The Amati Girls 2001 premiere
Thursday January 18th, Regent Theatre
1045 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
1045 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
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The legendary actress set a record when at age 82, she appeared on Dancing with the Stars (2005). Cloris Leachman was born on April 30, 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa to Berkeley Claiborne "Buck" Leachman and the former Cloris Wallace. Her father's family owned a lumber company, Leachman Lumber Co. She was of Czech (from her maternal grandmother) and English descent. After graduating from high school, Leachman attended Illinois State University and Northwestern University, where she majored in drama. After winning the title of Miss Chicago 1946 (as part of the Miss America pageant), she acted with the Des Moines Playhouse before moving to New York.
Leachman made her credited debut in 1948 in an episode of The Ford Theatre Hour (1948) and appeared in many television anthologies and series before becoming a regular on The Bob & Ray Show (1951) in 1952. Her movie debut was memorable, playing the doomed blonde femme fatale Christina Bailey in Robert Aldrich's classic noir Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Other than a role in Rod Serling's movie The Rack (1956) in support of Paul Newman, Leachman remained a television actress throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, appearing in only two movies during the latter decade, The Chapman Report (1962) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Though she would win an Oscar for Peter Bogdanovich's adaptation of Larry McMurtry's The Last Picture Show (1971) and appear in three Mel Brooks movies, it was in television that her career remained and her fame was assured in the 1970s and into the second decade of the new millennium.
Leachman was nominated five times for an Emmy Award playing Phyllis Lindstrom, Mary Tyler Moore's landlady and self-described best friend on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and on the spin-off series Phyllis (1975). She won twice as Best Supporting Actress in a comedy for her "Mary Tyler Moore" gig and won a Golden Globe Award as a leading performer in comedy for "Phyllis", but her first Emmy Award came in the category Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 1973 for the television movie A Brand New Life (1973). She also won two Emmy Awards as a supporting player for Malcolm in the Middle (2000).
She was married to director-producer George Englund from 1953 to 1979. They had five children together. Cloris Leachman died of natural causes on January 27, 2021 in Encinitas, California.- Actress
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Ruehl received her first Academy Award nomination and win for her performance as Anne Napolitano, the emotionally driven girlfriend to fallen radio personality, (played by Jeff Bridges), in Terry Gilliam's masterpiece, The Fisher King (1991). In addition to an Oscar, and a Golden Globe, Ruehl's performance garnered several accolades. Los Angeles Times commended the performance, calling it "a bravura performance that runs from high, bantering comedy to an intense projection of pain and sorrow."
Notable film credits include The Fisher King (1991), Lost in Yonkers (1993) and For Roseanna (1997).- Actress
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Dinah Manoff was born in New York City, New York, to screenwriter Arnold Manoff and actress, director, and writer Lee Grant. She began her professional career in the PBS production of "The Great Cherub Knitwear Strike". After subsequent guest appearances on various television series, she received a Tony Award in 1980 for her performance in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's "I Ought To Be In Pictures", a role she reprised in the film version, starring opposite Walter Matthau. Additional theater credits include Broadway's "Leader of the Pack", "Alfred and Victoria", "Kingdom on Earth" and the Los Angeles stage production of "Love Letters", opposite Patrick Cassidy. On television, Manoff was a regular on Witt-Thomas-Harris' Soap (1977) and also appeared in the television movies The Cover Girl and the Cop (1989) (aka "Beauty & Denise"), Raid on Entebbe (1976), For Ladies Only (1981), The Seduction of Gina (1984), A Matter of Sex (1984), Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (1984), the miniseries Celebrity (1984) and the NBC movie-of-the-week Babies (1990), with Lindsay Wagner. Manoff's feature film credits include Ordinary People (1980), Grease (1978), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Child's Play (1988), _Backfire (1988).- Actress
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Mary Sean Young was born on November 20, 1959 in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Lee Guthrie (née Mary Lee Kane), an Emmy-nominated producer, screenwriter, public relations executive, and journalist, and Donald Young, Jr., an Emmy award winning television news producer and journalist. She has Irish, English, and Swiss-German ancestry. She grew up with an older brother Donald Young III and a sister Cathleen Young in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Cleveland Heights High School, and then transferred to and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. A trained dancer, she studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City, and did some modeling. Sean Young began a promising film career by acting in a Merchant-Ivory film Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) for Academy Award winning director James Ivory, She followed that up in the comedy hit film Stripes (1981) for Academy Award nominated producer-director Ivan Reitman. Soon, important directors were casting her in their films, such as Garry Marshall in Young Doctors in Love (1982), Academy Award nominee David Lynch in Dune (1984), and Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott in Blade Runner (1982) in what is her most respected film. 1987 was a big year for her, since she appeared in two big movies. Academy Award winner Oliver Stone cast her in the hit film Wall Street (1987). However, her other hit film No Way Out (1987), which involved a famous steamy scene in the backseat of a limousine with Kevin Costner, gave her star status. She was at the height of her fame, which led to her being cast as Vicky Vale in Batman (1989). She had an accident while she was training for the film. As a result, she lost the role to Kim Basinger for what turned out to be the biggest hit of 1989. Young put on a brave face and gamely moved on to do comedies Fatal Instinct (1993) for director Carl Reiner, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), the latter's box office success made Jim Carrey a star, who immediately landed the role of the Riddler in the Batman sequel. Mary Sean Young is living in Austin, Texas. She created a new business venture called Austin Film Tours. It is Austin's first and only film location tour.- Actress
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Academy Award-winner Lee Grant was born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal on October 31, 1925 in Manhattan, New York City, to Witia (Haskell), a teacher and model, and Abraham Rosenthal, an educator and realtor. Her father was of Romanian Jewish descent, and her mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. Lee made her stage debut at age 4 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, playing the abducted princess in "L'Orocolo". After graduating from high school, she won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where she studied acting with Sanford Meisner. When she was a teenager Grant established herself as a formidable Broadway talent when she won The Critics' Circle Award for her portrayal of the shoplifter in "Detective Story". She reprised the role in the film version (Detective Story (1951), a performance that garnered her the Cannes Film Festival Citation for Best Actress as well as her first Academy Award Nomination. Immediately following her screen debut, however, Lee became a victim of the McCarthy-era blacklists in which actors, writers, directors, etc., were persecuted for supposedly "Communist" or "progressive" political beliefs, whether they had them or not. Except for an occasional role, she did not work in film or television for 12 years. In 1965 Lee re-started her acting career in the TV series Peyton Place (1964), for which she won an Emmy Award as Stella Chernak, and she later garnered her first Academy Award for Shampoo (1975), also receiving Academy Award nominations for The Landlord (1970) and Voyage of the Damned (1976). Since 1980 Lee has been concentrating on her directorial career, which began as part of the Women's Project at The Americal Film Institute (AFI); her adaptation of August Strindberg's, "Stronger, The" was consequently selected as one of the 10 best films ever produced for AFI. In 1987 she received an Academy Award for the HBO documentary, Down and Out in America (1985) and directed Nobody's Child (1986) for CBS, for which she received the Directors Guild Award. In 1983 she received the Congressional Arts Caucus Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting and Independent Filmmaking. Subsequently, Women in Film paid tribute to her in 1989, with its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Both the New York City Council and the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors have recognized Ms. Grant for the contribution her films have made to the fight against domestic violence.- A veteran of stage, screen and television, Edith Fields is the recipient of the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, seven Drama Logue Awards and a KABC Year End Radio Award for her work in Los Angeles Theatre. She began her career at age 5, singing and dancing for community functions in her home town of Poughkeepsie, New York. She acted in college productions and continued to entertain in Army Hospitals with the U.S.O. Fields received her Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award (as well as a Drama Logue Award) for her work in the Theatre West Production of Like One Of The Family. Critical praise for her performance as Beth/Consuelo ranged from "dizzy and delightful" (Frontiers) to "a showstopper" (Hollywood Reporter). For her Drama Logue Award-Winning portrayal of Rose, the mother, in Nuts at the Las Palmas Theatre, the Los Angeles Times summed up the critics' opinion: "Edith Fields is splendid!" She won both the KABC Radio Award and Drama Logue Award for Avenue Of Dreams/Nothing Immediate (Company Of Angels), for which she was cited as "extraordinary" (Los Angeles Times). Additional Los Angeles stage credits include Death Of A Salesman (LATC), Beau Jet (Westwood Playhouse), Staccato (Tiffany Theatre), On Borrowed Time (La Mirada Theatre), Grown Ups (Mark Taper Forum), Street Dreams (Zephyr Theatre), Lovers And Other Strangers (Lee Strasberg Theatre), A.R. Gurney's Scenes From American Life (Skylight Theatre) and Michael Cristophers Pulitzer Prize-Winning Shadow Box (Theatre 40), among many others. In New York, Fields appeared both Off and Off-Off Broadway in The Subject Was Roses, A View From The Bridge, The Rimers Of Eldritch, Rites Of Passage, Spilt Milk, The Ward, Two Ladies Talking, Mother Love and The Poseur. Her film credits include Mr. Saturday Night (1992) with Billy Crystal, Dad (1989) with Jack Lemmon, No Way Out (1987) with Kevin Costner, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) with Tom Selleck, John Cassavetes Big Trouble (1986), Blake Edwards Micki + Maude (1984), William Friedkin Rampage (1987) and Renée Taylor and Joe Bolognas Love Is All There Is (1996). Movies for television include HBO's Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996) with Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd, Following Her Heart (1994) directed by Lee Grant, TNT's Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994) with Diane Keaton, My First Love (1988) with Bea Arthur and The Rockford Files (1974) with James Garner. She has guest starred on numerous television series including Seinfeld (1989), Murphy Brown (1988), Picket Fences (1992), Caroline in the City (1995), L.A. Law (1986), Cagney & Lacey (1981), Brooklyn Bridge (1991) and Ned and Stacey (1995), among others. Fields graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to study with such legendary acting teachers as Stella Adler, Robert Lewis, Herbert Berghof and William Hickey. She is a member of the Actors Studio.
- Cassie Cole is known for The Amati Girls (2000).
- Marissa Leigh was born on 5 August 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999), The Parent Trap (1998) and Boston Public (2000).
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- Soundtrack
Sam McMurray was born on 15 April 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Raising Arizona (1987), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) and L.A. Story (1991). He is married to Elizabeth Collins. They have two children.- Joe Greco was born on 20 December 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Above the Law (1988), The Nutty Professor (1996) and The Untouchables (1987). He died on 25 March 2009 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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- Special Effects
Matt Winston was born on 3 February 1970. He is an actor and producer, known for Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) and Jurassic Park (1993). He has been married to Amy Smallman since 11 October 1998. They have two children.- Editorial Department
Mary Hershberger is known for The Kill (1975).- Actress
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Anne DeSalvo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Arthur (1981), The Amati Girls (2000) and My Favorite Year (1982).- The dedication of Sal Viscuso to the craft of acting can be dated to a singular evening in 1967. A college freshman, he happened upon a teleplay of Ronald Ribman's The Final War of Olly Winter (1967) and was so inspired by Ivan Dixon's Emmy-winning rendition of the title role that he entered the drama department the very next day, later explaining, "I felt that there I had found my family." He earned his BA from the University of California at Davis, then went on to study with Olympia Dukakis at NYU School of the Arts, from which he graduated with an MFA.
Opportunities presented themselves rapidly, and Sal made his film debut in the classic The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). An introduction to Burt Metcalfe, associate producer of the iconic series M*A*S*H (1972), led to his move to Los Angeles, and soon Sal was a regular on NBC's sitcom The Montefuscos (1975). He was an off-screen loudspeaker announcer (as well as various other characters) on M*A*S*H (1972); appeared in Gene Wilder's homage to 1920's Hollywood, The World's Greatest Lover (1977); improvised in Robert Altman's 3 Women (1977); and played multiple parts on the beloved Barney Miller (1975) (one of which was written especially for him by the show's creator, Danny Arnold).
He was also to feature in what TIME magazine has rated as one of the "Top 100 TV shows of all time," Susan Harris's Soap (1977). His vocationally challenged Father Timothy Flotsky (and the show's depiction of one of the first openly gay characters on network television), created instant controversy that attracted 19 million viewers to the series premiere. Shortly thereafter, Sal commenced his professional association with the Bancroft/Brooks combine of talent, first appearing in Anne Bancroft's Fatso (1980), and then in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (1987),about which he has remarked, "I continue to get more attention from that project than from anything I've ever done!"
Sal has appeared in numerous and varied roles on episodic television, including Family Ties (1982), It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986), Cagney & Lacey (1981), NYPD Blue (1993), Boston Public (2000), ER (1994), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) (another part created for him, by executive producer Robert Palm); and in such films as Herbert Ross's Max Dugan Returns (1983) and Noah Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming (1995). He studies with Jeff Perry, a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and has appeared as Richard Roma in the Los Angeles revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. In addition, Sal volunteers with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, which mentors at-risk youth by introducing them to cultural resources from which they might otherwise have been disenfranchised. He is appearing onstage in the role of Carr Gomm in The Elephant Man; onscreen, he will feature in the upcoming American Seagull, based on the Chekov classic, and written and directed by acclaimed novelist Michael Guinzburg. - Anna Berger was born on 26 July 1922 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Ghost World (2001). She was married to Robert Malatzky. She died on 26 May 2014 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
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Italian-American character actor John Capodice was born on December 25, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. Capodice began acting on stage in mostly Off-Broadway plays in New York City in the late 1970s. John acted on his first TV show in 1978 and appeared in his first movie in 1982. Often cast as menacing mobsters, gruff cops, or scruffy working-class types, Capodice continues to act with pleasing regularity both in films and on television.- Actor
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Robert Picardo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where he spent his whole childhood. He graduated from the William Penn Charter School and attended Yale University. At Yale, he landed a role in Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" and at age 19, he played a leading role in the European premiere of "Mass". Later, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Drama from Yale University. He appeared in the David Mamet play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago" and, with Diane Keaton, in "The Primary English Class". In 1977, he made his Broadway debut in the comedy hit, "Gemini", with Danny Aiello, and also appeared in Bernard Slade's "Tribute", "Beyond Therapy" as well as "Geniuses" and "The Normal Heart", for which he won a Drama-Logue Award.
Then, he became involved in television, where he soon was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as Coach Cutlip on the series, The Wonder Years (1988). Robert appeared in several other series: China Beach (1988), Frasier (1993), Ally McBeal (1997), Home Improvement (1991), The Outer Limits (1995) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996).
In 1995, he got the role of the holographic doctor on Star Trek: Voyager (1995), where he also directed two episodes. He also got roles in The Howling (1981), Star 80 (1983), Get Crazy (1983), Oh, God! You Devil (1984), Innerspace (1987), Munchies (1987), Samantha (1991), White Mile (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Small Soldiers (1998), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010), and so on.
He resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Linda, and their two daughters.- Actor
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- Actress
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Carol Ann Susi (February 2, 1952 - November 11, 2014) was an American actress best known for her portrayal of the voice of recurring unseen character Mrs. Wolowitz on the television series The Big Bang Theory (2007). Susi was born in Brooklyn and was of Italian descent. She studied acting at HB Studio in New York City before moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) was her first screen appearance. Susi also had extensive experience in live theater and voiced a character on the video game installment of CSI: NY (2008). On November 11, 2014, she died of cancer, aged 62.- Jay Acovone is a versatile actor who is best known for his ability to play authoritative characters such as Mafia bosses, villains, police/military, and lawyers. He was born in NYC; his parents later moved to Mahopac, NY, where he graduated from Mahopac High School. While he was always an avid movie fan, it was a chance encounter with a friend, urging him to take part in a play, that set him on a path for a career in acting.
Acovone attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. His break came when he was cast to play "Skip Lee", opposite Al Pacino, in the controversial movie Cruising (1980) (written and directed by William Friedkin). He spent the next few years working on daytime television in NYC, but moved to Los Angeles when he landed a co-starring role in Hollywood Beat.
Acovone went on to have several supporting roles in film and television including Women of Valor (1986) and Cold Steel (1987) before being recruited to be a series regular on Beauty and the Beast (1987). After Beauty and the Beast ended, he continued to have multiple supporting or lead roles in TV and films including: Out for Justice (1991), Lookin' Italian (1994), Matlock (1986) and Friends (1994). The mid-1990s brought a role in the blockbuster hit Independence Day (1996) and a major recurring role in the TV series Stargate SG-1 (1997). Stargate-SG1 won multiple awards, including the Saturn Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series for three different years.
The following decade led to a role in Cast Away (2000), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), and S.W.A.T. (2003); recurring roles in Silk Stalkings (1991), Sliders (1995), NYPD Blue (1993), and The X-Files (1993); guest-starring roles in CSI: NY (2004), Monk (2002), Criminal Minds (2005), and 24 (2001). In recent years, Acovone saw a brief return to daytime television with a recurring role on General Hospital (1963) (Maurice Benard), and then went on to guest-star on multiple hit TV dramas including: The Mentalist (2008), Leverage (2008), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Vegas (2012), and NCIS (2003). In 2016, he acted in the motion capture video game Mafia III (2016), playing Mafia boss Sal Marcano.
In 2017, Acovone was asked to perform the audiobook version of George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones (2011))'s novel, "Wildcards-Dead Man's Hand", along with Adrian Paul.
Acovone lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their cat. - Don Marino is known for Angels with Angles (2005), Illicit Behavior (1992) and Switchblade Sisters (1975).
- Kivi Rogers is known for Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), V.I.P. (1998) and The Amati Girls (2000).
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Thomas Mark Harmon was born on September 2, 1951, in Burbank, California, to football player and broadcaster Tom Harmon and actress and artist Elyse Knox (née Kornbrath). Harmon played college football and found success as one of TV's hunkiest actors. While many of his roles have relied on good looks, Harmon was impressive on St. Elsewhere (1982) as the suave doctor who contracted AIDS.
His sisters are Kelly Harmon, the Tic Tac model; and Kristin Harmon, a painter and ex-wife of musician Ricky Nelson. He is the uncle of musicians Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson of the band Nelson, and actress Tracy Nelson. In 1987, Harmon and his wife, actress Pam Dawber, sued his sister Kristin Harmon, for custody of her youngest son, Sam.- Actor
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Kyle Sabihy was born on 28 October 1983 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Analyze This (1999), Hiller and Diller (1997) and Analyze That (2002).- Actress
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Born in Marlboro, NJ, Jessica developed an early love of performing. At the age of five she and her mother, Chellie, moved to Los Angeles where her acting dreams took flight. Though she began with co-star roles on Sesame street and Party of Five she soon landed recurring roles on "My Wife and Kids" (which she won the young artist award for at the age of ten and "Just for Kicks", where she stole the show as the hilarious Marnie Nelson. Jessica has also guest starred on shows such as "ER" (where she died), "Becker", "Unfabulous",and "The Drew Carey Show".
Film has also been a part of her repertoire. She has worked with Madonna in "The Next Best Thing", Jim Carey in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", Jenny McCarthy in "Thank Heaven" (she played her daughter), Drew Carrey in "Geppetto" and Paul Sorvino in "The Amati Girls".
Jessica stays very busy with professional endeavors and during free time, enjoys spending time with her family and friends.- Actor
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Virile, fair-haired, set-jawed actor Jamey Sheridan was born (on July 12, 1951) and raised in Pasadena, California. He turned to acting after a knee injury ended his pursuit of a dancing career.
Beginning professionally on stage in 1978, he gained some momentum into the next decade and eventually reached Broadway where he earned a Tony Award nomination in 1987 for his potent performance in the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." He made his feature-film debut in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), starring Whoopi Goldberg, and started making the TV guest star rounds on such series as Spenser: For Hire (1985) and The Equalizer (1985) at around the same time.
Sheridan received his first big on-camera break when he was cast in the title role of Shannon's Deal (1990), gaining quirky notice for two seasons as a highly unconventional attorney. From this series he moved to the already established Chicago Hope (1994) set, wherein he played a sympathetic role. Into the millennium, his best-known role was in the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) in the long-running (five seasons), less showy role of a police captain.
Other support roles in the movies include Stanley & Iris (1990) with Jane Fonda, A Stranger Among Us (1992) with Melanie Griffith and The Ice Storm (1997) and Life as a House (2001), both starring Kevin Kline, followed by Nothing But the Truth (2008) with Kate Beckinsale and Matt Dillon, the title role in Handsome Harry (2009), and The East (2013) starring Elliot Page.
While commanding some attention as a villain in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994), Sheridan also turned in an interesting performance as actor/director Ozzie Nelson in the TV movie Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol (1999). He has been a steadfast presence these days in such series as Homeland (2011), Smash (2012), Arrow (2012) and Agent X (2015), while adding a strong presence in such biopics Spotlight (2015), Sully (2016) and Lizzie (2018) (as Andrew Borden).
Success and satisfaction always came from the stage. Having never left the theater lights for long, Sheridan playing Brutus in "Julius Caesar" at New York's Shakespeare in the Park that also featured his wife, actress Colette Kilroy. Over the years, he has continued to grace the Broadway boards with stimulating performances in such sterling revivals of "Biloxi Blues," "Ah, Wilderness!," "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "A Moon for the Misbegotten," and "The Shadow Box." He also appeared in "God of Hell" in 2004. A versatile actor to be sure, Sheridan is the father of three.- Actor
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Tall, dark and imposing American actor Paul Sorvino made a solid career of portraying authority figures.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His mother, Angela (Renzi), was a piano teacher, of Italian descent. His father, Ford Sorvino, was an Italian immigrant who worked in a robe factory as a foreman. Paul originally had his heart set on a life as an opera singer. He was exposed to dramatic arts while studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He furthered his studies with Sanford Meisner and eventually made his film debut in Where's Poppa? (1970).
Sorvino suffered from severe asthma, and worked hard at mastering various breathing techniques to manage the illness. He wrote a best-selling book entitled "How to Become a Former Asthmatic". He also started the Sorvino Asthma Foundation based in New York City.
Sorvino appeared in a variety of film, TV, and theatrical productions over five decades. He received critical praise for his role in the Broadway play "That Championship Season", and played the role again in the 1981 film alongside Robert Mitchum and Martin Sheen. Other noteworthy performances during the 1980s and 1990s included a stressed-out police chief in Cruising (1980), Mike Hammer's cop buddy in I, the Jury (1982), Lips Manlis in Dick Tracy (1990) with James Caan and in a standout performance as mob patriarch Paul Cicero in the powerhouse Goodfellas (1990).
Always keeping himself busy, Sorvino performed over 100 theatrical movies and over 30 TV movies throughout his career, including a dynamic and under-appreciated portrayal of Henry Kissinger in Nixon (1995), as "Fulgencio Capulet" in the updated Romeo + Juliet (1996) and in the Las Vegas thriller The Cooler (2003). At the time of his death in 2022, there were three more films in which he appeared yet to be released, including The Ride in which he worked alongside his wife Dee Dee Sorvino.
Sorvino was the proud father of Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino.- Music Department
- Actress
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Niki Haris was born on 17 April 1962 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Heat (1995), Corrina, Corrina (1994) and A Chorus Line (1985).- Actress
- Producer
Maria Cina is a powerhouse. Producer, writer, actress, dancer, and a tireless activist/philanthropist for women, children and equality. Maria is an artist, story-teller, way-shower, maker, locker of life, and a veracious student of human behavior, aesthetics, and spirit.
Hailing from Buffalo, NY, Maria started her career as a dancer in Las Vegas (Siegfried & Roy) and went on to work with artists Prince, Reba McEntire and many others. Maria made her acting debut on Beverly Hills 90210, and is known for her roles in "April's Shower" (Regent Entertainment), John Hancock's "Suspended Animation" and ABC's "Switched At Birth". Maria has appeared in many World Premier plays and performed at theaters including The Mark Taper Forum, The Kirk Douglas Theater, and The Hollywood Bowl. SAG/AFTRA/AEA/ASCAP actor. songwriter, producer Co-produced and starred in Regent Entertainment's award winning Aprils's Shower and wrote several songs for the sound track.
L.A. based, Maria is a producer of live events and films. Founder (2017) of CreateHer Network: Women Supporting Women, Maria fosters a robust community of women that encourages support and guidance to live a life of alignment with true calling, fulfillment, spiritual connection, financial literacy, and wellness. She coaches private and group workshops for women's personal and professional growth.
In 2003, Maria designed and launched Spiritual Lingerie Fine Jewelry. SL amassed and devoted clientele that included Naomi Campbell, Josie Maran and Matthew & Camilla McConaughey, as well as features in Bazaar, InStyle, US Weekly, and on the cult t.v. show VH-1's "The Fabulous Life" In 2005, she partnered with fellow actress and influencer Janet Gunn, creating a line of sterling silver jewelry for Cirque Du Soleil, that sold worldwide. In 2018, she would again collaborate with Cirque Du Soleil Founder, Guy La Liberty, as Lead Designer and Creative Director of a lifestyle brand based on the energy of natural gemstones and crystals. In 2013, Maria partnered with Italian American vintner and author, Mea Argentieri, on Mea Mac Handbags. Made in USA, and featured in Italian Elle, InStyle, Harper's Bazaar and Paper magazines, Mea Mac's day-to-night adaptive/connective handbag concept was dubbed "revolutionary' by MSN Glo and audaciously copied by Theory. Creators of In Pursuit Of Magic, a global street art movement, relied on Maria to design and manufacture their exceptional branded product collection which was sold at ABC Carpet & Home,NY.
With her pre-teen son, Nam Harrison, Maria joined forces with The Children Of Vietnam Organization to build a kindergarten, a primary school gr.1-5, and to bring electricity and clean water to a tribal village in the mountains of Quang Nam, Vietnam Maria has been an activist for The Standing Rock Defense Fund, been called a "nasty woman" for marching on Washington, and received death threats for the satirical anti-trump music video she produced, wrote & directed called "Tiny Hands For Trump" which went viral.
Maria is married to Blair Harrison, the British CEO and Founder of Frequency Networks. Their son Nam Harrison is a teen musician and philanthropist, who was born in Vietnam. They live with rescued dogs and fish in Los Angeles, CA.- Doug Spinuzza was born on 21 January 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Waterworld (1995), Legally Blonde (2001) and Instinct (1999).
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Michelle Joyner was born on 17 September 1961 in Sacramento, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Cliffhanger (1993), Outbreak (1995) and Quantum Leap (1989). She has been married to Robert H. Egan since 2001. They have four children.- Anthony Pontrello is known for The Amati Girls (2000) and Nick Name & the Normals (2004).
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- Writer
- Producer
Sean Huze is originally from Baton Rouge, LA. He served as an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2001-2005 with Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. On February 6, 2003, he deployed with his unit to Kuwait where they staged just South of the Iraqi border in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom. 2nd LAR, led by then Lieutenant Colonel Eddie Ray, was one of the lead elements during the invasion, credited with turning the tide in the Battle of Nasiriyah by decimating the Iraqi forces entrenched in the city and eliminating the reinforcements sent in from Al Kut in a dusk till dawn engagement called The Battle of the Coil, adopted the moniker "Destroyers" after confirmation that was what the enemy Iraqi forces called them, and fought in many combat engagements with the enemy in Diwaniyah, Baghdad, Al Kut, and Tikrit after Nasiriyah. Huze received several medals and citations during his enlistment with the highest being the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Meda. He was recognized by his commanders citing his "courage and self sacrifice throughout sustained combat operations" while in Iraq. He received an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps on March 7th, 2005.
Sean authored the critically acclaimed play, "The Sandstorm: Stories from the Front" which opened March 17, 2005, at the Elephant Asylum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA after a previous, limited engagement in September 2004. The play's East Coast Premiere was August 20, 2005, at MetroStages in D.C., followed by its European premiere May 2007, in Germany. His second play "Weasel" made its debut in September 2005 at The Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival. His third play, "The Wolf", which tackles Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on by combat in Iraq, world premiered in Los Angeles in March 2007. Notable film roles include Captain Jim Osher in In the Valley of Elah (2007), Conway in Green Zone (2010), and Barney (Prison Guard) in The Next Three Days (2010).
Sean continues to work as a producer, writer for stage and film, a military script consultant, and an actor. He is the CEO/President of Sandstorm Productions, Inc. located at Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, LA.- Producer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Manager
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Melanie Backer has extensive experience as a film and TV development executive and producer. Some of her most notable credits include SWIMMERS, PUMPKIN, THE AMATI GIRLS, and ST. VINCENT. Additionally, she manages a roster of talented writers and actors, including Cary Bickley (HIGH CRIMES, ELLIE PUTNAM) and Maddalena Ischaile (UNBROKEN, SOLE ROSSO).- Steven Johnson was born on 6 June 1968 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a producer, known for How We Got to Now (2014), PBS NewsHour (1975) and The Virtual Revolution (2010).
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Michael I. Levy was born on 29 December 1939 in the USA. Michael I. was a producer and executive, known for O (2001), Gotcha! (1985) and The Vindicator (1986). Michael I. died on 11 January 2024.- Producer
Matthew Rhodes is known for Cherry (2021), Nightcrawler (2014) and Whiplash (2014). He was previously married to Kendall Morgan.- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
Howard G. Kazanjian was born on 26 July 1942 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is a producer and assistant director, known for Demolition Man (1993), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). He has been married to Carol Anne Eskijian since 29 May 1970. They have three children.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Conrad Pope is known for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and Moonrise Kingdom (2012). He is married to Nan Schwartz.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Beyers is known for CBS Summer Playhouse (1987), Ozzy Osbourne: The Ultimate Ozzy (1986) and Television Parts (1985).- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Director
David L. Bertman was born in Boston Massachusetts, but escaped during the Carter Administration. Attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA in Architecture, Computer Science, Graphic Design, and Information Systems majors. Finally, he discovered film and transferred to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He Graduated Phi Beta Kappa having received the Mary Pickford Foundation Scholarship, The John Huston Directing Award, and The National Gold Key Honor Society Award. His student film, "Try, Try Again" has won multiple international awards including the Australian Film Festival Plaque, The Photographic Society of America Festival Award, and the MOOMBA International Film festival Award.- Editor
- Editorial Department
Carroll Timothy O'Meara was born on 22 April 1943 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA. He was an editor, known for Hoosiers (1986), The Last Starfighter (1984) and Conan the Barbarian (1982). He died on 16 May 2007 in Chatsworth, California, USA.