The Mask 1994 premiere
Thursday July 28th, Samuel Goldwyn Theater 8949 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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Jim Carrey, Canadian-born and a U.S. citizen since 2004, is an actor and producer famous for his rubbery body movements and flexible facial expressions. The two-time Golden Globe-winner rose to fame as a cast member of the Fox sketch comedy In Living Color (1990) but leading roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994) and The Mask (1994) established him as a bankable comedy actor.
James Eugene Carrey was born on January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, and is the youngest of four children of Kathleen (Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, an accountant and jazz musician. The family surname was originally "Carré", and he has French-Canadian, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Carrey was an incurable extrovert from day one. As a child, he performed constantly, for anyone who would watch, and even mailed his résumé to The Carol Burnett Show (1967) at age 10. In junior high, he was granted a few precious minutes at the end of each school day to do stand-up routines for his classmates (provided, of course, that he kept a lid on it the rest of the day).
Carrey's early adolescence took a turn for the tragic, however, when the family was forced to relocate from their cozy town of Newmarket to Scarborough (a Toronto suburb). They all took security and janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory, Jim working 8-hour shifts after school let out (not surprisingly, his grades and morale both suffered). When they finally deserted the factory, the family lived out of a Volkswagen camper van until they could return to Toronto.
Carrey made his stand-up debut in Toronto after his parents and siblings got back on their feet. He made his (reportedly awful) professional stand-up debut at Yuk-Yuk's, one of the many local clubs that would serve as his training ground in the years to come. He dropped out of high school, worked on his celebrity impersonations (among them Michael Landon and James Stewart), and in 1979 worked up the nerve to move to Los Angeles. He finessed his way into a regular gig at The Comedy Store, where he impressed Rodney Dangerfield so much that the veteran comic signed him as an opening act for an entire season. During this period Carrey met and married waitress Melissa Womer, with whom he had a daughter (Jane). The couple would later go through a very messy divorce, freeing Carrey up for a brief second marriage to actress Lauren Holly. Wary of falling into the lounge act lifestyle, Carrey began to look around for other performance outlets. He landed a part as a novice cartoonist in the short-lived sitcom The Duck Factory (1984); while the show fell flat, the experience gave Carrey the confidence to pursue acting more vigorously.
Carrey also worked on breaking into film around this time. He scored the male lead in the ill-received Lauren Hutton vehicle Once Bitten (1985), and had a supporting role in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), before making a modest splash with his appearance as the alien Wiploc in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). Impressed with Carrey's lunacy, fellow extraterrestrial Damon Wayans made a call to his brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was in the process of putting together the sketch comedy show In Living Color (1990). Carrey joined the cast and quickly made a name for himself with outrageous acts (one of his most popular characters, psychotic Fire Marshall Bill, was attacked by watchdog groups for dispensing ill- advised safety tips).
Following his time on In Living Color (1990), Carrey's transformation from TV goofball to marquee headliner happened within the course of a single year. He opened 1994 with a starring turn in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), a film that cashed in on his extremely physical brand of humor (the character's trademark was talking out his derrière). Next up was the manic superhero movie The Mask (1994), which had audiences wondering just how far Carrey's features could stretch.
Finally, in December 1994, he hit theaters as a loveable dolt in the Farrelly brothers' Dumb and Dumber (1994) (his first multi-million dollar payday). Now a box-office staple, Carrey brought his manic antics onto the set of Batman Forever (1995), replacing Robin Williams as The Riddler. He also filmed the follow-up to his breakthrough, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), and inked a deal with Sony to star in The Cable Guy (1996) (replacing Chris Farley) for a cool $20 million--at the time, that was the biggest up-front sum that had been offered to any comic actor. The movie turned out to be a disappointment, both critically and financially, but Carrey bounced back the next year with the energetic hit Liar Liar (1997). Worried that his comic shtick would soon wear thin, Carrey decided to change course.
In 1998, he traded in the megabucks and silly grins to star in Peter Weir's The Truman Show (1998) playing a naive salesman who discovers that his entire life is the subject of a TV show, Carrey demonstrated an uncharacteristic sincerity that took moviegoers by surprise. He won a Golden Globe for the performance, and fans anticipated an Oscar nomination as well--when it didn't materialize, Carrey lashed out at Academy members for their narrow-minded selection process. Perhaps inspired by the snub, Carrey threw himself into his next role with abandon. After edging out a handful of other hopefuls (including Edward Norton) to play eccentric funnyman Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999), Carrey disappeared into the role, living as Kaufman -- and his blustery alter-ego Tony Clifton -- for months (Carrey even owned Kaufman's bongo drums, which he'd used during his audition for director Milos Forman). His sometimes uncanny impersonation was rewarded with another Golden Globe, but once again the Academy kept quiet.
An indignant Carrey next reprised his bankable mania for the Farrelly brothers in Me, Myself & Irene (2000), playing a state trooper whose Jekyll and Hyde personalities both fall in love with the same woman (Renée Zellweger). Carrey's real-life persona wound up falling for her too--a few months after the film wrapped, the pair announced they were officially a couple. By then, Carrey had already slipped into a furry green suit to play the stingy antihero of Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
Although Carrey maintains a foothold in the comedy world with films such as Bruce Almighty (2003) and Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), he is also capable of turning in nuanced dramatic performances, as demonstrated in films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and the drama/comedy Yes Man (2008). In 2013, he costars with Steve Carell in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013).
Carrey has one child with his first wife, Melissa Carrey, whom he divorced in 1995. He married actress Lauren Holly in 1996, but they split less than a year later.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Graduating from the University of Illinois, Russell left Chicago to begin work in film production in Los Angeles. He worked his way up, assistant directing and production managing independent films while writing screenplays. Russell made his directorial debut in 1987 with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. At that time, New Line Cinema was uncertain about the future of the Elm Street franchise. Russell convinced them that the series could take a step further into Freddy's nightmare world through cutting edge visual effects and dramatize the bond among Freddy's youthful victims with the concept of Dream Warriors. The success of the film redefined the franchise for New Line, earning more at the box office than the first two films put together. At the time of its release A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was the highest grossing independent film ever made. The next milestone in Russell's career was The Mask, a worldwide blockbuster that grossed more than $320 million on a $18 million dollar budget. The Mask made international stars out of Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz and set a new standard in CGI technology. Russell continued his success in Hollywood, making #1 box office hits with A list stars such as Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Scorpion King with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox. Russell latest film, Paradise City unites John Travolta and Bruce Willis for the first time since Pulp Fiction and is slated for a worldwide release this summer.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Cameron Diaz, an American actress, was born in 1972 in San Diego, the daughter of a Cuban-American father and a German mother. Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid," Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris. Returning to California at the age of 21, she was working as a model when she auditioned for a big part in The Mask (1994). To her amazement and despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead in the film opposite Jim Carrey. Over the next 3 years, she honed her acting skills in such low budget independent films as The Last Supper (1995); Feeling Minnesota (1996); and Head Above Water (1996). She returned to main stream films in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), in which she held her own against veteran actress Julia Roberts. She earned full fledged star status in 1998 for her performance in the box office smash There's Something About Mary (1998). Cameron Diaz appears to possess everything necessary to become one of the super stars of the new century.- Actor
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Peter Riegert was born on 11 April 1947 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Mask (1994), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and Local Hero (1983).- Actor
- Producer
Born in Montclair, New Jersey in 1965. He discovered acting in his mid 20s in New York, where he was trained at Lee Strasberg's studio. Then his deep voiced, tall and pale persona showed up on TV and films in 1990. His first leading roles were in Laws of Gravity (1992) and Clean, Shaven (1993), the latter of which got him noticed by Quentin Tarantino. The next year, he played the memorable role of the raping torturer Zed in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).
He was then cast as the leading villain opposite Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask (1994), and as Redfoot in highly acclaimed crime drama The Usual Suspects (1995). In addition, the same year he had a supporting role as a bad guy in the Steven Seagal film Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).
Greene has also played memorable roles in the films Blue Streak (1999), Ticker (2000) Training Day (2002), Brothers in Arms (2005), End Game (2006), Fist of the Warrior (2007), The Bounty Hunter (2010), Once Fallen (2010), and the TV series The Black Donellys (2007).
He's made guest appearances in the TV series Hawaii Five-O (2010) and Justified (2010), appeared as a policeman in Prodigy of Mobb Deep's music video for "A,B,C's", and was the focal point of House of Pain's music video for "Fed Up".
Recently, Greene delivered an emotionally-charged performance as 'Jordan Blaine' in the season two premiere of Tim Firtion's award-winning crime drama/thriller web series, The Jersey Connection (2018). The project has garnered many awards on the festival circuit, with Greene receiving two wins and another five nominations for his acting performance.
Greene continues to work primarily as a character actor.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
A Los Angeles native, Mike Werb received his undergraduate degrees from Stanford, where he majored in one thing after another. He put his costly education to use by joining a New Wave garage band that never left the garage. Turning to writing, he began a burlesque climb up the well-greased Hollywood ladder by entering the UCLA Master's program in screenwriting. He has since worked for every major studio.
Mike's big break was writing the screenplay for the Jim Carrey comedy "The Mask," but he also embraces his other produced credits, including "Darkman 3: Die, Darkman, Die!," and the giant-rats-attack-a-college-campus epic "Gnaw: The Food of the Gods, Part 2."
Mike co-wrote and co-produced (with Michael Colleary) the action-thriller "Face/Off," directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The New York Times lauded the Oscar-nominated film as "one the 1,000 greatest movies of all time," and Face/Off won the 1997 Best Screenplay statuette at the 24th annual Saturn Awards.
21st century accomplishments include being one of six credited screenwriters on "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie, and the WB's flashy flop TV series "Tarzan" starring Travis Fimmel's abs. Werb and Colleary also worked intimately with Arnold Schwarzenegger on "Collateral Damage," his last major motion picture before becoming Governor of California.
Recent film credits include the well-reviewed animated hit "Curious George" (Universal/Imagine) and the family comedy "Firehouse Dog" (New Regency/Fox). Werb and Colleary are developing "Prophets of the Ghost Ants" with author Clark Carlton, Lawrence Bender/A Band Apart and director Conrad Vernon ("Monsters v. Aliens").
Mike also wrote the nano-tech action pilot "Flyswatters" for the SyFy Channel which he will executive produce with Darren Star ("Sex and the City") should it ever go into production.
He is currently working on "Unnatural History" -- a live-action-adventure series for Warner Horizon and the Cartoon Network.
Mike is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America and a nominating-committee member of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jonathan Michael Lovitz is a American comedian and actor from Tarzana who is known for voicing Jay Sherman from The Critic and for being a Saturday Night Live cast member in the 1990s. He acted in a lot of Adam Sandler films such as The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Hotel Transylvania, Grown Ups 2 and Eight Crazy Nights.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted by Mary (Edgar), a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto parts store owner. He studied acting at the University of Miami, where he became friends with Steven Bauer (Scarface (1983), Thief of Hearts (1984)). He spent his first years acting in TV: Another World (1964), a TV movie and several short-lived series. He broke into movies with the black comedy Something Wild (1986), which garnered him rave reviews. Originally unable to get a reading, he was recommended for the part by Melanie Griffith (then married to Bauer).
Following the success Something Wild (1986), he received more offers in the "psycho" vein, but refused them to avoid being typecast. Instead, he made "little movies" like Dominick and Eugene (1988), which earned him standing as an actor's actor, and Field of Dreams (1989), whose success always surprised him. When he heard Martin Scorsese was casting Goodfellas (1990), he lobbied hard for the part of Henry Hill. The film's huge success brought him wide popularity and garnered him star billing in future films such as Article 99 (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), and Unforgettable (1996).
Liotta died on May 26, 2022, aged 67, in his sleep while filming on location in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Marlee Beth Matlin was born on August 24, 1965 in Morton Grove, Illinois, to Libby (Hammer) and Donald Matlin, an automobile dealer. She has two older brothers. Her family is of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent.
Marlee lost much of her hearing at the age of eighteen months. That did not stop her from acting in a children's theater company at age seven; she was Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz". Her deafness never held her back. As an adult, she said it so eloquently: "I have always resisted putting limitations on myself, both professionally and personally." Marlee studied criminal justice at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and maintained her passion for acting after graduating. While performing on stage through Chicago and the Midwest, Marlee attracted notice for her performance in a production of the Tony Award-winning play "Children of a Lesser God" and was cast in the movie version Children of a Lesser God (1986). Although this was her movie debut, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. While shooting her next movie Walker (1987), in Nicaragua, large-hearted Marlee took time to visit both hearing and hearing-impaired children. She continued this tradition of visiting local children through her travels to Germany, England, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Canada, etc.
Her interest in the criminal justice field played a role in her on screen career; she portrayed an assistant D.A. on the television series Reasonable Doubts (1991), while off screen she married police officer Kevin Grandalski on August 29, 1993. The couple has four children: Sarah (born 1996), Brandon (born 2000), Tyler (born 2002), and Isabelle (born 2003). In 1994, Marlee was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance as Laurie Bey on the television series Picket Fences (1992). Marlee is also a spokeswoman for the National Captioning Institute. In 1995, she testified at a congressional hearing and helped get a law passed that requires all television sets 13 inches or larger to be manufactured with built-in chips to provide closed captioning on their screens; this was a godsend for deaf viewers.
Marlee serves as the national spokeswoman for the largest provider of television closed captioning, and has spoken on behalf of CC in countries such as Australia, England, France and Italy. She also serves on the boards of a number of charitable organizations, including Very Special Arts, the Starlight Foundation, and other charities that primarily benefit children. As someone who loves children so much, it is only fitting that she has four of her own. Professionally, Marlee has even tried producing, being the executive producer for Where the Truth Lies (1999).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jason Priestley was born on 28 August 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Call Me Fitz (2010) and Cas & Dylan (2013). He has been married to Naomi Lowde-Priestley since 14 May 2005. They have two children. He was previously married to Ashlee Petersen.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Stephen Baldwin was born on 12 May 1966 in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Usual Suspects (1995), Bio-Dome (1996) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). He has been married to Kennya Baldwin since 10 June 1990. They have two children.- Richard Riordan was born on 1 May 1930 in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for It's Like, You Know... (1999), UCLA & Los Angeles: A Legacy of Leadership (1998) and Centennial Olympic Games: Torch Relay Opening Ceremonies (1996). He was married to Elizabeth Gregory, Nancy Daly, Jill Noel and Eugenia Waraday. He died on 19 April 2023 in Brentwood, California, USA.
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
David Permut is a multiple Academy Award, Emmy, and Grammy Award winning producer whose career spans over four decades.
His most recent film RUSTIN which he Executive Produced with former President Barak and Michell Obama which marks their feature film debut. The film has garnered Colman Domingo a Best Actor nomination in the 2024 Academy Awards.In addition to nominations for Golden Globes, BAFTA, SAG, and numerous others for his starring role in the picture.
Permut also Executive Produced with Academy Award winner Taylor Sheridan (YELLOWSTONE), latest hit western series LAWMAN: BASS REEVES for Paramount, and starring David Oyelowo, who is nominated for a SAG Award and Golden Globe for his leading role in the series.The series recently broke all time records with audiences for Paramount.
He is currently in production on his recently announced dark comedy, TWINLESS for Paramount directed by next generation filmmaker James Sweeney, who's first film STRAIGHT UP won a Independent Spirit nomination.
His 2016 his box office hit HACKSAW RIDGE starring Andrew Garfield was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was named one of the Top 10 Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. Other awards included three Golden Globes nominations, Critics' Choice Awards, among other honors. The picture grossed over 259M and became a global hit.
He Produced the blockbuster hit FACE/OFF starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage and directed by John Woo The picture was lauded with numerous awards including an Academy Award nomination and becomes an international hit and cult classic..The sequel is currently in the works at Paramount with Adam Winged set to direct.
Early in his career, Permut's first film GIVE EM HELL, HARRY! garnered James Whitmore a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards in 1976, and even won Permut a Best Spoken Word album at the Grammy Awards..The film was the first of its kind in capturing a stage performance filmed in front of a live audience.
His follow up film was the classic and and acclaimed RICHARD PRYOR: LIVE IN CONCERT, which broke ground being the first live filmed comedy concert of its kind, and one of the most successful of all time grossing over an astounding 30M at the box office in 1979. It has set the bar for all the comedy concerts that followed over the years.
Other notable credits over the years include:
DRAGNET (Universal) starring Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks one of the first television to screen translations in 1987. And one of the top ten grossing movies of the year. Permut's concept of launching a theatrical release based on a television show, set a new trend in Hollywood.
BLIND DATE (Try-Star) Bruce Willis feature film debut,costarring Kim Basinger and directed by Blake Edwards,
THE MARRYING MAN (Hollywood Pictures) acclaimed writer Neil Simon's romantic comedy starring Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin
SURVIVING THE GAME (New Line Cinema) starring Ice-T, F. Murray Abraham, Rutger Hauer
29TH STREET (20th Century Fox) starring Anthony LaPaglia, Danny Aiello and Lanie Kazan
CAPTAIN RON (Touchstone Pictures) starring Kurt Russell and Martin Short
CONSENTING ADULTS (Hollywood Pictures) starring Kevin Klein, Kevin Spacey directed by Academy Award nominated director Alan Pakula EDDIE (Hollywood Pictures) starring Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella DOUBLE TAKE (Touchstone Pictures) starring Eddie Griffith
DYSFUNKTIONAL FAMILY (Miramax) starring Eddie Griffith
PUNCHING HENRY starring Henry Phillips, Sarah Silverman, J.K. Simmonds, Tig Notaro and Mike Judge and premiered at SXSW Film Festival
THE POLKA KING (Netflix) starring Jack Black, Jenny Slate, Jack Schwartzman and Vanessa Bayer and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,
MATCH (IFC) starring Patrick Stewart Carla Gugino and Mathew Lillard and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
CHARLIE BARTLETT (MGM) starring Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey (singer Drake also appeared in one of his debut roles), it premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, starring Chris Colfer.Allison Janney Rebel Wilson and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
YOUTH IN REVOLT (TWC) starring Michael Cera, Jean Smart, Ray Liotta, Rooney Mara and Zach Galifianakis and premiered at Toronto Film Festival
Permut produced numerous documentaries including THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS' STORY (Disney), the story of the relationship between songwriting brothers Richard and Robert Sherman (which Permut produced with Ben Stiller)
THE FABULOUS ALAN CARR about the iconic, flamboyant, film producer.
VISIBLE: OUT ON TELEVISION (Apple) a five part docu-series which explores the history of the American LGBTQ movement over the past several decades through the lens of TV, starting with the McCarthy hearings with Roy Cohn in the 1950's.
He also produced the stage production of THE INVESTIGATION: A SEARCH OF THE TRUTH IN TEN ACTS written by Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan (HACKSAW RIDGE) and directed by nine-time Tony nominee Scott Ellis, which was live streamed from New York with an all-star cast including John Lithgow, Annette Bening, Michael Shannon, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Kline, among others. Schenkkan's play incorporates the Mueller report, relating to the ten counts of obstruction of justice and received glowing praise from critics and audiences alike.
His multiple television credits include the critically acclaimed and Emmy and GLADD Award winning PRAYERS FOR BOBBY (2009) starring Sigourney Weaver in her debut television role based on the landmark book. Others included,
LOVE LEADS THE WAY (1984 Disney)
A TRIUMPH OF THE HEART: THE RICKY BELL STORY (1991 CBS) BREAKING THE SILENCE (1992 CBS)
THE COLOR OF RAIN (2014 Hallmark)
Permut Presentations upcoming high profile upcoming films include:
FACE/OFF II (Paramount Pictures) The sequel to his blockbuster FACE/OFF at Paramount Pictures with Adam Wingard (GODZILLA vs King Kong) directing
THE INVITE (FilmNation) An adaptation from the award winning Spanish language heartfelt comedy THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS about the complexities of relationships. Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormick and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE)
BEING HEUMANN (Apple) Based on the bestselling book BEING HEUMANN about activist Judy Heumann's fight for equality for the disabled community. Written and directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder (CODA) To star Tony Award winner Ali Stroker
In addition, the company has a robust development slate, selected ones include:
DOCTOR WALKER (Walden) Based on the true story of Mary Edwards Walker who was the only woman to win the Congressional Medal Of Honor during the Civil War.
SHEELA (Amazon) Based on the true story of Ma Anand Sheela - one of the leaders in the controversial Rajneesh movement during the 1980s who used illegal tactics, including the largest bioterrorism attach on US soil, to silence local dissenters in Oregon. Priyanka Chopra will star as Sheela, under Academy Award winning Barry Levinson's direction.
TELL ME WHO I AM A series based on the best selling book, about identical twins and their mysterious past. To star Nicholas Hoult with Academy Award winning director Steve McQueen.
FRANZESE Based the true story of mob boss Sonny Franzese son, John who joined the family business reluctantly and became an addict living on the streets of New York. When he found sobriety, he rejoined the family business as an undercover informant and brought down many people, including his father who was sentenced to life in prison. .
THE GOLDSBORO INCIDENT The true story of a b-52 bomber plane that crashed in Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1962, killing three of the seven member crew. The damaged cargo bays had also launched two thermo nuclear bombs that hit the ground at seven hundred miles per minute...and no-one knew the status of the fail safe switch. To be directed by Academy Award winner Gavin Hood (TSOTSI).
DOCK The story of Major League baseball pitcher, Dock Ellis, an outspoken player for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1970s, who led them to the World Series championship and claimed to have pitched a no-hitter while on LSD. With LeKeith Stanfield to star.
RUSS & ROGER GOES BEYOND (STX) Independent filmmaker Russ Meyer teams up with film critic and fledgling screenwriter, Roger Ebert to make the 1970 film, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
YOUTH IN REVOLT A television series based on CD Payne's landmark book and film. Directed by Jason Orley (BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE)
RABBIT GARDEN Jerzy Kosinski, acclaimed author of The PAINTED BIRD and BEING THERE, sees his life and literary career unravel after having the authenticity of his work called into question by two reporters from the Village Voice. To be directed by Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA EUROPA) and to star Jesse Eisenberg.
CENTURIANS OF ROME Recounts the wild story surrounding George Bosque, a Brink's security guard who stole $1.85M in the early 80s and disappeared into thin air. With the stolen money, while eluding authorities in NYC, he produced and financed Centurians Of Rome, the cult 1981 gay porn. With award winning directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra.
BEAUTY Follows the story of Julia Pastrana, a woman who suffered from the rare genetic condition hypertrichosis. Directed by Yen Tan (1985)
ONE RIGHTEOUS MAN In 1919, a year in American history marked by nationwide race riots and lynchings, the first Black New York City policeman will be divided by his allegiance to the black community and an all white police force, when he's compelled to protect a fellow white officer responsible for killing an unarmed black boy. To be directed by Sherif Alabede
AMERICAN ECSTASY A docs-series based on the hit podcast THE RIALTO REPORT chronicling the history of the golden age of porn. With multiple Emmy Award winning director/producers Fenton Baily & Randy Barbato (RU PAUL'S DRAG RACE)
LOTTERY (3311) Based on Patricia Wood's bestselling book. A young man with Down Syndrome is sometimes marginalized until he hits a 5 million dollar winning lottery ticket. Alexis Jolly (HOMEWARD BOUND) is the screenwriter with PEANUT BUTTER FALCON star Zack Gottsagen in the lead role. Thor Freudenthal (PERCY JACKSON, DIARY OF A WHIMPY KID) to direct.
WILDFIRE After accidentally starting a wildfire, seven-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hard-working trans woman, into kidnapping her -- sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date. To star Michaela (MJ) Rodriguez
THE PHARMACIST Based on the award winning Netflix documentary about Dan Schneider's quest for justice to solve his son's murder as a result of the opioid crisis.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Cheech Marin was born on 13 July 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Born in East L.A. (1987), Tin Cup (1996) and Up in Smoke (1978). He has been married to Natasha Rubin since 8 August 2009. He was previously married to Rikki Marin and Patti Heid.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in 15 March 1959 as Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola, he is the most successful Finnish film director in the history of Hollywood.
Harlin started his career in film business in the beginning of 1980s when he was directing commercials and company films for companies like Shell. Later he worked as a buyer for Finnish film distributor and met Finnish Markus Selin in Los Angeles. They became friends and started writing a screenplay called "Arctic Heat". The project started fast and soon they had Chuck Norris signed on leading role for the film. But with money problems shooting schedule didn't hold and Norris left the project, but Selin and Harlin got Mike Norris for the leading role. They wrote new script, Born American (1986), and got financial help from USA. In the year 1986 Born American (1986) was finished and the most expensive Finnish film ever opened in USA in over 1,000 theaters and reached no 9.
The film wasn't successful in Finland, where it was banned. Harlin moved to Los Angeles and got a job from Halloween (1978) producer Irwin Yablans who offered him script of "Prison" to film. Film was made with low budget and distributed with only 42 copies. In the same year 1988 he got a job from New Line Cinema to direct A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) after meeting producer Robert Shaye numerous times, who at the first didn't want Harlin to direct the film. It became the highest-grossing film in the series, though its budget was seven times greater than the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" film.
20th Century Fox wanted Harlin to direct the Andrew Dice Clay rock'n roll comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) and also a sequel to Die Hard (1988). Harlin made the both, but only Die Hard 2 (1990) was commercially successful, with over 239 million dollar worldwide gross. Next he directed Cliffhanger (1993) with Sylvester Stallone which made $255 million worldwide and was nominated for 3 Oscar's. Before Cliffhanger (1993) Harlin was hired to direct "Alien³" but he left the project because of creative differences.
His next film Cutthroat Island (1995) was a pirate film made with $100 million budget. Unfortunately it came out without good promotion and flopped badly. It made only $10 million in USA and for a time became the biggest flop in Hollywood history. But for Harlin, it wasn't a total loss.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) was a critical success, but was a box office flop, grossing only $30 million domestically with a $65 million budget.
In year 1998, Warner Bros. wanted a summer blockbuster for the year 1999 and Renny Harlin was the right name to direct. Deep Blue Sea (1999) came to theaters after costing 60 million dollars to film and made $160 million worldwide. The film never hit the top spot in the USA but still grossed $73 millions in the USA alone.
Harlin was hired to direct Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) after John Frankenheimer left the job and died shortly after it, and Paul Schrader was fired. Producers knew that Harlin could made a blockbuster even with the weak script, and so he did. With $50 million budget the film opened in number 1 and grossed $80 million worldwide.
Probably most liked Harlin's film Mindhunters (2004) was released in 2004 after years post-production. It was released in USA in 2005 in over 1,000 theaters but it only reached 10th place. In 9 weeks it grossed only $4 million dollars.
The Covenant (2006) was released in 2006. With non-famous (but attractive) actors, the film hit the top in its opening weekend and became a successful film. With a $20 million budget, it grossed $37 million worldwide and DVD sale brought $20 million more.- Actress
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Her classic beauty, combined with wit and comedic talent, earned Ford five Emmy nominations and two consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations for her ten-year portrayal of reporter 'Corky Sherwood' on the CBS series "Murphy Brown." Prior to Murphy Brown, Ford landed a reoccurring role playing a fumbling secretary named Janine on "Thirtysomething". Ford also starred in the ABC hit comedy series "Hope & Faith" with Kelly Ripa for three seasons and later co-starred opposite Fred Goss and Jerry O'Connell in the ABC comedy series, "Carpoolers." Ford has a wide range of guest starring roles, from "My Name is Earl", "Criminal Minds" to "The Middle" and also co-starred opposite Vin Diesel in Touchstone Pictures' "The Pacifier, " and "Prom." Ford has starred in several TV movies, ABC Family's "Mom's on Strike", NBC/Walmart movie "Field of Vision", Hallmark movies, "A Kiss at Midnight", "Trading Christmas" and "The Bridge 1 and 2" along with Lifetime movies, "Sorority Wars" and 2017' "Christmas in Mississippi." Faith co-starred and produced a feature thriller, "Escapee", starring Dominic Purcell and Christine Evangelista along with producing the well-received short films, "Citation of Merit" and "The Day I Finally Decided to Kill Myself". In addition to her acting career, Ford made her writing debut in 2004 with an exciting cookbook, "Cooking With Faith", co-written with Melissa Clark. This multi-generational Southern cookbook draws on Ford's childhood in Louisiana where she learned how to cook down-home food at the knees of her Grandmother and Mother. Along with the traditional family recipes, the cookbook includes updated healthier versions sprinkled with familiar anecdotes of good ole' Southern hospitality and charm. Ford never forgot her roots being raised in the quiet community of Pineville, Louisiana. In high school, Faith acted in school plays, and in her senior year she was a finalist in Teen Magazine's annual model search. Faith moved to New York City when she was 17 where she worked in commercials, took acting classes, and did some modeling. Ford was 18 when she landed a role on the soap "Another World," and later "One Life to Live." Faith continues to act and produce films and television.- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Robert Shaye was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a producer, director, and actor, particularly known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). He has been married to Eva G. Lindsten since 1970. They have two children.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
Mitch Goldman is known for Live from the Knitting Factory (1999), Down and Dirty with Jim Norton (2008) and Great Performances (1971).- Max is known for The Mask (1994) and Mr. Accident (2000).
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, the daughter of two college professors, Lauren Michael Holly grew up in the upstate New York town of Geneva. Her childhood was split between experiences that contrasted. She was privy to the shelter of growing up in a rural town and also exposed due to the erudite sophistication of her parents' academic careers. She spent time traveling in Europe and lived for a year in London, where she studied languages and flute at the famed Sarah Siddons School. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College in Westchester County, New York, Holly credits her love of acting to her great-grandmother who bred a family tradition of "treading the boards" on the musical theatre stages of Liverpool and London.
Holly's breakthrough motion picture performance came in the New Line Cinema's box-office smash, Dumb and Dumber (1994), with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Lauren captured the hearts of audiences, as "Mary Swanson", the woman who drove Jim Carrey to follow her across the country to pledge his love. Next, she received glowing reviews for her performance in the Edward Burns drama, No Looking Back (1998), as a woman whose life in a small seaside community is turned upside down by the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend. Other film credits include Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday", Sydney Pollack's "Sabrina", the action-drama "Turbulence", the Miramax ensemble "Beautiful Girls", "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", "A Smile Like Yours", "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", "Down Periscope", "Entropy" and "The Last Producer". On television, Holly recently starred in two films for Hallmark. She also boasts three seasons as Director Jenny Shepard in NCIS, opposite Mark Harmon. Holly was seen in the TNT movie "King of Texas", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear", playing opposite Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden and renowned actor Patrick Stewart, and in the NBC miniseries "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot". She also starred on David E. Kelley's drama, "Chicago Hope", marking her second project with Kelley, following their successful collaboration on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series, "Picket Fences".
Holly has worked on numerous Independent films, including the political thriller "Fatwa", in which she not only acted but also served as a producer, the Peter Schwaba penned and directed comedy "Godfather of Green Bay", "The Chumscrubber", "Pleasure Drivers", a Lifetime movie "Caught in the Act" (which she also produced), and "Chasing 3000". Most recently, she starred in "You're So Cupid". Additional projects contributing to the broad and diverse body of motion picture work Lauren has compiled include the drama "Colored Eggs" with Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, the comedy "Raising Flagg" playing opposite Academy Award winner Alan Arkin, the Darrell Roodt directed HBO thriller, "Pavement" (co-starring Robert Patrick), and "What Women Want" (starring Academy Award winners Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt). She had a prime role in Disney's Academy Award-winning animated motion picture "Spirited Away" as the voice of Chihiro's Mother. Thrice divorced, as of 2014, Holly makes her home in Toronto, Canada, with her sons: Alexander, George, and Henry.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Ben Stein (Benjamin J. Stein) was born on Nov. 25, 1944 in Washington, D.C. The son of noted economist and writer Herbert Stein, he grew up in Silver Spring, Md., and attended Montgomery Blair High School. Some of his classmates included journalist Carl Bernstein, and actors Goldie Hawn and Sylvester Stallone. He graduated from Columbia University in 1966 with honors in economics and as valedictorian of the 1970 Yale Law School class. He has worked as a poverty lawyer, a trial lawyer, a university adjunct (American University, University of California at Santa Cruz and Pepperdine University), a speech writer for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, King Features Syndicate, Los Angeles Magazine, New York Magazine, E! Online and The American Spectator. He also writes frequently for The Washington Post. Stein has written and published 16 books (seven novels, nine nonfiction books), the most recent of which is about life with his 12-year-old son, Tommy. He has been a longtime screenwriter and was one of the creators of the TV series Fernwood Tonight (1977). He has acted and made guest appearances in numerous movies and TV series, appears in many TV commercials and is the host of two Comedy Central TV series, Win Ben Stein's Money (1997) (October, 1997-2002) and Turn Ben Stein On (1999). He is married to entertainment-industry attorney Alexandra Denman, son Tom Stein,- Producer
- Publicist
- Actor
Howard Bragman was one of the most recognized public relations professionals in America. He took his 30+ years of agency experience, in virtually every area of PR, and became the "go-to" guy on television to explain celebrity misbehavior, corporate crisis and the role of "spin" in our everyday lives. He was a frequent contributor to ABC's Good Morning America (1975), and PR expert on CNN and MSNBC.
He founded "Fifteen Minutes" in 2005, which evolved into a respected American boutique entertainment public relations agency. His personal participation included high-level strategy, top-tier media contacts, crisis communications, media training and agency vision and values. Prior to "Fifteen Minutes", he founded "BNC", which became the largest entertainment PR agency in the world. He sold the agency to IPG in 2000.
Prior to that, he was a Vice President at the PR firm Burson-Marsteller. In addition to his agency work, Bragman was an award-winning adjunct professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and is the author of the bestselling book, "Where's My Fifteen Minutes? (Penguin/Portfolio, 2008).
He received numerous awards and recognition for his work as a political activist for those with HIV/AIDS, GLBT Civil Rights and Jewish causes. He resided in Los Angeles with his husband, a nationally-respected horse trainer.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
An actress who always attracts audiences' attention, Jennifer Tilly is by turns funny, sexy, compassionate, compelling and often all at once. She has been playing unforgettable characters ever since she started her career as an actress.
Jennifer Tilly was born Jennifer Ellen Chan in Harbor City, Los Angeles, to Harry Chan, a used car salesman, who was of Chinese origin, and Patricia (née Tilly), a schoolteacher and stage actress. Her sister is actress Meg Tilly. They were raised on rural Texada Island, British Columbia, by her mother and stepfather, John Ward.
Jennifer successfully cultivated another fan base with the revitalization of the "Child's Play" horror comedy franchise. For Ronny Yu's Bride of Chucky (1998), the filmmakers turned to Jennifer to create the character who would spark the series in a new direction. She met the challenge and established a new horror icon in Tiffany. In Rogue Pictures' Seed of Chucky (2004), written and directed by series creator Don Mancini, Jennifer again took the popular series to the next level; starring as Tiffany and as herself, the deadly doll's favorite actress, who soon becomes an unwitting hostess in more ways than one.
Jennifer's pitch-perfect voiceover work as Tiffany is not the only instance of her being able to incarnate a character from the vocal chords out. Families know her distinctive cadences from the Disney hits Home on the Range (2004), directed by Will Finn and John Sanford; The Haunted Mansion (2003) (in which Jennifer acted from the neck up only), directed by Rob Minkoff; and the Pixar blockbuster Monsters, Inc. (2001) (voicing Mike's love interest Celia), directed by Pete Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich. She began her acting career as a teenager, putting herself through the theater program at Stephens College in Missouri by winning writing competitions. She then headed to Los Angeles, California. While she continued to act on the stage (earning a Dramalogue Award for her performance in "Vanities"), movies and television immediately came calling for the actress with the unique voice and visage.
In 2001, she starred in the Broadway revival of "The Women" with Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Johnson, which was later taped for, and broadcast on, PBS. In 2008, she appeared with Miranda Richardson in the critically acclaimed production of Wallace Shawn's play "Grasses of a Thousand Colors" at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Other plays include "Tartuffe" (LAAT) "Boy's Life" (LAAT) "Baby with the Bathwater" (LAPT) and others too numerous to mention. In 2005, Jennifer met her boyfriend, professional poker player Phil Laak (also known as the Unabomber). That summer at the World Series of Poker, she bested a field of 601 to take down the Ladies Event and win a coveted gold bracelet. She followed this up by winning the WPT Ladies Invitational, making her one of a small but elite group holding both a WSOP bracelet, and a WPT title. In summer 2010, she also won the Bellagio Cup 5k tournament.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
As one of Hollywood's leading men, Bruce Boxleitner has starred in a major motion picture franchise, numerous feature films, and several popular television series, produced a major network film and TV series, performed on Broadway, and authored two science fiction novels.
Boxleitner received his formal acting training on stage. A native mid-westerner, he is an alumnus of Chicago's prestigious Goodman Theatre. In 1972, he starred in the Broadway production of Status Quo Vadis with Ted Danson. He then relocated to Los Angeles and quickly landed a guest spot on the legendary TV series The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) as well as numerous guest roles on series, including Hawaii Five-O (1968), Baretta (1975), Police Woman (1974), and Gunsmoke (1955).
Boxleitner's big break occurred when he was cast opposite James Arness in the pilot for the epic TV series How the West Was Won (1976). He went on to star in the CBS series Bring 'Em Back Alive (1982); mini-series East of Eden (1981); and TV movie The Last Convertible (1979).
In 1982, Boxleitner was cast as the title role in Disney's cult film Tron (1982) which garnered him science fiction fans worldwide. However, it was in Boxleitner's four-year run for CBS's Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983), starring opposite Kate Jackson, which endeared him to fans everywhere and made him a household name. In 1994, Boxleitner joined the cast of the popular TV series Babylon 5 (1993) as John Sheridan, President of the Interstellar Alliance, a war hero-turned-diplomat at the helm of Earth Alliance Space Station in the year 2259. The show aired for five seasons.
Boxleitner most recently starred with Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy (2010), the popular motion picture sequel to TRON. The cast includes Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. In addition, Boxleitner reprised his role in Tron: Uprising (2012) on Disney's XD TV network, his first animated TV series. The multi-talented cast includes Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Lance Henriksen, and Paul Reubens. The original TRON recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Several motion pictures include Gods and Generals (2003) with Robert Duvall, Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang and Mira Sorvino; The Babe (1992) with John Goodman and Kelly McGillis; Kuffs (1992) with Christian Slater; and The Baltimore Bullet (1980) with James Coburn.
Numerous TV movie credits include The Secret (1992) with Kirk Douglas; Perfect Family (1992) with Jennifer O'Neill and Joanna Cassidy; Double Jeopardy (1992) with Rachel Ward, Sally Kirkland and Sela Ward; Passion Flower (1986) with Barbara Hershey and Nicol Williamson; and Hallmark Channel movies, Love's Everlasting Courage (2011) and Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door (2006); among many others. The veteran actor has appeared in numerous recurring roles on TV series including GCB (2012) and Heroes (2006), and has guest-starred on NCIS (2003) and Chuck (2007), among others.
A skilled horseman, Boxleitner utilized his talents in numerous western TV series and films including The Gambler television movie series that aired on CBS and NBC, starring opposite Kenny Rogers; Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994) with James Arness (Arness' final film); CBS' remake of Red River with Gregory Harrison, James Arness and Laura Johnson; Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (1994) with Hugh O'Brian; and Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills (1986), based on legendary western author Louis L'Amour's novel of the same name.
Boxleitner was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in April 2012 honoring him for his illustrious career in western films. He is a two-time recipient of the Wrangler Award.
In 2013, Boxleitner co-starred with Andie MacDowell and Dylan Neal in Hallmark Channel's first-ever prime-time series, Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove (2013) to rave reviews and an average of 2 million viewers. The #1 rated cable program was renewed for a third season and is scheduled to premiere in the summer of 2015.
In 1999, Boxleitner authored "Frontier Earth" and in 2001, its sequel "Frontier Earth: Searcher", published by The Berkley Publishing Group. Boxleitner resides in Los Angeles with his wife, publicist Verena King, and has three sons: Sam, Lee and Michael.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Sam Boxleitner was born in Los Angeles, California, into a show business family. He had dreams of following the family trade from an early age. His parents are actors Bruce Boxleitner and Kathryn Holcomb Ogilvy, and actor Ian Ogilvy is his step-father. His brother Lee Boxleitner, half-brother Michael Boxleitner, and step-brother Dakota Brinkman are actors as well.
Sam attended Chaminade College Preparatory in Los Angeles where he excelled in the arts, especially drama and music. After starring in several plays and small film roles, Sam made the decision to put acting on hold to focus on music. He attended Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California where he attained a commercial certificate for contemporary composition and guitar. Sam spent the better half of a decade composing music and touring with various bands locally and nationally. After a long and tumultuous tour, Sam took a job as a runner that eventually landed him a job as a set production assistant. After approximately fifteen minutes of being on set, Sam was bitten by "the bug" and made the decision he would stop at nothing to be in front of the camera. He has not looked back since.
In 2014, Sam and his brother Lee Boxleitner produced the short film, "Downstairs" which earned them much praise along the horror film festival circuit including screenings at the largest and longest running film festival in the United States, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, the United Kingdom's Dark Scream Film Festival and Eliot Brodsky's Monsterpalooza.
Sam Boxleitner also composes, produces, and performs original music under the moniker, Analog Is Dead. Analog Is Dead can be found on all major streaming sites and online music stores.- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Emmy-winning talk show host Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana, a New Orleans suburb. She is the daughter of Betty DeGeneres (née Elizabeth Jane Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, Jr., an insurance agent. Her brother is musician and producer Vance DeGeneres. Her parents divorced when she was 16 years old. Her mother remarried, and her new husband, salesman Roy Gruessendorf, moved the family to Atlanta, Texas.
After graduating from Atlanta High School in 1976, Ellen attended the University of New Orleans as a communications major, but she dropped out after one semester. She held a wide variety of jobs until she turned to stand-up comedy, making her bones at small clubs and coffeehouses before working her way up to emcee Clyde's Comedy Club by 1981. Her comedy was described as a distaff version of Bob Newhart. Beginning in the early 1980s, she toured nationally and was named the funniest person in America after winning a competition sponsored by the cable network Showtime. This led to better gigs, including her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1986.
Though DeGeneres's early forays into series television were not successful (she appeared as a supporting player in two short-lived TV situation comedies in the period 1989-92, Open House (1989) and Laurie Hill (1992)), she scored a hit headlining her own 1994 sitcom on ABC "These Friends of Mine" (renamed Ellen (1994) after its first season). She made TV history in April 1997, when her character, and DeGeneres personally, revealed that she was a lesbian. However, the show was canceled the following season due to declining ratings, after which DeGeneres returned to the stand-up circuit. In 2001, DeGeneres launched a new series, The Ellen Show (2001), on CBS, but it suffered from poor ratings and was canceled.
Redemption as a television artist came in 2003, when DeGeneres's daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003), proved to be both a critical hit and a commercial success. Along with good ratings, the show has won unprecedented kudos from the industry, winning 15 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air and becoming the first talk show in TV history to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show in its first three seasons.
DeGeneres has also made a name for herself as a host of awards shows. She hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and 1997, as well as the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2005. In February 2007, she had the ultimate TV awards show gig, hosting the Oscars, which she hosted again in 2014.- Actor
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Only son of Ed and Kathleen Show. Raised in San Jose, California with older sister, Kelly Show. He studied acting at Samuel Ayer High School, and then majored in theater arts at UCLA. His first professional role was "Rick Hyde" in Ryan's Hope (1975) from 1984 to 1987. He then took a year sabbatical to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After returning to America, he worked in the theater, whilst starring in the occasional television show. In 1992, he was cast as "Jake Hanson" in the television hit, Melrose Place (1992). Since then, he has starred in numerous shows, including Swingtown (2008), Private Practice (2007) and HBO's Big Love (2006).- Actress
- Producer
Laura Leighton was born on 24 July 1968 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Melrose Place (1992), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Skin (2003). She has been married to Doug Savant since 2 May 1998. They have two children.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
In Joely Fisher's recent unflinching memoir, she comes clean and bares her soul about growing up in what she describes as "The Fishbowl".Daughter of Hollywood legendary crooner Eddie Fisher and entertainment icon Connie Stevens, Joely was raised in the Los Angeles area educated in a dozen LA schools, continuing on to the Université de Paris/Sorbonne and Emerson College in Boston. From the time she hit the boards in the multi-purpose room in her Catholic elementary school musical, Mama said, "I couldn't stop her with a train". Triple threat, Joely Fisher stands out as a star of television, musical theatre, and motion pictures. Her "sensational and sexy" turn as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall's critic darling revival of "Cabaret" on Broadway as well as the National touring company earned her rave reviews. Joely made her Broadway debut as "Rizzo"in "Grease!." However, it was her 5 seasons as "Paige Clark ,"Ellen's best friend ,the monstrously ambitious, seductive Hollywood executive on the historic and groundbreaking ABC show, Ellen (1994), that introduced her to television audiences around the world, and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She next starred opposite John Goodman in FOX's series Normal, Ohio (2000) playing the hilariously fascinating combo of a young caring mother who just happened to be a "bit of a slut." She spent two seasons starring in her own series Wild Card (2003) for Lifetime. In 2005, Joely joined the cast of the hit television series Desperate Housewives (2004) where she played Felicity Huffman's tough and very complex boss Nina Fletcher. Fisher then returned to television opposite Brad Garrett for four seasons in FOX's 'Til Death (2006). Their incredible chemistry kept audiences rolling with laughter. Next, Joely reoccurred on ABC's Last Man Standing (2011) opposite Hector Elizondo. Joely's film credits have placed her opposite some of the finest actors in film, like Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994), Steve Martin in Mixed Nuts (1994), and Nick Nolte in I'll Do Anything (1994). Her crowning achievement to date was starring with Matthew Broderick in the $100 million-grossing Disney film Inspector Gadget (1999). She is a stand out in such indie films as Perfect Prey (1998), Slingshot (2005), Killing Winston Jones, and Search Engines (2016). Recently seen in The Tribes of Palos Verdes (2017) opposite Jennifer Garner as well as The Disappointments Room (2016), and By the Rivers of Babylon. Her television movies include the lead in NBC's Thirst (1998), Showtime's Jitters (1997), ABC's Seduction in a Small Town (1997), and Cupid, Inc. (2012) for Hallmark. No matter how much the focus of her career seems to be acting, the underlying accompaniment throughout is her love of singing and performing. She tells the tale of sleeping in the orchestra pit during one of mother Connie Stevens' performances, and by 12 she was singing all over the world, including a USO tour with Bob Hope during the Persian Gulf War, which led to her performance for President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush at the Kennedy Center. Joely has written, directed and performed multiple one-woman shows .She was even featured at a young age on the Tony awards, the Academy Awards, and was Miss Golden Globe. In recent years Ms. Fisher has embarked on a directing career ranging in television shows, "Sunset Fever" a black comedy short as commentary on reality television and the Hollywood family, to the socially conscious PSA campaigns for IFAW the International Fund for Animal Welfare and for Welcome.US an organization started by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg on Immigrant Heritage. Her first music video, "Sonte" by European artist Mirud has a million views and she is on a short list of women called upon to direct multi-camera television for the Disney Channel and this year will make her feature directorial debut with Oliver Storm and the Curse of Sinbad's Treasure, a family adventure film. Joely hopes to continue on this path and give the world delicious and compelling stories and lead the pack of women who make change in the world. In her book she also writes in gut wrenching detail how the sudden loss of her sister, Carrie Fisher, inspired her creativity and the recognition that she could indeed write. Joely has been married more than 2 decades to cinematographer and director Christopher Duddy. Together they have five children Cameron, Collin, daughter Skylar Grace, True Harlow 12 yrs old, and in 2008 they adopted Olivia "Luna "- Kennya Baldwin has been married to Stephen Baldwin since 10 June 1990. They have two children.
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In 1953 Eddie Fisher was given his own fifteen-minute TV show called Coke Time (1953), sponsored by the Coca-Cola company. This show proved to be so popular that Coke then offered Eddie a $1 million contract to be their national spokesperson. A deal of that magnitude was almost unheard of at this time and helped push Fisher towards being one of the most popular singers by 1954. In 1955 Eddie married Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher was born a year later, followed by son Todd Fisher in l958. Later that year, the scandal of the decade broke when stories of Eddie's affair with Elizabeth Taylor were made public. She had been widowed earlier that year when her husband Mike Todd, Eddie's best friend, died in a plane crash. The bad publicity that followed did a great deal of damage to Eddie's career, while it actually increased the amount of money Elizabeth was offered for films. He and Liz did the movie BUtterfield 8 (1960), which actually earned Taylor an Academy Award, though it was received with mixed reviews. From there Liz went on to star in Cleopatra (1963), with Richard Burton, another scandal and divorce for Liz. With his TV show long gone and hit records a thing of the past, his career in the sixties consisted mainly of stage shows in Las Vegas, New York, and smaller venues as time went on. For a few years he was married to Connie Stevens and they had two daughters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher before divorcing in 1968. Eddie Fisher has written two autobiographies, the latest "Been There, Done That" published with great controversy. It seems some of the women in his past, including Debbie Reynolds, did not care for his portrayal of them. He must be given credit, however, for owning up to his own actions, which led to the degradation of his career. His fifth wife, Betty Lin, passed away from lung cancer on April 15, 2001.- Actor
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Cary Elwes was born in Westminster, London, England, the third son of interior designer/shipping heiress Tessa Georgina Kennedy and the late portrait painter Bede Evelyn Dominick Elwes. He is the brother of producer/agent Cassian Elwes and artist Damian Elwes. He was raised in London and attended Harrow. After graduating from Harrow, he moved to the US and studied drama at Sarah Lawrence College. He left school after two years to begin his film career. Cary is well respected by colleagues and fans alike and considered by many to be one of the finest actors working today. He is interested in history and says, "It's deliberate that a lot of my films have been period pieces". He is politically active for causes he believes in, such as protecting the environment and helping Native American people.
Elwes is married to Lisa Marie Kurbikoff, a stills photographer. He comes from a long-established recusant English family on his father's side. Several prominent Catholic clerics are among his relatives, including Fr. Luke Cary-Elwes, Dom Columba Cary-Elwes, and Dom Cuthbert Cary-Elwes. His grandfather was society painter and war artist Simon Elwes. Cary (the surname "Cary-Elwes" was shortened to "Elwes" in some branches of the family) was an altar boy at London's Brompton Oratory, although he did not attend a Catholic high school. From his maternal grandmother, Daska Marija Ivanovic-Banac, who was born in Osijek in the Austra-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), he has Croatian Jewish and Serbian ancestry. Cary's other lineage is English, Irish, and Scottish.- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Lisa Marie Kurbikoff was born on 9 May 1971 in Agoura Hills, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Wonderland (2003), The Cool Surface (1993) and Rent Control (2003). She has been married to Cary Elwes since 25 June 2000. They have one child.- Producer
- Actress
Michelle Grace was born on 4 December 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for Narc (2002), Take the Lead (2006) and The Rat Pack (1998). She was previously married to Ray Liotta and Mark Grace.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Cuba Gooding Jr. was born on January 2, 1968, in The Bronx, New York. His mother, Shirley (Sullivan), was a backup singer for The Sweethearts. His father, Cuba Gooding, was the lead vocalist for the R&B group The Main Ingredient, which had a hit with the song "Everybody Plays The Fool". His paternal grandfather was from Barbados.
Cuba's father moved the family to Los Angeles in 1972, only to leave them a few years later. Despite this setback, Cuba was able to maintain a positive outlook and overachieved throughout school. He attended four different high schools and was elected class president in three of them. While at high school, Cuba met and fell in love with Sara Kapfer, whom he later lived with for seven years before tying the knot in March 1994.
Following high school, Cuba studied Japanese martial arts for three years before turning his focus toward acting. Early on, he landed guest starring roles on shows like Hill Street Blues (1981) and MacGyver (1985). His first major role was in the 1991 box office surprise Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed this success with supporting roles in major films like A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994) and Outbreak (1995).
In 1996, Cuba was cast as an arrogant but loyal football player in the Tom Cruise-Cameron Crowe film Jerry Maguire (1996). The film became a huge box office smash and earned Cuba an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the movie became a nationwide catchphrase. The role elevated him to superstar status, as many of Hollywood's top producers began to "show him the money" to appear in their films.
Since Jerry Maguire (1996), Cuba has managed to keep busy with a wide range of roles alongside many of Hollywood's biggest stars. Most recently, he won critical support for his portrayal of a mentally handicapped man in the heartwarming film Radio (2003), another movie about football. In 2002, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He resides in Studio City, California.- Casting Department
- Actor
Robert Nottingham is known for The Albatross (1995). He was previously married to Faith Ford.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Jonathan Silverman was born on 5 August 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Weekend at Bernie's (1989), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986) and Another Dirty Movie (2012). He has been married to Jennifer Finnigan since 22 May 2007. They have one child.- Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Polumbo is known for Pre-Party (2011).- Kristian Alfonso was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, USA. Kristian is an actor, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), Joshua Tree (1993) and Friends (1994). Kristian has been married to Danny Daggenhurst since 6 October 2001. They have one child. Kristian was previously married to Simon Macauley.
- Amy Yasbeck was born on 12 September 1962 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for The Mask (1994), Pretty Woman (1990) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). She was previously married to John Ritter.
- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
LaTocha Scott is known for The Week Of (2018), Fair Game (2005) and Ol Skool Feat. Xscape & Keith Sweat: Am I Dreaming (1997). She has been married to Rocky Bivens since 1995. They have one child.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Tamika Scott is best known as a member of the hugely successful r 'n' b group Xscape. She sang some lead vocals and a lot of harmonies in the group. When Xscape split in late 1998, and Tamika kept a fairly low profile, she did however record one solo track called "Day & Night", which was released in Japan in July 1999. Tamika Scott is the younger sister of fellow Xscape member, LaTocha. She was the first member of Xscape to become a mother; her daughter O'Shun Reney was born on March 24th 1994. Tamika resides with O'Shun, and her husband Darius Byas. Tamika is also the first member of Xscape to try her hand at production; she wrote and produced "All I Need", a song described by The Source as one of the best tracks on the album "Traces Of My Lipstick". Tamika was also believed to be an ordained minister, and it was rumored she was to release a solo gospel album in 2000.- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
Kandi is best known as one of the lead vocalists in the hugely successful 1990s R&B vocal group, Xscape. Burrus sang lead on hits such as "My Little Secret", "Just Kickin' It" and "Who Can I Run To", as well as wrote their early hits, including "Feel So Good" and "Can't Hang". Kandi is also known as the song-writing genius behind the massive 1999 No. 1 hit, "No Scrubs", by TLC, which won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, a song-writing award. She was also recognized as the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award for Songwriter of the Year, other hits penned by Kandi included "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child and "There You Go" by Pink, to name just a few, in all she's written dozens more songs for artists including, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, *NSYNC, Monica, Alicia Keys, Boyz II Men, Faith Evans, Blu Cantrell and many, many more. During the late 1990s, when she emerged as a talented singer/song-writer, along with song-writing partners Kevin 'She'kspere' Briggs (also rumored husband) and Tiny Harris (member of Xscape and co-writer of "No Scrubs"), she was tipped as a leader of a new breed of talented behind-the-scenes female artists and received great ovation for her talents, the media had nothing bad to relay. Burruss attempted to wow the critics once more by releasing her very own highly anticipated debut solo set, with a lead single, "Don't Think I'm Not", which had fair success. The album, entitled "Hey Kandi", sold reasonably well during its first few weeks. Despite modest success, she was dropped from "Columbia" as a recording artist, though she continues to write songs for other artists through the company. Burruss returned to her recording career with her second album, "I Need", released through independent label, "Upfront Records".- Actress
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Finola Hughes was born in London. She studied at Arts Educational Schools and began her career in the Northern Ballet Company, after winning the Markova award. She went on to work in the West End, in the original cast of "Cats" and continued working with Andrew Lloyd Webber in "Song & Dance". After making Staying Alive (1983) in LA, she moved to California in 1984 and began working on General Hospital (1963), winning an Emmy award in 1991. She continued to make TV series and various movies for the next few years, Jack's Place (1992), Aspen Extreme (1993), Blossom (1990), Charmed (1998), and returned to ABC daytime, in 1999, to join the cast of All My Children (1970) in New York. Once in NY, she began entering the Fashion World and returned to Los Angeles to begin a 4-year stint on the Style Network, with a fabulous makeover show, How Do I Look? (2004). She returned for a brief sojourn to General Hospital (1963), and it's spin-off, "Night Shift". Finola lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, artist Russell Young, and their 3 children.- Actor
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Richard Jeni was born on 14 April 1957 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Mask (1994), Richard Jeni: Platypus Man (1993) and Platypus Man (1995). He died on 10 March 2007 in West Hollywood, California, USA.- Nancy Fish was born on 16 March 1938 in Spokane, Washington, USA. She is an actress, known for The Mask (1994), The Exorcist III (1990) and Sudden Impact (1983).
- Actress
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- Director
Dr. Troy is a mental health care expert and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. She specializes in stress reduction, anger management and organic, emotion regulation. Dr. Troy is a best-selling published author and she is the founder of MindologyFitness an organization that offers fun, effective and affordable mind care to everyone, everywhere.
Dr. Troy's books "Ex-Free: 9 Keys To Happiness After Heartbreak" and "How To Be A Powerfully Responsible Bitch & Take Your Life To New Heights" topped Amazon's best-seller list several times. Dr. Troy's last book was inspired by the female domestic abuse perpetrators Dr. Troy has worked with over the years.
A show business veteran, Dr. Troy began her on-camera career at the age of four as one of the original cast members on the PBS hit show, Sesame Street. In addition to being a veteran actress, director and screenwriter,
On a personal note, Dr. Troy is the bi-racial daughter of a black mother and a white father. Troy has an inspirational story to tell about surviving and being the victor of child abuse, child abandonment, juvie hall and the foster care system. Troy is the proud mother of a 24 year-old son and a 21 year-old daughter. Troy currently resides in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona.- Born to a Puerto Rican family in Brooklyn, Talisa was raised there and in Massachusetts. She started modeling at age 15 and has appeared on the covers of "Vogue," "Mademoiselle," "Glamour," and "Self," as well as in a "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue. She has been making film appearances since 1988, beginning with Spike of Bensonhurst (1988).
- Costas Mandylor was born on 3 September 1965 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor, known for Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009) and Saw IV (2007). He has been married to Victoria Ramos since 10 October 2013. He was previously married to Talisa Soto.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Award-winning actor Esai Morales is a graduate of New York's High School for the Performing Arts. He was born in Brooklyn, to Puerto Rican parents, and began his acting career on the stage, first appearing in El Hermano at the Ensemble Theatre Studio and at New York's Shakespeare Festival In The Park in The Tempest. He had his feature film debut in Bad Boys and his breakthrough role as Bob Morales in La Bamba made him a star, contributing to making the film the most commercially successful Latino-themed Rock biopic of all time.
In 1997 Esai Morales co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, created to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications and entertainment industries. The NHFA has provided scholarships to hundreds of Hispanic students in excess of 1 million dollars. Theater performances include Oscar Wilde's Salome with Al Pacino (Broadway) Joe Papp's production of The Tempest with Raul Julia (New York's Shakespeare in the Park Festival) Tamer of Horses (Los Angeles Theater Center) The Exonerated, directed by Bob Balaban and his musical theater debut on The Mambo Kings. Film credits include Bad Boys, La Bamba, Rapa Nui, Mi Familia, Fast Food Nation, Paid in Full, The Line, Atlas Shrugged: Part II, Jarhead II: Field of Fire, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca and Gun Hill Road a film he starred and executive produced. The film was a grand Jury Nominee at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. Television credits comprise the Emmy award-winning series NYPD BLUE (ABC) Resurrection Blvd (Showtime) American Family (PBS) Miami Vice (NBC) Fame (NBC) Law and Order: SVU (NBC) The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (HBO) Vanished (FOX) Burn Notice (USA) Jericho (CBS) Caprica (Syfy) Fairly Legal (USA) Criminal Minds (CBS) Major Crimes (TNT) and Saving Westbrook High. Morales plays the role of President of The United States on The Brink, HBO's dark comedy about a geopolitical crisis.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joe Penny was born on 24 June 1956 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops II (1997), The Gangster Chronicles (1981) and Riptide (1984). He has been married to Cindy M. Penny since 2004.- Actor
- Soundtrack
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Dan Cortese shot to stardom as the creator and host of the Emmy award winning MTV Sports, where he interviewed everyone and everything that had to do with the worlds of sports & entertainment for six successful years. He then went on to star in NBC's remake of the cult classic Route 66.
Next on his plate was starring in the CBS drama Traps with Academy Award winner, George C. Scott. Dan kept the ball rolling and later co-starred for three years on the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet, opposite Emmy winner Kirstie Alley. From there he moved onto, starring in the comedies Rock Me Baby for UPN and What I Like About You for the WB, opposite Jennie Garth.
Cortese's numerous television credits also include memorable guest-starring roles. A few favorites were when he appeared on Seinfeld, as Elaine's "Mimbo" boyfriend that George had a "man crush" on. As the evil Jess Hanson on Melrose Place and on Hot In Cleveland opposite the legendary Betty White.
In addition, Dan starred in the made for television movies The Triangle, for TBS and NBC's spin on the Shirley Jackson classic, The Lottery. Cortese has appeared in many feature films as well, including Demolition Man, opposite Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock and After Sex with Brooke Shields.
When not acting, Dan's kept his hosting skills sharp by starring in, NBC's My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, ABC's action packed Crash Course and the fun-filled Guinness World Records: Unleashed. Dan has also added author to his resume when he released his memoir, Step Off! My journey from 'mimbo' to manhood, in the summer of 2020.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dan attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he played football for the Tarheels and he resides with his wife, Carolina and four kids in Malibu, California.- Dee Dee Hemby is known for Two Guys Talkin' About Girls (1996). She has been married to Dan Cortese since 21 May 1994. They have two children.
- Nancy Daly Riordan is known for Bellyfruit (1999).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Burbank, California, to singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She was an actress and writer known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Fisher is also known for her book, "Postcards from the Edge", and she wrote the screenplay for the movie based on her novel. Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd have a daughter, Billie Lourd (Billie Catherine Lourd), born on July 17, 1992.- Producer
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- Director
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller was born on November 30, 1965, in New York City, New York, to legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. His father was of Austrian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent, and his mother was of Irish Catholic descent (she converted to Judaism).
His parents made no real effort to keep their son away from the Hollywood lifestyle and he grew up among the stars, wondering just why his parents were so popular. At a young age, he and his sister Amy Stiller would perform plays at home, wearing Amy's tights to perform Shakespeare. Ben also picked up an interest in being on the other side of the camera and, at age 10, began shooting films on his Super 8 camera. The plots were always simple: someone would pick on the shy, awkward Stiller ... and then he would always get his revenge. This desire for revenge on the popular, good-looking people may have motivated his teen-angst opus Reality Bites (1994) later in his career. He both directed and performed in the film, which co-starred Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke.
Before he got to Hollywood, he put in several consistently solid years in the theater. After dropping out of UCLA, he performed in the Tony Award winner, "The House of Blue Leaves". While working on the play, Stiller shot a short spoof of The Color of Money (1986) starring him (in the Tom Cruise role) and his The House of Blue Leaves (1987) costar John Mahoney (in the Paul Newman role). The short film was so funny that Lorne Michaels purchased it and aired it on Saturday Night Live (1975). This led to his spending a year on the show in 1989.
Stiller made his big screen debut in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987) in 1987. Demonstrating early on the multifaceted tone his career would take, he soon stepped behind the camera to direct Back to Brooklyn for MTV. The network was impressed and gave Stiller his own show, The Ben Stiller Show (1992). He recruited fellow offbeat comedians Janeane Garofalo and Andy Dick and created a bitingly satirical show. MTV ended up passing on it, but it was picked up by Fox. Unfortunately, the show was a ratings miss. Stiller was soon out of work, although he did have the satisfaction of picking up an Emmy for the show after its cancellation.
For a while, Stiller had to settle for guest appearance work. While doing this, he saved up his cash and in the end was able to scrape enough together to make Reality Bites (1994), now a cult classic which is looked upon favorably by the generation it depicted. Ben continued to work steadily for a time, particularly in independent productions where he was more at ease. However, he never quite managed to catch a big break. His first big budget directing job was Jim Carrey's The Cable Guy (1996). Although many critics were impressed, Jim Carrey's fans were not. In 1998, There's Something About Mary (1998) had propelled Stiller into the mainstream spotlight. He also starred in such hit movies as Keeping the Faith (2000) and Meet the Parents (2000).- Actor
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Adept at playing comic brat extraordinaires both on film and TV, David Spade was born on July 22, 1964, in Birmingham, Michigan, the youngest of three brothers. He is the son of Judith J. (Meek), a writer and editor, and Wayne M. Spade, a sales rep, and is of German, English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Raised in both Scottsdale (from age four) and Casa Grande, Arizona, he graduated with a degree in business from Arizona State University in 1986. A natural prankster most of his life, Spade was pushed immediately into stand-up comedy by friends and appeared in nightclubs and college campuses all over the country.
A casting agent saw his routine at "The Improv" in Los Angeles and offered him a mischievous role in the film Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987). In 1990, the diminutive, flaxen-haired comedian finally hit the big time as a regular cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live (1975). Slow at first in gaining acceptance on the show, his razor-sharp sarcasm eventually caught on by his second season, when he played a number of smart-aleck characters in a variety of sketches, including a highly disinterested airline steward who bids each passenger adieu with a very sardonic "buh-bye" and an irritating receptionist for Dick Clark Productions who greets each huge celebrity with an unknowing "And you are . . . ?" A master of the putdown, Spade's "Hollywood Minute" reporter also took cynical advantage of tabloid-worthy stars. Spade impersonated such luminaries as Michael J. Fox, Kurt Cobain and Tom Petty during his tenure.
Following his SNL departure after six years, he spun off into a slapstick movie career, most noticeably as the scrawny, taciturn foil to SNL's wild and crazy big boy Chris Farley in Tommy Boy (1995) and Black Sheep (1996). The teaming of this unlikely but funny pair ended with Farley's death from a 1997 drug overdose. Since then, Spade has appeared in his own lukewarm vehicles, including Joe Dirt (2001) and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003). More recently he teamed with former SNL member Rob Schneider on the film The Benchwarmers (2006). Television has been more accepting over the years, with Spade earning an Emmy nomination as the droll, skirt-chasing secretary Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me! (1997) and filling in after the untimely death of John Ritter on ABC's 8 Simple Rules (2002) as Katey Sagal's unprincipled nephew.
Into the millennium, David was the star of the Comedy Central show The Showbiz Show with David Spade (2005) in 2005 wherein he more or less resurrected his obnoxious, razor-tongued gossipmonger from the old "Hollywood Minute" put-down segment on SNL, as well as co-starring in the adult-oriented ensemble sitcom Rules of Engagement (2007).
More recent comic film vehicles include The Benchwarmers (2006), The Do-Over (2016) alongside Adam Sandler; Father of the Year (2018); and The Wrong Missy (2020), along with cocky supporting roles in Entourage (2015) (as himself); the Adam Sandler vehicles Jack and Jill (2011), Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013) and The Ridiculous 6 (2015); Sandy Wexler (2017); a voice in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its sequel Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018); Mad Families (2017) (also-co-wrote); and the rare dramatic thriller Warning Shot (2018). He also played recurring parts on the TV programs Carpet Bros (2008), Love (2016) and The Mayor (2017).- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Duke Media Entertainment, led by actor, director, producer, writer and humanitarian, Bill Duke, is dedicated to bringing quality Edutainment to audiences around the globe. Formerly Yagya Productions, Duke Media has successfully produced critically acclaimed film and television content for more than 30 years. Additionally, Duke Media is in process of expanding the brand to involve itself in the development of new media technologies, i.e. cellphone apps, games, and virtual world experiences. Since the early 70s, Bill Duke along with industry veterans Michael Shultz and Gordon Parks, have long paved the way for African Americans in the industry.
Mr. Duke excels in front of and behind the camera. His acting and directing credits are extensive and include stints on such ground breaking television series as Falcon Crest, Fame, Hill Street Blues, Knotts Landing, Dallas, and New York Undercover. His feature credits include Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Get Rich or Die Trying, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, Predator, Menace II Society and Not Easily Broken, to name a few. He has recently completed production on, Blexicans, a new television pilot that takes a comedic look at a mixed race family. His documentaries, Dark Girls and Light Girls, both NAACP Image Award nominees, aired on OWN and were two of the most successful documentaries on the network.
Bill Duke's invaluable contributions to the industry have been recognized by both his peers and the entertainment community. Appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment of Humanities, he was appointed to the Board of the California State Film Commission by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he has been honored by the Directors Guild of America with a Lifetime Achievement Tribute.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Robert Townsend transcends any medium he touches whether he's performing stand up, acting, writing, directing, producing, or running a television network. A Chicago native, Townsend is often referred to as one of the "Godfathers" of the Independent Film World." With over 30 years in the business, he has made an indelible mark in Hollywood with an extensive list of credits. Robert's genius first revealed itself in elementary school. As a kid Robert was always fascinated with television, watching and studying it tirelessly, he began to practice acting out scenes and impersonating famous characters. At his school during a reading of Shakespeare's Oedipus Rex he dazzled the class with his ability to transform effortlessly into character, as a result Robert's remarkable versatile talent as a young actor was born and caught the attention of Chicago's Experimental Bag Theatre. Robert made an unforgettable mark in his hometown of Chicago, where he went onto New York's renowned comedy club the Improvisation that initiated his career as a stand-up comedian. Then for Robert it was on to Hollywood, where he dabbled in a mixture of industries and found that with his versatile talent, he was able to adapt easily from being a comedian to a full-screen actor. Robert's first film appearance was (uncredited) in popular urban classic, Cooley High (1975). His break came while performing on various television comedy specials including Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1986) and Uptown Comedy Express (1987). Although comedy had been his forte during the early part of his career, he knew he was destined to be on the big screen. He landed the role of a lifetime co-starring opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Story (1984), and appeared with Diane Lane in Streets of Fire (1984) and Kevin Costner in American Flyers (1985).
Once in Hollywood, seeing the difficulty Black Actors had and the lack of good work available in the film industry, left a burning desire for Robert to step behind the camera. With his acting career in high gear, Robert's career took a turn for the best when Robert Townsend the "independent filmmaker" was born. He wanted to do something to fill this void and without formal film education or outside funding (he used his own credit cards to finance), Robert wrote, directed, produced and starred in his own first film. The result was the critically acclaimed Hollywood Shuffle (1987), a satire, depicting the trials and tribulations of Black Actors in Hollywood. The success of this film forced "Hollywood" to recognize and appreciate the visionary versatile talent of "Robert Townsend", Tinseltown's newest, talented actor and filmmaker.
Following the success of "Hollywood Shuffle," film projects continued to pour in. He was soon directing Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987). His next film endeavor was the popular tearjerker classic The Five Heartbeats (1991)," a semi-autobiographical piece; reminiscent of the 60s R & B male groups and the ups and downs of the music industry. This classic continues to be a favorite amongst audiences and one of the most talked about films in the industry. The Meteor Man (1993) that he also wrote, directed and starred in included a stellar cast: James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby and Eddie Griffin.
In between features, Robert created and produced his ground breaking Cable Ace award-winning Partners in Crime (2005) variety specials for HBO and highly praised Townsend Television (1993) for FOX television. He also created and starred in the WB Network hit series The Parent 'Hood (1995).
Townsend has made history by being nominated for over 30 NAACP Image Awards for film and television. At the 2001 NAACP Image Awards he directed three performers nominated in the best actor/actress category in three different films: Leon, for his role in NBC's Little Richard (2000); Alfre Woodard in the Showtime Movie Holiday Heart (2000) (which also garnered her a Golden Globe nomination) and Natalie Cole for her gripping self-portrayal in Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000) (for which she won the coveted Image Award for best actress). Townsend continued to helm films for the small screen: Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) for MTV Films, starring Beyoncé (one of the highest rated shows for MTV) and Image Award winner, 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) for Showtime, a highly acclaimed period piece about the Pullman porter strike, starring Andre Braugher and Charles S. Dutton.
Robert has worked with some of the top talent in Hollywood including: Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Alfre Woodard, Louis Gossett Jr., Keenen Ivory Wayans and Chris Tucker, just to name a few and is responsible for discovering many of Hollywood's A-List talent before they became household names. He is the mastermind behind many of Hollywood's favorite and best-remembered movies and hit series. Robert's body of work has been seen on MGM, Disney, Fox, NBC, HBO, WB and MTV.
While busy as a performer and filmmaker, Robert always makes time to participate in humanitarian efforts and speak to various organizations. As a longtime speaker for the United Negro College Fund and the NAACP, his concern for inner city youth takes him through out the country to inspire young people to follow their dreams. In addition, Robert shares his business expertise with various Fortune 500 companies. Townsend is also a spokesman for the Milken Family Fund an organization created to recognize outstanding educators in the country, and stress to children the importance of education and respect for teachers. He has traveled with The Milken Family Fund to Chicago, Boston, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Los Angeles to recognize deserving teachers and inspire and motive students around the country.
Although he has many accolades, but none are more important than his family. His four children are the center of his heart. Following in his footsteps, his 3 daughters; Grace, Sierra and Skylar aka "The T Unit". They have received their first TV credit for the "B5 Christmas Special" aired on the BFC, a concept they came up with and pitched to their father. Despite his demanding schedule, Robert makes sure he spends quality time with his son, Max and his three daughters.
Always a pioneer, Townsend took the helm as President and CEO of Production for The Black Family Channel (BFC) creating and spearheading production for BFC's top rated shows. Where he ran the cable network for four years before it was sold to the Gospel Music Channel in the Spring of 2007. During his reign, he created unprecedented original programming for the network. Showing his unstoppable genius, in his short time as a television executive Townsend reached several milestones; he created over 15 new shows for the network with limited financing; of which two shows were nominated for a prestigious NAIMC Vision Award (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications), The Thou$and Dollar Bee and Lisa Knight and the Round Table), and he was voted one of the Most Influential Minorities in Cable by Cable World Magazine.
Townsend has recently returned in front of the camera to star opposite Angela Bassett in the faith based film Of Boys and Men (2008). He has also directed Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames in a biopic about the troubled boxing legend Sonny Liston entitled Phantom Punch (2008). Townsend also directed Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy (2009), a comedy documentary on the history of African America Comedians from slavery to present, with interviews including such legends as Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Chris Rock and the Wayans. As a Hollywood Icon and humanitarian, Townsend's mission is to create quality programming for everyone to enjoy and to create a classic body of work that would be timeless.- Additional Crew
Cheri Townsend is known for Hot Dog... The Movie (1983).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
David Hasselhoff has become one of the most recognizable faces on television and throughout the world. Aside from starring in Knight Rider (1982) and Baywatch (1989), he is also an accomplished singer and popular recording artist.
David Michael Hasselhoff was born on July 17, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Dolores Therese (Mullinex) and Joe Hasselhoff (Joseph Vincent Hasselhoff), a business executive. He is of German (from his paternal grandfather), English, and Irish descent. The acting bug first hit when David was seven and so he took acting, singing and dancing lessons. He was very shy off stage in front of girls because he was tall and thin, but when he was on stage he was in his element. Due to his father's work, his family (he has four sisters) moved around frequently. He initially thought his career was going to go in the direction of musicals and Broadway.
American audiences first came to know Hasselhoff when he portrayed the popular "Dr. Snapper Foster" for six seasons on CBS's soap opera, The Young and the Restless (1973). Lured by NBC's Brandon Tartikoff to move from daytime to prime time, Hasselhoff went on to star as "Michael Knight" in NBC's hit series Knight Rider (1982). The role garnered him a "People's Choice Award" for most popular actor and the show became a huge success overseas. The success of Knight Rider (1982) resulted in Hasselhoff's first major international following. When the show ended, Hasselhoff launched a successful recording career in Europe. In 1989, "Looking for Freedom" remained in the number one spot on the German charts for eight consecutive weeks. He has continued to perform regularly in concert and has released nine albums to date.
Hasselhoff returned to episodic television as Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch (1989) when the show debuted on NBC in 1989. Though it enjoyed good ratings, the network canceled the series after only one season. Undeterred, Hasselhoff and his partners acquired the rights to the show and, based on Hasselhoff's popularity overseas, they were able to secure financing and revive "Baywatch" in 1991. Now a piece of American pop culture and an international television phenomenon, Baywatch (1989) was at its peak seen in 140 countries by over one billion viewers each week. During his lengthy career, Hasselhoff has flexed his acting muscles in numerous other projects. He starred in the epic miniseries Shaka Zulu (1986), shot on-location in Morocco.
Hasselhoff is an outdoor sports enthusiast whose interests include scuba diving, hiking, white water rafting, tennis, and jogging. In addition, he has parachuted with the US Army Parachute Demonstration Team, The Golden Knights, and flown with the US Navy's Blue Angels. He is an avid sports fan, and has attended the World Cup Soccer Finals, the NBA Finals, the Olympics, the Indy 500, and the Kentucky Derby. Hasselhoff has traveled throughout Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. He spends many hours visiting children's hospitals throughout the world. His charity, "Race For Life", works with the terminally ill and handicapped children in America.
He was married to the beautiful actress Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff, with whom he has two daughters, Taylor-Ann and Hayley Amber.- Actor
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Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the action film Collateral (2004). Other prominent acting roles include the title role in the film Django Unchained (2012), the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and William Stacks in the modern version of Annie (2014).
Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. When her marriage to his father failed, his maternal grandparents, Mark and Estelle Talley, stepped in and, at age seven months, adopted Jamie too. He has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir. During high school, he played quarterback for his high school team and was good enough that he got press in Dallas newspapers. He studied music in college. He released a music album, "Peep This" (1994), and sings the theme song for his movie, Any Given Sunday (1999). However, in 1989, his life changed when a girlfriend challenged him to get up onstage at the Comedy Club. In fact, he says he took his androgynous stage name because he learned that women got preference for mike time on open stage nights. That led to his being cast on Roc (1991) and In Living Color (1990).
Foxx had his own WB television show from 1996 to 2001, the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show (1996), in which he played Jamie King Jr. Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing four albums which have charted highly on the US Billboard 200: "Unpredictable" (2005), which topped the chart, "Intuition" (2008), "Best Night of My Life" (2010), and "Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses" (2015). In 2012, Foxx starred in the title role of the Quentin Tarantino written and directed Django Unchained (2012). Foxx starred alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, as well as Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2013, Foxx was cast as President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013) alongside Channing Tatum. The following year, Foxx appeared as the villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and co-starred with Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie (2014), Sony's Will Smith and Jay-Z produced update of the comic strip-turned-musical.
He has two children, including Corinne Foxx, (born 1994), who resides with her mother.