The Monster Squad 1987 premiere
Wednesday June 3rd, Ziegfeld Ballroom 141 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019
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- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Andre Gower is an actor, producer and director whose film & TV career spans over four decades. His role as "Sean" in The Monster Squad (1987) has secured his status in the horror genre with the resurgence and popularity of the now cult-classic film.
He recently Produced and Directed the award-winning documentary "Wolfman's Got Nards" which dives into the lasting power of film and the dynamic of fan loyalty.
He recently created and co-hosted (w/ Ryan Lambert) the digital series "Short Ends" for Nerdist/Legendary Studios as well as numerous other TV and film projects in development.
You can find Andre either on the golf course, story-breaking new concepts or celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Monster Squad at various screenings, conventions and special appearances.- Robby Kiger was born on 11 June 1973 in Encino, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Children of the Corn (1984) and Crazy Like a Fox (1984).
- Actor
- Director
Trained professionally at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, a graduate of Dartmouth College, a Ph.D. in Dramatic Literature from Indiana University and, during his teaching days, a tenured Associate Professor, Stephen Macht is one of the best-educated working actors in America, today.
Stephen Robert Macht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Janette (Curlenjik) and Jerome Irving Macht. He is of Russian Jewish descent.
He starred as "Proctor" in "The Crucible", "Orsino" in "12th Night", and "Dunois" in "Saint Joan" at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada, where he was scouted and signed by Universal Television to come to Hollywood to begin his film career. Since then, he has played leading men in plays and dozens of television movies and feature films from "Yoni Netanyahu" in Raid on Entebbe (1976) to "Warwick" in Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990), and from "Dan Lavetta" in The Immigrants (1978) to "David Keeler", Sharon Gless' love interest on Cagney & Lacey (1981). He has recurred on Boston Public (2000), Jack & Jill (1999) and Boomtown (2002). Soap Opera Digest nominated Stephen as "2007 Villain of the Year, for Trevor Lasing", on General Hospital (1963), a role he played through 2008.
Opposite Charlton Heston, Stephen played "King Henry VIII" in "A Man For All Seasons" at the Ahmansohn Theatre, and prosecutor "Challee" in "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was "Henry II" in "Lion in Winter" at the Cleveland Playhouse and, most recently, "Lyman Felt" in Arthur Miller's "Ride Down Mt. Morgan" at the Will Geer Theatre in what Variety called "a juicy star turn, appropriate for a character defined as a recklessly sexual, splendidly hungry man".
Stephen taught at Smith College, was a tenured professor at Queens College in New York and has directed theatre and television in Los Angeles. Together with his wife, he is the father of actor Gabriel Macht, and of three other children, and also has eight grandchildren and counting. His greatest hobby and future plans are to provide a lot of entertainment for years to come. Through the years, Macht has participated in and supported various charitable causes, serving as an Honorary Board Member of the Parkinson's Resource Organization and its Master of Ceremonies for the past ten years. In 1981 and 1982, he was the original moderator of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation's JTV. He has been spokesman for the Jewish National Fund, M.C. for several Israeli Consulate functions and is a board member of The Center For Jewish Culture and Creativity under leadership of Ruth and John Rauch. In 2013 Stephen earned his M.A. in Jewish Studies at the Academy for the Jewish Religion, Ca. and is an ordained Chaplain. He officiates at weddings, baby namings, and funerals by private arrangement.- Actor
- Art Department
- Soundtrack
Duncan Regehr was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In his youth he distinguished himself as a champion figure skater, then had his own radio program at age 16. Regehr was also an Olympic boxing contender, and a classically trained Shakespearean stage performer in his native Canada before tackling Hollywood in 1980, where he began to develop his work in film. From 1986 to the present Duncan Regehr has continued to paint, write, and film throughout the world.
At six feet, five inches tall, Regehr's imposing physique, good looks and commanding presence often cause him to be cast as larger-than-life heroes and stylishly wicked villains. His voice is refined and elegant, and he is frequently contacted for voice work. He is adept at adopting the accent of many languages for his work in theatre and film.
Less known about Duncan Regehr is that he is also a highly accomplished and internationally exhibited artist. As a child he was encouraged by his father, artist Peter Regehr, to develop his talents. He later studied painting with Dutch surrealist Henry Poesiat, as well as literature, psychology and sociology at Camosun College on Vancouver Island.
Regehr first exhibited in 1974 at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. The following year he showed at the Yorkville Art Center in Toronto. Since then, numerous exhibitions in Canada, the USA, Britain and Europe have attracted the attention of museums, critics and the public. His work is found in important collections worldwide, among them are the Smithsonian Institute (West Coast Archives USA), The Jilin Collection (China), The Kunsthallen (Copenhagen), Focus on the Masters Archives for the Getty Museum (USA), and the Syllavethy Collection of Scotland (GB).
Regehr's automonograph, "The Dragon's Eye: An Artist's View," received international acclaim and was lauded by art critics and literary reviewers as a book of visual and poetic excellence. In 1996 he won the American Vision Award of Distinction in the Arts, and was granted the lifetime appellation, 'Royal Canadian Artist' with honors in the year 2000 by the Royal Canadian Academy of Art and the Queen's Governor General for his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2008, Duncan Regehr received the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
His art may be viewed on his website.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Offbeat character actor Tom Noonan, born in Connecticut on April 12, 1951, started off his career in various theater troupes that utilized his skills as a guitarist and composer. A graduate from Yale's acting school, he founded the Paradise Theatre in 1983, which was instrumental later in his growth as an artist.
Gravitating toward film and TV in the 80s, he began appearing regularly in edgy, unsympathetic roles, most notably as the "Tooth Fairy" serial killer in Manhunter (1986) which was the first feature length film to introduce the infamous Hannibal Lector character. Most of his other work at this time was solid but unrewarding, including such looming parts in Easy Money (1983), Best Defense (1984), The Monster Squad (1987) and RoboCop 2 (1990), so he began to take classes in writing and directing in order to extend himself.
In the mid-90s, by appearing in a number of mainstream parts, he was able to finance his own first play-turned-art house film project What Happened Was... (1994), which became the darling of the Sundance Film Festival that year and won the Grand Jury Prize, not to mention an Independent Spirit nomination. He filmed it in eleven days at a cost of $300,000, and managed to edit it only hours before the Sundance deadline. The success of the two character film, which starred Tom and Karen Sillas as an awkward couple on their first date, induced Tom to finance another film, The Wife (1995), based on his Obie-winning (for writing) play "Wifey", which co-starred Tom with Julie Hagerty, Wallace Shawn and his one-time wife Karen Young. This film, which was warmly received at the Sundance Festival as well, was barely released theatrically, however, as was his third hands-on feature Wang Dang (1999).
Notable 90s TV work included roles in The X-Files (1993) and the miniseries North & South: Book 3, Heaven & Hell (1994), in which he also composed the score. Into the millennium, Tom was seen in such films as The Egoists (2003), Madness and Genius (2003), Seraphim Falls (2006), The Alphabet Killer (2008), The House of the Devil (2009), Night of the Wolf (2014), The Shape of Something Squashed (2014) and Wonderstruck (2017). TV offerings included "CSI," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and recurring roles on Damages (2007) (as Detective Huntley), Hell on Wheels (2011) (as Reverend Cole) and 12 Monkeys (2015) (as Pallid Man).
The New York-based actor continues to perform as well as teach acting at the Paradise Theatre, where many of his plays-turned-films got off the ground. He has also written short works of fiction.- A native of Westlake Village, Los Angeles, he was a popular child actor in the '80s, although he only had very small roles in nearly all but two of the movies he appeared in. He can be seen playing the (almost) central character "Horace" or "Fat Kid" in The Monster Squad (1987). He appeared in TV roles such as Quantum Leap and Dance Til Dawn in 1988 and 1989. His career as an adult never took off after the '80s, and he began to study law whilst working for a legal firm in the United States. On the 9th December 1997, he died of pneumonia in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of just 22.
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Ryan Lambert is an actor, writer and musician best known for his role as the iconic cool "Rudy" in the cult hit The Monster Squad (1987).
Recently, Ryan co-hosted the digital short film series "Short Ends" (w/ Andre Gower) for Nerdist/Legendary Studios.
Along with his numerous television and film credits, his years as a lead performer on the syndicated hit show "Kids Incorporated" has cemented his place in pop-culture history. Currently, Ryan can be found recording music, watching the LA Dodgers and celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Monster Squad with legions of loyal fans at appearances, conventions and screenings.- Actress
- Producer
- Casting Director
Ashley Bank was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Frasier (1993) and The Haunted (1991). She has been married to David O'Leary since 1 July 2012.- Michael Faustino was born on 16 November 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Monster Squad (1987), CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984) and Blank Check (1994).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jon Gries was born on 17 June 1957 in Glendale, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Men in Black (1997) and Get Shorty (1995).- 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).- Veteran little old man Italian character actor Leonardo Anthony Cimino steadily worked in both movies and TV shows alike from the late 1950's up until 2007. Cimino was born on November 4, 1917 in New York City. He was the son of tailor Andrea Cimino and his wife Leonilda. Leonardo played violin as a child and studied at Juilliard as a teenager. Moreover, Cimino studied acting, directing, and modern dance at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. A small, frail, and wizened fellow with a gaunt face, a slight build, and a distinguished air about him, Leonardo often portrayed shrewd Mafioso types, nice elderly gents, and various men of the cloth which include priests, cardinals, and even the Pope in "Monsignor." Cimino twice played Nazi concentration camp survivors: He was outstanding as the wise Abraham Bernstein in the excellent science fiction TV mini-series "V" and likewise marvelous as the kindly Scary German Guy in the delightful "The Monster Squad." Leonardo had a nice bit as the Baron's doctor in David Lynch's "Dune." Among the TV shows Cimino did guest spots on are "Naked City," "The Defenders," "Kojak," "Ryan's Hope," "The Equalizer," "The Hunger," and "Law and Order." Outside of movies and television, Leonardo acted on stage in such plays as "The Iceman Cometh," "They Knew What They Wanted," "A Memory of Two Mondays," "Mike Downstairs," "Night Life," "A Passage to India," "Handful of Fire," "The Liar," and "Cyrano de Bergerac." Cimino died at age 94 at his home in Woodstock, New York on March 3, 2012.
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- Producer
Stan Shaw was born on 14 July 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Daylight (1996) and Cutthroat Island (1995). He has been married to Dr. Zoe Shaw since 30 June 1994. They have four children.- Lisa Fuller was born on 6 November 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Baby Boom (1987) and Teen Witch (1989). She has been married to Dan Gauthier since 22 April 1990. They have one child.
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- Producer
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Carl Thibault is an award winning writer/director/producer who began his film career as an actor, first appearing as the "Wolfman" in the cult hit "The Monster Squad." He went on to act in such features as "Woman Undone" (with Mary McDonnell and Benjamin Bratt), "Perfect Assassins," (with Andrew McCarthy and Robert Patrick) and the action-thriller "One Foot in the Grave." Carl has also appeared in various roles on stage and television as well. His Directorial debut "The Garage" (a film which he also wrote and produced) was very well received, being officially selected to 87 Film Festivals and receiving more 50 awards and nominations. He can also be seen attending "Monster Squad" Reunion's around the country at various Monster Conventions...and remember... "Wolfman's Got Nards!"- Special Effects
- Make-Up Department
- Actor
Tom Woodruff Jr. was born in 1959 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Starship Troopers (1997), Death Becomes Her (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). He is married to Tami Spitler Woodruff. They have three children.- Michael Reid MacKay was born on 24 June 1953 in New London, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor, known for Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), X2 (2003) and Batman & Robin (1997).
- Although he did not turn to the stage until middle age after two decades in the Royal Navy, Jack Gwillim was a notable actor on both sides of the Atlantic. During the 1950s he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare company in Stratford, England, for three years during Sir Anthony Quayle's stint as artistic director, and a member of the Old Vic Company for a further three years. His extensive theatre credits included many leading roles in the West End including "Sacred Flame" with Gladys Cooper and Wendy Hiller, "The Right Honourable Gentleman" with Quayle, "The Dark is Light Enough" with Dame Edith Evans, "Castle In Sweden" with Diane Cilento, "Portrait Of Murder", "A Kind Of Folly" with Dame Flora Robson, "You Never Can Tell" and "Merchant Of Venice" with Sir Ralph Richardson. In 1969 he emigrated to the United States, working in top regional theaters, off-Broadway and Broadway. His Broadway credits include the role of Col. Pickering in Rex Harrison revival of "My Fair Lady", and Ingrid Bergman's husband in "The Constant Wife" directed by Sir John Gielgud. Other Broadway shows included "Ari", "MacBeth" with Christopher Plummer and 'Glenda Jackson (I)', "Romeo and Juliet", "Lost in the Stars" with Brock Peters, "The Iceman Cometh" with James Earl Jones and with the Old Vic "MacBeth", "Romeo and Juliet" with Claire Bloom, "Richard II" and "Troilus and Cressida." He did numerous tours in the U.S including "Laurette" with Judy Holliday.
On stage he has worked with such actors as Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir Anthony Quayle, Dame Judith Anderson, Judi Dench, Sir Michael Redgrave and Richard Burton. He is also known for war films such as Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956) with Peter Finch, The One That Got Away (1957), North West Frontier (1959) with Lauren Bacall and Sink the Bismarck! (1960). His work in epics includes Solomon and Sheba (1959) with Yul Brynner, Cromwell (1970) with Richard Harris, Oscar-winning films Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Patton (1970) and A Man for All Seasons (1966). His work in cult favorites includes Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981) with Sir Laurence Olivier. His work in "Hammer" films includes Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) with Peter Cushing, Circus of Horrors (1960) and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964). He also co-starred in the Disney hit In Search of the Castaways (1962) with Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills.
His voice work can be heard on Caedmon Records in "Anthony & Cleopatra", "King John", "Macbeth", "Richard II", "Titus Andronicus", "Troilus and Cressida", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Henry IV" parts I and II and "Henry V". - Gabriel Dean is known for Hansel and Grendel (2015).
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- Producer
- Writer
Jason Hervey was born April 6th, 1972 in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Alan & Marsha Hervey, brother of Scott. At the age 4, Jason began his career appearing in over 250 commercials for some of Americas favorite brands. Before long, his visibility from the various commercials lead him to several appearances in some of televisions most notable shows. He also appeared in cameo roles in such feature films as Back to The Future, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Back To School, Monster Squad, Police Academy 2, Meatballs 2, Tim Burtons Franken-weenie and more. After appearing for two seasons in Different Strokes, Jason landed the role of Wayne Arnold in the Emmy Award-winning hit series "The Wonder Years". From this platform and experience Jason was able to leverage opportunities behind the camera as he began a career in producing. His first project was at the age of 17 whereby Jason created, starred in and produced 26 episodes of the Saturday morning series "Wide World of Kids". After 6 seasons and 29 Emmy Nominations for "The Wonder Years", Jason partnered with former Sony of America CEO Peter Guber in Mandalay Sports Action Entertainment,(MSAE). While at Mandalay Jason spearheaded a partnership with Time Warner's "World Championship Wrestling" (WCW) which yielded 17 original productions in television, home video and Pay Per View, an original soundtrack with Tommy Boy records and 4 television movies for TBS and TNT including one of the highest rated TV movies in the history of basic cable in which Jason was the original creator. After more than 5 years at Mandalay and growing that division, Jason had a short lived stint as a Chief Marketing Officer at a Fortune 500 company. Jason then returned to his roots in the entertainment business by partnering with long time friend, colleague and former President of Time Warners "World Championship Wrestling" (WCW) Eric Bischoff to form Bischoff Hervey Entertainment (BHE TV, LLC) Bischoff Hervey Entertainment specializes in content creation and production for various broadcast outlets, licensing and merchandising and innovative brand integration solutions. Jason and his family currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona and Los Angeles, California.- Actor
- Additional Crew
David Proval launched his acting career with a starring role in Mean Streets (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese, and has been working nonstop ever since. Notable features in which he has appeared include The Phantom (1996), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) Four Rooms (1995) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He is currently set to appear in the independent film White Boy (2002).- Actor
- Producer
Daryl Anderson was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Lou Grant (1977), The Monster Squad (1987) and The People Across the Lake (1988). He has been married to Kathy Connell since 28 July 1984. They have one child.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Writer/director Fred Dekker was born on April 9, 1959 in San Francisco, California. An avid comic book fan, monster movie buff, and film nerd from an early age, Dekker was rejected by both USC and UCLA film schools. He wound up attending UCLA as an English major instead. His fellow UCLA classmates included future screenwriters Shane Black (who collaborated with Dekker on the script for "The Monster Squad"), Ed Solomon, and Chris Matheson. One of Dekker's early projects in Hollywood was a 3-D "Godzilla" picture that sadly never panned out. Fred's first film credit was writing the story for the amusing horror comedy "House." He made his promising debut as writer/director with the terrific "Night of the Creeps," which paid affectionate homage to the blithely silly low-budget horror flicks he grew up loving as a kid. He followed this fine feature with the equally delightful tongue-in-cheek pastiche "The Monster Squad." Alas, both movies received mixed reviews from the critics and flopped at the box office, but have fortunately gone on to acquire huge cult followings. Dekker wrote five episodes of the immensely enjoyable cable TV horror anthology series "Tales from the Crypt": "Split Personality," "And All Through the House," "Lower Berth," "Only Sin Deep," and "The Thing From the Grave" (Fred directed this episode as well). He wrote the stories for the exciting revenge thriller "Ricochet" and the failed spy spoof "If Looks Could Kill." More recently Fred Dekker wrote several episodes of and served as a consulting producer on the science fiction TV show "Enterprise."- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Each successive script he turned in had a higher price attached it, from The Last Boy Scout (1991) to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and in between a re-write on the McTiernan/Schwarzenegger Last Action Hero (1993) script.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Bruce Broughton composes in almost every medium, from theatrical motion pictures and television to computer games, in styles ranging from large symphonic settings ("Silverado") to contemporary electronic scores (the recently Emmy-nominated "The Dive from Clausen's Pier"). Broughton has written the scores for such major motion pictures as "Tombstone," "Lost In Space," "Young Sherlock Holmes" and "Bambi II." With 23 nominations, he has received the Emmy award a record ten times, most recently for his score to the HBO movie, "Warm Springs." His television credits include the main title themes for "Jag" and Steven Spielberg's "Tiny Toon Adventures," as well as the scores for countless television series ("Dallas," "Quincy," "Hawaii Five-O") and movies and mini-series ("The Blue and the Gray," True Women"). His score for "Heart of Darkness" was the first orchestral score composed for a CD-ROM game. Broughton's concert music includes numerous works for orchestra and chamber groups, which have been performed by ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He is a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a board member of ASCAP and a past president of The Society of Composers and Lyricists. He has lectured in music composition at UCLA and has taught film composition in the Advanced Film Music Studies program at USC.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Bradford May was born on 3 August 1951 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is a director and cinematographer, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Lady Against the Odds (1992) and Favorite Son (1988). He has been married to Lisa Eilbacher since 27 August 1988.- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Additional Crew
James Mitchell was born on 7 December 1929 in Beverly Hills, California, USA. He was an editor, known for 2010 (1984), The Monster Squad (1987) and Rocky II (1979). He was married to Debra Jane Mitchell. He died on 14 October 2010 in New Port Richey, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, UK, to Canadian actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, who moved to California shortly after his birth. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Douglas, was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who was a Premier of Saskatchewan for over 17 years and led the national NDP party for almost 10.
Kiefer got his first film role in the comedy drama Max Dugan Returns (1983). Sutherland's first major role was in the Canadian drama The Bay Boy (1984), which earned Sutherland and director Daniel Petrie, Genie award nominations for best actor and best director, respectively. Following his success in The Bay Boy, Sutherland eventually moved to Los Angeles and landed television appearances in "The Mission", an episode of Amazing Stories (1985) and in the telefilm Trapped in Silence (1986) with Marsha Mason.
In 1992, Sutherland starred opposite Ray Liotta and Forest Whitaker in Article 99 (1992) and in the military drama A Few Good Men (1992) also starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. Later, in 1994, he starred with Jeff Bridges and Nancy Travis in the American version of The Vanishing (1993) for 20th Century Fox. In 1997, he co-starred with William Hurt and Rufus Sewell in Dark City (1998), directed by Alex Proyas, which was a special presentation at the Cannes Film Festival. Sutherland also added his second directorial credit and starred in Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997) alongside Kevin Pollak, Mykelti Williamson, Rod Steiger and Martin Sheen. He stars in the Fox drama series 24 (2001) as Jack Bauer for which he has earned a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Most recently, he has been seen in the movie Phone Booth (2002) as a man who calls up someone at a phone booth and threatens to kill them if they hang up.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas, to Wilma Artie (Hukel), a teacher and gospel singer, and Orvis Wesley Aday, a police officer. He moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to play in local bands. In 1970, he moved to New York and appeared in the Broadway musicals "Hair", "Rockabye Hamlet" and "The Rocky Horror Show," and Off Broadway in "Rainbow", "More Than You Deserve", "National Lampoon Show" and the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "As You Like it;" as well as other productions at the famed New York Public Theatre. He made his film debut with a memorable role in the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
In 1977, he and lyricist Jim Steinman released an operatic rock album called "Bat Out Of Hell"; the record was huge and has sold 50,000,000 copies worldwide and is tied with AC/DC for the 2nd best selling record of all time. The tour and promoting the album took a toll on Meat Loaf's voice and left him unable to sing for 2 years, but with months of rehabilitation, he was able to get back in the studio and record the album "Dead Ringer". Meat Loaf stayed in the dark through the 1980s in the US, recording 4 records which got very little airplay or high chart positions in the US but continued to have major chart success in Europe and Australia. The 1981 Single "Dead Ringer for Love", a duet with Cher, was a top 10 single in many countries outside the US, but which American radio refused to play.
Meat Loaf had many film and TV roles, including the lead character Travis Redfish in Roadie (1980); a pilot in Out of Bounds (1986); in The Squeeze (1987) with Michael Keaton; and Fred in Focus (2001) (based on the Arthur Miller book by the same name), with Laura Dern and William H. Macy. When Meat Loaf and Steinman got back together in 1993, they delivered a powerful sequel, "Bat Out Of Hell II", which went to #1 in the US and UK and 26 other countries. Bat II sold over 22,000,000 copies.
He appeared in many films, including Crazy in Alabama (1999), Formula 51 (2001) (with Samuel L. Jackson), and Fight Club (1999) (with Brad Pitt). TV credits included guest starring roles as a soldier being held prisoner in Vietnam in Lightning Force (1991), a newspaper reporter in the hit series Glee (2009), a slick landlord of a restaurant who ends up on the menu in HBO series Tales from the Crypt (1989) a blacksmith on Showtime's Dead Man's Gun (1997), as fur trader Jake in Masters of Horror (2005) episode Pelts (2006), in House (2004) as caring husband Eddie, and, most recently, in the supporting role of Doug in the SYFY series Ghost Wars (2017). Hugh Laurie (star of "House") played piano on the song "If I Can't Have You" on Meat Loaf's album "Hang Cool Teddy Bear", which was produced by award-winning music producer Rob Cavallo. (Jack Black also sang on the album.)
Marvin Lee Aday died on January 20, 2022 in Austin, Texas from COVID-19 complications.- Leslie Aday was born on 21 May 1951 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Leslie was previously married to Meat Loaf.
- Actress
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Amanda Lee Aday (born January 21, 1981) is an American actress. Born in New York City, Aday is best known for her recurring role as Dora Mae Dreifuss on the first season of the 2003-2005 HBO series Carnivàle.
Aday is the daughter of actor/musician Meat Loaf and Leslie Aday and sister of singer Pearl Aday. She attended Stagedoor Manor, a summer theatre/dance camp in the Catskill Mountains in New York, from 1990 through 1996, and then graduated from the prestigious Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. She then majored in theatre at the California Institute of the Arts. Amanda's film roles include Crazy In Alabama, The Mummy An' The Armadillo, South Dakota, & The Trials of Cate McCall. In addition to her work on Carnivàle, she has guest starred on the hit TV shows Boston Public, ER, Private Practice, and 'My Name Is Earl. She will appear in the upcoming film "The Shangri-La Suite" as Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Rick Rossovich, considered one of the nicest people to work with, is also a devoted family man. He and his wife Eva have two kids, Roy and Isabel. For three months each year, the family lives at their home in Sweden, where Eva is from, so that the kids can have both sides of their parents' upbringing. Rick lives in Ojai, California.- Actor
- Producer
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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
- Soundtrack
Joy Philbin was born on 1 February 1941 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005), Malibu Express (1985) and Night and the City (1992). She was previously married to Regis Philbin.- Director
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Joanna Philbin was born on 19 March 1973 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Frozen Love, Top Shelf Singles and Today (1952).- Actor
- Location Management
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Allison Smith's career started on Broadway at the age of nine, in the original production of "Evita", quickly followed by her landing the title role of "Annie" on Broadway in the musical "Annie" at the age of ten. She was the longest-running and youngest star of a Broadway musical at that time, playing the role for over 1,000 performances; nearly 3 years. She's given vocal performances at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall, and The White House. After "Annie", she was cast on "Kate and Allie", playing the role of "Jennie Lowell" on CBS for six seasons. Allison recurred in all seven seasons of NBC's The West Wing (1999) as "Mallory O'Brien", the chief of staff's daughter / Sam Seaborn's (Rob Lowe's) love interest. She was in the CBS miniseries Helter Skelter (2004), in which she portrayed real-life Charles Manson murderess Patricia Krenwinkel, and gave a stellar performance starring as the guest in the pilot of The Closer (2005). She has starred in several regular television series: Buddy Faro (1998), Spy Game (1997). She played the lead in the independent feature, A Reason to Believe (1995), and supporting roles in such features as Holes (2003) and Switchback (1997). Other theater work includes starring in the L.A. premiere production of David Mamet's "Oleanna", "QED" opposite Alan Alda at the Mark Taper Forum and with Randy Newman in his musical "The Education of Randy Newman", at South Coast Rep, for which her vocal performance got rave reviews. Also a writer, she was born in New York City and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey.- Actor
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Brian Bloom is an American actor and writer known for playing Brock Pike in The A-Team, Captain America, Daredevil, Bullseye, the Silver Surfer and the Punisher in several Marvel games and cartoons, Kleiver in Jak and Daxter, Black Mask in Batman: Arkham Origins, Nick Reyes in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Varric Tethras in Dragon Age and B.J. Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein. He wrote The A-Team and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Chris Lemmon was born on 22 June 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Wishmaster (1997), Airport '77 (1977) and Firehead (1991). He has been married to Gina Raymond since 23 April 1988. They have three children.- Gina Raymond was born on 18 August 1959 in the USA. She is an actress, known for My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), Dad (1989) and Duet (1987). She has been married to Chris Lemmon since 23 April 1988. They have three children.
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A legendary actor with 50 celebrated years of film, television and producing experience, Michael Douglas is known for his era-defining roles and enduring cultural impact.
In addition to his career accomplishments, Douglas has remained a steadfast public servant, activist and philanthropist dedicated to peace and human welfare, democracy, gun control advocacy, support of the arts and support of nuclear disarmament. In 1998, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Douglas as a Messenger of Peace for his commitment on disarmament issues, including nuclear non-proliferation and halting the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Since his earliest acting work on Hail, Hero! (1969) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972) Douglas has played some of the most memorable and enigmatic American anti-heroes of the last half century. He is most known for his iconic screen roles, like his Academy Award-winning turn as Gordon Gekko Wall Street (1987) as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed films Fatal Attraction (1987), The American President (1995), Basic Instinct (1992), Traffic (2000) and Romancing the Stone (1984). He is also a prolific producer with credits on politically relevant and socially influential motion pictures like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The China Syndrome (1979), Traffic (2000) the television series: The Kominsky Method (2018) and an upcoming limited series where Douglas portrays Benjamin Franklin (2024) during his nine years in France lobbying for French aid for the American Revolution.
With a passion for complex protagonists and darkly humorous undercurrents, Douglas has received numerous accolades for his work, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, AFI Life Achievement Award, two French César Awards for Career Achievement and, most recently, the Palme d'or d'honneur for lifetime achievement at the 76th Annual Festival de Cannes as well as the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema at the Goa Film Festival in India.
Michael Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to actors Diana Douglas (Diana Love Dill) and Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch). His paternal grandparents were Belarusian Jewish immigrants, while his mother was born in Bermuda, the daughter of a local Attorney General, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Melville Dill; Diana's family had long been established in both Bermuda and the United States. Douglas's parents divorced when he was six, and he went to live with his mother and her new husband. Only seeing Kirk on holidays, Michael attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where he was about a year younger than all of his classmates.
Douglas attended the elite preparatory Choate School and spent his summers with his father on movie sets. Although accepted at Yale, Douglas attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Deciding he wanted to be an actor in his teenage years, Michael often asked his father about getting a "foot in the door" Kirk was strongly opposed to Michael pursuing an acting career, saying that it was an industry with many downs and few ups, and that he wanted all four of his sons to stay out of it. Michael, however, was persistent, and made his film debut in his father's film Cast a Giant Shadow (1966).
After receiving his B.A. degree in 1968, Douglas moved to New York City to continue his dramatic training, studying at the American Place Theatre with Wynn Handman, and at the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he appeared in workshop productions of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976) and Thornton Wilder's Happy Journey (1963). A few months after he arrived in New York, Douglas got his first big break, when he was cast in the pivotal role of the free-spirited scientist who compromises his liberal views to accept a lucrative job with a high-tech chemical corporation in the CBS Playhouse production of Ellen M. Violett's drama, The Experiment, which was televised nationwide on February 25, 1969.
Douglas' convincing portrayal won him the leading role in the adaptation of John Weston's controversial novel, Hail, Hero! (1969), which was the initial project of CBS's newly organized theatrical film production company, Cinema Center Films. Douglas starred as a well-meaning, almost saintly young pacifist determined not only to justify his beliefs to his conservative parents but also to test them under fire in the jungles of Indochina. His second feature, Adam at Six A.M. (1970) concerned a young man's search for his roots. Douglas next appeared in the film version of Ron Cowen's play Summertree (1971), produced by 'Kirk Douglas'' Bryna Company, and then Napoleon and Samantha (1972), a sentimental children's melodrama from the Walt Disney studio.
In between film assignments, he worked in summer stock and off-Broadway productions, among them "City Scenes," Frank Gagliano's surrealistic vignettes of contemporary life in New York, John Patrick Shanley's short-lived romance "Love is a Time of Day" and George Tabori's "Pinkville," in which he played a young innocent brutalized by his military training. He also appeared in the made-for-television thriller, "When Michael Calls," broadcast by ABC-TV on February 5, 1972 and in episodes of the popular series "Medical Center" and "The F.B.I."
Impressed by Douglas' performance in a segment of The F.B.I. (1965), producer 'Quinn Martin' signed the actor for the part of Karl Malden's sidekick in the police series "The Streets of San Francisco", which premiered in September 1972 and became one of ABC's highest-rated prime-time programs in the mid-1970s. Douglas earned three successive Emmy Award nominations for his performance and he directed two episodes of the series.
During the annual breaks in the shooting schedule for The Streets of San Francisco (1972), Douglas devoted most of his time to his film production company, Big Stick Productions, Ltd., which produced several short subjects in the early 1970s. Long interested in producing a film version of Ken Kesey's grimly humorous novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Douglas purchased the movie rights from his father and began looking for financial backing. After a number of major motion picture studios turned him down, Douglas formed a partnership with Saul Zaentz, a record industry executive, and the two set about recruiting the cast and crew. Douglas still had a year to go on his contract for "The Streets of San Francisco," but the producers agreed to write his character out of the story so that he could concentrate on filming "Cuckoo's Nest."
A critical and commercial success, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, and went on to gross more than $180 million at the box office. Douglas suddenly found himself in demand as an independent producer. One of the many scripts submitted to him for consideration was Mike Gray's chilling account of the attempted cover-up of an accident at a nuclear power plant. Attracted by the combination of social relevance and suspense, Douglas immediately bought the property. Deemed not commercial by most investors, Douglas teamed up with Jane Fonda and her own motion picture production company, IPC Films.
A Michael Douglas-IPC Films co-production, The China Syndrome (1979) starred Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, and Michael Douglas and received Academy Award nominations for Lemmon and Fonda, as well as for Best Screenplay. The National Board of Review named the film one of the best films of the year.
Despite his success as a producer, Douglas resumed his acting career in the late 1970s, starring in Michael Crichton's medical thriller Coma (1978) with Genevieve Bujold, Claudia Weill's feminist comedy It's My Turn (1980) starring Jill Clayburgh, and Peter Hyams' gripping tale of modern-day vigilante justice, "The Star Chamber" (1983). Douglas also starred in Running (1979), as a compulsive quitter who sacrifices everything to take one last shot at the Olympics, and as Zach the dictatorial director/choreographer in Richard Attenborough's screen version of the Broadway's longest running musical A Chorus Line (1985).
Douglas' career as an actor/producer came together again in 1984 with the release of the tongue-in-cheek romantic fantasy "Romancing the Stone." Douglas had begun developing the project several years earlier, and with Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder, the dowdy writer of gothic romances, Danny DeVito as the feisty comic foil Ralphie and Douglas as Jack Colton, the reluctant soldier of fortune. "Romancing the Stone" was a resounding hit and grossed more than $100 million at the box office. Douglas was named Producer of the Year in 1984 by the National Association of Theater Owners. Douglas, Turner and DeVito teamed up in 1985 for the successful sequel The Jewel of the Nile (1985).
It took Douglas nearly two years to convince Columbia Pictures executives to approve the production of Starman (1984), an unlikely tale of romance between an extraterrestrial, played by Jeff Bridges, and a young widow, played by Karen Allen. Starman (1984) was the sleeper hit of the 1984 Christmas season and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for Jeff Bridges. In 1986 Douglas created a television series based on the film for ABC which starred Robert Hays.
After a lengthy break from acting, Douglas returned to the screen in 1987 appearing in two of the year's biggest hits. He starred opposite Glenn Close in the phenomenally successful psychological thriller, "Fatal Attraction," which was followed by his performance as ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987), earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Douglas next starred in Ridley Scott's thriller Black Rain (1989) and then teamed up again with Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito in the black comedy The War of the Roses (1989).
In 1988, Douglas formed Stonebridge Entertainment, Inc., which produced Flatliners (1990), directed by Joel Schumacher and starred Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon and William Baldwin and Radio Flyer (1992) starring Lorraine Bracco and directed by Richard Donner. Douglas followed with David Seltzer's adaptation of Susan Isaacs' best-selling novel, "Shining Through," opposite Melanie Griffith. In 1992 he starred with Sharon Stone in the erotic thriller from Paul Verhoeven Basic Instinct (1992), one of the year's top grossing films.
Douglas gave one of his most powerful performances opposite Robert Duvall in Joel Schumacher's controversial drama Falling Down (1993). That year he also produced the hit comedy "Made in America" starring Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson and Will Smith. In 1994-95 he starred with Demi Moore in Barry Levinson's "Disclosure," based on the best seller by Michael Crichton. In 1995, Douglas portrayed the title role in Rob Reiner's romantic comedy The American President (1995) opposite Annette Bening, and in 1997, starred in The Game (1997) directed by David Fincher and co-starring Sean Penn.
Douglas formed Douglas/Reuther Productions with partner Steven Reuther in May 1994. The company, under the banner of Constellation Films, produced The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), starring Douglas and Val Kilmer, and John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997), based on John Grisham's best selling novel, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon,Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Mary Kay Place, Virginia Madsen, Andrew Shue, Teresa Wright, Johnny Whitworth and Randy Travis.
Michael Douglas and Steve Reuther also produced John Woo's action thriller Face/Off (1997) starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, which proved to be one of '97's major hits.
In 1998, Michael Douglas starred with Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen in the mystery thriller A Perfect Murder (1998), and formed a new production company, Furthur Films. 2000 was a milestone year for Douglas. "Wonder Boys" opened in February 2000 to much critical acclaim. Directed by Curtis Hanson and co-starring Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr. and Katie Holmes, Douglas starred in the film as troubled college professor Grady Tripp. Michael was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Film Award for his performance.
"Traffic" was released by USA Films on December 22, 2000 in New York and Los Angeles and went nationwide in January 2001. Douglas played the role of Robert Wakefield, a newly appointed drug czar confronted by the drug war both at home and abroad. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and co-starring Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Amy Irving, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Traffic" was named Best Picture by New York Film Critics, won Best Ensemble Cast at the SAG Awards, won four Academy Awards (Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Benicio del Toro) and has been recognized on more than 175 top ten lists.
In 2001, Douglas produced and played a small role in USA Films' outrageous comedy "One Night at McCool's" starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, John Goodman and Paul Reiser and directed by Harald Zwart. "McCool's" was the first film by Douglas' company Furthur Films. Also in 2001, Douglas starred in "Don't Say A Word" for 20th Century Fox. The psychological thriller, directed by Gary Fleder, also starred Sean Bean, Famke Janseen and Brittany Murphy.
In 2002, Douglas appeared in a guest role on the hit NBC comedy "Will & Grace," and received an Emmy Nomination for his performance.
Douglas starred in two films in 2003. MGM/BVI released the family drama "It Runs in the Family," which Douglas produced and starred with his father Kirk Douglas, his mother Diana Douglas his son Cameron Douglas, Rory Culkin and Bernadette Peters. He also starred in the Warner Bros. comedy "The-In Laws," with Albert Brooks, Candice Bergen and Ryan Reynolds.
In 2004, Douglas, along with his father Kirk, filmed the intimate HBO documentary "A Father, A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". Directed by award-winning filmmaker Lee Grant, the documentary examines the professional and personal lives of both men, and the impacts they each made on the motion picture industry.
In 2005, Douglas produced and starred in "The Sentinel", which was released by 20th Century Fox in April 2006. Based on the Gerald Petievich novel and directed by Clark Johnson, "The Sentinel" is a political thriller set in the intriguing world of the Secret Service. Douglas stars with Keifer Sutherland, Eva Longoria and Kim Bassinger. Douglas then filmed "You, Me & Dupree," starring with Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon. The comedy, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, was released by Universal Pictures during the summer of 2006. In 2007 Douglas made "King of California," co-starring Evan Rachel Wood and is written and directed by Michael Cahill, and produced by Alexander Payne and Michael London.
Michael had two films released in early 2009, "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" directed by Peter Hyams and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner and directed by Mark Waters. He followed with the drama "Solitary Man" directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, co-starring Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary Louise-Parker, and Jenna Fischer, produced by Paul Schiff and Steven Soderbergh. In 2010, Douglas reprised his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," earning a Golden Globe for his performance. Again directed by Oliver Stone, he co-starred with Shia Labeouf, Cary Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon.
In 2011, Douglas had a cameo role in Steven Soderbergh's action thriller "Haywire."
"Behind the Candelabra," based on the life of '70's/80's musical icon Liberace and his partner Scott Thorson, directed by Steven Soderbergh and costarring Matt Damon, premiered on HBO in May 2013. Douglas won an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actor in a television movie or mini series for his performance as the famed entertainer. He followed with the buddy comedy "Last Vegas," directed by John Turtletaub co-starring Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline and the romantic comedy "And So It Goes," co-starring Diane Keaton directed by Rob Reiner.
Douglas recently starred in and produced the thriller "Beyond The Reach," directed by Jean-Baptiste Leonetti and costarring Jeremy Irvine. He and portrayed Dr. Hank Pym in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) opposite Paul Rudd. The franchise was his first venture into the realm of comic book action adventure.
In 2017, he starred in the spy thriller "Unlocked" starring with Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, John Malkovich and directed by Michael Apted.
In 1998 Douglas was made a United Nations Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan. His main concentrations are nuclear non-proliferation and the control of small arms. He is on the Board of Ploughshares Foundation and The Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Michael Douglas was recipient of the 2009 AFI Lifetime Achievement as well as the Producers Guild Award that year. In Spring '10 he received the New York Film Society's Charlie Chaplin Award.
Douglas has hosted 11 years of "Michael Douglas and Friends" Celebrity Golf Event which has raised over $6 million for the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Douglas is very passionate about the organization, and each year he asks his fellow actors and to come out and show that "we are an industry that takes care of own".
Douglas is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones. The couple has one son, Dylan, and one daughter, Carys. Douglas also has one son, Cameron, from a previous marriage.- Actor
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With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and one day be the Governor of California!?
The amazing story of megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true "rags to riches" tale of a penniless immigrant making it in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947, in the town of Thal, Styria, Austria, to Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born Jadrny) and Gustav Schwarzenegger, the local police chief. From a young age, he took a keen interest in physical fitness and bodybuilding, going on to compete in several minor contests in Europe. However, it was when he emigrated to the United States in 1968 at the tender age of 21 that his star began to rise.
Up until the early 1970s, bodybuilding had been viewed as a rather oddball sport, or even a mis-understood "freak show" by the general public, however two entrepreneurial Canadian brothers Ben Weider and Joe Weider set about broadening the appeal of "pumping iron" and getting the sport respect, and what better poster boy could they have to lead the charge, then the incredible "Austrian Oak", Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over roughly the next decade, beginning in 1970, Schwarzenegger dominated the sport of competitive bodybuilding winning five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles and, with it, he made himself a major sports icon, he generated a new international audience for bodybuilding, gym memberships worldwide swelled by the tens of thousands and the Weider sports business empire flourished beyond belief and reached out to all corners of the globe. However, Schwarzenegger's horizons were bigger than just the landscape of bodybuilding and he debuted on screen as "Arnold Strong" in the low budget Hercules in New York (1970), then director Bob Rafelson cast Arnold in Stay Hungry (1976) alongside Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, for which Arnold won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture". The mesmerizing Pumping Iron (1977) covering the 1975 Mr Olympia contest in South Africa has since gone on to become one of the key sports documentaries of the 20th century, plus Arnold landed other acting roles in the comedy The Villain (1979) opposite Kirk Douglas, and he portrayed Mickey Hargitay in the well- received TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980).
What Arnold really needed was a super hero / warrior style role in a lavish production that utilized his chiseled physique, and gave him room to show off his growing acting talents and quirky humor. Conan the Barbarian (1982) was just that role. Inspired by the Robert E. Howard short stories of the "Hyborean Age" and directed by gung ho director John Milius, and with a largely unknown cast, save Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, "Conan" was a smash hit worldwide and an inferior, although still enjoyable sequel titled Conan the Destroyer (1984) quickly followed. If "Conan" was the kick start to Arnold's movie career, then his next role was to put the pedal to the floor and accelerate his star status into overdrive. Director James Cameron had until that time only previously directed one earlier feature film titled Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), which stank of rotten fish from start to finish. However, Cameron had penned a fast paced, science fiction themed film script that called for an actor to play an unstoppable, ruthless predator - The Terminator (1984). Made on a relatively modest budget, the high voltage action / science fiction thriller The Terminator (1984) was incredibly successful worldwide, and began one of the most profitable film franchises in history. The dead pan phrase "I'll be back" quickly became part of popular culture across the globe. Schwarzenegger was in vogue with action movie fans, and the next few years were to see Arnold reap box office gold in roles portraying tough, no-nonsense individuals who used their fists, guns and witty one-liners to get the job done. The testosterone laden Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Predator (1987), The Running Man (1987) and Red Heat (1988) were all box office hits and Arnold could seemingly could no wrong when it came to picking winning scripts. The tongue-in-cheek comedy Twins (1988) with co-star Danny DeVito was a smash and won Arnold new fans who saw a more comedic side to the muscle- bound actor once described by Australian author / TV host Clive James as "a condom stuffed with walnuts". The spectacular Total Recall (1990) and "feel good" Kindergarten Cop (1990) were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). The second time around for the futuristic robot, the production budget had grown from the initial film's $6.5 million to an alleged $100 million for the sequel, and it clearly showed as the stunning sequel bristled with amazing special effects, bone-crunching chases & stunt sequences, plus state of the art computer-generated imagery. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) was arguably the zenith of Arnold's film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Remarkably, his next film Last Action Hero (1993) brought Arnold back to Earth with a hard thud as the self-satirizing, but confusing plot line of a young boy entering into a mythical Hollywood action film confused movie fans even more and they stayed away in droves making the film an initial financial disaster. Arnold turned back to good friend, director James Cameron and the chemistry was definitely still there as the "James Bond" style spy thriller True Lies (1994) co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994! Following the broad audience appeal of True Lies (1994), Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family-themed entertainment with Junior (1994) and Jingle All the Way (1996), but he still found time to satisfy his hard-core fan base with Eraser (1996), as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Batman & Robin (1997) and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of End of Days (1999). The science fiction / conspiracy tale The 6th Day (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Collateral Damage (2002) had its theatrical release held over for nearly a year after the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, but it still only received a lukewarm reception.
It was time again to resurrect Arnold's most successful franchise and, in 2003, Schwarzenegger pulled on the biker leathers for the third time for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Unfortunately, directorial duties passed from James Cameron to Jonathan Mostow and the deletion of the character of "Sarah Connor" aka Linda Hamilton and a change in the actor playing "John Connor" - Nick Stahl took over from Edward Furlong - making the third entry in the "Terminator" series the weakest to date.
Schwarzenegger married TV journalist Maria Shriver in April, 1986 and the couple have four children.
In October of 2003 Schwarzenegger, running as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a special recall election of then governor Gray Davis. The "Governator," as Schwarzenegger came to be called, held the office until 2011. Upon leaving the Governor's mansion it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the family's live-in maid and Shriver filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger contributed cameo roles to The Rundown (2003), Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and The Kid & I (2005). Recently, he starred in The Expendables 2 (2012), The Last Stand (2013), Escape Plan (2013), The Expendables 3 (2014), and Terminator Genisys (2015).