Beauty and the Beast 1991 premiere
Sunday November 10th, El Capitan Theatre 6838 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Paige O'Hara's an American actress, singer & painter. She was born on May 10, 1956 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as Donna Paige Helmintoller. She's best known as the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991).
She started receiving acting lessons around 4 & singing lessons around 12. She enrolled at a performing arts high school, aspiring for a professional career as an actor & singer. She has cited American actress & singer Judy Garland as an inspiration for her career choice.
She started out as a theatrical actress, making her Broadway debut in 1983. She played the role of singer & dancer Ellie May Chipley in a revival of Show Boat, which depicts the life of fictional show-woman Magnolia "Nolie" Hawks over a 40-year period, from her 1st performances to her retirement. From 1985-1987, she played the roles of actress Alice Nutting, disappearance victim Edwin Drood & private investigator Dick Datchery in the The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In 1988, she appeared in the musical's 1st national tour. Other notable roles include Ado Annie Carnes in a 1986 revival of Oklahoma!.
In 1989, Walt Disney Animation Studios started production of Beauty and the Beast (1991). She learned about the upcoming film production from a newspaper article & applied for a voice role. She competed against 500 other applicants & was chosen for the lead role of Belle. The design team of the film had modeled Belle's appearance on Judy Garland so the casting crew wanted an actress & singer whose tone was reminiscent of her. She was thought to offer a decent artistic impression of Garland's style & had considerable experience in stage musicals, making her ideal for the role. After its release in 1991, she gained worldwide fame for voice acting.
In 1993, she joined the cast of the animated TV series The Legend of Prince Valiant (1991). She voiced Princess Aleta of the Misty Isles, a warrior woman who serves as a love interest for Valiant.
In 1995, she played Fantine in productions of Les Misérables. In 1996, she played protagonist Peter Pan in a revival of the musical Peter Pan.
She voiced Belle again in the direct-to-video film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) & the direct-to-video anthology film Belle's Magical World (1998). In 1999, Disney released the compilation film Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), which had a live-action Belle presenting animated tales. The live-action Belle was played by Lynsey McLeod but she voiced Belle for an animated segment featuring a brand new story. In 2000, she voiced Belle in the video games Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Magical Ballroom (2000), Kingdom Hearts II (2005) & Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (2007).
In 2007, she played the soap opera character Angela in a story-w/in-a-story featured in the film Enchanted (2007).
In 2011, she received a Disney Legend Award, honoring her for her contributions to Disney productions over the past 20 years. That same year, she stepped down from her role as the official voice of Belle. Her voice had changed considerably over 2 decades, so she could no longer match her original voice. It was announced that she would continue to work as a painter for Disney Fine Art & make promotional appearances for Disney. In 2018, she reprised the role of Belle in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
She has now mostly retired from acting though she continues to enjoy fame through voice acting in popular productions.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Actor
James Baxter was born in May 1967 in Bristol, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Kung Fu Panda (2008), Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
Mark Henn was born on 6 April 1958 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is a director, known for The Lion King (1994), Winnie the Pooh (2011) and Mulan (1998). He has been married to Debra Lou Hall since 1 August 1981.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Robby Benson is an American writer, director, composer, lyricist, actor, professor of film, filmmaker and novelist. He began his career in the theater, (Oliver, The King and I); on Broadway (co-starring in Zelda, The Rothschilds and Joseph Papp's The Pirates of Penzance, where he met and fell in love with the great, Karla DeVito!); Benson wrote the libretto and composed the music for the musical that opened in NYC at The Historic Cherry Lane Theatre (Open Heart), and wrote the best-selling novel, "Who Stole The Funny?" (HarperCollins), along with the medical memoir, "I'm Not Dead... Yet". Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe (one of several) for his second film, "Jeremy" which also won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. He sold his first screenplay to Warner Brothers at 18 years-old entitled, "One on One". He has starred in such films as One on One, Ode To Billie Joe, Ice Castles, Jeremy (Golden Globe nominee) Tribute, Harry and Son, Running Brave, The Chosen, Die Laughing (wrote screenplay & music), Walk Proud (scored the film as well), The End, Lucky Lady, Death Be Not Proud (Golden Globe nominee), The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, and Our Town among a few. He also wrote and directed the feature film, 'Modern Love' and composed the score for Straight Outta Tompkins and co-wrote the hit song in The Breakfast Club ("We are Not Alone" - the iconic John Hughes film - the scene where the kids dance in the library) with his wife and loving partner of 40 years, the great Karla DeVito! Benson and DeVito have received RIAA Gold Records, including Nobody Makes Me Crazy, which was covered by Diana Ross; Benson has also written scores for feature films. Benson also voiced 'Beast" in Disney's Academy Award nominated 'Beauty and the Beast." In television, Benson has exec. produced and directed over one hundred episodes of Network shows: from one-hour single camera to 30-minute sitcoms including many top ten shows such as Ellen, Friends, Dharma & Greg, Jesse, The Naked Truth, Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, Sabrina The Teenage Witch (also directed the pilot), Dream On (nominated Best Director/Single Camera), Muddling Through, Good Advice, Monty, Evening Shade and many more. Robby Benson has been a professor of film production at several universities for 20 years. At NYU's famed Tisch School of the Arts in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Benson received the honor of being nominated for both NYU's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006, and the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010. Robby is currently developing his second theatrical musical, "I Hear A Song!"- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
Born and raised in Colorado, Chris Sanders fell in love with animation at the age of ten after seeing Ward Kimball animated shorts on 'The Wonderful World of Disney'. He began drawing, and applied to CalArts after his grandmother told him about the animation program at the school. He majored in character animation, and graduated in 1984, moving on to work at Marvel Comics. He helped draw the characters for the show _Muppet Babies (1984)_. He then moved over to the Walt Disney Company in 1987, working in the visual development department. After doing some minor work on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Sanders catapulted to the top of Disney animation through his work on Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994). He helped write the 1998 Disney animated hit Mulan (1998), which moved him into the position to write, direct, and voice Lilo & Stitch (2002). Sanders moved to Dreamworks where he co-wrote, co-directed and did character design for How to Train Your Dragon (2010). Regardless of which studio he works for, he has become a recognizable force as an animator in both cel- and CGI-based features.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Producer
Glen Keane was born on 13 April 1954 in Abington, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Tangled (2010) and Over the Moon (2020). He has been married to Linda Hesselroth since 3 August 1975. They have two children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard White was born on 4 August 1953 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), House of Mouse (2001) and Great Performances (1971). He was previously married to Sharon Halley.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andreas Deja was born on 1 April 1957 in Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland. He is an assistant director, known for Mushka (2023), The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Winnie the Pooh (2011).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jerry Orbach was born in the Bronx, New York, the only child of Leon Orbach, a former vaudevillian actor, was a German Jewish immigrant, who was born in Hamburg, Germany, and Emily (nee Olexy), a radio singer, was born in Pennsylvania to immigrant Polish-Lithuanian Roman Catholic parents, Alexander Olexy and Susanna (nee Klauba). The family moved frequently. He spent part of his childhood in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania and eventually settled in Waukegan, Illinois, where he went to high school.
The constant moving made him the new kid on the block and forced him to become "a chameleon" to blend in his new settings. He studied drama at the University of Illinois and at Northwestern University. He then went to study acting in New York and got constant work in musicals. He slowly pushed to get acting roles in television and films after being overlooked due to his musical roots.
Orbach died at age 69 on December 28, 2004, after a decade-long battle with prostate cancer. His widow, Elaine Cancilla Orbach died on April 1, 2009, from pneumonia. Orbach and Cancilla both predeceased Orbach's mother, Emily Orbach, who died on July 28, 2012, at the age of 101.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Actor
Nik Ranieri was born August 23,1961 in Toronto, Canada and was trained in animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada.
After college, Nik worked in several commercial houses in Canada, later relocating to England, where he worked as a Journeyman Animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. That experience propelled him into his impressive career at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, which he officially joined in 1988.
Nik has traveled a long creative road since his journeyman days, with similar Supervising Animator positions on eight other Disney titles: The Princess and the Frog (Charlotte), Meet the Robinsons (Lewis), Chicken Little (Buck Cluck), The Emperor's New Groove (Kuzko, Kuzko Llama), Hercules (Hades), Pocahontas (Meeko and Additional Story Writer), Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere) and The Rescuers Down Under (Wilbur). His animation skills have also been seen in Winnie The Pooh, Tangled, Treasure Planet, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. His animation of Hercules' Hades garnered him a second Annie Award for Best Character Animation and National Cartoonist Society's prize for feature animation. He won his first Annie for his animation of Meeko in Pocahontas.
In 2013, Nik Left Disney animation and since then has worked on a number of independent projects and the long running television series "The Simpsons".- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Margaret Elizabeth (Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. At the age of twenty, he was offered $200 to join the company of the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for three months. He ended up staying for seven years, in due course playing both King Lear and Richard III. In 1969, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard where he also trained his voice as a dramatic baritone. He joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company at its outset, working on such productions as The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, The Hostage and the hit Broadway musical The Magic Show for which he created the character 'Feldman the Magnificent'. He lent his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He was also an avid fan of classical music and conducted a number of orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where was the principal guest conductor.
His other theatrical work included performances with the Committee Revue and Theatre, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop, The Old Globe Theatre Festival in San Diego and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Love Letters with Meredith Baxter. As a drama instructor, he worked at Santa Clara University and also taught improvisation at Harvard. In addition to his long-running role in M*A*S*H (1972), Stiers' work on television also included the excellent mini-series North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985), North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986), The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) and roles in such productions as Anatomy of an Illness (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), J. Edgar Hoover (1987), The Final Days (1989), Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986). Among his screen credits were The Accidental Tourist (1988), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Creator (1985), Harry's War (1981), Magic (1978) and Oh, God! (1977).
Above all, the prodigious talent that was David Ogden Stiers will be most fondly remembered as the pompous, ever-so articulate Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H. He had found that taking on the role was -- from the beginning -- an easy choice. Stiers saw and loved the movie version. Moreover, he had a fond regard of fellow actor Harry Morgan (who played the character of Colonel Potter) as a kind of fatherly role model. In retrospect, Stiers viewed his experiences with the show as a career highlight, saying "No matter how much you read about the M*A*S*H company, the evolution of it, the quite beautiful human stance it takes, you will not know how much it means ". In his spare time on the set he often annoyed the security guards by skateboarding at 25 miles an hour and "cheerfully thumbing his nose at them".
David died of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018, in Newport, Oregon. He was 75.- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Will Finn was born on 1 November 1958 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer, known for Home on the Range (2004), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and The Secret of NIMH (1982).- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Angela Lansbury was born in 1925 into a prominent family of the upper middle class living in the Regent's Park neighborhood of London. Her father was socialist politician Edgar Isaac Lansbury (1887-1935), a member of both the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Labour Party. Edgar served as Honorary Treasurer of the East London Federation of Suffragettes (term 1915), and Mayor of Poplar (term 1924-1925). He was the second Communist mayor in British history, the first being Joe Vaughan (1878-1938). Lansbury's mother was Irish film actress Moyna Macgill (1895-1975), originally from Belfast. During the first five years of Angela's life, the Lansbury family lived in a flat located in Poplar. In 1930, they moved to a house located in the Mill Hill neighborhood of north London. They spend their weekends vacationing in a farm located in Berrick Salome, a village in South Oxfordshire.
In 1935, Edgar Lansbury died from stomach cancer. Angela reportedly retreated into "playing characters", as a coping mechanism to deal with the loss. The widowed Moyna Macgill soon became engaged to Leckie Forbes, a Scottish colonel. Moyna moved into his house in Hampstead.
From 1934 to 1939, Angela was a student at South Hampstead High School. During these years, she became interested in films.. She regularly visited the local cinema, and imagined herself in various roles. Angela learned how to play the piano, and received a musical education at the Ritman School of Dancing.
In 1940, Lansbury started her acting education at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, located in Kensington, West London. She made her theatrical debut in the school's production of the play "Mary of Scotland" (1933) by Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959). The play depicted the life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587, reigned 1542-1567), and Lansbury played one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting.
Also in 1940, Lansbury's paternal grandfather, George Lansbury, died from stomach cancer. When the Blitz started, Moyna Macgill had reasons to fear for the safety of her family and few remaining ties to England. Macgill moved to the United States to escape the Blitz, taking her three youngest children with her. Isolde was already a married adult, and was left behind in England.
Macgill secured financial sponsorship from American businessman Charles T. Smith. She and her children (including Angela) moved into Smith's house in Mahopac, New York, a hamlet in Putnam County. Lansbury was interested in continuing her studies, and secured a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing. From 1940 to 1942, Lansbury studied acting at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art, located in New York City. She appeared in performances organized by the school.
In 1942, Lansbury moved with her family to a flat located in Morton Street, Greenwich Village. She soon followed her mother in her theatrical tour of Canada. Lansbury secured her first paying job in Montreal, singing at the nightclub Samovar Club for a payment of 60 dollars per week. Lansbury was 16 years old at the time, but lied about her age and claimed to be 19 in order to be hired.
Lansbury returned to New York City in August, 1942, but Moyna Macgill soon moved herself and her family again. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Moyna was interested in resurrecting her film career. Their first home there was a bungalow in Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills.
Lansbury helped financially support her family by working for the Bullocks Wilshire department store in Los Angeles. Her weekly wages were only 28 dollars, but she had a secure income while her mother was unemployed. Through her mother, Lansbury was introduced to screenwriter John Van Druten (1901-1957), who had recently completed his script of "Gaslight" (1944). He suggested that young Lansbury would be perfect for the role of Nancy Oliver, the film's conniving cockney maid. This helped secure Lansbury's first film role at the age of 17, and a seven-year contract with the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She earned 500 dollars per week, and chose to continue using her own name instead of a stage name.
In 1945, Lansbury married actor Richard Cromwell (1910-1960), who was 15 years older than she. The troubled marriage ended in a divorce in 1946. The former spouses remained friends until Cromwell's death.
In 1946, Lansbury started a romantic relationship with aspiring actor Peter Shaw (1918-2003), who was 7 years older than her. Shaw had recently ended his relationship with actress Joan Crawford (c. 1908-1977). The new couple started living together, while planning marriage. They wanted to be married in the United Kingdom, but the Church of England refused to marry two divorcees. They were married in 1949, in a Church of Scotland ceremony at St. Columba's Church, located in Knightsbridge, London. After their return to the United States, they settled into Lansbury's home in Rustic Canyon, Malibu. In 1951, both Lansbury and Shaw became naturalized citizens of the United States, while retaining their British citizenship.
Meanwhile, Lansbury continued appearing in MGM films. She appeared in 11 MGM films between 1945 and 1952. MGM at times loaned Lansbury to other film studios. She appeared in United Artists' "The Private Affairs of Bel Ami" (1947), and Paramount Pictures' "Samson and Delilah" (1949). In 1948, Lansbury made her debut in radio roles, followed by her television debut in 1950.
In 1952, Lansbury requested the termination of her contract with MGM, instead of its renewal. She felt unsatisfied with her film career as an MGM contract player. She then joined the East Coast touring productions of two former Broadway plays. By 1953, Lansbury had two children of her own and was also raising a stepson. She and her family moved into a larger house, located on San Vincente Boulevard in Santa Monica. In 1959, she and her family moved into a house in Malibu. The married couple were able to send their children to a local public school.
Meanwhile she continued her film career as a freelance actress, but continued to be cast in middle-aged roles. She regained her A-picture actress through well-received roles in the drama film "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958) and the comedy film "The Reluctant Debutante" (1958). She also appeared regularly in television roles, and became a regular on game show "Pantomime Quiz" (1947-1959).
In 1957, Lansbury made her Broadway debut in a performance of "Hotel Paradiso". The play was an adaptation of the 1894 "L'Hôtel du libre échange" ("Free Exchange Hotel"), written by Maurice Desvallières (1857-1926) and Georges Feydeau (1862-1921). Lansbury's role as "Marcel Cat" was critically well received. She continued appearing in Broadway over the next several years, most notably cast as the verbally abusive mother in "A Taste of Honey". She was cast as the mother of co-star Joan Plowright (1929-), who was only four years younger.
In the early 1960s, Lansbury was cast as an overbearing mother in "Blue Hawaii" (1961). The role of her son was played by Elvis Presley (1935-1977), who was only 10 years than her. The film was a box office hit, it finished as the 10th-top-grossing film of 1961 and 14th for 1962 on the "Variety" national box office survey. It gained Lansbury renewed fame, at a difficult point of her career.
Lansbury gained critical praise for a sympathetic role in the drama film "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1960), and the role of a manipulative mother in the drama film "All Fall Down" (1962). Based on her success in "All Fall Down", she was cast in a similar role in the Cold War-themed thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). She was cast as Eleanor Iselin, the mother of her co-star Laurence Harvey (1928-1973), who was only 3 years younger than she. This turned out to be one of the most memorable roles in her career. She received critical acclaim and was nominated for a third time for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The award was instead won by Patty Duke (1946-2016).
Lansbury made a comeback in the starring role of Mame Dennis in the musical "Mame" (1966), by Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert Edwin Lee (1918-1994). The play was an adaptation of the novel "Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade" (1955) by Patrick Dennis (1921-1976), and focused on the life and ideas of eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis. The musical received critical and popular praise, and Lansbury won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Lansbury gained significant fame from her success, becoming a "superstar".
Her newfound fame led to other high-profile appearances by Lansbury. She starred in a musical performance at the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony, and co-hosted the 1968 Tony Awards. The Hasty Pudding Club, a social club for Harvard students. elected her "Woman of the Year" in 1968.
Lansbury's next theatrical success was in 1969 "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (1945) by Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944). The play concerns an eccentric Parisian woman's struggles with authority figures. Lansbury was cast in the starring role of 75-year-old Countess Aurelia, despite her actual age of 44. The show was well received and lasted for 132 performances. Lansbury won her second Tony Award for this role.
In 1970, Lansbury's Malibu home was destroyed in a brush fire. Lansbury and her husband decided to buy Knockmourne Glebe, an 1820s Irish farmhouse, located near the village of Conna in rural County Cork.
Her film career reached a new height. She was cast in the starring role of benevolent witch Eglantine Price in Disney's fantasy film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971). The film was a box-office hit; it was critically well received, and introduced Lansbury to a wider audience of children and families.
In 1972, Lansbury returned to the British stage, performing in London's West End with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1973, Lansbury appeared in the role of Rose in London performances of the musical "Gypsy" (1959) by Arthur Laurents. It was quite successful. In 1974, "Gypsy" went on tour in the United States. with the same cast. For her role, Lanbury won the Sarah Siddons Award and her third Tony Award. The musical had its second tour in 1975.
Tired from musicals. Lansbury next sought Shakespearean roles in the United Kingdom. From 1975 to 1976, she appeared as Queen Gertrude in the National Theatre Company's production of Hamlet. In November 1975, Lansbury's mother Moyna Macgill died at the age of 79. Lansbury arranged for her mother's remains to be cremated, and the ashes scattered near her own County Cork home.
In 1976, Lansbury returned to the American stage. In 1978, Lansbury temporarily replaced Constance Towers (1933-) in the starring role of Anna Leonowens (1831-1915) in The King and I. While Towers was on a break from the role, Lansbury appeared in 24 performances.
In 1978, Lansbury appeared in her first film role in seven years, as the novelist and murder victim Salome Otterbourne in the mystery film "Death on the Nile" (1978). The film was an adaptation of the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie (1890-1976); Otterbourne was loosely based on real-life novelist Elinor Glyn (1864-1943). The film was a modest box-office hit, and Lansbury befriended her co-star Bette Davis (1908-1989).
In 1979, Lansbury was cast in the role of meat pie seller Mrs. Lovett in the musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (1979), by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (1912-1987). The musical was loosely based on the penny dreadful serial novel "The String of Pearls: A Domestic Romance" (1846-1847), which first depicted fictional serial killer Sweeney Todd. Lansbury remained in the role for 14 months, and was then replaced by Dorothy Loudon (1925-2003). Lansbury won her fourth Tony Award for this role. She returned to the role for 10 months in 1980.
Lansbury's next prominent film role was that of Miss Froy in "The Lady Vanishes" (1979), a remake of the 1938 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980). She was next cast in the role of amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in the mystery film "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980), an adaptation of the novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" (1962) by Agatha Christie. The novel was loosely inspired by the life of Gene Tierney (1920-1991). The film was a modest commercial success. There were plans for at least two sequels, but they ended in development hell.
In 1982, Lansbury was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, She appeared at the time in the new play "A Little Family Business" and a revival of "Mame", but both shows were commercial failures. In film, Lansbury voiced the witch Mommy Fortuna in the animated fantasy film "The Last Unicorn" (1982). The film was critically well received, but was not a box-office hit.
Lansbury played Ruth in the musical comedy "The Pirates of Penzance" (1983), a film adaptation of the 1879 comic opera by William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). The film was a box office bomb, earning about 695,000 dollars.
Lansbury's next film role was that of Granny in the gothic fantasy film "The Company of Wolves" (1984), based on a 1979 short story by Angela Carter (1940-1992). Lansbury was cast as the grandmother of protagonist Rosaleen (played by Sarah Patterson), in a tale featuring werewolves and shape-shifting. The film was critically well received, but barely broke even at the box office.
At about that time, Lansbury appeared regularly in television films and mini-series. Her most prominent television role was that of Jessica Fletcher in the detective series "Murder, She Wrote" (1984-1996). Jessica was depicted as a successful mystery novelist from Maine who encounters and solves many murders. The character was considered an American counterpart to Miss Marple. The series followed the "whodunit" format and mostly avoided depictions of violence or gore.
The series was considered a television landmark for having an older female character as the protagonist. It was aimed primarily at middle-aged audiences, but also attracted both younger viewers and senior citizen viewers. Ratings remained high for most of its run. Lansbury rejected pressure from network executives to put her character in a relationship, as she believed that Fletcher should remain a strong single female.
In 1989, Lansbury co-founded the production company Corymore Productions, which started co-producing the television series with Universal Television. This allowed Lansbury to have more creative input on the series. She was appointed an executive producer. By the time the series ended in 1996, it tied with the original "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980) as the longest-running detective drama series in television history.
Her popularity from "Murder, She Wrote" made Lansbury a much-sought figure for advertisers. She appeared in advertisements and infomercials for Bufferin, MasterCard and the Beatrix Potter Company.
Lansbury's highest-profile film role in decades was voicing the character of singing teapot Mrs. Potts in Disney's animated fantasy film "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). Lansbury performed the film's title song, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
During the late 1980s and 1990s, Lansbury lived most of the year in California. In 1991, she had Corymore House, a farmhouse at Ballywilliam, County Cork, built as her new family home. She spend Christmases and summers there.
Following the end of "Murder, She Wrote", Lansbury returned to a career as a theatrical actress. She temporarily retired from the stage in 2001, to take care of her husband Peter Shaw, whose health was failing. Shaw died in 2003, from congestive heart failure at the couple's Brentwood, California home. Their marriage had lasted for 54 years (1949-2003).
Lansbury felt at the time that she could not take on any more major acting roles, but that she could still make cameos. She moved back to New York City in 2006, buying a condominium in Manhattan. Her first prominent film role in years was that of Aunt Adelaide in the fantasy film "Nanny McPhee" (2005). She credits her performance in the film with pulling her out of depression, a state of mind which had lasted since her husband's death.
Lansbury returned to performing on the Broadway stage in 2007, after an absence of 23 years. In 2009, she won her fifth Tony Award. She shared the record for most Tony Award victories with Julie Harris (1925-2013). In the 2010s, she continued regularly appearing in theatrical performances. In 2014, she returned to the London stage, after an absence of nearly 40 years.
In 2015, Lansbury received her first Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress. At age 89, she was among the oldest first-time winners. Also in 2015, November 2015 was awarded the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.
In 2017, she was cast as Aunt March in the mini-series "Little Women". The mini-series was an adaptation of the 1868-1869 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). The series lasted for 3 episodes, and was critically well received.
In 2018, Lansbury gained her next film role in Disney's fantasy film "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018), a sequel to "Mary Poppins". Lansbury was cast in the role of the Balloon Lady, a kindly old woman who sells balloons at the park. The films was a commercial hit, earning about 350 million dollars at the worldwide box office.
In 2019, Lansbury performed at a one-night benefit staging of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). a farce satirizing Victorian morals. She was cast in the role of society lady Lady Bracknell, mother to Gwendolen Fairfax.
By 2020, Lansbury was 95 years old, one of the oldest-living actresses. She has never retired from acting, and remains a popular icon.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Writer
"The King of Cute" is what David Pruiksma was dubbed by his peers at CalArts. And, though other students before him held this title, the reign was Pruiksma's during his stint in the Character Animation Program from 1979 to 1981. Today, the title seems particularly appropriate in that for 20 years (1981-2001) Pruiksma was cast on some of the cuter and more appealing characters to come out of the Disney animated menagerie.
Pruiksma had the usual interest in animation from an early age. Growing up in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just minutes from the heart of Washington D. C., he was first influenced by early television cartoons, but remembers being really "blown away" by the 1964 television broadcast of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland". It was then that Pruiksma decided what his life's vocation would be, he wanted to be an animator.
Pruiksma drew constantly through school eventually making his own series of Super-8 films. Upon graduating from High School in 1975 he was accepted into the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn N.Y. where he received a very solid formal Art and Film training for two years. He was one of a handful of students selected to work on a theatrical film project, (based on a Berholt Brecht play) that was being done at the school by veteran puppet animator Lou Bunin. Still, Dave felt that he wasn't getting the training he needed to become a professional animator. His instructors recognized his ability and suggested a move to Los Angeles, where the animation industry was almost exclusively based at that time. He applied to California Institute of the Arts and was accepted into their Character Animation program starting in the Fall of 1979.
At Cal-Arts, Pruiksma applied the art and film foundations he had learned at Pratt to Disney style character animation under the instruction of renowned Disney artists T. Hee, Jack Hannah, Elmer Plummer and Ken O'Connor. From 1979 to 1981, he produced two short animated films, learning everything about animated film production from design to sound mixing. He even performed voices for several other student's films.
Hired at Walt Disney Feature Animation in the summer of 1981 as an inbetweener on "Mickey's Christmas Carol" after only two years at CalArts, David worked with top animator Ed Gombert bringing Ratty and Moley, (from "The Wind in the Willows") back to the screen after their then 35-year retirement. He later went on to do assistant work and small snippets of animation on the characters of Gurgi, Hen Wen, Taran and others for "The Black Cauldron". After this, Pruiksma joined directing animator Mark Henn in bringing the lovable, rotund Dr. Dawson character to life for "The Great Mouse Detective".
After a brief stint working on the feature-length production, "The Chipmunk Adventure", (again focusing on the more appealing Chipmunk characters) Pruiksma returned to Disney Feature Animation to work on Jenny, Oliver and Winston the butler, (among others) in Disney's successful 1988 release, "Oliver and Company". Following that assignment, directors John Musker and Ron Clements approached him to co-animate Flounder (with animator Barry Temple) on "The Little Mermaid". Dave animated that character throughout the film focusing on the "Part Of Your World" sequence with Glen Keane. He also designed and animated the little Seahorse Messenger who introduces the characters at the concert during the film's opening undersea sequence and appears later to help find Sebastian for King Triton just following the big musical number "Under da Sea."
On the strength of his work on "Mermaid", Pruiksma was cast as supervising animator on a short subject for Epcot Center called "Cranium Command". This film was made between "Mermaid" and "The Rescuers Down Under" and was directed by the team of Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, (who went on to direct "Beauty and the Beast", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Atlantis" at Disney Feature Animation). Pruiksma was cast to animate the diminutive, yet endearing, Buzzy, A "Cranium Command" recruit who triumphs over adversity. This amusing and popular short served as a pre-show introduction to the "Cranium Command" exhibit at Epcot Center in Florida for well over a decade.
Turning back to features, the animator helped bring believability and warmth to Bernard and Bianca throughout the animated feature film "The Rescuers Down Under", most notably in the proposal sequence in the outback country.
Pruiksma's first supervising animator role on a feature film was on "Beauty and the Beast" where he was called upon by the directors to oversee the pivotal role of a warm and cozy teapot named Mrs. Potts, (voiced by the inimitable Angela Lansbury). As the role of Mrs. Pott's precocious teacup son was expanded, Pruiksma also took on the challenge of adding charm and appeal to Chip's porcelain personality.
Following "Beauty", Pruiksma was again requested to team up with the directing team of Musker and Clements on "Aladdin". Not surprisingly, he was quickly cast on the round and cuddly Sultan of Agrabah, (a delightful and warm role with a silly twist).
As production on "Aladdin" was winding down, simultaneous casting began on the next two films with "The Lion King" up first and "Pocahontas" following. Though Dave was offered the then undeveloped roles of either Pumbaa or Timon, he opted, instead for the challenge of a pantomime role of the Hummingbird Flit in "Pocahontas" and was immediately cast in that role and as the supervisor and designer of many of the film's forest animals. Ironically, though he turned down the assignment on "The Lion King", a year later, after developing the character of "Flit" the hummingbird for "Pocahontas", the artist was asked back to "The Lion King" to finish up ruff animation of the character Pumbaa in "The Lion King", (most notably the luau sequence). After his brief stint on "The Lion King" it was back to work on "Pocahontas" full time. Now Pruiksma was dealing with full-blown production on Flit, an irascible character that Dave would almost single-handedly animate throughout the course of the film. This, in addition to handling the supervision of the various miscellaneous beavers, turtles, birds and animals that appear occasionally with Pocahontas.
In early 1996 Dave completed supervising animation on Victor and Hugo, two of the three fanciful gargoyles who appear as friends and supporters of Quasimodo in the ambitious animated feature, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Pruiksma really enjoyed his work on the gargoyles and to this day, after being a teapot, a hummingbird, a seahorse, and numerous other subjects, both real and imagined, throughout his animation career, Dave is still very enthusiastic about his work on these broad comedic personalities, carved out of stone.
After "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Pruiksma needed a break from the rigors of production and opted not to move onto the role of Porter on "Tarzan", which was, at that time, just ramping up and looking for Supervising Animators. Instead, he opted to develop and institute a training program for young, up and coming artists at the studio. For almost a year, Dave spent his time teaching skills learned from veteran Disney animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Eric Larson, as well as what he picked up from his own years in the animation trenches. He worked with studio animation trainees and clean up artists on animation tests and exercises to help strengthen and hone their skills and understanding of Disney animation. In addition to his successful training program, Dave also consulted with Walt Disney Imagineering on the planning of the Animation pavilion for the Mr. Eisner's under-budgeted brain child "California Adventure" theme park in Anaheim, CA and on two of the three "Hercules" CD-Rom games produced by now defunct Disney Interactive. Before long, Pruiksma was very happy to be called upon to reprise his role of Mrs. Potts in a sequence of "Beauty and the Beast" that was story-boarded during the production of the original movie but not animated until the summer of 1998. The sequence was called "Human Again" was seen in the long awaited 10 year re-release of "Beauty & The Beast" in IMAX theaters and is still available on the deluxe DVD release of the picture!
Pruiksma found all these different kinds of work to be an enjoyable change of pace, however, by the end of the summer of 1997, he was anxious to get back into full feature animation again. As Dave put it, "Talking about animation is one thing, but sitting down and doing it is what it is all about!" So, that Fall, he moved onto "Kingdom of the Sun", cast in the roll of a silly, vain Llama character named "Snowball" who gets into all kinds of trouble. Unfortunately, after several successful test scenes and character design work on a number of the characters in the film, story problems clearly needed to be addressed and the film was put on hold. While this was happening, Pruiksma decided to join forces with his old friends Don Hahn, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale on their developing feature "Atlantis". While on "Atlantis", the characters that Dave had developed for "Kingdom of the Sun" were dropped as the new plot unfolded and animation started up again on an entirely different film now called "Kingdom IN the Sun", (finally being released as "The Emperor's New Groove.).
Instead of returning to "Groove", Dave chose to stay on "Atlantis" and animate two characters for Kirk and Gary. "Atlantis" was a radical departure, in both story and appearance, from traditional Disney Features. The characters Pruiksma developed and supervised for the piece are Fenton Harcourt, (voiced by David Ogden Stires) and Ms. Wilhelmena Packard, (voiced by Florence Stanley). These human characters and highly stylized designs, (based on Mike Mignola drawings) were a new challenge for Dave. And, if the stylistic challenges were not enough, both characters also moved and acted drastically different, one from the other. Of course, part of the fun of character animation is derived from getting into these characters heads and seeing what makes them unique and interesting and then bringing that subtlety of persona to the animation. But then, Pruiksma states that diversity is part of the excitement and challenge of Walt Disney Feature Animation and he is happy and proud to be a contributor to this most lively of arts.
In the summer of 2001, Pruiksma made the difficult decision to leave Disney Feature Animation after nearly 20 years of work on nearly all the Disney features and shorts from that period. Pruiksma sites the reasons for leaving his beloved art of animation as being the over involvement and control of inept management and a greedy and corrupt corporate structure. Upon leaving Feature Animation, Pruiksma began writing articles and doing interviews about the demise of Disney animation. He soon teamed with colleagues Tim Hauser and Steve Moore in creating an on-line petition to help oust the then current management, right up to Michael Eisner. Soon the three were approached by Roy Disney to help create and launch the whole SaveDisney,com site which eventually did remove many of the most troublesome of executives in the department, helping to usher in the purchase of the Pixar Digital Animation Studio and the establishment of animator, storyteller and director John Lassiter as new reigning creative leader of the Disney Animation Studio and Imagineering.
Pruiksma is now working independently on a number of pet projects of his own as well as helping others on their projects. His departure from Disney Feature Animation has not slowed him down, creatively, in the least. Now Pruiksma spends his days in his home studio happily working on personal projects such as a book about his experience in Feature Animation as well as several children's book ideas and original animation projects. Occasionally an outside project will come up that will peak his interest and he will take on animation or illustration jobs such as his recent association and work with famous Southern California based designer Paul Frank of Paul Frank Industries, whose "Julius the Monkey" and other charming characters appear on a myriad of high fashion items around the world. Then there is exciting and groundbreaking animation work with acclaimed animator and long time friend Darrell Van Citters for his award-winning Renegade Animation studio. Here Pruiksma has applied his skills to an assortment of different areas of production including providing animation on pilot spots designed by colleague Michael Giaimo for the studio's show reel as well as having served as writer, storyboard artist and director on 7 episodes of the first season of Cartoon Network's successful "HiHiPuffyamiyumi" animated television series.
Moving on from that, Dave has contributed full character animation to on a number of projects produced by Eric Goldberg, including his upcoming animated short "The Monkey's Tale", an 8 minute long, wide screen animated spectacular for an amusement park show and ride now playing in a facility in the orient. The film has been "sneak previewed" here in the states on a number of occasions to very enthusiastic crowds.
Pruiksma also continues writing articles and doing interviews regarding his thoughts on current trends in character animation.
The artist's other interests include photography, writing, working on his Mac computer, gardening, traveling, and collecting old toys and recordings. He currently resides in his home in the foothills above Pasadena, California as of the updating of this biography in July of 2008.- Actor
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Bradley Pierce was born and raised in Glendale, Arizona. He moved to southern California to begin acting at age 6 and has since appeared in various projects ranging from commercial and voiceover to television and film. He is known for voicing Chip in Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Tails in the Saturday morning cartoon series Sonic the Hedgehog. Other roles include Peter in Jumanji and a starring role as Pete Lender in The Borrowers with John Goodman. Pierce and appeared with Patty Duke and Melissa Gilbert in the TV film Cries from the Heart/Touch of Truth as an autistic child named Michael.
Bradley has been involved with many charities throughout his life. He received a mayoral commendation from the City of San Diego for his work with "Reading is Fundamental" and worked for several years with the Los Angeles based "Kids With A Cause" helping initially as a youth ambassador, and eventually serving as spokesperson for a year. He has also worked with "The Red Cross" and "Los Angeles Children's Hospital". Bradley works with "the Y" (formerly known as the YMCA) as a counselor and outdoor skills instructor and is still an active cancer research advocate.
Bradley Pierce was married to Shari Holmes from May 6th 2005 until their divorce in 2017. The couple have three children.
Bradley produces short films and new media "Geek" content with the production company "ZFO Entertainment", a company he started with his good friend and fellow actor Joey Zimmerman. They are primarily working as a press/media outlet, in addition to producing their own short film content.
Outside of filmmaking, Bradley is the co-founder of Pierce & Luna, a cocktail community geared towards bartending education and liquor reviews. Along with his partner, Bella Luna, Pierce has begun providing bartending services and consultations for elite parties. Pierce and Luna also develop custom specialty cocktails for events, festivals, and new venues.- Rex Everhart was born on 13 June 1920 in Watseka, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Friday the 13th (1980), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Superman (1978). He was married to Claire Richard. He died on 13 March 2000 in Branford, Connecticut, USA.
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Ruben A. Aquino was born on 18 December 1953 in Okinawa, Japan. He is known for Mulan (1998), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Meet the Robinsons (2007).- Actor
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Jesse Corti was born on 3 July 1955 in Venezuela. He is an actor and producer, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Zootopia (2016) and Heist (2015). He has been married to Julietta Marcelli since 1989. They have two children. He was previously married to Laura Lyn Deberardino.- Animation Department
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This tall, attractive, rubber-faced, tunnel-mouthed comedienne with the trademark bouffant black hair is a one-of-a-kind commodity and certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to entertaining. Unapologetically, she adores the center stage...and vice versa -- the stage loves her. Like several of her Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) cohorts, Jo Anne Worley zoomed to overnight cult stardom in the late 1960s but, in her case, was able to extend her wild and woolly popularity to several other levels once her "fifteen minutes" of fame was over. Over the years, she has situated herself nicely into night clubs, musical theater productions, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and even cartoons. Four decades plus later, Jo Anne continues to delight and is instantly recognized with a mere raucous laugh or pointy digit embedded in her cheek.
The brassy, indefatigable Jo Anne was born in Lowell, Indiana, on September 6, 1937, the third of five children and has always separated herself from the crowd with her distinctively loud voice, whether singing or not. The writing was on the wall when she was crowned "school comedienne" in high school.
Following graduation (1955), she traveled east to pursue her dreams and initially apprenticed with the Pickwick Players. After a two-year dramatic scholarship to Midwestern State University, she transferred to Los Angeles City College and also trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. It did not take long before she made her professional debut in a production of "Wonderful Town." In 1961, she garnered some attention in the popular L.A. musical revue "Billy Barnes People," a show that took her all the way, if very briefly, to Broadway.
Performing in assorted musicals and revues over the next few years including "Carnival" (1962), "Second City Review" (1964), and "Hotel Passionato" (1965), Jo Anne's career was given a boost when she co-starred with fellow up-and-comers Linda Lavin and Paul Sand in the Mad Magazine-inspired off-Broadway revue "The Mad Show" in 1966. That same year, she received the break she was looking for when she was discovered by talk-show host Merv Griffin while showcasing her nightclub act in Greenwich Village. Griffin took a strong liking to her and gave her a viable comedy platform to play on with approximately 200 appearances in all. Producer George Schlatter caught Jo Anne's zany antics on Griffin's show and invited her to swinging TV stardom in 1968. The rest is history.
It's not always easy to stand out in a large ensemble but Jo Anne did, complete with unabashed manic energy and faux operatic tones on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) as part of the "let it all hang out" generation. In this psychedelic, irreverently political pastiche of comedy slapstick and music, Jo Anne found a perfect forum for her talents. Her bold, infectious comic flair proved a real crowd pleaser, and the big boned brunette became a certifiable TV star. While the show also made stars out of Ruth Buzzi, Henry Gibson and Arte Johnson and superstars out of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin, it also managed to rebuff the somewhat fading stars of co-hosts Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, and singer/actress Judy Carne.
In 1970, Jo Anne left the celebrated madness at the peak of the show's popularity to pursue a variety of other creative outlets. She made onscreen guest appearances on several TV shows, notably Love, American Style (1969), and was a steadfast presence on the talk show, variety show and game show circuits. Strangly enough, however, she never found a sitcom or another TV vehicle to adequately test-drive her comedy revvings.
With such a high-wattage personality that invites comparisons to Carol Burnett, Carol Channing and Ethel Merman, Jo Anne may have out-sized herself for films but her larger-than-life presence perfectly fit the musical theater bill. For decades she found a vast number of showcases to logically suit her. Her many musical tours have included, notably, "Gypsy" as Mama Rose, "The Wizard of Oz" as the Wicked Witch, and "Mame" as the title socialite. In addition, Jo Anne has found marvelous vehicles in "The Pirates of Penzance," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Anything Goes," "Nunsense," "Grease!," "Call Me Madam," and "Annie". Her non-singing theater resume includes "Luv," "Same Time, Next Year," "Lovers and Other Strangers," "Moon Over Buffalo," "Steel Magnolias," and the female version of "The Odd Couple." Many of these shows co-starred then-husband Roger Perry, whom she married in 1975. The couple had no children and divorced in 2000.
In 1989, Jo Anne returned to Broadway to appear in the original performance of "The Prince of Central Park." Her work over the years has been plentiful, especially for the Disney people, including the movie The Shaggy D.A. (1976) and animated features Beauty and the Beast (1991) (as the voice of the Wardrobe) and A Goofy Movie (1995).
Nearing the millennium, Jo Anne has made sporadic guest appearances on such TV shows as "Mad About You," "Caroline in the City," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Boy Meets World," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Bones," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Jessie" and "The Middle."
In other pursuits, Jo Anne has been active on the lecture circuit and has also served on the Board of Directors for Actors and Others for Animals. She also performs in concert, typically offering parodies of well-known songs to suit her man-chasing personality. A culinary enthusiast, she has also been seen whipping up specialties on the Food Network ("Ready Set Cook" and "Chef du jour").- Actor
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Tony Anselmo was born on February 18, 1960 in Salt Lake City, UT, and formed an early fascination with all things Disney sparked by a screening of Mary Poppins (1964) at the age of five.
His family moved to Sunnyvale, in northern California, when he was seven, and he continued to actively study Disney and animation. He began drawing, built a light table of his own, and began creating animation with a Super 8 camera.
He attended Marian A. Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, and began to cultivate his talents with night art classes at local colleges, and began regular correspondence with the artists who animated the Disney films, including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, and Milt Kahl.
With the support and encouragement of his Disney Animation correspondents, Anselmo was able to attend California Institute of the Arts on a Disney Family Fellowship. He began his studies in the Character Animation Department at CalArts in the fall 1978.
The school had a standard four-year degree program, but because of its close connection with the Disney Studio, the students' work was subject to the scrutiny of studio executives. Anselmo was selected to transfer to the Studio after only his second year. On September 1, 1980, he reported for work to the Disney Animation department in Burbank, CA.
In subsequent years, Anselmo contributed to the animation of 20 Disney animated features, including The Black Cauldron (1985), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), Tarzan (1999), and The Emperor's New Groove (2000).
One of the Disney stalwarts that Anselmo frequently encountered during his early days at Disney was Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck. Anselmo asked Nash to show him his vocal technique. From time to time, the two continued their informal "training" in performing Donald's dialogue. When Nash passed away on February 20, 1985, Anselmo inherited the role of Donald Duck as Nash had wished.
Anselmo's first performance as Donald was on a television program titled DTV Valentine (1986) a special on The Disney Channel, and since then, Anselmo has voiced Donald hundreds of projects, including television, feature films, theme parks, and consumer products.
Anselmo has also shared voice-over duties (with Russi Taylor) for Huey, Dewey, and Louie since 1999. He has voiced the nephews on Mickey Mouse Works (1999) and Goofy's Extreme Sports: Rock Climbing/Hansel And Gretel/Donald On Ice/Mickey's Mechanical House (1999) (while Taylor voiced the nephews in DuckTales (1987), Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999), and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004), Mickey's Speedway USA (2000), and the remastered DuckTales: Remastered (2013),) He also lent his voice to minor characters in The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Mickey's Around the World in 80 Days (2005), and Phineas and Ferb (2007).- Actor
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Hal Smith was born on 24 August 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Great Race (1965), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and The Andy Griffith Show (1960). He was married to Vivian M. Angstadt. He died on 28 January 1994 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Animation Department
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Russ Edmonds was born on 11 October 1961. He is known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992).- Actress
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Mary Kay Bergman did not have a face known to many - her voice was recognized more than anything else in the world. Although she was a big voiceover star in the 1990s, her true claim to fame was Trey Parker and Matt Stone's critically acclaimed adult animated television series, South Park (1997), in which she voiced almost all of the female characters. Sharon Marsh, Shelly Marsh, Sheila Brofloski, Wendy Testaberger, and Carol McCormick were only a few of the thousands of voices she performed. She helped Parker and Stone pave the waves of fame for "South Park" in the late 1990s, until her surprising gunshot suicide on Veteran's Day of 1999.- Actress
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Katherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress, born in New York City, New York, USA. One of the most well known voice-over actors working today, Kath Soucie began her career in New York as a theatrical actress. While Kath has been the voice of many campaigns and award-winning commercials, it is her work voicing thousands of episodes of animation that has won her an international fan base.
Soucie created the roles of Phil, Lil and Betty for Nickelodeon's Emmy Award-winning series, Rugrats, as well as for all three of the phenomenally successful Rugrats feature films for Paramount. She is the voice of young Nick in Zootopia (2016); Lola Bunny in the Warner Brother's classic Space Jam (1996); and Kanga in The Tigger Movie (2000), The Book of Pooh (2001), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002), Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005), Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), My Friends Tigger & Pooh (2007), My Friends Tigger and Pooh - Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (2007), Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009), and Super Duper Super Sleuths (2010). She was the voice of Chet, the hero reindeer, in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and Wendy in Disney's animated feature Return to Never Land (2002).
Soucie has brought hundreds of animated characters to life, both in prime time and day time television, playing diverse roles in such shows as Futurama (1999), Curious George (2006), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), The Tom and Jerry Show (2011), Trick Moon (2020), Lost in Oz (2015), Handy Manny (2006), Hey Arnold! (1996), The Real Ghostbusters (1986), Danny Phantom (2003), The Replacements (2006), The Weekenders (2000), Young Justice (2010), Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Recess (1997), Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000), Young Justice (2010), The Cramp Twins (2001), Pepper Ann (1997), The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996), Invasion America (1998), As Told by Ginger (2000), 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990), The Critic (1994), Baby Blues (2000), God, the Devil and Bob (2000), Firebuds (2022), and more.
In the games' world, she can be heard on Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011), Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), Tomb Raider: Legend (2006), The Elder Scrolls Online (2014), Fallout (1997), Syndicate (2012), World of Final Fantasy (2016), Full Throttle (1995), Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000), and Lost Odyssey (2007) among many, many others.- Actor
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Brian Cummings was born on 4 March 1948 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He has been married to Carla McNally since 1981. They have eight children.- Alvin Epstein was born on 14 May 1925 in Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Synecdoche, New York (2008) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). He died on 10 December 2018 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
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Tony Jay was a British actor and narrator. He is known for his deep and distinctive British voice. He was well-known for voicing Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Megabyte from ReBoot, Monsieur D'Arque from Beauty and the Beast, Shere Khan from The Jungle Book 2, Magneto in X-Men Legends and the Elder God in the Legacy of Kain. He was considered to portray Obi-Wan in Star Wars before he was turned down by George Lucas.- Actor
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Alec Murphy was born on 6 November 1955 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991) and M.U.G.E.N (1999).- Actress
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Kimmy Robertson began her career as a ballet dancer but her distinctive sense of humor and quirky style brought her to the attention of an agent who happened to worked in the same office as her ballet company. After at first being unsure about becoming an actor, Kimmy was then hired for the first role she auditioned for in the teen comedy The Last American Virgin (1982). She then returned to ballet but appeared in the occasional film such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and My Mom's a Werewolf (1989) before being cast as the Sheriff's ditsy secretary, Lucy, in the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks (1990). Creators Mark Frost and David Lynch recognized Kimmy's comedic talent and exploited it by encouraging her to ad-lib her lines, some of which turned into the funniest moments of the series. Since then, she has appeared in such films as Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and Stuart Little (1999).- Actor
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Frank Welker was born in Colorado. He followed his dream to California, and started a voice acting career which has spanned over five decades and hundreds of credits. Frank has worked with fellow voice actors Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Don Messick, Heather North, and Stefanianna Christopherson on Hanna-Barbera's iconic Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969), voicing Fred Jones, among other Scooby credits over the years. He has also worked with Kurt Russell, Peter Cullen, and Michael Bay.- Director
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Gary Trousdale was born in La Crescenta, California. His fascination with animation was fostered as a child, where he drew cartoons from an elementary school age. He planned to become an architect, but decided instead to study animation at CalArts, where he studied for three years. He was hired in 1982 to design storyboards and do other animation. He then went to work designing restaurant menus and t-shirts. He was hired in 1985 by Disney to work on "The Black Cauldron," and continued his relationship with the company for years. He gained true prominence in his field with the success of his animated film directorial debut "Beauty and the Beast," which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. He continues to work with Disney, and lives in the San Fernando Valley, a suburban area of Los Angeles, California.- Director
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Kirk Wise was born on 24 August 1963 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is a director, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Spirited Away (2001) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).- Producer
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Don Hahn was born on 26 November 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Maleficent (2014), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and The Lion King (1994). He has been married to Denise Meara-Hahn since 12 June 1987. They have one child.- Writer
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Linda Woolverton was born in Long Beach, California, graduating from high school in 1969 and having been an honors student in her schools theater program. She enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, graduating with a BFA in Theater Arts in 1973. She worked full-time for a year in the entertainment division at Disneyland, and began working toward her Masters Degree in Theater for Children at California State Fullerton, while working as a substitute teacher.
Upon the completion of her Masters Degree in 1976, she formed her own children's theater company. She wrote, directed and performed all over California in churches, malls, schools, and local theaters. She also began in 1979, to work as a coach to children acting in commercials. In 1980 she began working as a development executive for CBS, concentrating on both children's and late-night programming.
In 1984 she began working as a children's television writer, penning scripts for shows such as Star Wars: Ewoks (1985), The Real Ghostbusters (1986), Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983) and DuckTales (2017). She also had two young adult novels published: Starwind and Running Before the Wind.
When one of her novels caught the attention of a Disney executive, she was hired to write the script for the animated motion picture Beauty and the Beast (1991). Upon its release in 1991, Beauty and the Beast (1991) became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Woolverton also co-wrote the script for The Lion King (1994) and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). She also adapted the script of Beauty and the Beast for the stage, which opened to critical acclaim on Broadway in Spring 1994, and was later nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book in a Musical. She also wrote the book for Disney's third Broadway production 'Aida.- Director
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Roger Allers is an American animated film director and writer who is known for co-directing the influential 1994 Disney musical film The Lion King. He also worked on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. He was intended to direct the musical drama Kingdom of the Sun, which got retooled into the 2000 comedy The Emperor's New Groove.- Animation Department
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Brenda Chapman is an American animator, animation film director and writer from Beason, Illinois. She directed the Pixar film Brave and the DreamWorks Animation film The Prince of Egypt. She wrote the storylines of The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is married to Kevin Lima, fellow animation director. She did the singing voice of Miriam during the River Lullaby reprise of The Prince of Egypt.- Writer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Burny Mattinson's helmed the Academy Award-nominated 1983 animated featurette "Mickey's Christmas Carol." In 1986, wrote, produced and directed "The Great Mouse Detective." Mattinson's worked on"Sleeping Beauty," "101 Dalmatians," "The Sword in the Stone," "The Jungle Book," "The Aristocats" and "The Rescuers." He was a key story team member on Disney's contemporary classics: "Aladdin," "Beauty & the Beast," "The Lion King, "Pocahontas," "Mulan," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Tarzan." Mattinson joined Disney in 1953 at age 18 without formal art training, and started work as an in-betweener for "Lady and the Tramp" less than 6 months later.- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Kevin has worked on five of the top twenty five grossing and critically acclaimed animated feature films of all time. He has boarded on such classics as Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan , and How to Train your Dragon.
Kevin lives in Vermont where he recently boarded for Netflix Studio's Wendell and Wild and the Gaumont Studio's production of Paul McCartney's children's book, High in the Clouds.
Kevin was born in Southern California and moved to Vermont with his family over 20 years ago after establishing himself as a story artist for Disney Feature Animation. He has story boarded remotely for such clients as Disney, DreamWorks, Laika and other animation studios while living three miles down a dirt road in Northern Vermont.
Kevin was initially inspired by Norman Rockwell and how he caricatured people and life. Kevin found story boarding was an outlet for his take on life's silly, ironic moments.
"The best part about being a story artist is collaborating with of a team of writers, animators and actors to create cinematic magic."- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Brian Pimental was born on 13 April 1964 in Massachusetts, USA. He is a writer, known for Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (2019).- Animation Department
- Director
- Visual Effects
Bruce Woodside is known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Ghostbusters (1984) and The Swan Princess (1994).- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Joseph Ranft was an American writer, voice actor, animator, storyboard artist and magician. He worked for Disney and Pixar. He worked on The Lion King, The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo. He voiced in the many films he worked on, notably as Heimlich the Caterpillar from A Bug's Life and the outtakes of Toy Story 2. He passed away in August 2005.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Actor
Among Kelly Asbury's many achievements, he directed UglyDolls (2019) and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). He also co-wrote the 3D computer-animated feature film Gnomeo & Juliet (2011).
Asbury's other past directorial efforts include the Oscar-nominated films, Shrek 2 (2004) and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002).
During his over thirty-year career as an animation artist, Kelly Asbury had served many creative capacities on some of Hollywood's most popular animated films, including Frozen (2013), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Shrek (2001), Toy Story (1995), Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), "Beauty and the Beast" (Disney 1992) and "The Little Mermaid" (Disney 1989).
Asbury also provided a variety of character voices on Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) and Shrek 2 (2004).
In addition to films, Asbury was a noted author and illustrator of several published children's books, as well as having written and compiled the offbeat, non-fiction book, "Dummy Days - America's Favorite Ventriloquists from Radio and Early TV" (Angel City Press - 2003)
He sadly passed away on June 26, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Jacquie, two step-sons, a sister, and a niece- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Robert Lence has been a major contributor on some of the most successful films in the history of animated features. In his twenty-eight-year animation career, he has worked as a Screenwriter, Head of Story, Storyboard Artist, Visual Development Artist, and Story Consultant, helping create original characters, writing dialogue, and shaping the story on over a dozen major-release animated features.
Robert has worked at Walt Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks. His film work includes such all-time hits as "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life" and "Shrek." Robert served as Co-Head of Story on Pixar's 1995 "Toy Story," the first ever computer animated feature film.
A graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Robert attended the California Institute of the Arts' highly regarded Character Animation program for two years. He has also served as a member of the Cal Arts faculty, as a story teacher and story consultant.
Robert is also a member of the Writers Guild of America. He recently illustrated his first children's book, "Wrestling the ABC's."
A native of New York City, Robert has worked, taught and lectured in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, New York, London, Mexico, Uruguay, China, Korea and Russia. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Alan Menken is an American composer, songwriter, music conductor, director and record producer.
Menken is best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) have each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1987), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), among others.
He is also known for his work in musical theatre for Broadway and elsewhere. Some of these are based on his Disney films, but other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994) and Sister Act (2009).
Menken has collaborated with such lyricists as Lynn Ahrens, Howard Ashman, Jack Feldman, Tim Rice, Glenn Slater, Stephen Schwartz and David Zippel. With eight Academy Award wins, Menken is the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, who has 9 Oscars. He has also won 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, Emmy Award, 7 Golden Globe Awards and many other honors.- Editorial Department
- Editor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Writer
Jeffrey Katzenberg was born on 21 December 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and production manager, known for Shrek (2001), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and Just Like Heaven (2005). He has been married to Marilyn Katzenberg since 1975. They have two children.- Producer
- Writer
Jane Eisner was born in 1943 in the USA. She is a producer and writer, known for A New Kind of Family (1979), L'Chayim (1979) and Heart of Los Angeles Eisner Intergenerational Orchestra (2023).- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Marilyn Katzenberg was born on 2 April 1948. Marilyn is a writer and producer, known for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998) and Happily Ever After (1985). Marilyn is married to Jeffrey Katzenberg. They have two children.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
David Katzenberg was born on 22 March 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and director, known for It (2017), The Goldbergs (2013) and Just Beyond (2021).- Cynthia Cristina Ferrare, the TV personality and former wife of auto executive John DeLorean, was born on February 8, 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Italian-American Catholic parents, Renata Velia (Torinesi) and Tavio C. Ferrare, a butcher. Her family relocated to Los Angeles when she was 14 years old. Because of her beauty, she was offered work as a teenage model while she was still 14, and eventually was hired as a model by the makeup company Max Factor when she was 16. As a 20-year-old, she signed with Eileen Ford, one of the top modeling agencies in New York, and became a cover girl on the major fashion magazines. This exposure led to acting offers, and she signed a contract with the film studio 20th Century. She continued as the face of Max Factor, "The Max Factor Girl", until she was 26 years old.
In 1973, she married National Alliance of Businessmen President John DeLorean, the former vice president of car and truck production at General Motors, who was 25 years her senior. DeLorean, who had been the youngest man to ever head a division at General Motors when he was promoted head of the Pontiac Div. in 1965 at the age of 40, was a non-conformist with a flair for self-promotion who moved in show business circles. He had left G.M. in 1973 with the idea of starting his own automobile company, which eventually would become a reality in the 1980s, but would lead to his professional downfall and the collapse of his marriage.
The same year Ferrare married DeLorean, she had her sole leading role in motion pictures, the B-horror movie Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975). Shot in Mexico and featuring the beautiful Ferrare as a bisexual vampire, the movie was released and sank without a trace despite her erotic nude scenes. She was a finalist to appear in Charlie's Angels (1976), losing out to Jaclyn Smith, but her acting career never gained traction. As an actress, she mostly did guest spots on series TV like The Love Boat (1977), but Ferrare did establish a career as a TV host. She served as the co-host on ABC's The Home Show (1988) as co-host of the "Home & Family" show with Michael Burger, and as co-host of "AM Los Angeles", which during her five-year stint, was was the highest rated morning show in its market, the second-largest in the country.
As Ferrare's career as a TV personality rose, DeLorean's business fortunes crashed. The car company that bore his name went bankrupt. In 1982, John DeLorean was trapped in a sting operated by the F.B.I. and charged with trafficking in cocaine, to raise money to refinance his car company. Both Ferrare and DeLorean became born-again Christians after the arrest, and in the two-year legal ordeal that followed, Ferrare stood by her husband. DeLorean was acquitted in August 1984, due to entrapment.
Ferrare realized her marriage to DeLorean had been shallow and unfulfilling. Since she was a girl in Cleveland, she had dreamed of having a fairy tale life. Life with media darling DeLorean, however, eventually came to feel make-believe, and she knew their marriage was over long before it was officially ended. Her turning to Christianity helped her to brave the ordeal of her husband's arrest and trial, but after DeLorean's acquittal, Ferrare sought a divorce.
Her divorce was granted in 1985, and that same year, she married entertainment industry executive Tony Thomopoulos, whom she had first met in 1979 when he was the head of the ABC Television Network and she was auditioning for a sport on "Good Morning America". They had met again years later, and Ferrare knew she would marry him on their first date. They have been happily married for 22 years and have two daughters.
In addition to her TV appearances, she has written books, including "Cristina Ferrare's Family Entertaining", "Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache", and "Realistically Ever After". Ferrare also works for Creative Brands Group, designing jewelry, home accessories and furniture. - Tony Thomopoulos is known for Striking Distance (1993), The Suck and The Secret Things of God (2008). He has been married to Cristina Ferrare since 20 April 1985. They have two children. He was previously married to Anne Thomopoulos.
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jane Seymour was born as Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg in 1951 in Middlesex, England, to a nurse mother and gynaecologist/obstetrician father. She is of Polish Jewish (father) and Dutch (mother) descent. She adopted the acting name of "Jane Seymour" when she entered show business as it was easier for people to remember (and the name of one of King Henry VIII's wives). She attracted the attention of the James Bond film producers when they saw her on British television. She was cast as the main Bond girl, "Solitaire", in Live and Let Die (1973). The role gained her international recognition but she was in danger of losing it all like the previous Bond girls, so she came to the U.S.
A casting director advised her to lose her English accent and acquire an American accent to land roles on American television. She did and started getting roles, earning five Emmy nominations, resulting in one win for Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988) for playing Maria Callas. She won Golden Globe awards for both East of Eden (1981) and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), where she played the title role for 5 years. She occasionally appeared in feature films, memorably in Somewhere in Time (1980) and in Wedding Crashers (2005).
Married and divorced four times, she gave birth to four children and is a stepmother to two. They have children of their own, making her a grandmother. As of 2018, she has been acting in television movies and making guest-appearances.- Actor
- Director
- Composer
McKean was born in New York City at Manhattan Women's Hospital, now part of the Mt. Sinai St. Luke's complex on Amsterdam Avenue. He is the son of Ruth Stewart McKean, a librarian, and Gilbert S. McKean, one of the founders of Decca Records, and was raised in Sea Cliff, New York, on Long Island. McKean is of Irish, English, Scottish, and some German and Dutch descent. He graduated from high school in 1965. In early 1967, he was briefly a member of the New York City "baroque pop" band The Left Banke and played on the "Ivy, Ivy" single (B-side: "And Suddenly").- Additional Crew
- Actor
Colin McKean was born on 16 February 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for A Mighty Wind (2003), Temptation (2003) and The Kiss (2003). He died on 3 December 2012 in Ashland, Oregon, USA.- Additional Crew
Susan Russell is known for Pearl Harbor (2001) and A Mighty Wind (2003). She was previously married to Michael McKean.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is a theater-trained actor and producer who has starred in both independent and studio films. He was born on September 30, 1961 in Whittier, California, to Evelyn Vawter, a violinist and schoolteacher, and Jack Stoltz, an elementary school teacher. He has English, German and Scottish ancestry. Eric was raised in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara, California, where by the age of fourteen, he was earning money by playing piano for the local musical theater productions, including "Mame" starring Anthony Edwards, whom he co-starred with as two of Jeff Spicoli's stoner friends in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). The two became friends, and then college roommates when both attended the University of Southern California. Dropping out in his junior year, Eric joined a repertory company that did 10 plays at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Moving to New York in 1981, he studied with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury, and soon appeared in his first film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). In the 1980s, he garnered attention (and a Golden Globe Award nomination) starring as Rocky Dennis in Mask (1985), and in John Hughes' Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). In 1988, he made his Broadway debut in Our Town (1989), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
In the 1990s, he went back and forth from stage to film, building up an eclectic resume that included studio films (Pulp Fiction (1994)), independent films (Sundance Festival Winner The Waterdance (1992)), and films that he himself produced (Mr. Jealousy (1997)). He also continued to appear on the New York stage both on Broadway ("Three Sisters", "Two Shakespearean Actors") and off-Broadway ("The Importance of Being Ernest", "The Glass Menagerie"). He continued to work in television as well, doing a recurring role as Helen Hunt's ex on Mad About You (1992), a year on Chicago Hope (1994), and in the television and cable movies Inside (1996) (directed by Arthur Penn), A Killer in the Family (1983) (with Robert Mitchum) and The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) (with Dame Helen Mirren). Eric Stoltz lives in New Mexico, and has been romantically linked to Ally Sheedy, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lili Taylor and Bridget Fonda. Since 2002, he has concentrated mainly on directing, having done a television movie, several short films, several independent films, and television series such as Grey's Anatomy (2005), Boston Legal (2004), Nashville (2012) and Glee (2009). In 2014, he became the producing director of the CBS drama series, Madam Secretary (2014).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Bridget Jane Fonda was born in Los Angeles, California, to Susan Brewer and actor Peter Fonda. She is the granddaughter of Henry Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, both famous actors. Bridget made her film debut at age five as an extra in Easy Rider (1969), but first became interested in acting after appearing in a high school production of "Harvey." At age 18, she enrolled at New York University and spent four years there and at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
She went on to hone her craft in workshop productions and worked on such stage projects as "Just Horrible," written by Nicholas Kazan, who later cast Bridget in his directorial debut, "Professional Man," an episode for The Edge (1989) series on HBO. She also starred in PBS's Jacob Have I Loved (1989) and in a segment of Aria (1987), a film composed of short works by 10 respected directors. Her film credits include The Godfather Part III (1990), Strapless (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), Singles (1992), and Single White Female (1992).- Producer
- Actress
Cindy Landon was born on 27 January 1957 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for After Kony: Staging Hope (2011), The Game Changers (2018) and Sanctuary (2016). She was previously married to Michael Landon.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Christopher Landon was born on 27 February 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Freaky (2020), Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014) and We Have a Ghost (2023).- Jen Landon was born in Malibu, California, USA. Jen is an actor, known for Yellowstone (2018), Animal Kingdom (2016) and Banshee (2013).
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A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect vehicles (Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Back to the Future (1985)). His later films have become more serious, with the hugely successful Tom Hanks vehicle Forrest Gump (1994) and the Jodie Foster film Contact (1997), both critically acclaimed movies. Again, these films incorporate stunning effects. Robert has proved he can work a serious story around great effects.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Mary Ellen Trainor was born in Chicago, Illinois. She appeared in many feature-films of the 1980s, notable characters include, Elaine, the kidnapped sister of Kathleen Turner and the catalyst for the entire plot in Romancing the Stone (1984), Dr. Stephanie Woods (LA Police Psychiatrist) in in all four Lethal Weapon (1987) films, Mrs. Walsh Mikey and Brand's (Sean Astinand Josh Brolin) mom in The Goonies (1985), news reporter Gail Wallens in Die Hard (1988) and Ricochet (1991).- Actor
- Additional Crew
Alexander Zemeckis was born on 11 December 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997) and Beowulf (2007).- Producer
- Writer
- Executive
For four decades, Michael Eisner has been a leader in the American entertainment industry. He began his career at ABC, overseeing shows including Happy Days, Barney Miller, and Roots. He became president of Paramount Pictures in 1976, turning out hit films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease. IN 1984 Michael assumed the position of Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company and, in the ensuing 21 years, transformed it from a film and theme park company worth $1.8 billion into a global media empire now valued at over $170 billion. In 2005, Michael founded The Tornante Company, a privately held media & entertainment holding company. Today Tornante owns Topps, Inc., Portsmouth Football Club in England, and has a large and growing television division, including ownership of BoJack Horseman and Tucca and Bertie for Netflix, as well as Undone for Amazon. He and his wife, Jane, founded The Eisner Foundation in 1996 and recently focused the foundation on inter-generational solutions. He was born on March 7, 1942 in New York and later attended Lawrenceville School and Denison University. He and Jane have three sons, Breck, Eric and Anders and three daughters-in-law, plus nine grandchildren.- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Walter Afanasieff was born on 10 February 1958 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is a composer and producer, known for Book Club (2018), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992).- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Hailing from the small town of Charlemagne, Québec, Céline Dion has become one of the all-time greatest singers. Céline was born in 1968, the youngest of 14 children. Early in childhood, she sang with her siblings in a small club owned by her parents. From these early experiences, Céline gained the know-how to performing live. At the age of 12, Dion composed a song in her native French and sent it to a record company, where it garnered the attention of René Angélil, a respected manager. Angélil believed in Céline so much that he actually mortgaged his house in order to finance her debut album. Already very popular and successful internationally, Céline burst onto the U.S. stage when she recorded the theme song to Disney's hit Beauty and the Beast (1991). The song garnered a Grammy and an Oscar, and from this point Céline has brought forth hit after hit. Her 'Falling Into You' album, released in 1996, became the best-selling album of that year, selling more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1999, Dion took a hiatus in order to begin a family. She returned to the spotlight in 2002, releasing yet another hit album. Starting in 2003, Céline began a three-year commitment to perform in an arena built for her in Las Vegas.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Peabo Bryson was born on 13 April 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Friday After Next (2002). He has been married to Tanya Boniface since 20 July 2010. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jack Nicholson, an American actor, producer, director and screenwriter, is a three-time Academy Award winner and twelve-time nominee. Nicholson is also notable for being one of two actors - the other being Michael Caine - who have received an Oscar nomination in every decade from the '60s through the '00s.
Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune, New Jersey. He was raised believing that his grandmother was his mother, and that his mother, June Frances Nicholson, a showgirl, was his older sister. He discovered the truth in 1975 from a Time magazine journalist who was researching a profile on him. His real father is believed to have been either Donald Furcillo, an Italian American showman, or Eddie King (Edgar Kirschfeld), born in Latvia and also in show business. Jack's mother's ancestry was Irish, and smaller amounts of English, German, Scottish, and Welsh.
Nicholson made his film debut in a B-movie titled The Cry Baby Killer (1958). His rise in Hollywood was far from meteoric, and for years, he sustained his career with guest spots in television series and a number of Roger Corman films, including The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
Nicholson's first turn in the director's chair was for Drive, He Said (1971). Before that, he wrote the screenplay for The Trip (1967), and co-wrote Head (1968), a vehicle for The Monkees. His big break came with Easy Rider (1969) and his portrayal of liquor-soaked attorney George Hanson, which earned Nicholson his first Oscar nomination. Nicholson's film career took off in the 1970s with a definitive performance in Five Easy Pieces (1970). Nicholson's other notable work during this period includes leading roles in Roman Polanski's noir masterpiece Chinatown (1974) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which he won his first Best Actor Oscar.
The 1980s kicked off with another career-defining role for Nicholson as Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shining (1980). A string of well-received films followed, including Terms of Endearment (1983), which earned Nicholson his second Oscar; Prizzi's Honor (1985), and The Witches of Eastwick (1987). He portrayed another renowned villain, The Joker, in Tim Burton's Batman (1989). In the 1990s, he starred in such varied films as A Few Good Men (1992), for which he received another Oscar nomination, and a dual role in Mars Attacks! (1996).
Although a glimpse at the darker side of Nicholson's acting range reappeared in The Departed (2006), the actor's most recent roles highlight the physical and emotional complications one faces late in life. The most notable of these is the unapologetically misanthropic Melvin Udall in As Good as It Gets (1997), for which he won his third Oscar. Shades of this persona are apparent in About Schmidt (2002), Something's Gotta Give (2003), and The Bucket List (2007). In addition to his Academy Awards and Oscar nominations, Nicholson has seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. He also became one of the youngest actors to receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement award in 1994.
Nicholson has six children by five different women: Jennifer Nicholson (b. 1963) from his only marriage to Sandra Knight, which ended in 1966; Caleb Goddard (b. 1970) with Five Easy Pieces (1970) co-star Susan Anspach, who was automatically adopted by Anspach's then-husband Mark Goddard; Honey Hollman (b. 1982) with Danish supermodel Winnie Hollman; Lorraine Nicholson (b. 1990) and Ray Nicholson (b. 1992) with minor actress Rebecca Broussard; and Tessa Gourin (b. 1994) with real estate agent Jennine Marie Gourin. Nicholson's longest relationship was the 17 nonmonogamous years he spent with Anjelica Huston; this ended when Broussard announced she was pregnant with his child.- Actor
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Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a former model from Mississippi, and his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a Ford Motor Company executive from Indiana. Williams had English, German, French, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
Robin briefly studied political science at Claremont Men's College and theater at College of Marin before enrolling at The Juilliard School to focus on theater. After leaving Juilliard, he performed in nightclubs where he was discovered for the role of "Mork, from Ork", in an episode of Happy Days (1974). The episode, My Favorite Orkan (1978), led to his famous spin-off weekly TV series, Mork & Mindy (1978). He made his feature starring debut playing the title role in Popeye (1980), directed by Robert Altman.
Williams' continuous comedies and wild comic talents involved a great deal of improvisation, following in the footsteps of his idol Jonathan Winters. Williams also proved to be an effective dramatic actor, receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), before winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Good Will Hunting (1997).
During the 1990s, Williams became a beloved hero to children the world over for his roles in a string of hit family-oriented films, including Hook (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Flubber (1997), and Bicentennial Man (1999). He continued entertaining children and families into the 21st century with his work in Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Happy Feet Two (2011), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Other more adult-oriented films for which Williams received acclaim include The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), World's Greatest Dad (2009), and Boulevard (2014).
On Monday, August 11th, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California USA, the victim of an apparent suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. A 911 call was received at 11:55 a.m. PDT, firefighters and paramedics arrived at his home at 12:00 p.m. PDT, and he was pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m. PDT.- Actor
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Timothy Allen Dick was born on June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado, to Martha Katherine (Fox) and Gerald M. Dick. His father, a real estate salesman, was killed in a collision with a drunk driver while driving his family home from a University of Colorado football game, when Tim was eleven years old. His mother, a community service worker, remarried her high school sweetheart, an Episcopalian deacon, two years after Tim's father's death. He was raised with his many siblings and step-siblings. When Tim was young, his family moved to Birmingham, Michigan.
In high school, his favorite subject was shop, of course, and after high school, he attended Western Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Television Production in 1975. In 1978, he was arrested on drug charges and spent two years in jail. Upon his release, he had a new outlook on life and on a dare from a friend, started his comedy career at the Comedy Castle in Detroit. Later, he went on to do several cable specials, including, Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen (1988) and Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (1990). In 1991, he became the star of his own hit television series on ABC called Home Improvement (1991). While continuing to film his television series throughout most of the 1990s, he starred in a string of blockbuster movies, including The Santa Clause (1994), Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Galaxy Quest (1999). In August 1996, he developed and unveiled his own signature line of power tools, manufactured by Ryobi. On top of all that, he has his own racing team, Tim Allen/Saleen RRRRacing. In May 1999, he ended his series Home Improvement (1991) after eight seasons and in 2001, he filmed such movies as Big Trouble (2002) and Joe Somebody (2001).- Actor
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Chevy Chase was born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in Lower Manhattan, New York, to Cathalene Parker (Browning), a concert pianist and librettist, and Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase, an editor and writer. His parents both came from prominent families, and his grandfathers were artist and illustrator Edward Leigh Chase and Admiral Miles Browning. His recent ancestry includes English, Scottish, Irish, and German.
His grandmother gave him the nickname "Chevy" when he was two years old. Chase was a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975) from its debut until 1976, and then embarked on a highly successful movie career. He scored in the 1980s with hits such as Caddyshack (1980), Vacation (1983) and its sequels, Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989). All his films show his talent for deadpan comedy. Sadly, his career generally worsened through the 1990s, starring in disappointments such as the mediocre Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops and Robbersons (1994). More recently, Community (2009) marked a return for him, as he played a regular role for the first four seasons.- Actress
- Producer
Blonde, buoyant Donna Mills began acting in local amateur and professional productions in her home town of Chicago. Donna made her Broadway bow as a harem girl in Woody Allen's play "Don't Drink the Water," then played recurring roles on the Manhattan-based TV soap operas The Secret Storm (1954) and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1967). Her first film was The Incident (1967), a hard-hitting drama which co-starred fellow up-and-comers Martin Sheen and Beau Bridges. After playing Clint Eastwood's imperiled girlfriend in the cult thriller Play Misty for Me (1971), Mills guest-starred on numerous top-rated series and carved a niche for herself in made-for-TV movies, usually typecast as a damsel in distress. On the big screen, she scored another coup when she acted with Don Stroud in Murph the Surf (1975). Donna forever altered her on-screen image from trembling helplessness to calculating truculence in the role of Abby Cunningham Ewing, second wife of Dallas (1978) "black sheep" Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), in the nighttime serial Knots Landing (1979); coincidentally, Mills had co-starred with J. R. Ewing himself (aka Larry Hagman) on the short-lived sitcom The Good Life (1971). Three times she won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess: 1986, '88, and '89. She also earned a Soap Opera Digest nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial. After nine years as Abby, Mills decided to leave the long-running hit in pursuit of other opportunities. She continued to headline a range of television films, several of which she produced, often highlighting important social issues. These including Outback Bound (1988), The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid (1990), Runaway Father (1991), In My Daughter's Name (1992) and My Name Is Kate (1994). Mills returned to Knots Landing for its final episode in 1993, and again for the reunion miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac (1997). In between she had a brief recurring guest role as Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett)'s mother on Melrose Place (1992). In 2014, Donna joined ABC's General Hospital (1963) as yet another wealthy troublemaker, Madeline Reeves. For this role, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series. Donna has since appeared in the feature films Joy (2015) and Nope (2022), and starred in the reality show Queens of Drama (2015).
Donna has long been a supporter of various political and human rights causes, including Easter Seals, Women in Film, and ECO (Earth Communications Office). Unmarried, she adopted a daughter, Chloe, in 1994. She lives in Beverly Hills with her longtime boyfriend, Larry Gilman. She was previously in a long-term relationship with Richard Holland.- Actor
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- Additional Crew
Oscar-winning character actor Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before he became a staff cartoonist and illustrator. In his five years on the paper, he served as the illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" column. He also worked for cartoonist Gus Edson on "The Gumps" comic strip. Landau's major ambition was to act and, in 1951, he made his stage debut in "Detective Story" at the Peaks Island Playhouse in Peaks Island, Maine. He made his off-Broadway debut that year in "First Love".
Landau was one of 2,000 applicants who auditioned for Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in 1955; only he and Steve McQueen were accepted. Landau was a friend of James Dean and McQueen, in a conversation with Landau, mentioned that he knew Dean and had met Landau. When Landau asked where they had met, McQueen informed him he had seen Landau riding on the back of Dean's motorcycle into the New York City garage where he worked as a mechanic.
Landau acted during the mid-1950s in the television anthologies Playhouse 90 (1956), Studio One (1948), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948), Kraft Theatre (1947), Goodyear Playhouse (1951), and Omnibus (1952). He began making a name for himself after replacing star Franchot Tone in the 1956 off-Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," a famous production that helped put off-Broadway on the New York theatrical map.
In 1957, he made a well-received Broadway debut in the play "Middle of the Night." As part of the touring company with star Edward G. Robinson, he made it to the West Coast. He made his movie debut in Pork Chop Hill (1959), but scored on film as the heavy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North by Northwest (1959), in which he was shot on top of Mount Rushmore while sadistically stepping on the fingers of Cary Grant, who was holding on for dear life to the cliff face. He also appeared in the blockbuster Cleopatra (1963), the most expensive film ever made up to that time, which nearly scuttled 20th Century-Fox and engendered one of the great public scandals, the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton love affair that overshadowed the film itself. Despite the difficulties with the film, Landau's memorable portrayal in the key role of Rufio was highly favored by the audience and instantly catapulted his popularity.
In 1963, Landau played memorable roles in two episodes of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits (1963), The Bellero Shield (1964), and The Man Who Was Never Born (1963). He was Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Mr. Spock on Star Trek (1966), but the role went to Leonard Nimoy, who later replaced Landau on Mission: Impossible (1966), the show that really made Landau famous. Landau originally was not meant to be a regular on the series, which co-starred his wife Barbara Bain, whom he had married in 1957. His character, Rollin Hand, was supposed to make occasional, recurring appearances, on Mission: Impossible (1966), but when the producers had problems with star Steven Hill, Landau was used to take up the slack. Landau's characterization was so well-received and so popular with the audience, he was made a regular. Landau received Emmy nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for each of the three seasons he appeared. In 1968, he won the Golden Globe award as Best Male TV Star.
Eventually, he quit the series in 1969 after a salary dispute when the new star, Peter Graves, was given a contract that paid him more than Landau, whose own contract stated he would have parity with any other actor on the show who made more than he did. The producers refused to budge and he and Bain, who had become the first actress in the history of television to be awarded three consecutive Emmy Awards (1967-69) while on the show, left the series, ostensibly to pursue careers in the movies. The move actually held back their careers, and Mission: Impossible (1966) went on for another four years with other actors.
Landau appeared in support of Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970), the less-successful sequel to the Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night (1967), but it did not generate more work of a similar caliber. He starred in the television movie Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972) on CBS, playing a prisoner of war returning to the United States from Vietnam. The following year, he shot a pilot for NBC for a proposed show, "Savage." Though it was directed by emerging wunderkind Steven Spielberg, NBC did not pick up the show. Needing work, Landau and Bain moved to England to play the leading roles in the syndicated science-fiction series Space: 1999 (1975).
Landau's and Bain's careers stalled after Space: 1999 (1975) went out of production, and they were reduced to taking parts in the television movie The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). It was the nadir of both their careers, and Bain's acting days and their marriage were soon over. Landau, one of the most talented character actors in Hollywood, and one not without recognition, had bottomed out career-wise. In 1983, he was stuck in low-budget sci-fi and horror movies such as The Being (1981), a role far beneath his talent.
His career renaissance got off to a slow start with a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill (1983), starring Dabney Coleman. On Broadway, he took over the title role in the revival of "Dracula" and went on the road with the national touring company. Finally, his career renaissance began to gather momentum when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in a critical supporting role in his Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), for which Landau was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. He won his second Golden Globe for the role. The next year, he received his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his superb turn as the adulterous husband in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). He followed this up by playing famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in the TNT movie Max and Helen (1990). However, the summit of his post-Mission: Impossible (1966) career was about to be scaled. He portrayed Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's biopic Ed Wood (1994) and won glowing reviews. For his performance, he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Martin Landau, the superb character actor, finally had been recognized with his profession's ultimate award. His performance, which also won him his third Golden Globe, garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar and Golden Globe, including top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Landau continued to play a wide variety of roles in motion pictures and on television, turning in a superb performance in a supporting role in The Majestic (2001). He received his fourth Emmy nomination in 2004 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Without a Trace (2002).
Martin Landau was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.
Martin Landau died in Los Angeles, California on July 15, 2017.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Pia Zadora was born on 4 May 1954 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lonely Lady (1983), Butterfly (1981) and Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984). She has been married to Michael Jeffries since 7 January 2006. She was previously married to Jonathan Kaufer and Meshulam Riklis.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Esther Jane Williams was born on August 8, 1921 in Inglewood, California. Her youth was spent as a teenage swimming champion and she won three United States National championships. She eventually was spotted by a MGM talent scout while working in a Los Angeles department store. She made her film debut with MGM in an "Andy Hardy" picture called Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942). She became Mickey Rooney's love interest in the movie, and her character was called Sheila Brooks. Following this movie, stardom was not far away. MGM created a special sub-genre for her known as "Aqua Musicals". Her first swimming role was in Bathing Beauty (1944). This was a simple movie compared to her later big splashes such as Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), co-starring Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon. Esther Williams was often called "America's Mermaid", as it appeared that she could stay underwater forever!
Following the decline of the once lucrative MGM aqua musical, she attempted dramatic roles. The Unguarded Moment (1956), is one example of this new found dramatic confidence. It co-starred George Nader and John Saxon. Also, The Big Show (1961), co-starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Vaughn was another dramatic role. Overall, Esther's acting skills were limited and, as a musical star in the audience's eyes, she was unsuccessful. She retired from the movie industry in the 1960s, returning as a star guest in That's Entertainment! III (1994) discussing her appearance in MGM films. She certainly is recognized today for bringing enjoyment, escapism and entertainment on the big screen and has also a highly successful business in swimwear. Occasional television work discussing her contribution to the film industry is a treat for her fans from time to time.
Esther Williams died at age 91 in her sleep on June 6, 2013 in her home in Los Angeles, California.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of three children of Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer. She was named by her godmother, who claimed she saw a vision of Alfre's name written out in gold letters. A former high school cheerleader and track star, she got the acting bug after being persuaded to audition for a school play by a nun at her school. She went on to study acting at Boston University and enjoyed a brief stint on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles, California. She got her first break in Remember My Name (1978) which also starred Jeff Goldblum. She lives in Santa Monica, California with her husband, writer Roderick M. Spencer, and their two adopted children: Mavis and Duncan. She was named one of the Most Beautiful People in America by People Magazine.- Writer
- Actress
- Producer
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher was born on September 30, 1957 in Queens, New York City, New York to Sylvia Drescher, a bridal consultant & Mort Drescher, a naval systems analyst. Fran attended Hillcrest High School in New York with another now-famous name, Ray Romano. She was a studious girl and was quite popular. In fact, at age fifteen, she'd met the man she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. That man was Peter Marc Jacobson. Her first break was in the unforgettable movie, Saturday Night Fever (1977) with John Travolta. She continued to play small roles in movies, until she came up with the idea for The Nanny (1993). She was visiting a friend in England and came up with the plot line. The Nanny (1993) became an instant success, and so did Fran. Since then, she has been in films such as The Beautician and the Beast (1997) (which she also produced) and Picking Up the Pieces (2000) co-starring Woody Allen. Fran has since divorced her husband Jacobson. She is a cancer survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere.- Actress
- Producer
- Legal
Gloria Allred was born on 3 July 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Rat Race (2001), John Q (2002) and Race (2008). She was previously married to William Allred and Peyton Huddleston Bray, Jr..- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
From the grand old school of wisecracking, loud and lanky Mary Wickes had few peers while forging a career as a salty scene-stealer. Her abrupt, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor made her a consistent audience favorite on every medium for over six decades. She was particularly adroit in film parts that chided the super rich or exceptionally pious, and was a major chastiser in generation-gap comedies. TV holds a vault full of not-to-be-missed vignettes where she served as a brusque foil to many a top TV comic star. Case in point: who could possibly forget her merciless ballet taskmaster, Madame Lamond, putting Lucille Ball through her rigorous paces at the ballet bar in a classic I Love Lucy (1951) episode?
Unlike the working-class characters she embraced, this veteran character comedienne was actually born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser on June 13, 1910, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a well-to-do banker. Of Irish and German heritage, she grew into a society débutante following high school and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in political science. She forsook a law career, however, after being encouraged by a college professor to try theater, and she made her debut doing summer stock in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The rest, as they say, is history.
Prodded on by the encouragement of stage legend Ina Claire whom she met doing summer theater, she transported herself to New York where she quickly earned a walk-on part in the Broadway play "The Farmer Takes a Wife" starring Henry Fonda in 1934. In the show she also understudied The Wizard of Oz (1939)'s "Wicked Witch" Margaret Hamilton, and earned excellent reviews when she went on in the part. Plain and hawkish in looks while noticeably tall and gawky in build, Wickes was certainly smart enough to see that comedy would become her career path and she enjoyed showing off in roles playing much older than she was. New York stage work continued to pour in, and she garnered roles in "Spring Dance" (1936), "Stage Door" (1936), "Hitch Your Wagon" (1937), "Father Malachy's Miracle (1937) and, in an unusual bit of casting, Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre production of "Danton's Death". All the while she kept fine-tuning her acting craft in summer stock.
A series of critically panned plays followed until a huge door opened for her in the form of Miss Preen, the beleaguered nurse to an acid-tongued, wheelchair-bound radio star (played by the hilarious Monty Woolley) in the George S. Kaufman/Moss Hart comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner"; for once, it was Wickes doing the cowering. The play was the toast of Broadway for two wacky years and she went on tour with it as well. She also become a Kaufman favorite.
Hollywood took notice as well, and when Warner Bros. decided to film the play, it allowed both Wickes and Woolley to recreate their classic roles. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941), which co-starred Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan, was a grand film hit and Wickes was now officially on board in Hollywood, given plenty of chances to freelance. At Warners she lightened up the proceedings a bit in the Bette Davis tearjerker Now, Voyager (1942) as the nurse to Gladys Cooper. Elsewhere, she traded quips with Lou Costello as a murder suspect in the amusing whodunit Who Done It? (1942); played a WAC in Private Buckaroo (1942) with The Andrews Sisters; and dished out her patented smart-alecky services in both Happy Land (1943) and My Kingdom for a Cook (1943).
Wickes returned to Broadway for a few seasons, often for Kaufman, and did some radio work as well, but returned to Hollywood and played yet another nurse in The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948), a part written especially for her. She appeared with Bette Davis for a third time in June Bride (1948), finding some fine moments playing a magazine editor. Wickes went on to perform yeoman work in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953); I'll See You in My Dreams (1951); White Christmas (1954) and The Music Man (1962), the last as one of the "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" gossiping housewives of River City.
Television roles also began filtering in for Wickes she continued to put her cryptic comedy spin on her harried housekeepers, teachers, servants and other working commoner types. She played second banana to a queue of comedy's best known legends in the 1950s and 1960s, notably Lucille Ball (who was a long-time neighbor and pal off-screen), Danny Thomas, Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Lind Hayes and Gertrude Berg. Her stellar work with Berg on The Gertrude Berg Show (1961) garnered Wickes an Emmy nomination. Among the Baby Boom generation, she may be best remembered as Miss Cathcart in Dennis the Menace (1959).
In later years her gangly figure filled out a bit as she continued to appear here and there on the small screen in both guest star and series' regular parts. Later in life she enjoyed a bit of a resurgence. Recalled earlier for her Sister Clarissa in the madcap comedy films The Trouble with Angels (1966) and its sequel, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968), both with Rosalind Russell, She donned the habit again decades later as crabby musical director Sister Mary Lazarus in the box-office smash Sister Act (1992) and its sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). She appeared in Postcards from the Edge (1990) as Meryl Streep's grandmother, and in Little Women (1994) as the matriarchal Aunt March. True to form, the last role in which she appeared was voicing the gargoyle "Laverne" in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), which was released after her death.
The never-married Wickes died in 1995 after entering the hospital with respiratory problems. She suffered a broken hip from an accidental fall and complications quickly set in following surgery. She was 85 years young.- Actress
- Soundtrack
The lovely, cheery, continuously upbeat All-American mom from the classic Happy Days (1974) TV sitcom had fervent desires of becoming an actress while growing up in her obscure Minnesota town. Born Marian Ross (with an "a") on October 25, 1928, she grew up in her native state and, at one time, worked as a teenage au pair in order to earn money for drama lessons at the MacPhail Center in Minneapolis. The family eventually relocated to San Diego (she was in her late teens) and Marion attended and graduated from Point Loma High School.
Changing her stage moniker to Marion (with an "o") Ross because it read classier to her, the young hopeful enrolled at San Diego State College and appeared in the theater department's various productions. Graduating in 1950, Marion worked in summer theater in and around the San Diego area, including the Old Globe Theatre.
Marion managed to land a Paramount Studio contract with the assist of an old college professor and found a few unbilled parts to play as various actress, tourist and girlfriend types in a variety of films such as The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Secret of the Incas (1954), Sabrina (1954) and Pushover (1954). At the same time, she won a regular role as the Irish maid "Nora" in the Victorian-TV comedy Life with Father (1953) which ran a couple of seasons and was headed by Leon Ames and Lurene Tuttle. This program happened to be the first live color series for network Hollywood TV.
Not your conventional leading lady type, Marion landed slightly larger parts in such movies as The Proud and Profane (1956), Lizzie (1957), Teacher's Pet (1958) and Operation Petticoat (1959), but any and all attempts to move further up the Hollywood film ladder proved a long-lasting frustration.
Marking her Broadway debut in 1958 with a role in "Edwin Booth" starring José Ferrer, Marion nevertheless continued to focus on TV work. Throughout the 1960s, she appeared in a fairly steady amount of shows, both comedies and dramas, including Father Knows Best (1954), Rawhide (1959), Route 66 (1960), The Outer Limits (1963), The Felony Squad (1966) and The Brady Bunch (1969).
By the end of the decade, however, Marion was still disillusioned, but now she was divorced from her husband of 18 years, Freeman Meskimen, and struggling to raise two children. Middle-aged stardom came to her (in her 46th year) with the nostalgic sitcom series Happy Days (1974), which arrived on a wave of 50s popularity triggered by the huge box-office reception to the film American Graffiti (1973). The show starred "Graffiti" lead Ron Howard and co-starred Henry Winkler as "The Fonz". Marion was ideally paired with Tom Bosley, who expertly played her beleaguered hubby. The series became a certifiable hit and Marion's ever-pleasant "Marion Cunningham" the new, slightly blended version of Lucille Ball's ditzy and Barbara Billingsley's pristine perfect moms. Two Emmy nominations came Marion's way during the show's long tenure (ten seasons).
Following the demise of such an exalting hit, many actors often find themselves either resting on their laurels or witnessing a sad decline in their career. Not Marion. She continued to pursue her career assertively and challengingly and the critics kept taking notice. She earned terrific reviews for her recurring The Love Boat (1977) role in 1986, and enjoyed standard guest turns on Night Court (1984), MacGyver (1985), Burke's Law (1963) and (the revived) "Superman".
One of Marion's finest hours on TV occurred with her role as the obstinate, iron-willed Jewish matriarch in the Brooklyn Bridge (1991) series, which neatly deflected any broad, daffy stereotype she might have incurred from her Happy Days (1974) role. Irritating yet ingratiating at the same time, Marion's fine interpretation garnered the veteran actress two more Emmy nominations. Sadly, a lack of viewership triggered an abrupt cancellation and deep disappointment in Marion.
While never making a strong dent in films, an excellent supporting turn for Marion came in the form of her moving portrayal of Shirley MacLaine's loyal housekeeper and confidante in The Evening Star (1996), the long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment (1983). Critics predicted an Academy Award nomination for the actress but, surprisingly, it did not pan out.
Other films over the years have included Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970); Grand Theft Auto (1977), which starred Happy Days (1974) son Ron Howard (who also made his directorial debut); and, more recently, Music Within (2007) and the silly spoof Superhero Movie (2008).
During her post-"Happy Days" years, Marion reinvigorated her career on the stage. As a result, she earned renewed acclaim and respect for her roles in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (which brought her back to Broadway), "Steel Magnolias", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "The Glass Menagerie", "Pippin" and "Barefoot in the Park", among others. She also toured with her one-woman show as poet Edna St. Vincent Millay entitled "A Lovely Light".
On TV, Marion found recurring flinty-like roles on That '70s Show (1998) (as Grandma Forman), Touched by an Angel (1994) (a fifth Emmy nomination), The Drew Carey Show (1995), Gilmore Girls (2000) (as Gloria Gilmore), and Brothers & Sisters (2006), as well as guest parts on "Nurse Jackie," "Grey's Anatomy," "Anger Management," "Two and a Half Men," "Hot in Cleveland," "Chasing Life" and "The Odd Couple." Primarily involved in voice work into the millennium, she as provided voices for such animated shows as "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," "Scooby-Doo!" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," while also voicing the recurring roles of Grandma SquarePants in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) and Mrs. Lopart in Handy Manny (2006).
Into her nonagenarian years and still active, Marion was more recently featured in the old-fashioned comedy/fantasy Angels on Tap (2018). The ever-vital octogenarian continues to reside at her country-style home she calls the "Happy Days Farm" in California's San Fernando Valley.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Cathy Rigby was born on 12 December 1952 in Los Alamitos, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Peter Pan (2000), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012). She has been married to Tom McCoy since 11 September 1982. They have two children. She was previously married to Tommy Mason.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
John Phillip Stamos was born in Cypress, California, to Loretta (Phillips), a model, and William Stamos, a restaurateur. His father was of Greek descent, with the family surname originally being "Stamotopoulos". John has two younger sisters, Janeen and Alaina, both school teachers. His first professional role was as Blackie Parrish on the daytime soap General Hospital (1963) from 1982-1984, for which he won two Soap Opera Digest Awards (1982 and 1983). In 1987 he began the role of Jesse on Full House (1987), which is his best-known role to date, spanning eight years. At his request, the writers of Full House (1987) gave his character the last name of Katsopolis, instead of the original character's name, Cochran, in order to highlight John's Greek heritage. He has played drums occasionally with The Beach Boys since 1985, and directed their "Hot Fun in the Summertime" video. He expanded his career to include the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in Broadway's production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!" in 1995, showcasing not only his musical talents, but his dancing ability, as well. On September 19, 1998, he married model Rebecca Romijn, of MTV's House of Style (1989), which was the first marriage for both. They were officially divorced on March 1, 2005.- Actor
- Producer
- Production Manager
Comedian, saxophonist, composer, actor and musician, he performed within the orchestras of Charlie Spivak, Shep Fields and Claude Thornhill as saxophonist. Later, as super-hip jazz musician "Cool Cees" in television skits, he played tenor saxophone, and sang with the satirical trio "The Hair Cuts" (with Carl Reiner and Howard Morris). He sang the lead role in "Little Me" on Broadway. Joining ASCAP in 1955, his popular song compositions include "I Wrote This Song for Your Birthday" and "Was That You?".- Actor
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Luke Perry was an American actor, primarily remembered as a teen idol throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s. Perry was born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1966. Mansfield was known at the time as a center for the home appliances and stove manufacturing industries. The city's largest employer used to be the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Perry's parents were the steelworker Coy Luther Perry Jr. (1944-1980) and his wife Ann. Perry's parents divorced in 1972, when he was 6-years-old. Ann gained custody over her children, and later married construction worker Steve Bennett. Luke was mostly raised by his mother and stepfather, and did not have a close relationship with his biological father. Coy Perry suffered a heart attack in 1980 and died, when Luke was 14-years-old. Luke attended his funeral.
Perry was mostly raised in the village of Fredericktown, Ohio, and attended the Fredericktown High School. In his high school years, Perry served in the role of the school mascot, the "Freddie Bird".
In 1984, the 18-year-old Perry moved to Los Angeles, with the intention of becoming a professional actor. For several years, Perry kept auditioning for various roles without ever being hired. He supported himself financially by working at odd jobs, and serving as an extra for music videos. His most notable role in this period was in the 1986 music video for the song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" (1985) by the heavy metal band "Twisted Sister".
Perry's first successful audition landed him the role of a recurring character in the soap opera Loving (1983) (1983-1995). From 1987 to 1988, he played the character of Ned Bates. In Perry's own words: "Ned was a dirt-poor mechanic from Tennessee who always got taken advantage of".
Perry next received a recurring role in another soap opera, Another World (1964) (1964-1999). From 1988 to 1989, he played the character of Kenny, the manager of aspiring model and actress Josie Watt (played by Alexandra Wilson).
In 1990, Perry landed the most significant role of his career, depicting the character of Dylan McKay in the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) (1990-2000). He played the character for a total of 199 episodes. Dylan was the teenage rebel son of business tycoon Jack McKay and hippie ex-wife Iris McKay. He started the series as a loner, but he offered help to nerdy schoolmate Scott Scanlon (played by Douglas Emerson) against the local bullies. This act of bravery gained him new friends and the romantic attention of Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty).
Perry's success in his new role gained him a huge following among teenage girls, and guaranteed that he would receive more job offers. His first starring role in a film was the drama Terminal Bliss (1990) (1992), where he played the self-destructive rich kid John Hunter. The film was a box-office flop.
Perry had a more memorable role in the horror comedy film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), as the character Oliver Pike. Pike was a hard-drinking slacker youth in Los Angeles, and had a hostile relationship with high school girl Buffy Summers (played by Kristy Swanson). After Pike's best friend gets turned into a vampire, Pike assists Buffy in her battles with the vampire lord Lothos (played by Rutger Hauer) and his subordinate vampires. Pike is Buffy's sidekick and main love interest in the film, and has appeared in various adaptations, though not in the spin-off television series.
Perry had his first voice acting role in the episode, Krusty Gets Kancelled (1993) of the animated sitcom The Simpsons (1989). He played a parody version of himself as a sidekick of the character Krusty the Clown in a show-within-the-show. Perry had more voice acting roles in other animated television series of this era. He played the Detroit-based crime lord Napoleon Brie in Biker Mice from Mars (1993) (1993-1996), the master ninja Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1995) (1996), Bruce Banner's best friend and sidekick Rick Jones in The Incredible Hulk (1996) (1996-1997), and Nicky Little's boyfriend Stewart Waldinger in Pepper Ann (1997) (1997-2000).
In live-action films, Perry played the starring role of professional bull-rider Lane Frost (1963-1989) in the biographical drama 8 Seconds (1994). He played a version of himself in the Italian comedy film Vacanze di Natale '95 (1995) ("Christmas Vacation '95", 1995), where he is the love interest of infatuated teenager Marta Colombo (played by Cristiana Capotondi). Perry played the police officer and bank robber Chris Anderson in the crime drama Normal Life (1996), while his wife and partner-in-crime Pam Anderson was played by Ashley Judd. He played the suicidal character Johnny in the comedy-drama American Strays (1996), which features the character hiring a professional hit-man to provide him with an assisted suicide.
In 1997, Perry played a small role in the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997). In a scene set in 1914, Perry plays the assistant archaeologist Billy Masterson. Masterson sees his mentor being knocked out by Mondoshawan aliens, and reacts by shooting one of the aliens. Masterson's fate is left uncertain in the film, though the novelization features him as the victim of a poisoning plot.
In the late 1990s, Perry appeared frequently in television films and various direct-to-video films. He had guest roles in several television series, but mostly playing one-shot characters. Following the end of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) in 2000, his first major role was the recurring character Jeremiah Cloutier in the crime-drama Oz (1997) (1997-2003). Introduced in 2001 episodes of the series, Jeremiah was an Evangelical preacher who was imprisoned for embezzling funds from his church. He used his charisma and preaching skills to convert fellow prisoners to Evangelical Christianity, He was eventually assassinated by his own convert Timmy Kirk (Sean Dugan) and several of Kirk's friends, after Jeremiah denounced Kirk using Christianity as an excuse to murder people.
Perry next gained a starring role in the post-apocalyptic series Jeremiah (2002) (2002-2004). The series is set c. 2021, 15 years after a plague killed nearly everyone over the age of thirteen. Most of the adult characters of the show were children at that time, and survived the event. Now they are troubled adults, trying to survive in a harsh world. Perry's character Jeremiah is a wanderer who finds himself recruited into a Colorado-based secretive organization. He fights a war against a West Virginia-based organization which seeks to either conquer or wipe out all remaining outposts of humanity. The series lasted two seasons. A third season was planned, but plans for it were aborted due to disagreements between the production companies co-financing the series.
Perry returned to playing mostly guest star roles in television. In 2006, he was cast as one of the main characters in the short-lived drama series Windfall (2006). Only 13 episodes were produced, as the series failed to find an audience and one of the show's co-creators had left before the season's completion.
In 2007, Perry played businessman Linc Stark in the surf-themed series John from Cincinnati (2007). Despite relatively high ratings, the series only lasted for one season.
In the late 2000s, Perry played guest roles in police procedural a series: the rapist Noah Sibert in Trials (2008) and the cult leader Benjamin Cyrus in Minimal Loss (2008).
For much of the 2010s, Perry continued mostly appearing in guest roles and relatively obscure films. In 2015, a colonoscopy test revealed pre-cancerous growths in Perry's body, that could have developed into colorectal cancer. Perry received medical treatment, and became a spokesperson for campaigns requiring early testing for cancer.
In 2017, Perry returned to prominence in a live-action adaptation of a comic book series, Riverdale (2017) (2017-2019). It was an adaptation of Archie Comics' characters, but in a mystery series instead of their traditional comedy setting. Perry played Frederick "Fred" Andrews, Archie Andrews's father, depicted here as the owner of a successful construction company. Fred is depicted as a single father, as his wife Mary Andrews abandoned him and moved to Chicago. The series also depicts Fred as the ex-boyfriend of Hermione Gomez-Lodge (Veronica Lodge's mother).
On February 27, 2019, Perry suffered a massive ischemic stroke within his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. He was hospitalized, but suffered a second stroke days later. He died on March 4, 2019, having never recovered from the two strokes. He was only 52 years old. His body was buried near his home in Vanleer, Tennessee, where he had bought a farm and the associated house in 1995, and spent time living there when not working on film or television projects.
Perry's will reportedly left his son Jack Perry (b. 1997) and daughter Sophie Perry (b. 2000) as the only heirs to his estate. The press noted that the will excludes Perry's mother, his stepfather, his siblings, his ex-wife, and his last fiancée from having inheritance claims, and there was some speculation on Perry's motivation for this decision. His net worth was estimated at over $10 million.- Actress
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Janet Leigh was the only child of a couple who often moved from town to town. Living in apartments, Janet was a bright child who skipped several grades and finished high school when she was 15. A lonely child, she would spend much of her time at movie theaters. She was a student, studying music and psychology, at the University of the Pacific until she was "discovered" while visiting her parents in Northern California. Her father was working the desk at a ski resort where her mother worked as a maid. Retired MGM actress Norma Shearer saw a picture of Janet on the front desk and asked if she could borrow it. This led to a screen test at MGM and a starring role in The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947). MGM was looking for a young naive country girl and Janet filled the bill perfectly. She would play the young ingénue in a number of films and work with such stars as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Orson Welles and Judy Garland. She appeared in a number of successful films, including Little Women (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951), Scaramouche (1952), Houdini (1953) and The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), among others. Janet would appear in a variety of films, from comedies to westerns to musicals to dramas. Of her more than 50 movies, she would be remembered for the 45 minutes that she was on the screen in the small-budget thriller Psycho (1960). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this 1960 classic would include the shower scene that would become a film landmark. Even though her character is killed off early in the picture, she would be nominated for an Academy Award and receive a Golden Globe. Her next film would be The Manchurian Candidate (1962), in which she starred with Frank Sinatra. For the rest of the decade, her appearances in films would be rare, but she worked with Paul Newman in Harper (1966). In the 1970s she appeared on the small screen in a number of made-for-TV movies. In 1980, she appeared alongside her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog (1980), and later, in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). Janet Leigh died at age 77 in her home in Beverly Hills, California on October 3, 2004.- Actress
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The daughter of a premier makeup artist and the sister of a United States District Attorney, Michele Lee was born Michele Lee Dusick on June 24, 1942 in Los Angeles, California. Her childhood was consumed by the Hollywood entertainment industry. Lee was outgoing and had taken every chance to do plays in front of her family and friends. In junior high school, she continued acting in school plays. When she was in the 10th grade at Los Angeles' Alexander Hamilton High School, she tried out for the band and was the lead singer for that. Prior to her graduation from Hamilton, she landed her first role in the Broadway revue, "Vintage '60" and her career was launched. A small role in "Bravo Giovanni" and the lead role as Rosemary in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" followed. Her musical talent was brought to the attention of Columbia Records (now Sony) and she signed to the label in a hurry.
Shortly after she appeared in Broadway shows and became a singer, she began making a number of guest appearances on television doing dancing, singing and performing comedy routines on most live-action segments, most notably The Danny Kaye Show (1963). She was only 22 and her career was off to a firing start. She continued making guest appearances on a number of television specials and live-action series. However, the silver screen took precedence as she made her movie debut with the film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), followed by The Comic (1969), co-starring Dick Van Dyke. A year that, after her first child was born and soon after, she was back at work, starring as Secretary Carole Bennett on The Love Bug (1969), that it was the best movie of 1970 and it made it to the top of the box office all across the country.
While her laughter was brought unto the world and after giving birth to David Farentino, several months later her father passed away of a severe heart attack in 1970 at age 54. Michele was devastated by the loss of her father but she quickly directed herself to head back to work. She accepted a role on Broadway in "Seesaw", where her work gave her a 1974 Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. However, tragedy haunted Michele when she was unable to spring back for a long time after her mother died in 1974. Near the end of 1979, after being on vacation with her husband and only child, she accepted the leading role of the feisty-yet-friendly neighbor Karen Fairgate MacKenzie in the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing (1979), which spun-off the immensely popular serial Dallas (1978) on CBS. For 14 of those years, Michele was the big asset of the series and by the very first year that it debuted, it had low ratings and producers, at times, wanted to send "Dallas" stars to the cul-de-sac, including that of Larry Hagman, who met Lee after the pilot episode.
By the Fall of 1980, Lee and the producers of "Knots Landing" always wanted to do something better in order to boost up the ratings and in September of that same year, after refusing to accept "no" for an answer, former dancer and movie starlet Donna Mills came to the series by playing Lee's manipulative, nasty and least popular sister-in-law Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner, and the series became #1 for the next 13 seasons, among other 1980s soaps that stood the test of time. By 1982, she was nominated for one Emmy Award, but had won the Soap Opera Digest Award, three times. The triumph of the series was splendid but in real-life, her marriage to James Farentino was a burden and the couple was divorced in 1983. In 1989, while going on strong with her role on "Knots Landing", she also became the series' director, starting to direct several episodes of the series and just before Donna Mills left, making Lee the big star of the series.
By the 14th and the final season, most of her co-stars of "Knots Landing" were asked to be absent (except co-star Joan Van Ark, who left in 1992) a number of times on the series, but for Lee, she had declined to be absent and wanted to show up without pay. In 1993, "Knots Landing" was cancelled when her second family came to a close and due to high salary amongst her co-stars. When the series was dropped away from its schedule on CBS, she was open to new opportunities. She began to produce and develop her own television movies through her own production company. She has had an incredible career that spans almost 40 years in television, film and on stage and in 1999, she earned her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located not far from the site of her very first audition for "Vintage '60".
In 1995, after learning a great deal from her idol Dottie West, she appeared in the CBS-TV movie Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story (1995), playing the character of the same name doing all the singing and knowing what it was like to be Dottie West. Before she came back to do a reunion movie called Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac (1997), she played a retarded woman named Dina Blake on Lifetime's Color Me Perfect (1996) and was the first lady to star, write and produce a movie for Cable Television and, like The Love Bug, it was the best movie on Cable Television in 1996. In 2000, she starred opposite Valerie Harper in the Broadway play "Tale of the Allergist's Wife" in New York and almost four years later after a 35-year-absence, she returned to the big screen to play Ben Stiller's mother in Along Came Polly (2004).- Actress
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Audrey Meadows was born in New York City as Audrey Cotter, the youngest of four children. After she was born, her family returned to Wu'chang, China, where they worked as missionaries. Her family returned to the US and settled in New England when Audrey was age 6, and she and sister Jayne Meadows attended an all-girls boarding school. After high school, Jayne went to NYC with the goal of becoming an actress and finally convinced her little sister to join her in show business, but as a singer instead of an actress. Audrey spent months working on the Broadway show "Top Banana" and then got a job on The Bob & Ray Show (1951). She then replaced Pert Kelton as the most famous and best-loved "Alice Kramden" of The Honeymooners (1955). After "The Honeymooners" ended, she went on to do films, such as Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and That Touch of Mink (1962), and even portrayed Ted Knight's mother-in-law in the 1980s sitcom Too Close for Comfort (1980). But her heart--and ours--will forever remain in that two-burner-stove Chauncey Street kitchen.- Actor
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Possessing his father's durable good looks, vigor and charm, this tall, strapping, exceedingly handsome second son of John Wayne had huge boots to fill in trying to escape his legendary father's shadow and corral Hollywood fame on his own terms. But attempt he did and, looking back, he may not have achieved the outright stardom of his father but certainly did quite admirably, making over 40 films in his career -- nine of them with his dad.
One of four children born to John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz., Patrick John Wayne carried his father's name, so it seems natural that a similar destiny would be in the making. Patrick made his debut film bit at age 11 in his father classic western Rio Grande (1950) and proceeded to apprentice in The Quiet Man (1952), The Sun Shines Bright (1953), The Long Gray Line (1955), Mister Roberts (1955), and The Searchers (1956), some with and some without his father's name above the title credits. All the above-mentioned films, however, were helmed by family friend and iconic director John Ford. Following high school, he attended Loyola University and graduated in 1961 (older brother Michael Wayne had graduated five years earlier).
During this time, he went out on his own to star in his own film, the second-string oater The Young Land (1959). Realizing he was not quite ready to carry his own film, he returned to the family fold and gained more on-camera confidence throughout the 1960s supporting his father in The Alamo (1960), Donovan's Reef (1963), McLintock! (1963), and The Green Berets (1968). A few exceptions included a role in Ford's sprawling epic Cheyenne Autumn (1964), his turn as James Stewart's son in the frontier adventure Shenandoah (1965) and in An Eye for an Eye (1966) in which he and Robert Lansing played bounty hunters. He co-starred in the short-lived comedy western series The Rounders (1966).
Following work on his dad's Big Jake (1971), Patrick broke away again and sought success on his own. Interestingly, he earned more recognition away from the dusty boots and saddle scene and into the sci-fi genre. His career peaked in the late 1970s as the titular hero braving Ray Harryhausen monsters and saving Tyrone Power's daughter Taryn in the popular matinée fantasy Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), then battled more special effects creatures in the Edgar Rice Burroughs film adaptation of The People That Time Forgot (1977).
Patrick was a smoother, more gentlemanly version of the Wayne package with a completely captivating smile and accessible personality. He co-starred as a romantic love interest to Shirley Jones in another brief TV series Shirley (1979), and occasionally forsook acting chores to emcee game shows and syndicated variety series. Although the scope of his talent was seldom tested over the years, he was a thoroughly enjoyable presence on all the popular TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s, including "The F.B.I.," "Marcus Welby," "Police Woman," "Grizzly Adams," "Charlie's Angels," "Fantasy Island," "Matt Houston," "Fantasy Island" and "Murder, She Wrote."
Ending his film and TV just before the millennium, his last appearances were on "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" and "Silk Stalkings" and with the films Young Guns (1988) (as Pat Garrett), the comedy crimer Her Alibi (1989) and the action adventures Chill Factor (1989) and Deep Cover (1997).
Following the death of his elder brother Michael in 2003, Patrick Wayne became Chairman of the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Divorced in 1978 from Peggy Hunt, he is married (since 1999) to Misha Anderson.- Actor
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Sean M. Flynn was born on 31 July 1985 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Numb (2007), The French Revolution (1989) and Destination Anywhere (1997).- Lew Wasserman was born on 22 March 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was married to Edie Wasserman. He died on 3 June 2002 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
- Edie Wasserman was born on 4 November 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was married to Lew Wasserman. She died on 18 August 2011 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
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Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere was born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, the second of five children of Doris Anna (Tiffany), a homemaker, and Homer George Gere, an insurance salesman, both Mayflower descendants. Richard started early as a musician, playing a number of instruments in high school and writing music for high school productions. He graduated from North Syracuse Central High School in 1967, and won a gymnastics scholarship to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where he majored in philosophy. He left college after two years to pursue acting, landing a lead role in the London production of the rock musical "Grease" in 1973. The following year he would be in other plays, such as "Taming of the Shrew." Onscreen, he had a few roles, and gained recognition in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). Offscreen, he spent 1978 meeting Tibetans when he traveled to Nepal, where he spoke to many monks and lamas. Returning to the US, on Broadway he portrayed a concentration-camp prisoner in "Bent," for which he received the 1980 Theatre World Award. Back in Hollywood, he played the title role in American Gigolo (1980), establishing himself as a major star; this status was reaffirmed by An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). In the early 1980s, Richard went to Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador (amidst ongoing wars and political violence); he traveled with a doctor and visited refugee camps. It is said that Richard was romantically linked with Tuesday Weld, Priscilla Presley, Barbra Streisand and Kim Basinger. In 1990 Richard teamed up with Julia Roberts to star in the blockbuster Pretty Woman (1990); his cool reserve was the perfect complement to Julia's bubbling enthusiasm. The film captured the nation's heart, and won the People's Choice award for Best Movie. Fans clamored for years for a sequel, or at least another pairing of Julia and Richard. They got that with Runaway Bride (1999), which was a runaway success (Richard got $12 million, Julia made $17 million, the box office was $152 million, which shows what happens when you give the public what it wants!). Offscreen, Richard and Cindy Crawford got married December 12, 1991 (they were divorced in 1995). Afterwards, Richard started dating actress Carey Lowell. They had a son, Homer James Jigme Gere, on February 6, 2000. Richard was picked by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world in 1991, and as their Sexiest Man Alive in 1999. He is an accomplished pianist and music writer. Above all, Richard is a humanitarian. He's a founding member of "Tibet House," a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture. He has been an active supporter of "Survival International" for several years, a worldwide organization supporting tribal peoples, affirming their right to decide their own future and helping them protect their lives, lands and human rights (these tribes are global, including the natives of the Amazon, the Maasai of East Africa, the Wichi of Argentina, and others). In 1994 Richard went to London to open Harrods' sale, donating his £50,000 appearance fee to Survival. He has been prominent in their charity advertising campaigns.- Actress
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Carol Channing was born January 31, 1921, at Seattle, Washington, the daughter of a prominent newspaper editor, who was very active in the Christian Science movement. She attended high school in San Francisco and later worked as a model in Los Angeles. She attended prestigious Bennington College in Vermont and majored in drama and dance and supplemented her work by taking parts in nearby Pocono Resort area. Carol initially made her mark on Broadway in "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" playing Lorelei Lee. In "Hello Dolly" she played Dolly Gallagher Levi, the witty, manipulative widow intent upon finding a wealthy husband. The musical won ten Tony awards in 1964, including Channing's for best actress in a comedy. Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after President John F. Kennedy's death by seeing her perform in "Hello Dolly" and later visited her backstage. She appeared in the film Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her son Channing Carson is a Pulitizer Prize-nominated finalist cartoonist and she continued to practice her Christian Science religion.- Actor
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Rick began his career as a radio DJ while he was still at high school which led to him writing, producing and being on air in his own show. He joined the Canadian TV series, SCTV (1976), winning an Emmy for writing and portraying the character, Bob McKenzie, which became the basis for the film, Strange Brew (1983), which he co-wrote, co-directed and made his film acting debut. The character he played in Ghostbusters (1984) was based on a similar character he played on SCTV (1976).- Actor
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TV-talk show host, game-show host, singer, author, and TV personality, Regis Philbin became one of the most popular talk-show hosts in America and in Canada, especially. Growing up as an only child in The Bronx, New York, Philbin went to the University of Notre Dame and got a degree in sociology. Later, he would serve in the U.S. Navy and went through behind-the-scenes in radio and TV, before going into broadcasting.
After moving to California, Philin got his own show on KGTV in San Diego called That Regis Philbin Show (1964). However, with no writing team, for budget reasons, this led him to begin the show that would become his hallmark, where he engages his audience in discussions about his life and events of the day. It was then that he got his first big break as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show (1961). Bishop liked to tease Philbin. But the teasing stopped when Philbin walked off the stage on a live broadcast and stayed away for several days. Philbin later hosted A.M. Los Angeles (1975), a local TV talk show on KABC-TV. With his presence, he brought the show to Number One in Los Angeles.
On the show, Sarah Purcell was his first co-host, followed by Cyndy Garvey. However, when Philbin moved to New York City, they both paired up on "The Morning Show". But due to low ratings, Garvey then left once again and Philbin was then joined by Kathie Lee Gifford on the show and the ratings improved and the show's name was changed to "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988). Gifford left the show, which was called "Live with Regis" until a permanent replacement could be found.
During the search, Philbin won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, his first only Daytime award. When Kelly Ripa was chosen the same year, the show was later changed to "Live with Regis and Kelly." The pairing became successful.
Besides being a successful TV host, Philbin was also a game show host on a short-lived game show called The Neighbors (1975), in which part of the game is that a contestant, usually a woman, would have to find out which one of her neighbors is gossiping about her. He then hosted Almost Anything Goes (1975). Despite both shows being failures, Philbin then hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999), which became one of the most popular shows on TV before it was canceled in 2002 and came back with Meredith Vieira replacing Philbin. For his work on the show, he won his second Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host.
Philbin then signed a contract for "Millionaire's" spin-off: Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire (2004). But this time, instead of one million dollars, it's 10 million. However, the show was canceled within four months. However, Philbin's game show career didn't end there; he hosted the first season of America's Got Talent (2006), with Piers Morgan, Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff as the judges.
Besides TV, Philbin was also an author who wrote two books: "I'm Only One Man!" and "Who Wants To Be Me?". He was also a singer, in the style of a crooner, such as Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin.
Regis Philbin died on July 24, 2020, in Greenwich, Connecticut, of natural causes. He was 88.- Actress
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Marisa Berenson was born on 15 February 1947 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Cabaret (1972), Barry Lyndon (1975) and Cinéman (2009). She was previously married to Aaron Richard Golub and Jim Randall.- Actor
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Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond was born December 9, 1957 in Ogden, Utah, to Olive Osmond (née Davis) and George Osmond on . He was the seventh of eight brothers and has one sister. When Donny was young, his family went to see Lawrence Welk in California. They were unable to meet with him so they decided to take a vacation to Disneyland. This is where Donny's older brothers Wayne Osmond, Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond and Jay Osmond were discovered by Walt Disney. They performed at Disneyland and were soon asked to perform on The Andy Williams Show (1962). They performed on the show for nine years, with Donny joining the show at age six. After their run on the show was up, the brothers spent two years trying to make it big before Mike Curb and Rick Hall found "One Bad Apple," the song originally chosen for The Jacksons (then known as The Jackson Five), but was instead recorded by the Osmonds and made them famous. For the next several years, Donny traveled all over the world with his brothers, performing for fans such songs as "Puppy Love", "Crazy Horses", "Go Away Lttle Girl", "Down By the Lazy River" and "Twelfth of Never."
In 1974, Donny's sister, Marie Osmond, started performing with the brothers and Donny recorded duets with her. That led to their co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show (1961). An executive at ABC saw the show and offered them their own TV variety show. The pair took it under one condition--that the whole family be involved. Donny and Marie (1975) was a huge success and lasted four years. During the run of the show, Donny married Debra Glenn in 1978 and started a family. In 1979, the show was canceled and the family was faced with a huge debt that they repaid. The early 1980s were not easy for Donny. He tried many different avenues, including starring in "Little Johnny Jones" on Broadway, but without much success. Donny had a break in the late 1980s, though, when he teamed up with Peter Gabriel and recorded "Soldier of Love", which went to #2 on the US charts. In the 1990s, he toured as Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". This lasted to the late 1990s. After that, he teamed up with Marie again for Donny & Marie (1997), this time a TV talk show. This was highly successful as well, but only lasted a few years. After the end of the show, Donny once again returned to music. He has since released "This is The Moment" a collection of Broadway tunes, and "Somewhere in Time", a collection of love songs. Shortly afterward, Donny was offered the opportunity to host the syndicated game show Pyramid (2002), a revival of the popular The $10,000 Pyramid (1973) game show, and it ran from 2002-2004. Donny has released a new single "Breeze on By", which reached #8 on the UK charts. He has an upcoming CD "What I Meant to Say" due out in November in the UK and January 2005 in the US.