted but a few years.
Freelancing for a time for many studios, Marsha's more noticeable war-era work in sentimental comedy and staunch war dramas came from MGM, and she finally signed with the studio in 1939. The roles offered, which included a featured part as one of the sisters in Pride and Prejudice (1940) starring Greer Garson, and again as a sister to Garson in Blossoms in the Dust (1941), which showed much more promise. Some of her better war-era roles came in the films Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), Kid Glove Killer (1942) and The Affairs of Martha (1942). During this time she also sang on extended USO tours and stayed busy on radio. Her best known film is arguably The Human Comedy (1943) but she wasn't the star. Other film roles had her in support of others, such as Margaret Sullavan in Cry 'Havoc' (1943), little Margaret O'Brien in Lost Angel (1943) and Garson again in The Valley of Decision (1945). Leading roles did not come in "A" pictures.
Her MGM contract was allowed to lapse in 1945 and a second marriage in 1946, to screenwriter Robert Presnell Jr., became a higher priority. The marriage was long and happy (exactly 40 years) and lasted until his passing in June of 1986. The few pictures she made were, again, uneventful or in support of the star, although she did have a catchy, unsympathetic role in the Susan Hayward starrer Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947) as a scheming secretary. In Raw Deal (1948), starring Dennis O'Keefe, she got the "raw deal" being overshadowed as a "good girl" by the "bad girl" posturings of Claire Trevor. At this point of her career she decided to try the stage and made her Broadway debut in "Joy to the World" (1948). Other plays down the road would include "The Devil's Disciple" with Maurice Evans, "The Lady's Not for Burning" with Vincent Price and "The Little Hut" with Leon Ames. She even had a chance to return to her beloved singing as Anna in a production of "The King and I" and (much later) in productions of "State Fair" and "Meet Me in St. Louis". TV also yielded some new work opportunities, including a presentation of "Twelfth Night" in which she portrayed Viola.
The seams of her film career fell apart in the early 1950s. During the late 1930s and into the 1940s she signed a number of petitions promoting liberal ideals, and was a member of the Committee for the First Amendment. A strong supporter of freedom of speech, these associations led to her name appearing in the pamphlet "Red Channels", a McCarthy-era publication that "exposed" alleged Communists and "subversives". Although she and her husband were never called before the House Un-American Activities Commission, their names were nevertheless smeared all over Hollywood as "Reds". While she still found film work on occasion, it was rare. Although she had worked steadily from 1935 until 1949, appearing in over 50 films, she made only three films in the next eight years. Her screenwriter husband would be credited for only one film from 1948 to 1955.
Semi-retired by the early 1960s, stage and TV became Marsha's focal points. She also devoted herself to civil rights causes and such humanitarian efforts as UNICEF, The March of Dimes and The Red Cross. She became actively involved with the United Nations. On the acting front she appeared only in smaller roles in five films but in numerous TV programs and made-for-TV movies, playing everything from judges to grandmas. She became the Honorary Mayor of Sherman Oaks, California, in 1983, and published a book on fashion entitled "The Way We Wore" in 1993. Widowed in 1986, the ever-vibrant Marsha, in her 90s, continues to serve on the Advisory Board of Directors for the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, a large non-profit that advocates for adults and children affected by homelessness and mental illness. As recently as 2006, she appeared to good advantage in the movie Chloe's Prayer (2006) and, at age 91, was seen in Empire State Building Murders (2008).- Kristina Wayborn was born Britt-Inger Johansson in Nybro, Sweden. After being elected Miss Sweden in 1970 she was a semi-finalist in the Miss Universe pageant. The same year she was also elected Miss Scandinavia.
Wayborn portrayed screen legend Greta Garbo in The Silent Lovers (1980) which brought her to the attention of the producers of the James Bond films.
She was cast as Magda in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983). During a fight scene in the film, the act went wrong and Wayborn suffered several broken toes. Despite the accident, she became well known for her fight scenes in Octopussy, in an era predating the big female action heroines of the box office. Her character Magda beat up many of Kamal Khan's guards, showing a surprising agility and acumen for martial arts.
She subsequently appeared in a number of American television series such as The Love Boat (1982-1986), Airwolf (1986), MacGyver (1986), Dallas (1986), General Hospital (1987), Designing Women (1991), Baywatch (1993-1999) and That '70s Show (2000) in which she was re-united with her Octopussy co-star Maud Adams.
In the 1990's, Kristina appeared in the Swedish television series Vänner och Fiender (1996-2000), one of the longest running series ever in Sweden. (Another Swedish Bond girl, Mary Stavin, also appeared in the series.)
In 2010, she appeared in the horror film The Frankenstein Syndrome. - Lovely and slender blonde model and actress Mary Ann Catrin Stavin was born on August 20, 1957 in Orebro, Sweden. The blue-eyed beauty was crowned Miss World in 1977. Stavin released the disco single "Feeling Good, Being Bad/Headline News" on the Ariola label in 1979. She's featured in the music videos for "Ant Rap" and "Strip" by Adam Ant. Mary appeared in the exercise video "Shake Up and Dance" with George Best in the 80s. Moreover, Stavin has acted in several movies; she has the rare distinction of appearing in two James Bond films in different roles and was especially memorable as William Katt's enticing neighbor Tanya in the delightful hit horror comedy "House." Married to businessman Nicholas Wilcockson, Mary is the mother of daughter Liliana Rose. She served as a judge for the Miss World contest in both 1980 and 2010.
- Laure Calamy was born on 22 March 1975 in Orléans, Loiret, France. She is an actress, known for Full Time (2021), My Donkey, My Lover & I (2020) and A World Without Women (2011).
- Actress
- Producer
It would have been pretty difficult for willowy actress/model Dina Merrill to have pulled off playing a commoner on stage, film or TV in her day. She reeked of elegance and class. The epitome of style, poise and glamour, the New York-born socialite and celebrity was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton on December 29, 1923, the daughter of E.F. Hutton, the financier and founder of the Wall Street firm that bore his name, and heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, of the Post cereal fortune. Although Dina made elegant, elaborate use of her upbringing over the decades, she handled it all positively and graciously without tabloid incidents, instilling these same refined credentials into a large portion of her characters.
Dina did not originally intend on an acting career. After studying at George Washington University, she suddenly dropped out after only a year (to the chagrin of her disapproving parents) after demonstrating a late desire to perform. Enrolling at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and studying with Uta Hagen among others, Dina appeared in the comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner" before taking her first Broadway curtain call in "The Mermaids Singing" in 1945. She took some time off to play wife and mother to three children after marrying Stanley Rumbough, Jr., heir to the Colgate toothpaste fortune.
Dina finally made an official film debut with a smart and stylish support role in the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn vehicle Desk Set (1957). She continued to charm in the same upper crust vein playing some version of the model wife or blue-blooded maven in frequent posh outings. Some of her more noticeable roles came with Operation Petticoat (1959) with the equally classy Cary Grant; BUtterfield 8 (1960) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey; and The Young Savages (1961) opposite Burt Lancaster.
Following her divorce to Rumbough after 20 years, Dina married ruggedly handsome actor Cliff Robertson in 1966. The pair had one daughter and were a popular Hollywood fixture for nearly 20 years. With her film career on the wane in the mid 1960's, Dina gravitated toward TV guest spots on such popular shows as "Dr. Kildare," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Burke's Law," "Rawhide," "Daktari," "Bonanza," "Daniel Boone," "Batman" (as the villainous "Calamity Jan" alongside Robertson's western bad guy "Shame"), "The Name of the Game," "The Virginian," "Night Gallery," "Marcus Welby," "The Love Boat" and "The Odd Couple." She also graced a number of TV-movie dramas beginning with The Sunshine Patriot (1968) co-starring husband Robertson and Seven in Darkness (1969) (as a blind survivor of a plane crash), and continuing with The Lonely Profession (1969), Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones (1971), Family Flight (1972), The Letters (1973), The Tenth Month (1979), and a featured part in the mini-series sequel Roots: The Next Generations (1979).
Dina returned to Broadway as the co-star of the drama "Angel Street" (1975) and again with the revival of the musical "On Your Toes" in which she played "Peggy Porterfield" in both the 1983 Broadway revival and 1986 national tour. In the same year that Dina divorced second husband Cliff Robertson (1989), she married actor/investment banker Ted Hartley. Together the couple bought RKO Studios and renamed it RKO Pavilion. He serves as chairman and she vice chairperson/creative director. The studio produced such popular efforts as Milk & Money (1996) and the remake of Mighty Joe Young (1998).
Admired for her tireless philanthropic contributions, Dina was a moderate Republican (vice chair of the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition), and an active lobbyist for women's health issues. She also devoted much time working for the disadvantaged, particularly for the New York City Mission Society. She remained active and was an avid tennis and golf player for quite some time. Broaching age 90, the ever-glamorous actress appeared in a summer stock production of "Only a Kingdom" (2004) and continued to appear in occasional movie and television productions until developing dementia. Dina died on May 22, 2017, at age 93, survived by her third husband.- Actress
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As a young girl growing up in New York City, Cara Buono took her family's blue-collar work ethic and began to turn it into an acting career that would later lead not only to starring roles but to screenwriting and directing. With no help from friends, family or mentors, she went out on her own, picked up a trade paper, saw an ad for a casting call and sneaked into an audition. She managed to land a role in Harvey Fierstein's play, "Spook House", despite her lack of experience.
From there on, Cara's career blossomed. She continued stage work both on and off-Broadway, and started her film career opposite Ethan Hawke and Jeremy Irons in Waterland (1992). Much of her work has been in indie films such as Chutney Popcorn (1999), Happy Accidents (2000), Next Stop Wonderland (1998) and Two Ninas (1999), which she co-produced.
As well as acting, Cara has directed, produced and written films, including the short film, Baggage (1997), which starred Liev Schreiber. She co-wrote the screenplay, "When The Cat's Away" (1999), with Brad Anderson, and cut a deal with Miramax for a screenplay adaptation of one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. Most recently, Cara starred on the final season of the NBC drama, Third Watch (1999), as Grace Foster, a headstrong paramedic with an unbridled ego and the skills to back it up.
Cara is a graduate of Columbia University, with a double major in English and Political Science. She got her degree in three years, again helped by her blue-collar work ethic.- Apasiri Kulthanan is known for The Serpent (2021).
- Mathilde Warnier is a French actress, model and columnist. She is best known for her minor roles in the film Curiosa (2019) and the Amazon Prime Original The Widow TV Series.
She also starred in TV Series like Au service de la France and the films Caprice (2015) and Les Garçons sauvages (2017). - Actress
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Rainsford Dubose Qualley, better known as Rainey Qualley was born in New York City, but spent most of her childhood in Asheville, North Carolina. Rainey is an actress and a singer. Rainey began her dancing career at the age of two. She was Miss Golden Globe in 2012. In 2015, Rainey made her musical debut under the name "Rainsford". Her parents are actress Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley. She is the middle sister of Justin Qualley and actress Sarah Margaret Qualley.- Actress
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Sola Bamis is an actress, writer, and filmmaker committed to high-quality art-making across media platforms. Born in Miami, FL to Nigerian parents, Sola received her BA in Chemistry from the University of Miami and MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts. She earned a SAG Award Nomination for Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble in a Drama Series for her work as Shirley on the final season of Mad Men, and played Afeni Shakur, mother of famed rapper, actor, and artist Tupac Shakur, in USA's Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. Other television credits include True Detective, Lethal Weapon, Perception, three seasons on Freeform's Stitchers, and more. She has also lent her voice talents to several video games, and radio and television commercials. Sola's theater credits include Pecola Breedlove in The Bluest Eye, for which she received an NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Lead Actress (non-equity), Genevieve in the west coast premiere of "Office Hour" at South Coast Rep, Gail in the Robey Theatre Company's production of "The River Niger" (NAACP Theatre Award nomination for best ensemble-non equity), the Provost in "Measure for Measure", Ariel in "The Tempest", and the Lady in Red in "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf". She also worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, participated in A Guthrie Experience in Minneapolis, MN, and has had the honor of working with Fran Bennett on In The Blood, Laurie Carlos, and Ron Cephas Jones. Sola made her filmmaking debut with The Event, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. Shot in Nigeria, the short film is an experimental articulation of the beauty, pain, and uncertainty of Black love in the Black Lives Matter era. Her next short film Crocodile placed finalist and semifinalist in the 2018 Film Daily Screenwriting and Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competitions.- Quitterie Picamoles is known for Hear Me Out (2021), Un cel de plom (2023) and Call My Agent! (2015).
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Clémence Thioly was born on 25 July 1987 in Paris, France. She is an actress and writer, known for Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008), Me, Myself and Mum (2013) and Mr & Mme Adelman (2017).- Jane Zachary was born on 13 June 1943 in the USA. She is an actress, known for The Magical World of Disney (1954), Bonanza (1959) and The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977).
- Actress
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Stéfi Celma was born on 9 October 1986 in Paris, France. She is an actress, known for Call My Agent! (2015), Lost Bullet (2020) and Nice Girls.- Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu was born on 25 April 1963 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She is an actress, known for Call My Agent! (2015), Two Brothers (2004) and Neuf mois (1994).
- Ophélia Kolb is known for The Days That Made History (2009), Mr & Mme Adelman (2017) and Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).
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Nina Mae McKinney is known as the seductress "Chick" from Hallelujah (1929), the first all-black, all-sound musical. Even though she was acknowledged as a great actress, singer and dancer by audiences in the U.S. and Europe, today she is mostly forgotten. She certainly had the looks, enthusiasm, and acting talent to succeed. But as she and other black women of her time learned, there wasn't much work for a black woman other than as a maid, "mammy" figure, or prostitute. Hollywood was scared to take a chance on an attractive black woman, to make her into a glamorous sex symbol as they would with an attractive white actress. There would be no true glamorous black female sex symbol until Lena Horne's arrival in 1942. Nina learned, as did other black actresses, that there was little success to be had after an initial big splash.
McKinney was born in 1913 in the small town of Lancaster, South Carolina, eventually to become an international figure as an actress, singer and band leader. Her given name was Nannie Mayme McKinney. Her parents, Hal and Georgia McKinney, moved from Lancaster to New York City and left the child with her great-aunt, Carrie Sanders. "Aunt Carrie" lived in a small apartment in the backyard of Col. Leroy Springs, father of businessman and flying ace Elliott White Springs. Aunt Carrie worked as a cook and housekeeper for the Springs family. As soon as Nannie Mayme was old enough she ran errands for Lena Jones Springs, who gave her a bicycle to ride to the post office to pick up the mail. Nannie Mayme's first public performances were riding stunts, or "cutting capers", as amazed bystanders called it. She appeared in plays at the black Lancaster Industrial School (founded by Springs), where she quickly learned the lines of the entire cast.
At about age 13 she headed for New York to stay with her mother, Georgia Crawford McKinney. Choosing Nina Mae as her stage name, she managed to get a job as a chorus girl in the Broadway play "Blackbirds". Her lively performance caught the attention of MGM producer/director King Vidor, who gave her a starring role in Hallelujah (1929). It was the first all-black sound musical features, even though many theaters billed the film as "a story of murder and redemption in the Deep South." This melodrama was not widely acclaimed at the time, but movie historians now see it as an interesting introduction to black theater (one critic described it as having "a crude power").
Nina was signed by MGM to a five-year contract, but in that period she made only two films, Safe in Hell (1931) and Reckless (1935) (in which she didn't even appear on screen; she dubbed Jean Harlow's songs). Hollywood could accept black character actresses like Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen having a close relationship with white characters in a film, but would not allow a beautiful black actress the same natural role. However, her first film gave her the opportunity to appear in a number of all-black cast or black-themed films, including Sanders of the River (1935) with Paul Robeson, Dark Waters (1944) and Pinky (1949) (as Rozelia), which is considered her finest film.
She had much more success on stage. She played Jeanne Eagels' role in "Rain" at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre. She proved that she could well have become one of America's enduring performers--she had the talent, the beauty, and the star power, but she realized that the doors to real success were permanently barred to her in Hollywood. She soon left the U.S. for Europe. She made film and stage appearances all over the Continent, from Paris and London to Dublin and Budapest, and became known as "The Black Garbo".
When war broke out in Europe she returned to New York, where she married jazz musician Jimmy Monroe and put together a band and toured the country. In the 1950s and 1960s she lived in Athens, Greece, where she was known as the "Queen of Night Life." In the late 1960s she came back to New York but did not perform, and died in New York City in 1967, at age 54, of a heart attack. Her death went virtually unnoticed; trade papers such as Variety and black publications such as Jet and Ebony didn't even print an obituary, and one newspaper that did only called her an "entertainer" and didn't name the church where the funeral would be held.
Not everyone forgot her, though; in her home town of Lancaster, South Carolina, on a wall across from the Courthouse, is a mural with portraits of famous people from Lancaster. Among them two faces stand out. One is former President Andrew Jackson. The other is Nina.- Actress
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Asa was born as Virginia Maynor. She made her motion picture debut as the female lead in Man Beast (1956), a low-budget creature feature in which an expedition to the Himalayas is attacked and mostly wiped out by irate Yetis (they may have just wanted some privacy). Later, producers changed her stage moniker to Asa, because her birth name sounded too similar to that of established Hollywood star Virginia Mayo. 'Man Beast' was hardly the ideal launching platform for a budding starlet, thus Asa found herself quickly relegated to the supporting cast. By 1961, she began to concentrate on TV work and became ultimately best known as the stewardess who tries to calm an unhinged passenger (played by William Shatner) in the iconic The Twilight Zone (1959) episode 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'. She guested in several other early 60s shows, including Mike Hammer (1958) (as a floozy named 'Ginger Snap'), Perry Mason (1957), Hawaiian Eye (1959) and McHale's Navy (1962), before making her screen swansong in the small part of Mrs. Riley in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972).
Asa Maynor married the actor Edd Byrnes in March 1962. At the time, Byrnes was especially popular with younger audiences for his role as the jive-talking parking lot attendant 'Kookie' in TV's 77 Sunset Strip (1958). They had a son, Logan Byrnes, who went on to graduate from USC and had a successful career in broadcast journalism. As for Asa, she filed for divorce from Edd in 1971, citing as reason 'his reliance on drugs and alcohol'.
After her retirement from acting, Asa reinvented herself as an interior designer. In the 1990's, she worked in the entertainment industry again as an executive with NBC.- Jan Shutan is best remembered as Lieutenant Mira Romaine, an officer on the starship Enterprise, whose mind is invaded by non-corporeal life forms in The Lights of Zetar (1969). Aside from this iconic role, her face might also be familiar for her many TV commercials. She started with ads for Tareyton cigarettes and went on to promote (in her own words) anything "from cars to soapsuds", earning her up to $ 10,000 per gig. Born Janice Dottenheim in Los Angeles and growing up in Beverly Hills, Jan was bitten by the acting bug early on and got her chance in 1955 as a winner on the CBS variety show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. She worked for a while as a model and made her TV debut in a 1963 episode of Arrest and Trial (1963). Jan subsequently persevered as a working actress through the 60s and 70s and had notable guest spots in, among others, The Outer Limits (1963), The Fugitive (1963), Night Gallery (1969) and Quincy M.E. (1976), as well as recurring roles in Ben Casey (1961) and Room 222 (1969). Jan retired from acting in 1988. Her second husband was the Emmy Award-winning writer-producer David Levinson whom she met on the set of the short-lived CBS drama series Sons and Daughters (1974). He predeceased her in 2019.
- Born in Ohio, Charlene graduated from Youngstown University, in the mid-1960s, where she married her first husband, poet Frank Polite. Following graduation, she acted in regional theater, including the Pittsburgh (PA) Playhouse, where she had a post-graduate scholarship. Later, she moved to San Francisco, CA to work at the American Conservatory Theater, formed by provocative stage director and Tony Award nominee William Ball, whom she met in Pittsburgh.
She divorced her first husband in the late 1960s and remarried, to actor Ramon Bieri (1929-2001). They lived in Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley. Following the end of her film career in 1976, she divorced Bieri, moved to San Diego, with her stepson, and acted again in regional theater.
In the late 1980s, her health declined. She moved back to Youngstown, Ohio, to be near the family of her first husband, where she died from complications of breast cancer.
Variously described as "a true child of the 1960s", "spiritual", "extravagant" and "eccentric" with a great sense of humor, she was a strikingly gorgeous red brunette who gave up her film career to devote her life raising her stepson. - Catherine Walker was born in 1975 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress, known for A Dark Song (2016), Leap Year (2010) and Napoleon (2023).
- Anjli Mohindra was born in Edgware, London to parents Sandy and Bob Mohindra. She attended West Bridgford School in Nottingham and aged twelve was accepted into the Carlton Junior Television Workshops. She began as a child actor appearing in a number of seasons on the Doctor Who franchise, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
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Yaya DaCosta was born and raised in New York City along with her sister and two brothers. She got her first acting gig at the age of eleven when her junior high school drama teacher, Ann Willis Ratray, encouraged her to audition for educational films. She continued to perform in school shows throughout high school and college and in 2005, She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model made her feature film debut in Take the Lead. In 2008, she made her Off-Broadway debut in "The First Breeze of Summer" at The Signature Theater, for which she garnered rave reviews and won the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theater. She has portrayed a range of characters, from Danny Glover's frail teenage daughter in John Sayles' Honeydripper, to Mark Ruffalo's voluptuous lover in Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right. She has been tagged one of Hollywood's new "it girls" by many, including Lynn Hirschberg who featured her on the cover of W Magazine in September, 2010.- Actress
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Natasha Ward is an American Actor, Vocalist, and one of the most prominent Fitness Models of the last decade. As one of the first to break through body standards which called for models to be sleek and slim, Natasha's ability to create aspirational imagery through vulnerability and strength, have given her an empowering platform for change.
Spotted in a photo by an LA Talent Manager, Natasha's ability and charm translated seemlessly on screen, quickly landing her roles on TV and in local Shorts. One of which earned her a 'Best Supporting Actress' Award at the Portland Indie Film Festival for her appearance in the 2016 short, 'Angela's Sacred Heart'.
From there it was straight to the casting big leagues, where Natasha found herself going up against well seasoned actors for heavy hitters like Disney's Marvel and Netflix.
Following a 31 episode run as Briefcase Model #19 on CNBC's 2018 resurgence of the hit show Deal or No Deal with Howie Mandel; Natasha was offered the breakout role of 'Ellie' on Tyler Perry's The Oval on B.E.T; where she brings an innocence and depth that truly shine.
Natasha is also an accomplished vocalist, having toured in Europe. She is trained in classical and jazz.
Natasha also holds a degree in Political Science and Education with a minor in Women's Studies. She is passionate about leveraging her voice and her platform as a vehicle for restoration and change.
Fun Fact You May recognize Natasha as the Baguette eating bar spitting 'Belle' from her music video collab with YouTube platform The Nerdist entitled 'Belle and Boujee' - a viral Parody play on Migos' hit 'Bad and Boujee'- Actress
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Nazanin Boniadi's film and television credits are a testament to her versatility, spanning a breadth of genres including drama, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy and action. She recently starred as Bronwyn in the first season of Amazon's global hit series adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), she also starred alongside J.K. Simmons in the critically acclaimed Starz series Counterpart (2017), created and produced by Justin Marks. She was the female lead of the Thunder Road / Bleecker Street feature Hotel Mumbai (2018) from director Anthony Maras, in which she starred opposite Dev Patel and was nominated for an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Award (AACTA), as well as had a supporting role in the Jay Roach and Charles Randolph's Roger Ailes film BOMBSHELL for Lionsgate and BRON opposite Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. She also portrayed Ester in the 2016 major motion picture Ben-Hur (2016), and had a supporting role in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008).
Among her many television credits, Boniadi earned an outstanding drama ensemble SAG nomination for her work on Showtime's hit series Homeland (2011) in which she played CIA analyst Fara Sherazi. She portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012).
Born in Tehran in the direct aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research.
Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott.
Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is also a longtime, renowned human rights activist, with a focus on her homeland Iran. Among her numerous recognitions she is the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize laureate. She has served as an ambassador for Amnesty International UK since 2020, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran since 2023. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.- Actress
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Barrie Chase was born on 20 October 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Cape Fear (1962), It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) and Mardi Gras (1958). She is married to Richard Kaufman. They have one child. She was previously married to Jan Malmsjö and Gene Shacove.- Actress
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Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo was born in Kensington, London, England, to a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother. Her television career began in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, where she presented the children's series Saturday Disney (1990). Subsequently, she has had an acting career in the United States. She has appeared in Metro (1997) with Eddie Murphy, What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) with Martin Lawrence, and Love's Labour's Lost (2000) with Kenneth Branagh, among other films, and also presented "The Carmen Ejogo Video Show" - her own video show on BSB's Power Station channel. She starred as Thomas Jefferson's slave concubine in the television drama Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000) as Sally Hemings and also as Sister Anderson in the remake version of the cult classic original film Sparkle (2012).
Ejogo is also a vocalist, having collaborated with several artists in the 1990s. She wrote and sang lead vocals on the song "Candles" by English drum 'n' bass DJ Alex Reece - she appeared in the music video and is listed in the production credits as 'Carmen'. She also sang vocals and duets with British artist Tricky on a song called "Slowly". Aside from "Candles", Ejogo appears on four songs of the Sparkle (2012) original soundtrack album from the movie of the same name, singing lead on "Yes I Do" (as a solo), and co-lead vocals with Jordin Sparks and Tika Sumpter on "Jump", "Hooked on Your Love" and "Something He Can Feel". She is also a member of Mensa International, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world.- Music Artist
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Janelle Monáe is an American musical recording artist, actress and model signed to their own imprint, Wondaland Arts Society, and Atlantic Records.
They were born in Kansas City, Kansas, to Janet, a janitor, and Michael Robinson Summers, a truck driver. In 2010, Monáe released her first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid. In March 2012, "We Are Young" by Fun., on which Monáe appears as a guest vocalist, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first appearance in the US Top 10. Monáe's music has garnered them six Grammy Award nominations.
Monáe has excelled at film acting and picking roles, having had major parts in Moonlight (2016), Hidden Figures (2016), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Harriet (2019). In 2020, they played the lead in the horror film Antebellum (2020).- Actress
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Felisha Cooper was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA. Felisha is an actor and writer, known for Vacation Home Nightmare (2023), Date of Honor (2019) and Swedish Dicks (2016).- Kaytlin Borgen was raised in Minnesota where her passion for acting and performing arts developed through her theater program at her art high school and the independent theater company, Vertigo Theatre Factory. She went on to receive training at Vancouver Film School, Acting for Film & TV program before moving to Los Angeles, CA.
- Jess Chanliau is a bilingual American / French actor, movement artist and singer with a BA in Acting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), Glasgow, UK.
Jess completed filming her first feature length movie, "Inmate Zero" (aka"Patients of a Saint") in the lead role of Stone that was released worldwide in January 2020.
In August 2019 Jess was at the Edinburgh Fringe festival performing over 20 different characters in the play "South Bend". Jess then went on tour with the play in September throughout Scotland.
Born in the United States, Jess moved to Paris, where she attended college and also classes at the Cours Florent.
Jess returned to the U.S. for her final year of high school in California to attend the performing arts program at the Marin School of the Arts in Novato.
Following graduation, Jess attended the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria and then went on to attend RCS.
While attending the RCS, Jess spent a semester studying and performing at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique in Paris.
In addition to honing her acting skills, Jess has deepened her love of movement through the techniques of Lecoq, Viewpoints, Laban, Grotowski, Feldenkrais, Yoga and Acrobatics. - Actress
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Brunette Millie Perkins began her career as a New York photographer's model and one-time receptionist at an advertising agency. Her waif-like images in fashion magazines seemed to project both innocence and shyness and made such an impression on the director George Stevens, that he invited her to audition for the lead role in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Despite her total lack of acting experience, Perkins won out over 10,000 other hopefuls and went on to star in, what would become, her most famous role. An overnight sensation, she received numerous plaudits for her performance but never subsequently succeeded to parlay this into a more enduring stardom.
She was born as Mildred Frances Perkins in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother, Catherine Louise, was of Irish and French-Canadian extraction. Her father, Adolph Perkins, was a captain in the merchant marine, born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Millie was schooled in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. After relocating to New York, she studied drama under Jeff Corey. Following her role as diarist and holocaust victim Anne Frank, she was signed by 20th Century Fox. However, her tenure at the studio turned out to be brief, prematurely ending in her suspension for refusing to play the lead in the bucolic drama Tess of the Storm Country (1960), which she viewed as a retrograde step in her career. Diane Baker went on to star in the role, while Millie's sole credit for Fox was a supporting part in the lacklustre Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country (1961).
Free-lancing, she next appeared in Joshua Logan's box-office flop Ensign Pulver (1964) and as the female lead in two modestly budgeted, off-beat westerns, The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966) (both starring Jack Nicholson, who also co-produced). None of these would have been particularly career enhancing and may have contributed to Millie's six-year long hiatus from screen acting. She made a comeback as a character actress from the mid-70s, latterly in maternal roles (notably in At Close Range (1986), Wall Street (1987) and The Lost City (2005)). On TV, she played Presley's mother Gladys in Elvis (1990), a biopic of the star's early life. She also had recurring roles in the soap Knots Landing (1979), and, as a grandmother, in the drama series Any Day Now (1998). She has taught drama classes at Southern Oregon University at some point in the early 80s, as well as addressing high school drama groups in and around Jacksonville, her adopted home town since 1976.
Millie Perkins retired from screen acting in 2006. She divorced her first husband, the actor Dean Stockwell, after two years of marriage in 1962. She was separated from her second husband, writer-director Robert Thom, with whom she had two daughters.- Actress
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As an actress she came to prominence in the 60s nouvelle vague. As a chanteuse she was noted for her beautifully emotional, melancholy voice and went on to sell more than 35 million albums. Marie Laforet was born Maïtena Doumenach in the seaside resort of Soulac-sur-Mer in the Gironde region of Acquitane. After being raped by a neighbour at the age of three, she was unable to speak for a long time. Marie had also developed a natural shyness which she took great pains to overcome as a youngster. She was enrolled at the prestigious Lycée Jean-de-La-Fontaine when the family moved to Paris. Eventually she undertook drama classes with actor/director Raymond Rouleau. At the age of twenty, she won a radio talent contest. Soon thereafter -- thrust into almost instant stardom -- Marie was cast as the female lead in her first film, the René Clément-directed thriller Purple Noon (1960) (based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley), starring Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet. In her next high profile picture she was The Girl with the Golden Eyes (1961), permanently taking on the tag and remaining strongly identified with this role for years to come. The director, Jean-Gabriel Albicocco became the first of her five husbands. All those marriages ultimately ended in divorce.
The world of music being still more competitive than that of acting has often prompted hopeful musicians to start out as actors. Marie Laforet was no exception. Her career as a vocalist only took off after she sang the jaunty title song in Saint-Tropez Blues (1961), a musical comedy in which she also starred. However, after that, she went from strength to strength with renditions of romantic ballads and pop hits like Apres Toi Qui Sait, Un amour qui s'est eteint, Les vendanges de l'amour, Viens Viens and the haunting Tu Fait Semblant. She also recorded successful cover versions of Bob Dylan's t Blowin' in the Wind," Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and The Rolling Stones number "Paint It Black," (as "Marie Douceur, Marie Colère"). In the 70s, Laforet revamped her style and her repertoire and widened her appeal by branching out into American and Eastern European folk music.
Her screen career meanwhile continued through the 60s with unabated success in generally above-average productions, usually paired with seasoned box-office stars: in Dark Journey (1961) (playing Angele, a prostitute, this story of a love triangle partnered her with Louis Jourdan and the magnificent Lilli Palmer); Rat Trap (1963) (an adventure, filmed in Paraguay with Charles Aznavour); the Franco-Italian rom-com Male Hunt (1964) (one of several films in which she appeared with Jean-Paul Belmondo); the slick caper comedy How Not to Rob a Department Store (1965) (with Jean-Claude Brialy) and (as a resourceful heroine outwitting international spies) in Claude Chabrol's sub-Hitchcockian action thriller Blue Panther (1965). Laforet lent a touch of continental sophistication to Jack of Diamonds (1967), an international co-production about a team of cat burglars filmed in Germany and released by MGM, but the picture proved somewhat less than satisfactory. Television became a viable medium for character roles later in her career.
Despite enduring popular acclaim and sold-out concerts, Laforet was less than content with her career, famously declaring "I'm ashamed of doing what I do: interpreting pop songs in a superficial way." By 1978, she had ceased going on tour (though she did make a final comeback in 2005), resettled in Geneva, became a Swiss citizen and opened an art gallery. She spent the succeeding decades tending to art, writing songs as well as a book of biographical reminiscences. In the late 90s, she returned to the stage at the Théâtre Antoine and at the Opéra Comique in Paris with a tour-de-force portrayal of opera diva Maria Callas in Terrence McNallys play "Master Class". Laforet finally retired from screen acting in 2010 and died in Genolier, Switzerland, on November 2 2019 at the age of 80.- Actress
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Before she became an actress Carole Laure was a teacher. She was born on August 5, 1950 in Montreal (Québec) Canada. The profession she has chosen did not give her any satisfaction. She met some young Canadian film makers, that resulted in her first appearance as an actress, age twenty, in Mon enfance à Montréal (1971), directed by Jean Chabot. Three years later, she met director Gilles Carle, who helped her career. Her exotic beauty (her mother has Indian blood), her charm and spontaneity, her dark eyes with light melancholy look, made her a star in French-Canadian cinema. She is not only acting but also sings. Carole has recorded several LPs in French and English, collaborating with Lewis Furey. She also sings in the filmmusical Fantastica (1980) directed by her old friend, Gilles.- Actress
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American actress Kathryn Hays became best known for her 38-year long stint as the fiery matriarch Kim Sullivan Hughes, one of the most prominent characters on the daytime soap As the World Turns (1956). She was born Kay Piper in Princeton and grew up Joliet, Illinois. After junior college, she attended the prestigious Northwestern University in Evanston. Though her career began as a model, Hays quickly segued into acting on the stage and on screen. From the early 60s, she landed regular guest assignments on prime time TV shows, including Route 66 (1960), Bonanza (1959), The Virginian (1962), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Mannix (1967). She also appeared several times as a supporting player on Broadway. In 1966, Hays co-starred as a pioneer's wife opposite Barry Sullivan in The Road West (1966), an NBC western series which ran for just one season and 29 episodes. She then proved her acting mettle as the tempestuous, aptly named 'Tornado' Frances in an episode of The High Chaparral (1967). Next up was what many consider to be her most iconic guest-starring role: the Minaran empath Gem on Star Trek (1966). Gem was capable of absorbing the pain of others and healing their injuries while also learning about compassion and sacrifice. Though her character was mute, Hays expressed more with her eyes and gestures than could have been conveyed by dialogue.
Her two notable appearances for the big screen were in the psychological cold war thriller Ladybug Ladybug (1963) (as a school secretary) and in the World War II epic Counterpoint (1967) (as cellist Annabel Rice, an ex-lover of the main protagonist, played by Charlton Heston). From 1972 until her retirement, the New York-based actress remained gainfully (and happily) employed in As the World Turns.
Kathryn Hays was married three times. Her second husband (1966-69) was the actor Glenn Ford.- Actress
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An actress on both stage and screen, Anna Gunn has portrayed a vast array of complex and powerful characters throughout her career.
Anna grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico after her parents, Sharon (Peters) and Clemens Gunn, Jr., transplanted the family from Cleveland, Ohio to the Southwest in the late seventies. She discovered acting in a drama class at the Santa Fe Preparatory School and was fortunate to study with two formidable teachers from the Actor's Studio as a teenager. She continued her education and training at Northwestern University's renowned theatre department, winning a coveted scholarship award in her junior year. During her time at Northwestern, Anna went abroad for a semester to study with the British American Drama Academy and had the marvelous opportunity to perform in the school's final project at the famed Royal Court Theatre in London.
Anna has moved between television, film, and theatre with much ease. In 2004, Anna landed her breakout television role, playing Martha Bullock on HBO's seminal show, Deadwood (2004) and later received a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble Cast in 2006. Anna's association with Deadwood (2004) creator David Milch began early on when she first worked with him on his hit drama NYPD Blue (1993), giving a memorable performance as Kimmy, a junkie longing to escape New York to swim with the dolphins. Anna made such an indelible impression on Milch, that almost nine years later she became the template for the pivotal and complex character of Martha. Another major recurring role for Anna was on David E. Kelley's The Practice (1997), delivering a notable turn as ADA Jean Ward opposite Dylan McDermott and Lara Flynn Boyle. Her extensive television credits also include starring roles in several made for TV movies and major guest starring appearances on such shows as Six Feet Under (2001), ER (1994), Boston Legal (2004), Law & Order (1990) and Seinfeld (1989).
Highlights of Anna's feature film work include the dark comedy, Nobody's Baby (2001), in which she starred with Gary Oldman and Mary Steenburgen; the film premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. In 1998, she played opposite Jon Voight in Tony Scott's summer blockbuster, Enemy of the State (1998). Her first starring role was in 1995's independent thriller, Without Evidence (1995), along side Angelina Jolie. Anna was recently in Kevin Smith's Red State (2011). Her upcoming films include Little Red Wagon (2012) and Sassy Pants (2012), for which she received a nomination at the 2012 Milan Film Festival for Best Supporting Actress.
Anna is also a highly regarded and much sought after actress of the stage. In early 2009 she created the leading role of photojournalist Sarah Goodwin in Donald Margulies' world premiere production of Time Stands Still, directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 1999 she starred as Isabella in Measure for Measure at the Ahmanson Theatre helmed by the famed director Sir Peter Hall. In 1997, Anna was brought east to make her Broadway debut alongside Roger Rees in The Rehearsal at the Roundabout Theater. Before that she played on the LA circuit, including the 1995 American premiere of Hysteria directed by Phyllida Lloyd at the Mark Taper Forum. Before settling in Los Angeles, Anna built an impressive background performing on stage in Chicago. She received exceptional reviews in Uncommon Ground at the Northlight Theatre, and playing opposite Jeremy Piven in Keith Reddin's Peacekeeper at the American Blues Theatre. She even landed her first professional acting role, playing Lucy Lockit in the critically acclaimed production of The Beggar's Opera at the Court Theatre while still an undergraduate at Northwestern University. In late 2011, Anna immersed herself in the role of Marie Curie for Alan Alda's world premiere of Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie, directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Geffen Playhouse and received rave reviews.
She starring as Skyler White on AMC's Emmy award-winning series Breaking Bad (2008); a role that garnered Anna a 2012 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy Nomination until she won in 2013-2014, a 2012 Best Supporting Actress nomination by the Broadcast Television Journalist Association for a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a 2012 & 2013 Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast. The cast was also the recipient of the 2008 Peabody Award and won an AFI Award both in 2008 and 2011. The show was also nominated in 2013 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Golden Globe's as Best Television Drama until it won in 2014.- Glamorous, shapely Parisienne Brigitte Auber briefly flirted with international fame as Danielle Foussard in Alfred Hitchcock's romantic thriller To Catch a Thief (1955). As a member of a gang of jewel thieves, she vied with heroine Grace Kelly for the affections of debonair cat burglar Cary Grant. The story goes, that, while filming a particularly perilous rooftop scene which had Brigitte fearing an accidental fall and possible death, she spotted a quartet of Catholic priests and was said to have quipped "Mon Dieu! You Americans think of everything!"
Brigitte (born Marie-Claire Cahen de Labzac) was the daughter of a man of letters and expert on the writings of Balzac, Robert Cahen, who had adopted the nom-de-plume Robert Cahen de Labzac ('Labzac', of course, being an anagram of Balzac). Initially wanting to become a dancer, young Brigitte instead turned to dramatics and began acting on screen from the age of 21. After early bit parts, her first leading role was opposite Daniel Gélin and Nicole Courcel in Jacques Becker's charming comedy Rendezvous in July (1949), set in post-war Paris. After that, she had back-to-back starring turns in Vendetta en Camargue (1950) (a rural comedy about a girl inheriting a farm house and facing larceny from some of the locals and resentment from others), Julien Duvivier's episodic melodrama Under the Paris Sky (1951),L'amour toujours l'amour (1952) (which was made for teen consumption) and Femmes de Paris (1953), a musical comedy. Hitch then picked her for the coveted role of Danielle in To Catch a Thief. In appearance, she certainly fitted the director's known predilection for cool blondes. However, Hitch thought Brigitte's French accent as too pronounced to cast her in his next picture, The Trouble with Harry (1955).
By the mid-60s, Brigitte worked intermittently on both the big and the small screen, mostly in comedies or crime dramas. She had one more supporting role in an English-language production, appearing as an attendant to Queen Anne (played by Anne Parillaud) in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. - Actress
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Shiva Kalaiselvan is known for Tuesday Nights (2018), Gotham (2014) and A Nice Girl Like You (2020).