TV/Movie Appearances over 50 (female)
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Marcia Gay Harden was born on August 14, 1959, in La Jolla, California, the third of five children. Her mother, Beverly (Bushfield), was a homemaker, and her father, Thad Harold Harden, was in the military. The family relocated often -- she first became interested in the theatre when the family was living in Greece, and she had attended plays in Athens. Harden began her college education at American universities in Europe and returned to the US to complete her studies at the University of Texas in 1983; went on to earn an MFA at NYU, and, thereafter, embarked on her acting career.
Although she had acted in a movie as early as 1986, in the little-known The Imagemaker (1986), her first mainstream role, coming alongside some TV movie work, was as a sultry femme fatale in the Coen Brothers' cleverly offbeat homage to the gangster movie, Miller's Crossing (1990). Harden received good reviews for her sultry performance as Verna, a seductive, trouble-making moll. Harden thereafter worked steadily in supporting roles, including the portrayal of Ava Gardner in Sinatra (1992), a television biopic about Frank Sinatra. Harden also worked in the theater and, in 1993, was part of the Broadway cast of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America", playing Harper, the alienated wife of a closeted gay man. It was a demanding dramatic role, and Harden won acclaim for her work, including a Tony award nomination. She returned to movie making in the mid-1990s, continuing to turn in superb supporting performances in films and television.
Harden's road to success was a long one, her work generally being overlooked because the productions were either critically panned or ignored by audiences. However, it was just a matter of time before Harden got a chance to truly show her quality on-screen, and that time came in 2000, with Ed Harris's Pollock (2000), in which she played Lee Krasner, artist and long-suffering wife of Jackson Pollock. Harden's performance was deeply moving and unforgettable and earned her the Oscar and New York Film Critic's Circle awards for best supporting actress. Continuing to work prolifically in features and television, she earned another Oscar nomination in 2003 for her supporting role in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Harden having earlier worked with Eastwood in 2000's Space Cowboys (2000).
Harden's work often makes otherwise mediocre productions worth watching, fully inhabiting any character she portrays. She was married to Thaddaeus Scheel, with whom she worked on The Spitfire Grill (1996), from 1996 to 2012. The couple have three children, a daughter Eulala Scheel, and twins Julitta and Hudson.- Actress
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Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Burbank, California, to singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She was an actress and writer known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Fisher is also known for her book, "Postcards from the Edge", and she wrote the screenplay for the movie based on her novel. Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd have a daughter, Billie Lourd (Billie Catherine Lourd), born on July 17, 1992.- Dendrie Taylor was born on 23 November 1960. She is an actress, known for Pam & Tommy (2022), Peace in the Valley (2022) and Sons of Anarchy (2008). She is married to Adam Lazarre-White. They have one child.
- Actress
- Director
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Beth Alison Broderick was born on February 24, 1959 in Falmouth, Kentucky, USA but was raised in Huntington Beach, California. Beth was always very interested in theater as a child and she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California at age 18. After that, she moved to New York and began her professional acting career. She stopped acting for a few years to dedicate herself to dealing with the AIDS crisis in the early eighties. When she was 27, she started acting again and she made her debut in 1988 when she played the sexy neighbor who seduces a young, innocent Jonathan Silverman in Stealing Home (1988). In 1990, she appeared in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). She has also appeared in several theater productions like "Carnal Knowledge", "Triplets in Uniform" and "Zastrozzi, the Master of Discipline" (which she also co-produced). In New York, she has starred in "The Mousetrap", "The Lion in Winter" and many more. Beth is not only an actress, she is also a writer and she has written "A Cup of Joe", "Wonderland" and "Literatti" with Dennis Bailey. Beth is also a director and she has directed an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) called Making the Grade (2001). She has been active in the battle against AIDS since 1984 and she is the founding director of "Momentum", one of the first organizations in New York established to assist people with AIDS. Beth was also a founding member of the Celebrity Action Council of the City Light Women's Rehabilitation Program at the Los Angeles Mission, which provides hands-on service to homeless women, helps them to overcome substance abuse and learn job skills to help them reclaim their lives and families.- Actress
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Equally at home on stage and on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television.
Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original "Dreamgirls" in Michael Bennett's classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse's critically acclaimed stage production "Big Deal." Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe's "Colored Museum" and "Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill," cemented Devine's status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.
Film roles soon followed including a poignant turn as a single mother opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines in Waiting to Exhale (1995) which earned Devine her first NAACP Image Award for 'Best Supporting Actress.' Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshall's The Preacher's Wife (1996). Devine received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in "Women Thou Art Loosed." Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film "Crash" and the hit movie of "Dreamgirls." Some of her additional film credits include appearances in the successful "Urban Legend" franchise, "I Am Sam" opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn, "Kingdom Come," "What Women Want," "Punks," "Hoodlums," "Down in the Delta" and "Stanley and Iris."
Devine's more recent film credits include co-starring roles in "This Christmas" and "First Sunday" both of which opened Number 1 at the box office. Devine voiced the character of "Delta" in Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." She appeared with Chris Rock in Sony Screen Gems remake of "Death at a Funeral" and "Lottery Ticket" for Alcon/Warner Brothers. Devine portrayed "The Woman in Green" in Tyler Perry's adaptation of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls." In 2011, Devine starred in two leading roles in the film "Jumping the Broom" with Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett and in the Tyler Perry directed film "Madea's Big Happy Family," both films earned top spots at the box office, respectively. Devine followed up her box office hits with a strong lineup of independent films including Robert Townsend's "In The Hive" which earned Devine a NAACP Image Award nomination for "Best Actress in a Motion Picture", "You're Not You" alongside Hilary Swank, James Franco's "The Sound and the Fury" and the Kristen Wiig dramedy, "Welcome to Me."
On television, Devine became a critical darling in her Emmy award-winning role as "Adele" on ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." Devine's credits include numerous series roles on shows such as "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World," Eddie Murphy's stop-motion animated series "The PJs," David E Kelly's "Boston Public," ABC's "Eli Stone" and alongside Jennifer Love-Hewitt on Lifetime's "The Client List." She most recently starred on NBC's critically acclaimed sitcom "The Carmichael Show" and co-starred in the 3rd season of BET's "Being Mary Jane" as the titular character's main antagonist, "Cece." Devine continues to voice "Hallie the Hippo" on Disney Channel's Peabody Award-Winning animated series, "Doc McStuffins," and will next star in the Netflix family series, "FAMILY REUNION" which will feature an all-black cast and crew.
With a career spanning three decades, Devine has earned much praise and accolades for her work on both the big and small screen. For her work as "Adele" on "Grey's Anatomy," Devine earned both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, a Gracie Allen Award for "Outstanding Female Actor in a Featured Role," a nomination for "Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series" from the Critics' Choice Television Awards and a NAACP Image Award and a NAACP Image Award nomination. In total, Devine has won nine NAACP Image Awards and has received a record twenty-four nominations. Devine has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Pan African Film Festival and the NAACP Theatre Awards and the Thespian Award from the LA Femme International Film Festival.
Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts from Brandeis University. She also received a Doctorate of Humane Letters as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Houston.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
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Tricia Helfer is a Canadian cover girl model-turned-actress who has developed her resume beyond the catwalk to include many diverse roles highlighting her versatile and natural screen presence. Best known as the face of the series, and for her Leo award-winning lead performance as the humanoid, Cylon 'Number Six' in the critically acclaimed Syfy series, Battlestar Galactica (2004), Helfer has since gone on to book leading roles on a wide variety of networks. Tricia currently stars in FOX's "Lucifer", switching gears from the role as Lucifer's mother Charlotte, to an attorney by the same name.
Prior to "Lucifer," Tricia was recurring in season two of the Playstation & Sony Picture TV series, "Powers." Just before that, Helfer also played the lead of the Syfy channel's original miniseries "Ascension" co-starring Brian Van Holt. In early 2014, Helfer starred as the lead of the ABC series, "Killer Women". The Sofia Vergara-produced series followed beautiful badass Molly Parker (Helfer), in the notorious Texas Rangers frontier patrol, as she pursued justice despite being embroiled in a continuous fight for her peers' respect.
Born in Donalda, Alberta, Canada, Helfer launched her modeling career at age 17, and erupted into an international superstar after winning the Ford Models' Supermodel of the World Contest in 1992. Her modeling credits include appearances in high-end ad campaigns for Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Givenchy, and Dolce & Gabbana as well as covers for national publications such as ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Flare and Vogue.
In 2002, Helfer turned her focus to acting, moving to Los Angeles and quickly earning a guest star spot on the second season finale of "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation." The following year she earned her break with "Battlestar Galactica," achieving a remarkably fast and successful transition into acting. During her hiatus from "Battlestar Galactica," Helfer portrayed the legendary Farrah Fawcett in NBC's film, "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels." She furthered expanded her portfolio by starring as 'Stephanie Jacobs' opposite Dennis Hopper and Billy Zane in the independent feature "Memory," and later starred alongside LeeLee Sobieski in another independent, "Walk All Over Me," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Helfer returned to the small-screen in 2008, joining the cast of the USA Network's hit series, "Burn Notice" for a multi-episode arc. The next year she filmed recurring guest spots on the award-winning CBS comedy, "Two and a Half Men," while appearing on Fox's crime shows "Chuck," and "Lie to Me." In 2010, Helfer booked a series regular role on the ten-episode arc of Jerry Bruckheimer's "Dark Blue," starring opposite Dylan McDermott and went on to do a variety of terrific roles on series such as "Suits," on USA Network, "Key and Peale," "The Librarians," "Community," "Chuck," "Jeremiah" and "Franklin & Bash," among others.
In addition to her vast array of television roles, Tricia starred in the film, "A Beginner's Guide to Endings," with Harvey Keitel, Scott Caan, and JK Simmons and ;ater, went on to star in "Authors Anonymous" with Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting. Next up, is another lead role in thriller, "Isolation" co-starring Luke Malby, a film that will portray the true events of a couple vacationing in the Bahamas. The getaway quickly spirals out of control, forcing the couple into survival mode.
Adding to her impressive resume, Helfer has done prolific voiceover work in mega-hit video game franchises including, playing the roles of Commander Veronica Dare in Halo: ODST, EDI in Mass Effect 2 and 3, Sarah Kerrigan in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, for which she won the 2010 VGA for Best Performance by a Human Female, as well as in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. She also showcased her voice talent in animated productions, "Green Lantern: First Flight," a Cartoon Network TV movie, on Disney XD's "The Spectacular Spiderman", and on Disney XD's TRON: Uprising.
In addition to acting, Helfer continues to support as many causes as she can, as she strongly believes in giving back. Tricia supports the Humane Society of United States, Best Friends Animal Society, AmFAR, PETA, Kitten Rescue and Richmond Animal Protection Society.
Tricia, who has dual citizenship in the US and Canada, and resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
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Natalie Brown was born on 17 May 1973 in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress and writer, known for The Strain (2014), Sophie (2008) and Dawn of the Dead (2004).- Actress
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Tracie Thoms has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her busy career.
Tracie's currently a series regular opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on the Apple series, Truth Be Told, while at the same time recurring on Fox's 9-1-1 and ABC's Station 19.
Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as 'Joanne' in the final weeks of the historic Broadway run of the iconic musical, Rent. She played the same key role in Sony's film of Rent opposite Rosario Dawson and Idina Menzel. She was seen opposite Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Rian Johnson's Looper, and with Denzel Washington in Safe House. She starred with Kurt Russell in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse: Death Proof and opposite Anne Hathaway in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada. She was featured in Columbia's remake of Annie with Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. She's also been featured in dozens of indie films throughout her career.
Tracie starred on Broadway most recently in the acclaimed production of James Lapine's Falsettos. She also starred opposite Dulé Hill and Mekhi Phifer in Stick Fly, and opposite Alfre Woodard in Drowning Crow. She starred Off-Broadway in Working at Encores! Off-Center, with Oscar nominee John Hawkes in the world premiere of David Auburn's Lost Lake at Manhattan Theatre Club, and she was a lead in the acclaimed The Exonerated at The Culture Project. She's been featured in The 24 Hour Plays, The 24 Hour Musicals, and 10 Things To Do Before I Die at New York's Second Stage.
Tracie was a series regular for six years on CBS' Cold Case. She starred for Fox in Wonderfalls and recurred on Hulu's The First, WGN's Gone, Lifetime's UnREAL, Netflix's Love and NBC's Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. She's guest starred on Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, The Shield, The Good Wife, The Mindy Project, Criminal Minds, The Affair, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Mad About You, Run, Curb Your Enthusiasm and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Tracie began studying acting in her hometown of Baltimore at age 9. She attended high school at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. Later, she received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Howard University and a graduate degree in acting from New York City's renowned Juilliard School.- Felicia Day was born on June 28, 1979 in Huntsville, Alabama, USA as Kathryn Felicia Day. She is an actress and producer, known for her work on TV and the web video world. She has appeared in mainstream television shows and films, including Supernatural (2005) and a two-season arc on the SyFy series Eureka (2006). However, Felicia may be best known for her work in the web video world. She co-starred in Joss Whedon's Internet musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) and created and starred in the hit web series, The Guild (2007). Felicia is creative chief officer of her production company Knights of Good, which produced the web series Dragon Age: Redemption (2011) and the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry.
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Emmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian actress and model. She began acting in grade school, after she was cast as an understudy in a play and had to fill in when the lead actor became ill. She modeled in Japan for three years. She made her acting debut in the 1995 made-for-TV movie drama, A Family Divided. She took up horseback riding in 2010; entered a Burbank, CA, horse show in which she placed third. She is involved with animal protection organizations including JIMI'S Angels and Best Friends Animal Society; she created Fluff-ball, an animal fundraiser event, to provide monetary support for the groups.- Actress
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On February 13th, 1968, a girl of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian ancestry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father, Herbert, was a salesman and her mother, Juanita, worked many odd jobs to help support the family. She has one older brother, Glenn. She is a former Miss Teen USA, and modeled in Japan and Italy for several months before deciding to relocate to L.A. and try her hand at show business. She received her break on TV's Growing Pains (1985) in 1987 and never looked back.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
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Keiko Agena was born on 3 October 1973 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. She is an actress, known for Prodigal Son (2019), Gilmore Girls (2000) and Better Call Saul (2015). She has been married to Shin Kawasaki since 19 December 2005.- Actress
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Madeline Zima was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents Dennis and Marie, and is the sister of actresses Vanessa Zima and Yvonne Zima. "Zima", a Polish surname, is her mother's maiden name; Madeline's maternal grandfather was of Polish descent, while her other ancestry is Italian, German, and Irish.
She and her sister Vanessa were discovered by Woody Allen for his movie, Alice (1990). She actually quit show business, the week when she was urged to come in for her sixth call back for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). She came back for one more audition and booked the role of "Emma". She booked the movie and has never stopped working since. It was both Madeline and Julianne Moore's first film and was directed by Academy Award-winning director and writer, Curtis Hanson. Madeline won critical notice for her first film role.
Madeline followed that dramatic thriller with a short film that Daryl Hannah directed. It was a Sundance favorite called The Last Supper (1995), where Madeline, as a tiny wily child, scared away her mother's abusive boyfriend by convincing him that she and her mother were cannibals. She followed that with the comedies, Mr. Nanny (1993), Our Song, a pilot with George Hamilton, and finally The Nanny (1993). By this time, the pilot of The Nanny (1993) was picked up and Madeline moved from New York to L.A., when The Nanny (1993) became a hit show.
She has starred in TV films: The Secret Path (1999). Her sister, Yvonne Zima played the seven-year-old counterpart to her characters. She played the daughter of the late John Ritter and Marg Helgenberger on Lethal Vows (1999).
After a worldwide search in all English-speaking countries, Madeline was the choice to play Lucille Ball as a teenager, in the CBS mini-series, Lucy (2003) (aka "Redhead"). She followed that up playing the wicked stepsister of Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story (2004).
In a return to television, she agreed to play the mysterious and destructive character "Mia" on the hit Showtime series, Californication (2007).- Actress
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This stunning and resourceful actress has been primarily a film player thus far. Only recently has she been opening herself up more to doing television (the series Gemini Division (2008), which she executive-produced), and animated voice-overs. Dawson's powerhouse talent stands out the most in edgy, urban filming that dates back to 1995 when she was only sixteen.
A rags-to-riches article entitled "Rosario Dawson: From Tenement to Tinseltown" probably says it all. Rosario was born on May 9, 1979 in New York City. Her mother, Isabel Celeste, of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent, is a singer, and her stepfather, who raised her, Greg Dawson, of Irish descent, is a construction laborer. Her parents, who married when both were teenagers, eventually divorced. Rosario and her younger brother, Clay Dawson, had it hard while growing up, and were cared for by family members, most of whom were poverty-stricken, and some of whom were HIV-positive.
Her career actually started as a child when she made a minor showing on the children's show, Sesame Street (1969). As the story goes, she was "discovered" as an adolescent on her front porch step by two photographers. One of them, Harmony Korine, was an aspiring screenwriter who thought the inexperienced sixteen-year-old was ideal for the controversial cult film Kids (1995), in which she would portray a sexually active adolescent. It took time for Rosario's film career to kick in after that, but by the late 1990s, she had nabbed several independent films. Since then, she has moved into main-stream hits (and misses) and has surprised viewers with her earthy, provocative, uninhibited approach to her roles.
Reflecting New York's tougher, tawdrier side as assorted streetwalkers, homeless mothers, drug addicts, etc., her film highlights have included Light It Up (1999), Edward Burns' Sidewalks of New York (2001), Spike Lee's 25th Hour (2002) and Shattered Glass (2003). For Oliver Stone, she portrayed the duped bride of Colin Farrell's famed B.C. Macedonian warrior, Alexander (2004) (as in "...the Great"), which featured a notoriously violent-tinged nude/sex scene.
Expanding her horizons beyond film, she has always expressed interest in singing. She hooked up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999" and appeared in The Chemical Brothers' video for the song "Out of Control" from the album "Surrender". She is also featured on the Outkast track, "She Lives in My Lap". On stage, she co-starred as Julia in a revival of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" and appeared in "The Vagina Monologues".
She lucked into and got to show off her singing chops in the film adaptation of the hit New York musical Rent (2005), when Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, became pregnant and was unable to reprise her exotic dancer role. Rosario also appeared as a prostitute in the adaptation of the graphic novel Sin City (2005). Of late, she has turned to producing. One of those, Descent (2007), had her playing a college coed who is brutally attacked and raped by a fellow student. Her more popular ventures have thus far included the role of Valerie Brown in the live-action version of the comic strip Josie and the Pussycats (2001), the Will Smith starrer Men in Black II (2002), Eagle Eye (2008) with Shia LaBeouf and Seven Pounds (2008), again with Smith, in which she offered one of her more tender-hearted performances as a woman with a potentially fatal heart condition.
More recent millennium films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading movie men include the tense actioneer Unstoppable (2010) with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine; the comedy/fantasy Zookeeper (2011) opposite Dalekmania (1995); romantic dramedy 10 Years (2011) with Channing Tatum; crime drama Fire with Fire (2012) with Bruce Willis; romantic comedy Top Five (2014) with Chris Rock; and action adventure Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) with Woody Harrelson. She has also top-lined independent films with her own feisty characters such as the thriller Unforgettable (2017) and the title role in the dramedy Krystal (2017).
Focusing also on TV projects, Rosario has graced such action series/mini-series as Daredevil (2015), Iron Fist (2017) and The Defenders (2017), as well as the comedy Jane the Virgin (2014) and animated cartoon series The Last Kids on Earth (2019).
Off-camera, the still-single Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with such organizations/charities/campaigns as the Lower East Side Girls Club, Global Cool, the O.N.E. Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Control Arms, International Rescue Committee, Voto Latino (which she founded), Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. In October 2008, she lent her voice to the RESPECT! Campaign, a movement aimed at preventing domestic violence.- Actress
Souad Faress was born in Accra, Ghana to Irish and Syrian parents and came to London to study drama at the Guildhall School. She made her television debut in a small role in 'I, Claudius' in 1976 and has since appeared in numerous series including as Dev Alahan's mother in 'Coronation Street' and an ongoing role in 'Casualty'. In 1990 she took over the role as lawyer Usha Gupta, a Sikh who would marry Christian vicar Alan Franks on the radio show 'The Archers'. In 2004 she began writing, initially short stories, with her play 'Seed', about mixed race relationships in colonial India also being staged that year. She has also appeared in 'Beauty and the Beast' and Tony Kushner's 'Homebody/Kabul' at the Young Vic and David Hare's 'Permanent Way' at the National Theatre and in 2015, 'Hurried Steps' with the New Shoes Theatre Company. Additionally she has served as a panelist at the Croydon International Playwriting Festival and in 2016 could be seen in the sixth season of 'Game of Thrones'.- Actress
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Jaime Ray Newman will next be seen in a recurring role on the new Apple TV series created by Don Cheadle, THE BIG CIGAR, as well as guest starring in BEL AIR on Peacock. She recently appeared as a recurring character on the critically-acclaimed Hulu series DOPESICK, opposite Michael Keaton, as well as on THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE for HBO. Newman held prominent recurring roles in both DEPUTY on FOX and LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, opposite Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Previously, Jaime has recurred on VERONICA MARS, THE MAGICIANS, THE IMPOSTERS, MAJOR CRIMES, SATISFACTION, CSI, DROP DEAD DIVA, and NIP/TUCK. Jaime also starred in NBC's MIDNIGHT TEXAS and season one of Marvel's THE PUNISHER on Netflix. Her other credits include A&E's BATES MOTEL, ABC's WICKED CITY, and ABC's EASTWICK.
Jaime will next be seen in the independent feature film, JUDO, directed by Guy Nattiv. Her other film work includes appearing in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, RUBBERNECK, the independent movie RED ROBIN, as well as the remake of the animated film TARZAN. She can also be seen in the feature VALLEY OF THE GODS, opposite Josh Hartnett and John Malkovich. Jaime received an Academy Award for best short in 2018 for SKIN. She will next be seen in the short film KINSHIP, directed by Daniel Ramirez and produced by Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown. She is currently developing projects alongside her husband, Guy Nattiv, for their production company, New Native Pictures.- Actress
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Niecy Nash was born on 23 February 1970 in Palmdale, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Reno 911! (2003), Guess Who (2005) and Claws (2017). She has been married to Jessica Betts since 29 August 2020. She was previously married to Jay Tucker and Don Nash.- Actress
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Paula Marshall was born on 12 June 1964 in Rockville, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Gary Unmarried (2008), Cupid (1998) and Californication (2007). She has been married to Danny Nucci since 12 October 2003. They have one child. She was previously married to Tom Ardavany.- Actress
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Charisma Carpenter first made her television debut with a guest spot on Baywatch (1989), before receiving a call from legendary producer Aaron Spelling and subsequently being cast on the prime time soap opera, Malibu Shores (1996). But her big break - and the one that would forever change the trajectory of her life - came shortly thereafter when she was cast as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), a role she would portray for three seasons before migrating to its spin-off series, Angel (1999), and continuing on for four more seasons. In total, Carpenter portrayed Cordelia in 140 episodes across both franchises. The former series has been ranked by Time, The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly among their lists of greatest television series' of all time.
Carpenter went on to recur on Charmed (1998) as the demon Kyra and on Veronica Mars (2004) as gold digging stepmother Kendall Casablanacas as well as Greek (2007) and, most recently, CW's Pandora (2019). While working as a series regular on ABC Family's The Lying Game (2011), Carpenter subsequently served as host and producer of Investigation Discovery's Surviving Evil (2013), a series featuring survivors who fought back against their attackers. Additional guest starring roles include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Burn Notice (2007), Supernatural (2005), Blue Bloods (2010), Sons of Anarchy (2008), Scream Queens (2015), Chicago P.D. (2014), Lucifer (2016), and 9-1-1 (2018).
Carpenter has also segued into movies, with a supporting role as Lacey in The Expendables (2010) and its sequel, The Expendables 2 (2012), as well as roles in over 12 made for television movies for Lifetime, Syfy and more.
Offscreen, Carpenter is the proud founder of MyCon, a platform intended to lift the spirits of socially isolated fans throughout the pandemic by connecting them with their favorite actors. Additionally, she works closely with the Thirst Project, an international water charity bringing safe, clean drinking water to the most vulnerable people around the world, as well as The Ronan Thompson Foundation, which is dedicated to researching pediatric cancer. In addition to her first love, that of a devoted mother, Carpenter spends much of her time working as a philanthropist, political activist, and social justice advocate. So passionate about these causes, she recently completed a course on administrative justice.- Actress
- Producer
Most recently, Keri can be seen starring in "The Diplomat" for Netflix in which Keri plays the titular role of an American Diplomat in London. She also stars in an episode of the limited anthology series "Extrapolations" created by Scott Burns. She also recently starred in "Cocaine Bear" for Universal Pictures from director Elizabeth Banks. Last year, she starred in the supernatural horror thriller "Antlers" for director Scott Cooper and producer Guillermo del Toro, and in "Star Wars: Episode IX" which reunited her with friend and director J.J. Abrams.
For six seasons Keri starred in the critically acclaimed FX series "The Americans" for which she received a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, three Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Award nominations, six Critics' Choice Award nominations - one win - and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
Russell's film credits include "We Were Soldiers," "Mad About Mambo," "The Upside of Anger," "Mission Impossible III," "August Rush," "The Girl In The Park," "Bedtime Stories," Extraordinary Measures," "Goats," "Austenland," "Dark Skies," "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes," "Free State Of Jones," and the romantic comedy "Waitress" for which she received rave reviews.
Keri first garnered attention when she starred in the title role of the hit television series "Felicity" from J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Just four months after the show's acclaimed premiere on the WB, she was honored with a Golden Globe® Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series.
Keri's other television credits include the miniseries "Into the West," executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation "The Magic of Ordinary Days," and "Running Wilde" with Will Arnett.
Keri starred alongside Adam Driver in the Broadway revival of Lanford Wilson's "Burn This." The limited engagement play, directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, opened in March 2019 and ran through July 2019.
Russell returned to New York theatre after making her off- Broadway stage debut in production of Neil LaBute's "Fat Pig," in 2005.- Margo Martindale was born July 18, 1951 in Jacksonville, Texas, to Margaret (Pruitt) and William Everett Martindale, a lumber company owner and dog handler. She is the youngest of three children, and the only daughter. Margo attended Lon Marris College, and later transferred to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and did a summer study at Harvard University. She made her film debut appearance in Days of Thunder (1990), she played the minor role of Donna. Notable roles include: Sister Colleen, Susan Sarandon's fellow nun in Dead Man Walking (1995). She played a brief but memorable role as the selfish mother to Hilary Swank's character in Million Dollar Baby (2004).
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Ever since she was a child growing up in South Jersey, Katrina Law had more energy than she knew what to do with. Her mother (being the brilliant mother that she is) recognized this at an early age and enrolled Katrina in a variety of activities ranging from dance and gym classes to karate lessons, soccer practice, and voice coaching. You name the activity and Katrina's mother probably had her try it at least once. When she graduated high school her yearbook was filled with photos of her on the Varsity Track team, Varsity Soccer Team, Varsity Cheerleading Squad, and even the Varsity Weightlifting Team. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and won the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA, where she went on to represent the state at finals on national television.
This eccentric collection of interests and activities, combined with her exotic physical appearance usually means that the first question people ask her is, "What are you?"
What she is, to answer their question, is a typical small-town American Girl. Her parents met during the Vietnam War; her father being a Catholic of German and Italian decent serving in the U.S. armed forces and her mother a Buddhist living in Taiwan, working as a bartender. This combination of cultures learning to live in harmony under one roof taught Katrina tolerance, patience, understanding, and humor as a child and still guides her to this day.
After graduating with a theater degree from the Richard Stockton College of NJ, Katrina's acting education continued on in the big cities of Philadelphia and New York. There she not only deepened her understanding of acting as an art form, but she also sharpened her teeth on the business of acting. In New York City she earned her SAG eligibility on the set of Lucky Numbers (2000) with Nora Ephron and John Travolta, and finally joined SAG when she booked a guest star role on NY's Third Watch (1999). Since then, she has gone on to act in many exciting projects, including a three-episode arc as the Mord'Sith Garen in Legend of the Seeker (2008) and as the series regular Mira in the hit show Spartacus (2010).- Actress
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Alex Kingston was born on 11 March 1963 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for ER (1994), Doctor Who (2005) and Alpha Dog (2006). She has been married to Jonathan Stamp since 18 July 2015. She was previously married to Florian Haertel and Ralph Fiennes.- Actress
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A Vancouver native, Teryl Rothery always knew she wanted to be an entertainer. She began her career as a dancer at age thirteen when she performed in her first musical, "Bye Bye Birdie". Her role in "Annie Get Your Gun" earned her a Most Outstanding Performer award with her theater company. Teryl has been working in TV & Movie industry for many years and has most recently seen success in the hit show Stargate SG-1 (1997). Over the years, Teryl has appeared on The Outer Limits (1995), The X-Files (1993), First Wave (1998) and movies such as Masterminds (1997) with Patrick Stewart, Mr. Rice's Secret (1999) with David Bowie. When not working, Teryl enjoys walking, riding and roller blading. Teryl Rothery's feature film credits include Urban Safari (1995), Andre (1994) and The Surgeon (1995). She has appeared in the television movies Who Killed My Daughter (1995), Deceived by Trust: A Moment of Truth Movie (1995), She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal (1995), For the Love of Nancy (1994) and The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1994) and has guest-starred on The X-Files (1993), The Commish (1991), Robin's Hoods (1994), M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) and Cobra (1993). Teryl has used her voice talents on many cartoon series including Exosquad (1993) and Ranma 1/2. On Stargate SG-1 (1997), Teryl plays the part of "Dr. Janet Fraiser," Medical Officer for the Cheyenne Mountain Facility. Dr. Fraiser's skill and compassion enable her to face the most peculiar cases brought to her by SG-1 and all the other SG teams.- Actress
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Spencer is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, which she claims is the proverbial buckle of the Bible belt. She's the sixth of seven siblings and holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. A "closet" lover of acting, this practical Alabamian knew that she'd someday work in the film industry, but never dreamed it would be in front of the camera. In 1995, acclaimed director Joel Schumacher changed all that by giving her a small part opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit film A Time to Kill, and Spencer was on her way. In 1996, she teamed up with Bullock again in Bullock's directorial debut of Making Sandwiches, a short film that premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
Spencer made her stage debut in Los Angeles and originated the role of "LaSonia" (pronounced lasagna) in famed writer/director Del Shore's, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, starring opposite veteran actors Beth Grant, Dale Dickey and David Steen (2003). The play garnered Spencer and her fellow cast mates critical acclaim and a bevy of awards. Since then, Spencer has continued to see success as an actor in both film and television, working alongside Hollywood's elite. In February 2009, she was lauded by Los Angeles Times publication: The Envelope, for her brief but memorable performance in the Will Smith drama Seven Pounds.- Actress
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An extremely gifted, versatile performer adept at both comedy and drama, actress/singer Katey Sagal became a household name in the late 1980s as the fabulously brazen, undomesticated Peg Bundy on the enduring Fox series Married... with Children (1987). During its lengthy run she received three Golden Globe and two American Comedy Award nominations. As popular and identifiable as her Peg Bundy persona was, Katey assertively moved on after the show went off the air, not only starring in other sitcoms and television movies, but portraying characters that were polar opposites of the outrageous role that first earned her nationwide attention. For example, in 2008 she took on the role of Gemma Teller Morrow, the matriarch of a Hell's- Angels-esque California biker gang, on the series Sons of Anarchy (2008), and in 2011 her portrayal earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in the Television Series--Drama.
Catherine Louise Sagal was born on January 19, 1954, to director and singer Sara Zwilling and noted television and film director Boris Sagal. The Los Angeles native began performing at age 5 and studied voice and acting at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.
A singing waitress during her "salad" years, she started performing with the band "The Group With No Name," then caught a break after hooking up with Gene Simmons and his 1970s rock band KISS. In the meantime, she gained valuable experience as a backup recording singer for Simmons and other established stars like Bob Dylan, Olivia Newton-John, Etta James, and Tanya Tucker. She was also dynamic performing live with diva Bette Midler as one of her "Harlettes" in Bette's wildly avant-garde stage shows during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In 1985, while performing on stage in a musical, she was spotted by talent agents who subsequently cast her as Mary Tyler Moore's feisty co-worker Jo Tucker in Mary (1985), a short-lived comedy series. From that point on she focused on film and television. In 1987 she won the role of voluptuous "housewife" Peg Bundy in the irreverent comedy Married... with Children (1987), and the rest is history.
In addition to her busy on-camera scheduling, Katey has retraced her steps to her first love: singing and songwriting. With the support of her record label Valley Entertainment, she released the album "Room" in 2004 that combined classics like "Feel a Whole Lot Better" and "(For the Love of) Money" with original songs she penned, including "Life Goes Round," "Daddy's Girl," and "Wish I Were a Kid." "Room" is her first CD since her 1994 debut "Well."
In her post-Bundy career, Katey has continued to demonstrate a strong range, playing a much more responsible parent in the popular sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002), co-starring the late John Ritter and valiantly moving to single-household-head after Ritter's sudden passing in 2003 with highly successful results.
She has earned earned equally-fine kudos for her television movies like Chance of a Lifetime (1998), a charming romantic comedy that also co-starred John Ritter, God's New Plan (1999), a tearjerker in which she played a dying mother, and the Disney offerings Smart House (1999) and Mr. Headmistress (1998). The voice of Turanga Leela, the beautiful one-eyed sewer mutant in the animated series Futurama (1999), she has also guested on Ghost Whisperer (2005), Lost (2004), Boston Legal (2004), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), and Eli Stone (2008). Feature films have included Maid to Order (1987), The Good Mother (1988), the Sundance Film Festival favorite Dropping Out (2000), Following Tildy (2002), and the indie I'm Reed Fish (2006).
Playing Jack's mother in a live-action/adventure retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk (2009) that also featured the talents of Christopher Lloyd, James Earl Jones, and Chevy Chase, Katey's more recent efforts include recurring role on TV's Lost (2004), a role in the mini-series The Bastard Executioner (2015) and a regular role in the series Superior Donuts (2017). She would also join the cast of the sitcom The Conners (2018) as a love interest to widower Dan John Goodman.
Following brief marriages to musician Freddie Beckmeier, Fred Lombardo, and former Steppenwolf drummer and "Mighty Ducks" hockey film advisor Jack White, Katey resides in the Los Angeles area with fourth husband writer/producer/director/creator Kurt Sutter, whose acclaimed work includes The Shield (2002) and the offbeat Sons of Anarchy (2008), which Sutter created. She had three children by White: Ruby (died at birth), Sarah, and Jackson; and one daughter by Sutter, Esme Louise.- Actress
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Dot-Marie Jones was born on 4 January 1964 in Turlock, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Glee (2009), Bros (2022) and Greener Grass (2019). She has been married to Bridgett Casteen since 21 December 2013.- Actress
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Lindy Booth was born on April 2, 1979, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. She played "Riley Grant" on the Disney Channel series, The Famous Jett Jackson (1998) (and "Agent Hawk" in the show-within-a-show, "Silverstone"). Other credits include guest-starring as different characters in two different episodes of the A&E Network series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001), and a recurring role in season two of the USA Network series, The 4400 (2004).- Actress
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Natalie Martinez began modeling at the age of 15, years before she considered giving acting a try. The Miami-born beauty's career blossomed with a simple suggestion from her mother. During her senior year at St. Brendan High School in 2002, her mother saw an ad for J.Lo's new clothing line. After beating over 5,000 other girls for the gig, Natalie packed up and moved to Los Angeles.- Actress
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Lauren Elyse Buckley hails from the city of Deep Dish Pizza and John Hughes movies. After spending a childhood on stage in local Chicago theatre, she moved to LA to study theatre and screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University.
Best known for her recurring role in Dreamworks' AwesomenessTV comedy series "Foursome" as the recurring role of Girsten throughout all four seasons, Lauren can also be seen in this season of NBC's "Magnum P.I", Netflix's "Colin In Black and White" and "Bill Nye Saves the World", and recurring on TruTV's "You Can Do Better".
Recent films include a starring role in the thriller feature film "Blame" (which screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2022), "Dressed for Love", "DC Down", "Magic Carpet Rides", and "Tales From Middleton High".
Lauren starred in and produced the award-winning mockumentary comedy series "Jennifer and Chicken". She is starring in the upcoming psychological horror "The Devil's Ride" and has several other projects in the works that she is acting in, writing, and producing.
Nominated for best acting duo for her role of Faye in the film "The Chair That Killed Faye" and making the rounds in the festival circuit with multiple films, Lauren Elyse Buckley is steadily growing her base in the indie film world. From Sister Fiona in Stephen King's "In the Deathroom" to her portrayal of real-life feminist icon Jackie Mitchell in "Throw Like A Girl," she is bringing a wide range of characters to the screen.- Actress
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Jelena Stupljanin was born on 30 June 1978 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. She is an actress and writer, known for Fair Play (2023), Nemirni (2023) and Everything in its Right Place (2020). She has been married to Bojan Dimitrijevic since 14 July 2019.- Actress
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Rebecca Mader was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England as Rebecca Leigh Mader. She is an actress and writer, known for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Iron Man Three (2013), Once Upon A Time (2014-2018) and Lost (2008-2010). She has been married to Marcus Kayne since November 23, 2016. She was previously married to Joseph Arongino.- Actress
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Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in a funeral parlor and as a bricklayer while taking small parts on Broadway. She moved to California and worked with improv groups, including Spontaneous Combustion, and developed her skills as a stand-up comedienne. Goldberg came to prominence doing an HBO special and a one-woman show as Moms Mabley. She has been known in her prosperous career as a unique and socially conscious talent with articulately liberal views. Among her boyfriends were Ted Danson and Frank Langella. Goldberg was married three times and was once addicted to drugs.
Goldberg had her first big film starring role in The Color Purple (1985). She received much critical acclaim, and an Oscar nomination for her role and became a major star as a result. Subsequent efforts in the late 1980s were, at best, marginal hits. These movies mostly were off-beat to formulaic comedies like Burglar (1987), The Telephone (1988) and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). She made her mark as a household name and a mainstay in Hollywood for her Oscar-winning role in the box office smash Ghost (1990). Whoopi Goldberg was at her most famous in the early 1990s, making regular appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She admitted to being a huge fan of the original Star Trek (1966) series and jumped at the opportunity to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Goldberg received another smash hit role in Sister Act (1992). Her fish-out-of-water with some flash seemed to resonate with audiences and it was a box office smash. Whoopi starred in some highly publicized and moderately successful comedies of this time, including Made in America (1993) and Soapdish (1991). Goldberg followed up to her success with Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which was well-received but did not seem to match up to the first.
As the late 1990s approached, Goldberg seemed to alternate between lead roles in straight comedies such as Eddie (1996) and The Associate (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies, such as The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). Goldberg never forgot where she came from, hosting many tributes to other legendary entertainment figures. Her most recent movies include Rat Race (2001) and the quietly received Kingdom Come (2001). Goldberg contributes her voice to many cartoons, including The Pagemaster (1994) and Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990), as Gaia, the voice of the earth. Alternating between big-budget movies, independent movies, tributes, documentaries, and even television movies (including Theodore Rex (1995)).
Whoopi is accredited as a truly unique and visible talent in Hollywood. Perhaps she will always be remembered as well for Comic Relief, playing an integral part in almost every benefit concert they had. Whoopi is also the center square in Hollywood Squares (1998), sometimes hosts the Academy Awards, and is an author, with the book "Book."- Actress
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Arielle Kebbel is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood's most sought after talents. With her combination of raw talent and natural charm, Arielle is poised to become one of the most dynamic and versatile actresses of her generation. Kebbel plays the lead role of "Amelia" in the NBC series "Lincoln" opposite Russell Hornsby. The series is based on the highly popular Jeffrey Deaver crimes novel, The Bone Collector.
Recently, Kebbel starred on the NBC series, "Midnight, Texas," based on the bestselling supernatural trilogy by Charlaine Harris of the same name and ABC's "Grand Hotel," for producer Eva Longoria.
On the big screen, Kebbel played Gia Matteo in the final installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey saga, Fifty Shades Freed, which premiered in February 2018 breaking box office records.
On the small screen, Kebbel starred opposite Dwayne Johnson on HBO's hit series, "Ballers," which focuses on a group of young athletes working on making a name for themselves with the misguided advice of their agents and financial advisors. Kebbel caught the attention of critics and audiences alike in her scene stealing turn as the villainous Britney in Lifetime's critically acclaimed series, "UnREAL", a performance which Entertainment Weekly sited as one of the "Best of 2015".
Kebbel is perhaps most familiar to television audiences from her role on the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" in which she played the charismatic and wise beyond her 300 years, Lexi Branson. In addition to her role on the hit show, Kebbel hosted the CW's "The Vampire Diaries: Rehash," an interactive weekly recap of the show.
Additional television credits include recurring roles on "Gilmore Girls", "Life Unexpected", "Grounded for Life", "The League", "The Grinder", CW's "90210", as well as guest starring roles on "True Blood", "Hawaii 5 0," and "Law & Order: SVU".
Over the years, Kebbel has starred in a number of films which made their debuts at prestigious film festivals such as Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, directed by Ryan O'Nan which premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival; I Melt with You, starring Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; and Supporting Characters, directed by Daniel Schecter and also starring Lena Dunham, which premiered at the 2012 Tribeca International Film Festival. Her other film credits include John Tucker Must Die, The Uninvited, The Grudge 2, Think Like a Man, and Aquamarine.
Kebbel currently resides in Los Angele- Actress
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Shohreh Aghdashloo was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar on May 11, 1952 in Tehran, Iran. In the 1970s at age 20, she achieved nationwide stardom in her homeland of Iran, starring in some prominent pictures such as The Report (1977) directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which won critics awards at the Moscow Film Festival. In 1978, she won wider acclaim and established herself as one of Iran's leading ladies with Desiderium (1978) directed by the late Ali Hatami. During the 1978 Islamic revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for England, to complete her education. Her interest in politics and her concern for social injustice in the world would lead her to receive a Bachelor's degree in International Relations.
She continued to pursue her acting career, which eventually brought her to Los Angeles, California in 1987. She went on to marry actor/playwright Houshang Touzie, performing in a number of his plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages. However, this was not easy getting work in Hollywood as a Middle Eastern actress with an accent; she had roles in some decent, though not great, films, including Twenty Bucks (1993), Surviving Paradise (2000) and Maryam (2002). She received good reviews for her 12 episodes on the fourth season of the Fox television series 24 (2001) as Dina Araz, a terrorist undercover as a well-to-do housewife and mother in Los Angeles. She had to wait quite some time to receive her break in Hollywood.
And finally, years after having read the acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog", DreamWorks were in the process of bringing the story to the silver screen. After having cast Ben Kingsley (as Massoud Amir Behrani) and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles, they were looking for a relatively unknown Iranian actress to play Kingsley's wife, Nadi. Shohreh Aghdashloo was duly cast. She stole the limelight and earned herself an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress amongst many other prestigious awards, including the Independent Spirit Sward as best supporting actress in a feature film, the New York and Los Angeles film critics award and others.- Actress
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Nana Visitor was born on 26 July 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Friday the 13th (2009) and Ted 2 (2015).- Actress
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Born and raised in Dallas, Texas where she graduated Lake Highlands High School, Amy Acker is the oldest of four children; she has two sisters and one brother. An acting major at Southern Methodist University, Amy acted in several college theater productions. She appeared in various roles during the fantasy segments for the popular award-winning children's TV series Wishbone (1995), which was filmed in Texas and consisted of Dallas theater actors. Upon graduation she worked in Wisconsin and New York before winning the role of "Fred" on Angel (1999).- Actress
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Danielle Nicole Panabaker was born in Augusta, Georgia. Her younger sister, actress Kay Panabaker, starred in the TV series Summerland (2004)(WB, 2004-05). Panabaker started acting at a summer camp before joining community theater productions when she was 10 years old. Panabaker moved to Naperville, IL, where she was a member of the Neuqua Valley High School speech team. At the age of 14, while most students her age were barely starting their high school careers, she graduated.
Panabaker followed her initial appearances in commercials with roles in television, including a part in the series The Guardian (2001) (for which she won a Young Artist Award), as well as other television series, including Malcolm in the Middle (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Medium (2005), Summerland (2004), and the Disney Channel original movie Stuck in the Suburbs (2004). She also appeared in the Lifetime Television productions Sex & the Single Mom (2003) and Mom at Sixteen (2005), as well as the well-reviewed miniseries Empire Falls (2005). She considers "Empire Falls" to be her big break, as it gave her the confidence to pursue her career. In addition, Panabaker appeared in stage productions, with roles in musical theater, including "West Side Story," Pippin,":"Once Upon a Time," and "Beauty Lou and the Country Beast." In 2004, she starred in the ABC film Searching for David's Heart (2004), alongside former co-Disney star Raviv Ullman. In 2005, Panabaker co-starred in two widely-released theatrical films, Sky High (2005) and Yours, Mine & Ours (2005). Her next role was in the film Home of the Giants (2007), opposite Ryan Merriman and Haley Joel Osment. She also had a supporting role in the film Mr. Brooks (2007), opposite Kevin Costner. In the Disney Channel original movie Read It and Weep (2006), she plays Is, an alternate version of Jamie, who was played by her real-life sister, Kay Panabaker.- Actress
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As a child, Bree spent her time traveling the country with her family and her pro-football player father. During her teens, Turner's parents settled in Northern California where Bree first discovered a love for dance. In high school, she honed her talents in everything from ballet to jazz. When she moved to Los Angeles to study dance at UCLA, she was discovered by a dance agent and immediately landed roles as a dancer in countless high profile films such as My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), She's All That (1999) and The Big Lebowski (1998), among others. She danced her way into high profile nationally televised award shows and commercials, as well as major music videos with everyone from Brian Setzer to Sugar Ray. She appeared in spots for Hyundai, Gap, Dr. Pepper and the 2003 Budweiser spot "Top 10 of All-Time", which aired during the Super Bowl. Before she knew it, her passion had turned into a full fledged dancing career.
This career exposed her to countless hours on television and movie sets, where she truly felt right at home. She caught the acting bug and decided to turn her focus to this newfound passion. Turner credits her dancing for the focus she put forth towards acting. She immersed herself in the new art, studying theater at King's College in London and enrolling in a series of acting classes with some of the best teachers in the business.
She immediately made her mark in Hollywood as Rob Schneider's love interest, "Allison the Fish Girl", in the ever popular movie Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), and as the snobby bouffant haired Tri-Pi "Tiffany" in Sorority Boys (2002). She opened the mega-hit The Wedding Planner (2001) as a nervous bride, alongside Jennifer Lopez and captivated audiences as head cheerleader "Tina Hammersmith" in the hit film Bring It on: Again (2004). In addition, she starred in the critically acclaimed Carsey/Werner Oxygen Network comedy Good Girls Don't... (2004) as "Marjorie".
Bree has also made her mark within the independent film world including the Sundance award-winning piece The Quest for Length (2002), a critically acclaimed mockumentary in which Bree played the supportive girlfriend of a man who was on a comical quest to enlarge his penis. Not only do critics love her performance on the big screen, but they praise her for the work she does on stage as well.
Recently, Bree wrapped the indie comedy The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008), starring Jimmy Fallon and The TV Set (2006), starring Sigourney Weaver. She can be seen in Firehouse Dog (2007), a story that follows "Rexxx", Hollywood's most in-demand canine star. Turner plays "Liz Knowles", a Hollywood film producer who is the force behind the famous celebrity dog. Also, you can catch her in Just My Luck (2006), a comedy starring Lindsay Lohan about the luckiest girl in the world who somehow loses it. Bree plays Lohan's best friend "Dana" who helps her troubled friend try and reclaim the luck she once had through a whirlwind of events. Bree also starred opposite Ethan Embry in an episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror (2005), an anthology series directed and co-written by famed filmmaker Don Coscarelli.
When she is not working on a film or a television show, Bree spends her time honing her craft as an actress, working with charities and spending time with her family and friends.- Actress
Azura Skye was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and began acting as a child in local theater. At age fifteen she was cast in her first on camera role alongside James Earl Jones and Hume Cronyn in the Showtime original film, Horton Foote's "Alone." Shortly thereafter she starred as Jane in the WB's "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane," and in the feature film "28 Days" starring Sandra Bullock. Skye's other film credits include, "Bandits," "Red Dragon," and "One Missed Call," and she's worked on a slew of television shows over the past two decades including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "American Horror Story," "Girls," and "Riverdale." Skye starred in the independent feature, "The Swerve," for which she won Best Actress awards at FrightFest, Panic Fest, and Cinepocalype, where Joel Schumacher served as jury president.- Actress
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Jessica Tuck was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Super 8 (2011), True Blood (2008) and Judging Amy (1999). She has been married to Robbie Koseff since 26 September 2004. They have one child.- Actress
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Mayte Michelle Rodríguez was born on July 12, 1978 in San Antonio, Texas to Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a housewife, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a U.S. Army solider. Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in San Antonio until the age of 8 when her parents divorced & moved to the Dominican Republic where she lived for two years before moving to Puerto Rico. At 11, Michelle's family relocated for the last time to Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she has been working since 1999 as an extra in such films as Summer of Sam (1999) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), it only took a magazine ad announcing an open casting call in New York for Michelle to decide to finally step into the spotlight. The role was the female lead, the movie was Girlfight (2000). Despite the lack of experience in film and boxing, Michelle auditioned, along with another 350 girls. After various trials inside an actual boxing ring and five arduous months of training in Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym, she was finally chosen to portray the role of Diana Guzman. As soon as the independent film began making the rounds at various film festivals, Michelle began gaining critical acclaim for her performance earning her awards like the Deauville Festival of American Cinema award for Best Actress and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Female Breakthrough performance. As Girlfight (2000) continued to gain notoriety with its September 2000 release, Michelle was already hard at work with films like 3 A.M. (2001), the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001), and Resident Evil (2002). With Hollywood calling her name, the future for this feisty Jersey girl is as strong as the punches she throws.- Actress
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The actress Wendie Malick was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1950 and attended Ohio Wesleyan University, from which she graduated in 1972. The 5-foot, 10-inch beauty was a Wilhelmina model in the 1970s, giving it up to go to work for Buffalo-area Congressman Jack Kemp. She quickly left Washington, DC, behind to act in the theater.
She appeared as Judith Tupper Stone in the early 1990s on the HBO comedy Dream On (1990) for which she won four CableACE Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Malick has proved a gifted comedienne with great comic timing and reached the height of her career as one of the stars of the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997). Malick was hilarious as the beautiful fashion editor Nina Van Horn, a neurotic and pretentious ex-model struggling with middle age. For her work on the series, Malick won a Golden Globe and two Emmy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
On television, she has also had regular roles in the series Trauma Center (1983) and Good Company (1996) and recurring roles on NYPD Blue (1993), Anything But Love (1989), Baywatch (1989), Kate & Allie (1984), and Frasier (1993). She also starred in several made-for-TV movies, including Paper Dolls (1982), Dynasty: The Reunion (1991) and Perfect Body (1997). She also starred in North Shore Fish (1997) on cable TV, based on a role which she originated on stage. Malick's work has included roles in the movies The American President (1995), Scrooged (1988), and Bugsy (1991). With her distinctive voice, she is in high demand for voice-over work.- Actress
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Annie Potts is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles in popular 1980s films such as Ghostbusters (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986). She made her debut on the big screen in 1978 in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy film Corvette Summer (1978), with Mark Hamill, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In 2017 she was cast to portray Meemaw in Young Sheldon (2017), a spin-off of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007). Potts also voiced voiced Bo Peep in the animated films Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 4 (2019).
Interested in stage and film at an early age, Annie Potts attended Stephens College in Missouri, enrolling in the theater studies course, followed by graduate work in California. At the age of 20, she married her college sweetheart, Steven Hartley. Only a short time later, she and her husband were in serious automobile accident in Sumner, Washington -- their Volkswagen bus was demolished by two drivers who were drag racing. Steve lost a leg, and Annie had multiple fractures (resulting in a traumatic arthritis that still persists). Early roles were primarily in television, such as Black Market Baby (1977), but her presence moved up with an appearance in the mega-hit Ghostbusters (1984), and then she hit the big time with a seven-year stint as one of the stars of Designing Women (1986). A brief period in Love & War (1992) ended with the cancellation of the show, about which she remains resentful.- Actress
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Actress, Melissa Peterman, is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. After graduating from Minnesota State University with theater as one of her majors, she was cast as "Madeline Monroe" in Hey City Theater's production of "Tony & Tina's Wedding". After more than 600 performances, she went on to work as a writer and performer at the improvisational comedy theater, "The Brave New Workshop". While with "The Brave New Workshop", she also performed at the "Chicago Improv Festival" and the "Big Stink Comedy Festival" in Austin, Texas. She made her film debut, with character role, "Hooker #2" in the Coen brothers' Oscar-winning movie, Fargo (1996). On TV, she appeared in the Oxygen sketch comedy show, Running with Scissors (2000) and guest-starred on Just Shoot Me! (1997). Actress, Melissa Peterman lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband & actor, John Hayden Brady + their son, Riley David Brady. The duo became parents on Thursday, October 20th, 2005. Their parenthood began 2,329 days, (332 weeks & 5 days), after their matrimony occurred on Saturday, June 5th, 1999.
Melissa Peterman's date of birth, Thursday, July 1st, 1971, & her motherhood date, Thursday, October 20th, 2005, differs 12,600 days, equaling 1,800 weeks exactly.- Actress
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Mckenna Grace is an American actress and singer from Grapevine, Texas who is known for playing Phoebe Spengler from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jasmine from Crash & Bernstein, Faith Newman from The Young and the Restless and Mary Adler from Gifted. She also acted in I, Tonya, Amityville: The Awakening, The Handmaid's Tale, Spirit Untamed and Scoob.- Actress
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Jamie Chung was born and raised in California, the daughter of Korean parents. She studied Economics at the University of California, Riverside. Chung's break came in 2004, when she was working in a sports bar. MTV held auditions for The Real World (1992) there, she tried out, and was successful, appearing in the San Diego based fourteenth season.
Chung went on to successfully launched an acting career, making her debut with a small part in Veronica Mars (2004). Roles in other TV series followed, including Days of Our Lives (1965) and Greek (2007). She also transitioned into feature films with such projects as Sorority Row (2009), Sucker Punch (2011) and The Hangover Part II (2011).- Actress
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Gloria Reuben is an actress, singer and published author whose impressive credentials in television, film, theater and music include portraying the HIV+ physician assistant Jeanie Boulet on the hit NBC series ER (a role that garnered her two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination) and many other television series including Raising The Bar, Falling Skies, Marvel TV's Cloak & Dagger, City On A Hill and The First Lady.
Gloria completed her role as Krista Gordon (the therapist to Rami Malek's Elliot Alderson) in the hit TV series Mr. Robot. As Rolling Stone wrote in their review of the Mr. Robot series finale: "...what makes the scene so powerful are the performances by Rami Malek and Gloria Reuben (who delivers a masterclass in how to convey so much information while making it feel emotionally resonant)."
In film, Gloria portrayed Elizabeth Keckley alongside Daniel Day-Lewis & Sally Field in the Steven Spielberg film LINCOLN, appeared with Paul Rudd and Tina Fey in Paul Weitz's Admission, and starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Reasonable Doubt. Gloria's portrayal of Condoleezza Rice in David Hare's play Stuff Happens at The Public Theater in NYC garnered her a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress.
In music, Gloria's career includes being a backup singer for Tina Turner in 2000, which led her to record her solo record Just For You. Gloria released her first jazz album Perchance To Dream in 2015 on the iconic Mcg Jazz label, and her new album For All We Know was released on Valentine's Day 2020, again on the Mcg Jazz label, to rave reviews.
Gloria's non-fiction book My Brothers' Keeper: Two Brothers. Loved. And Lost. (an intimate tribute to her two brothers who have passed away) was published by Post Hill Press in November 2019.- Actress
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Precocious, outspoken child-teen starlet of the 1990s, Christina Ricci was born on February 12, 1980 in Santa Monica, California, the youngest of four children of Sarah (Murdoch), a realtor, and Ralph Ricci, a lawyer and therapist. She is of Italian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, and Scots-Irish descent. She made her screen debut at the age of 9 in Mermaids (1990), in which she worked with Winona Ryder and Cher. Her breakthrough adult role was in The Ice Storm (1997), in which she plays a nymphet who skillfully seduces two brothers. She worked with Johnny Depp and Casper Van Dien in the Tim Burton film Sleepy Hollow (1999).- Producer
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Jada Koren Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Robsol Grant Pinkett, Jr., a contractor, and 'Gammy' Adrienne Banfield Norris, a nurse. They divorced after only a few months of marriage. Her father is of African-American descent and her mother is of Afro-Caribbean ancestry (from Barbados and Jamaica). Jada majored in dance and choreography at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where one of her classmates was Tupac Shakur. She spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Her big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of a college frosh on the television sitcom A Different World (1987). She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Society (1993). She did not gain widespread recognition, however, until her role opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). In addition to being in front of the camera, she has spent time behind it directing music videos. Pinkett-Smith is married to Will Smith, and they have a son, Jaden Smith; and a daughter, Willow Smith.- Actress
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Andie MacDowell was born Rosalie Anderson MacDowell on April 21, 1958 in Gaffney, South Carolina, to Pauline Johnston (Oswald), a music teacher, and Marion St. Pierre MacDowell, a lumber executive. She was enrolled at Winthrop College located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Initially discovered by a rep from Wilhelmina Models while on a trip to Los Angeles. Later signed on with Elite Model Management in New York City in 1978. Made debut film appearance in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). Went on to study method acting at the Actors Studio. Had commercial success with performances in Harold Ramis's Groundhog Day (1993) and Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).- Actress
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Elizabeth Banks was born Elizabeth Mitchell in Pittsfield, a small city in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts near the New York border, on February 10, 1974. She is the daughter of Anne Marie (Wallace), who worked in a bank, and Mark Phineas Mitchell, a factory worker. Elizabeth describes herself as having been seen as a "goody two-shoes" in her youth who was nominated for the local Harvest Queen.
Banks left home to attend college at the University of Pennsylvania--from which she graduated Magna cum Laude--and went on to attend the Advanced Training Program at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, graduating in 1996. She then moved to New York and worked in the theater, and began getting small roles in films and on television. Seeking more screen work, she moved to Los Angeles and was soon cast in supporting roles. She also had to change her last name, to Banks, in order to avoid confusion with actress Elizabeth Mitchell.
Her breakthrough role was as Betty Brant, the secretary of the cantankerous newspaper tycoon in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002). She followed up this performance with small roles in other movies: Swept Away (2002), Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002), Seabiscuit (2003) and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). In 2003 she won the Exciting New Face Award at the Young Hollywood Awards. The winsome, beautiful Banks projected an exceptionally charming screen presence that drew comparisons to Audrey Hepburn, and Hollywood eventually began to take notice, Banks being cast in the lead in such films as Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) and in Oliver Stone's biopic of George W. Bush, W. (2008), as Laura Bush.
In television, Banks was a recurring guest star on Scrubs (2001) as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of Zach Braff's J.D. In 2010 she was cast as Alec Baldwin's love interest in season four of 30 Rock (2006). Originally scheduled to appear in only four episodes, she was brought back as a recurring character for two more seasons, and earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years. Elizabeth has also appeared in such films as Our Idiot Brother (2011), Man on a Ledge (2012), What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012), People Like Us (2012), and Pitch Perfect (2012). She also won the coveted role as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games (2012) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).
After an eleven-year courtship, Banks married Max Handelman, a sports writer and producer, in 2003. They have two sons, Felix, who was born in March 2011, and Magnus, born in Nov. 2012, both by gestational surrogacy.- Actress
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Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Her father is of Lebanese descent and her mother is of Mexican/Spanish ancestry. After having seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in a local movie theater, she decided she wanted to become an actress. At age 12, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. After attending Mexico City's prestigious university Universidad Iberoamericana, she felt ready to pursue acting seriously.
She soon landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a hugely successful soap opera which earned her the star status in her native Mexico. However, anxious to make films and to explore her talent as well as passion, she left both Teresa (1989) and Mexico in 1991. Heartbroken fans spread rumors that she was having a secret affair with Mexico's president and left to escape his wife's wrath. She made her way to Los Angeles. She approached Hollywood with naive enthusiasm and quickly learned that Latina actresses were typecast as the mistress maid or local prostitute. By late 1992, she had landed only small roles. She appeared on Street Justice (1991), The Sinbad Show (1993), Nurses (1991), and as a sexy maid on Dream On (1990). She also had only one line in My Crazy Life (1993). Feeling under-appreciated by Anglo filmmakers, she vented her frustrations on Paul Rodriguez's late-night Spanish-language talk show.
Robert Rodriguez and his wife Elizabeth Avellan happened to be watching and were immediately smitten with her. He soon gave her big break -- to star opposite Antonio Banderas in the cult classic Desperado (1995), bringing her into Hollywood prominence. The moviegoers were as dazzled with her as he had been. Afterwards, she was cast again by Rodriguez to star in the cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Her first star billing came later that year with Fools Rush In (1997) opposite Matthew Perry. It was a modest hit and her star continued to rise in both commercial and films such as Breaking Up (1997) with an unknown Russell Crowe, 54 (1998), Dogma (1999) and In the Time of the Butterflies (2001), the small artistic film which won her an ALMA award as best actress and the summer blockbuster Wild Wild West (1999). Her production company Ventanarosa produced the Mexican feature film El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and selected as Mexico's official Oscar entry for best foreign film.
The new millennium started out quietly as she prepared to produce and star in her dream role of Frida Kahlo, the legendary Mexican painter whom she had been admiring her entire life and whose story she wanted to bring to the big screen ever since she arrived in Hollywood. Frida (2002) was full of passion and enthusiasm, with performances from her and Alfred Molina as Kahlo's cheating husband Diego Rivera. It also featured an entourage of stars such as Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino.
It was a box office hit and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best actress for Hayek. It won awards for make-up and score by Elliot Goldenthal. Later that year, she expanded her horizons, directing The Maldonado Miracle (2003), which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, she starred in the finale of Rodriguez's Desperado trilogy Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), again opposite Banderas. She also starred in After the Sunset (2004) opposite Pierce Brosnan, and Ask the Dust (2006) opposite Colin Farrell. She then starred in Bandidas (2006), which also featured Penélope Cruz, and Lonely Hearts (2006) opposite Jared Leto.- Actress
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Liza Lapira is a film, television, and theater actress. She was raised in Queens, N.Y. In New York, she acted on stage and in independent films. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in television. Her first theatrical film appearance was in the romantic drama Autumn in New York and since then she has been cast in a myriad of television and film roles. Lapira is a supporter of children's organizations, like LA's Best and Impact Theatre in Harlem, and she also participates in the annual Children's Hospital Los Angeles Charity Triathlon.- Actress
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Often considered hip-hop's first lady, the woman behind the moniker Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Rita (Bray), a teacher, and Lancelot Owens Sr. She came from a police family-both her father and her older brother were cops-which would later influence her rhyming style and life philosophy. Her brother died in a motorcycle accident in 1992. Owens witnessed both sides of black urban life in the USA while growing up. After a brief stint as a Burger King employee, she soon found herself making waves in the hip-hop music scene.
After working as the human beatbox alongside Ladies Fresh, she was just 18 years old when she broke through in the late 1980s with a style that picked selectively from jazz, reggae, and soul traditions, from beats produced by D.J. Mark the 45 King. Her debut single, "Wrath of My Madness," was released in 1988. A year later, her debut long-player, "All Hail the Queen," enjoyed favored reviews: an old, wise head was evident on the top of her young shoulders. The former Burger King employee maintained her early commitment to answering the misogynist armory of some of her male counterparts and, at the same time, imparted musical good times to all genders. Her name means "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic, but she has often been anything but in her rhymes and the messages she sends out through them. One of the most prominent female hip-hop artists on the scene for over a decade, Queen Latifah has also made tremendous inroads in movies, television, and artist management, with her management company, Flavor Unit, alongside her business partner Shakim Compere. A role model who takes the responsibility to heart, Latifah has carefully constructed a fine career for herself-one that is constantly moving upward.- Actress
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SAG Award and Critics Choice Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Lorraine Toussaint shocked audiences on the smash hit Netflix original series "Orange is the New Black" as the viciously seductive inmate Vee. Toussaint's thrilling performance has won her glowing reviews from the likes of TV Guide and Vanity Fair, stirring the Emmy buzz for her outstanding performance. Toussaint also received praise for her performance in the Academy Award-nominated feature film "Selma." Up next, Toussaint will star in the new Fox series "Rosewood", alongside Morris Chestnut, which premieres this fall.
Born in Trinidad, Toussaint and her mother moved to Brooklyn, NY, where she was raised, when she was ten years old. Growing up, she watched a lot of television while she waited for her mother to return from work, and this sparked her interest in acting. Toussaint begged her mother to enroll her in acting school, and her search led to her studying theater at New York's renowned High School of Performing Arts. After graduation, she enrolled in the Juilliard School's drama division, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. On her graduation day, she landed her first paying job as Lady Macbeth with "Shakespeare & Company."
Toussaint spent the first 12 years of her career acting on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. Her first television appearance was in 1983 in "The Face of Rage." Toussaint's biggest career boost has come from her co-starring role opposite Annie Potts in the TV series "Any Day Now," which earned Toussaint an NAACP Image Award nomination for best actress in a drama series, a TV Guide Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the Wiley A. Branton Award from the National Bar Association.
Among Toussaint's TV credits were recurring roles on several popular television shows, such as NBC's drama series "Friday Night Lights," TNT's "Saving Grace," "Law & Order," and ABC's hit "Ugly Betty." She has also had several guest appearances on the hit television shows "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Grey's Anatomy," and the drama thriller "Scandal" opposite Kerry Washington.
No stranger to the silver screen, Touissant's first film role was opposite Burt Reynolds in the crime comedy "Breaking In." Touissant has also appeared in "Dangerous Minds," "The Soloist," and Ava DuVernay's "Middle of Nowhere," in which her performance was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. Up next, Toussaint stars as Salome Whitmore in the upcoming period drama "Sophie and the Rising Sun," written and directed by Maggie Greenwald. Toussaint will also play Anthony Mackie's mother in the upcoming Seth Rogen comedy "X-Mas," scheduled for theaters this November.
Toussaint and her daughter split their time between New York and Los Angeles.- Actress
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A native of Michigan, S. Epatha Merkerson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Wayne State University. In 1978, she moved to New York City to apply her craft on stage. Although best known since 1993 as the smart and shrewd Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the long-running TV crime drama Law & Order (1990), she has a long list of Broadway and off-Broadway credits and honors that include Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations for Best Actress for her performance in the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson (1995), a 1992 Obie Award for her performance in "I'm Not Stupid," and a 1998 Helen Hayes Award for her starring role in the Studio Theater production in Washington, DC, of the John Henry Redwood play "The Old Settler." Her first appearance on television was a guest-starring role on an episode of The Cosby Show (1984). Her earliest regular role in television, however, was that of Reba the Mail Woman on Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986). Merkerson remains a theatrical force on the stage and on the screen and has the distinction of having been nominated for an Image Award in the Outstanding-Lead-Actress-in-a-Drama category for Law & Order (1990) for three consecutive years by the NAACP.- Actress
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Sigourney Weaver has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, ranging from Ripley in Alien to Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist to Gwen/Tawny in Galaxy Quest and most recently, 14-year-old Kiri in Avatar: The Way of Water. With a career spanning over 50 years, Weaver has captivated audiences and won acclaim as one of the most gifted and versatile actresses on stage and screen.
Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated from Stanford University and went on to receive a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. Her first professional job was in Sir John Gielgud's production of The Constant Wife working with Ingrid Bergman.
After a walk-on in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, Weaver made her motion picture debut in Ridley Scott's 1979 blockbuster Alien. She later reprised the role of Warrant Officer Ripley in James Cameron's 1986 Aliens; her performance earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress. In 1992, she again brought Ripley back to life in David Fincher's Alien 3, which she co-produced, and in 1997 she starred in and co-produced Alien: Resurrection for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In 1985, Weaver starred in Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters alongside Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd playing Dana Barrett and her possessed counterpart Zuul.
In 1988 Weaver portrayed primatologist Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist and Katharine Parker in the Mike Nichols comedy Working Girl. Both performances earned her Academy Award Nominations, and she was awarded two Golden Globes for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Other films include Peter Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously (1983) with Linda Hunt and Mel Gibson, Eyewitness (1981) with William Hurt, Half Moon Street (1986) with Michael Caine, Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) with Gerard Depardieu, Roman Polanski's gripping film adaptation of Death and the Maiden (1994), the thriller Copycat (1995) and Paul Rudnick's comedy Jeffery (1995). Weaver also starred in Showtime's live-action film Snow White (1997) based on the original Grimm's fairy tale, which earned her an Emmy nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination.
In 1997 Weaver joined the ensemble of Ang Lee's critically acclaimed film The Ice Storm alongside Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci. Her performance garnered her a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She later gave a galvanizing performance in A Map of the World (1999), Scott Elliott's powerful drama based on the novel by Jane Hamilton, which earned her universal critical praise and a Golden Globe nomination for best actress. Also in 1999, Weaver appeared in the science fiction comedy Galaxy Quest directed by Dean Parisot alongside Tim Allen and Alan Rickman. She delighted audiences with her flair for comedy, and the film proved to be a hit of the 1999 holiday season. She followed this with the popular comedies Company Man (2000) written and directed by Douglas McGrath and David Mirkin's Heartbreakers (2001) opposite Gene Hackman, Jennifer Love-Hewitt and the late Ray Liotta.
In 2002 Weaver starred in the film version of The Guys, with Anthony LaPaglia, directed by Jim Simpson, and in 2003 she portrayed the cold-blooded, red-headed warden in the hit comedy Holes directed by Andy Davis. The next year, Weaver appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and received rave reviews for her performance in Imaginery Heroes written and directed by Dan Harris.
In 2006 she appeared in three films - as Babe Paley in Douglas McGrath's Infamous, in Jake Kasdan's The TV Set, and in Snow Cake opposite Alan Rickman. In the following years, Weaver lent her voice to Pixar's 2008 box office smash WALL-E as well as The Tale of Despereaux (2008) with Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson. She also starred in the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama (2008) and Andy Fickman's comedy You Again (2010) with Jamie Lee Curtis. In December 2009 Weaver starred as Dr. Grace Augustine in Jim Cameron's groundbreaking film Avatar, which went on to be the highest grossing film of all time. The film won a Golden Globe for Best Picture and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Other credits include Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Miguel Arteta's Cedar Rapids (2011), Paul (2011), Amy Heckerling's Vamps (2012), and Neil Blomkamp's Chappie (2015). In December 2016 she starred in Focus Features' A Monster Calls alongside Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones and newcomer, Lewis MacDougall, followed by Lionsgate's The Assignment (2017) with Michelle Rodriguez directed by Walter Hill.
After coming to New York in the fall of 1975, Weaver performed Off-Off Broadway in Christopher Durang's The Nature and Purpose of the Universe (1974), Titanic (1976) and Das Lusitania Songspiel (1980). She and Durang co-wrote Das Lusitania which earned them both Drama Desk nominations. She has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway productions in New York, working with writers such as John Guare, Albert Innaurato, Richard Nelson and Len Jenkin. In regional repertory she has performed works by Pinter, Williams, Feydeau and Shakespeare. Weaver also appeared in the PBS mini-series "The Best of Families" (1977) and John Cheever's The Sorrows of Gin (1979), adapted by Wendy Wasserstein for PBS.
Weaver received a Tony Award nomination for her starring role in Hurlyburly (1984) on Broadway, directed by Mike Nichols. She played Portia in the Classic Stage Company of New York's production of The Merchant of Venice (1986). In 1996 Weaver returned to Broadway in the Lincoln Center production of Sex and Longing, written by Christopher Durang. In the Fall of 2012, she starred in the Lincoln Center production of Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike which moved to Broadway in 2013. That year Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike took home the Tony award for Best Play.
Weaver originated the female lead in Anne Nelson's The Guys (2001) at The Flea where it was commissioned and directed by Jim Simpson. The Guys tells the story of a fire captain played by Bill Murray dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. In 2002 she starred in Neil LaBute's play The Mercy Seat opposite Liev Schreiber - which John Lahr of The New Yorker described as offering "performances of a depth and concentration that haven't been seen in New York for many seasons." Weaver also originated roles in two A.R. Gurney world premieres, Mrs. Farnsworth (2004) at the Flea Theater (New York Times 10 Best Plays for 2004), and Crazy Mary (2007) at Playwrights Horizons.
In television Weaver received Emmy, Screen Actors' Guild and Golden Globe nominations for her role as Mary Griffith in Lifetime's "Prayers for Bobby," which was also Emmy nominated for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. In 2012 she was seen in USA Network's miniseries "Political Animals," for which she received SAG, Golden Globe, and Emmy nominations. Weaver also appeared in the Marvel series "The Defenders," released globally on Netflix in August 2017.
Ms. Weaver was honored to receive the GLAAD Media Award for her work in "Prayers for Bobby" as well as the Trevor Life Award in 2011. She has been the Honorary Chair of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for the last 33 years. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, and she also served on the Board of Human Rights First for 25 years. Weaver was proud to receive the National Audubon Society's Rachel Carson Award in 2009 for her environmental work. She was also a co-founder of the original Flea Theater on White Street which championed young artists and new work.
Weaver appeared in season 4 of the French television series "Call My Agent!" which was released globally on Netflix in 2021 and won the International Emmy for Comedy Series. Additionally, she starred in Philippe Falardeau's My Salinger Year which opened the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. In April 2021 Weaver narrated James Cameron's "Secrets of the Whales," which debuted on Disney+ and garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Narrator. The series also won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Weaver's recent film work includes Phyllis Nagy's drama Call Jane alongside Elizabeth Banks, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky's The Goos House alongside Kevin Kline. James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water premiered at the end of 2022 with Weaver playing Kiri, Grace Augustine's Na'vi daughter. A2 received "Best Picture" nominations for the Oscars, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice awards and has grossed almost 2.5 billion dollars. Upcoming projects include Amazon Studios' drama series, "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," which she also executive produced, and Paul Schrader's Master Gardener, opposite Joel Edgerton, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.- Actress
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Lisa's mother, Tina, is a retired social worker. Her late father, Ira, worked as an engineer and then went into business as a general contractor. A sister, Heidi, is a lawyer. Lisa started acting as a child and played Flip Wilson in a 3rd grade performance. During junior high, she started traveling by train to Manhattan for private acting lessons and acted in summer drama camps. Her principal interest initially was to act in Shakepearean drama. She earned her degree from theatre from New York University and followed it up with a second BFA from Julliard. In 1993, she got her first break at the New York Shakespearean festival playing Isabella opposite Kevin Kline in "Measure for Measure". She was later turned down to play the role of Hester Prynne in a production of "The Scarlet Letter" because of race. Upset, she wrote a letter to 'The Village Voice' to protest legal racism. The play's playwright, Phyllis Nagy, responded with a criticism of her acting, which obviously made things worse. She went on to have a successful career in theater. In 1995-96, her portrayal of a South African singer in Athol Fugard's Valley Song garnered an Obie Award and the Clarence Derwent Award. More recently, Hamilton earned critical acclaim, her second Obie, and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for her role as Suzanne Alexander in Adrienne Kennedy's, "The Ohio State Murders." Besides appearing in over two dozen films, Hamilton directed the documentary film Beah: A Black Woman Speaks in 2003. This film, about pioneering black actress Beah Richards, dealt with Hamilton seeking out Richards, an African-American actress who had broken ground making inroads for black actresses.- Actress
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Ming-Na ("enlightenment") was born on the island of Macau, forty miles from Hong Kong. Her mother, Lin Chan Wen, divorced her father when Ming-Na was only a toddler. She has an older brother named Jonathan. After the divorce, they moved to Hong Kong where her mother became a nurse. There her mother met Soo Lim Yee, a U.S. businessman. They soon married, and at four years, Ming-Na moved with her family to Queens, New York. Five years later, they transferred to Yee's hometown of Pittsburgh where his family runs the Chinatown Inn restaurant. Jonathan and half-brother, Leong, now manage this restaurant. Struggling to fit in at school, she changed her name to Maggie & Doris. She found a love for acting while appearing in a third grade Easter play, where she played a klutzy bunny. Her mother was not excited about her desire to pursue acting, She preferred that she go into medicine. Nonetheless, Ming-Na graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theatre. She got her first acting job in 1988 on the soap As the World Turns (1956). Her big break came when she was cast in The Joy Luck Club (1993). When she needed a ride to the premiere of the film, her acting instructor sent one of his students, Eric Michael Zee. The two started dating in 1994 after Ming-Na moved permanently to Los Angeles and married in 1995, dropping her last name, Wen, at that time. She says she is now like Ann-Margret. Zee is a screenwriter and, with Ming-Na, manages At Last, a boy band.- Actress
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Adrianne Palicki was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Nancy (French) and Jeffrey Palicki. Her father is of Polish and Hungarian descent, and her mother is of English and German ancestry. Adrianne graduated from Whitmer High School. She did not take the stage in her first play until she was a sophomore at Whitmer High School. While in high school, she played basketball and ran track, and was runner-up for homecoming queen. She was a series regular on the first three seasons of NBC's drama series Friday Night Lights (2006). She has since starred of co-starred in the films Legion (2010), Red Dawn (2012), and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).- Actress
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Dichen Lachman was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, to a Tibetan mother and Australian father. Until the age of seven, she lived in Kathmandu with her parents and extended family. Following that, she moved to Adelaide, Australia, with her parents. After dropping out of university, Dichen took up acting and then moved to Sydney to pursue her career. Her first major role was in Aquamarine (2006), followed by a 14-month stint on the Australian series Neighbours (1985), for which she moved to Melbourne. In December 2009, she completed two seasons of the Fox series Dollhouse (2009).- Actress
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Ruth Negga was born on 4 May 1981 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is an actress and producer, known for Loving (2016), Passing (2021) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013).- Actress
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Samantha Morton has established herself as one of the finest actors of her generation, winning Oscar nominations for her turns in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and Jim Sheridan's In America (2002). She has the talent to become one of the major performers in the cinema of this young century.
Samantha Morton was born on May 13, 1977 in Nottingham, England to parents who divorced when she was three years old. Peter and Pamela Morton took other spouses and made Samantha part of a mixed family of 13; she has eight brothers and sisters. She turned to play-acting early in her life, while she was a school-girl.
At 13, she left regular school to train as an actress at the Central Junior Television Workshop, where she learned her craft for three years. It was at the end of her training then that she decided that a life as a professional actress was for her.
She honed her skills in television roles, working her way up from series television to TV-movies and prestigious mini-series, such as Emma (1996) and Jane Eyre (1997). Her first major film role, Under the Skin (1997), won her the Best Actress Award from the Boston Film Critics Society. Woody Allen cast her as Hattie, the "dumb" (unspeaking) lover of Sean Penn's caddish jazz guitarist in Sweet and Lowdown (1999), a beautiful performance in a role that could have flummoxed a less-talented performer. Penn was Oscar-nominated for his performance, but it was Morton's Hattie that was central to the success of the film, Allen's last unqualified success. She provided the moral and narrative center of the film. It was quite a remarkable performance for a 21-year old as she had to do all her acting with her face, having been shorn of her voice. The role of Hattie won Morton a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination.
Ironically, Morton had never seen a Woody Allen movie before. (She grew up watching the TV and listening to the radio.) She agreed to do the film after reading the script (as she says, well-written roles for women are hard to find), and the movie made her a hot commodity in Hollywood after she won the Oscar nomination. (She lost out to Angelina Jolie). Morton was offered many roles, but was very choosy as she was not in acting as a game with a payoff of stardom and money.
She had consolidated her reputation by following up the Allen film with work in indie features that showed that she was not only talented, but quite courageous as a performer. She played a heroin addict in the underrated Jesus' Son (1999) and gave a brilliant performance in Morvern Callar (2002), the story of a Scottish supermarket clerk coping with her boyfriend's suicide.
Steven Spielberg cast her, opposite superstar Tom Cruise, as the clairvoyant in Minority Report (2002), in which she more than held her own opposite Cruise and the special effects. (She took the role as Cruise and Steven Spielberg are favorites of hers). As good as she was, Morton was better served by Irish director Jim Sheridan, Sheridan cast her as a character modeled after his wife in an autobiographical picture more in line with persona and that made better use of her talents. Her performance as the young Irish mother coping with life in New York City in In America (2002) won her numerous critics' awards and another Oscar nod, this time as Best Actress.
At this point, one feels that the odds of her winning the Oscar are even or better. Samantha Morton continues to deliver fine work in provocative films such as Michael Winterbottom's Code 46 (2003), though she is branching out towards the mainstream, taking a role in the remake of that perennial family favorite, Lassie (2005).- Actress
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Salli Richardson-Whitfield is a 30-year industry veteran. She has been featured in 20+ major motion pictures and has starred opposite a number of Hollywood's top actors, including Samuel L. Jackson in 'The Great White Hype', Denzel Washington in 'Antwone Fisher', and Will Smith in 'I Am Legend'. On television, Salli starred in the long-running SYFY network hit series 'Eureka' as well as three seasons of 'Stitchers' on Freeform. Her acting resume includes dozens of popular series, highlighted by 'Criminal Minds', 'Bones', 'House MD', 'NYPD Blue', 'Castle', 'Being Mary Jane', and 'CSI: Miami'.
Changing gears to a role behind the camera, Salli has established herself as a director and producer. Ava DuVernay was one of the first to recognize Salli's skill as director, offering Salli two back-to-back episodes of the first season of 'Queen Sugar'. Her now incredibly extensive directing resume includes Amazon's 'Wheel of Time', Hulu's 'Reprisal', Apple's 'See', Netflix's 'Dear White People', 'Luke Cage', 'The Punisher', and 'Altered Carbon', Starz' 'American Gods' and 'Survivor's Remorse', Showtime's 'The Chi', ABC's 'Scandal' and 'Black-ish', Fox's 'Lethal Weapon', Freeform's 'Shadowhunters', BET's 'Rebel', SYFY'S 'The Magicians', 'Eureka', 'Black Lightening', and The CW's 'All American'.
Salli's work is award-nominated for a NAACP Award for Outstanding Directing In A Drama Series for 'Luke Cage', for a Hugo Award nomination for her work on 'Wheel of Time', and for a Black Reel Award for directing 'Black-ish'. She won the AAFCA Best TV Directing Award for her work on HBO's 'The Gilded Age'. Most recently, she won two The Gracies' 2024 awards for Director - Drama ('Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty') and Producer - Entertainment ('The Gilded Age').
Salli's successful run as a director and producer was punctuated by the announcement of her first Overall Deal with HBO for whom she Directed and Executive Produced Julian Fellowes' period drama series 'The Gilded Age' and also directed the final two episodes of the first season of Adam McKay's critically acclaimed series 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty'. Salli has since renewed her relationship with HBO and HBO Max with a long-term Overall Deal. Since then, she has served as Executive Producer on season two of 'Winning Time' and season two of 'The Gilded Age', to much success. She is an Executive Producer and Director on HBO's Brad Ingelsby Task Force Limited Series starring Mark Ruffalo.- Actress
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Rukiya Bernard was born on 20 January 1983 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress and writer, known for Yellowjackets (2021), Van Helsing (2016) and Nancy Drew (2019). She is married to PJ Prinsloo. They have two children.- Kathryn Kirkpatrick is known for Okja (2017), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and Slither (2006).
- Kandyse McClure is a Canadian actress born on March 22, 1980 in Durban in South Africa. She graduated from West Vancouver Secondary School in 1998. She is an actress, known for main roles in TV series Battlestar Galactica (2004), Hemlock Grove (2013), and from the movies Carrie (2002) and Seventh Son (2014).
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Rose McIver was born in New Zealand to artist Ann "Annie" Coney and professional photographer John George Whitfield "Mac" McIver. Rose has an older brother, musician Paul McIver.
McIver started appearing in commercials when she was only 2 years old. She made her film debut in the film "The Piano" (1993), playing an angel. As a child actress, she mainly received roles in fantasy television series. She had roles in the television films "Hercules and the Amazon Women" (1994), "Hercules in the Underworld" (1994), "Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur" (1994), the television series "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (1995 - 1999), and the spin-off series "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995 - 2001).
McIver received her first lead roles in television with the post-apocalyptic series "Maddigan's Quest" (2006) and the comedy-drama series "Rude Awakenings" (2007), both short-lived. She gained more attention for her role as Summer Landsdown (the Yellow Ranger) in "Power Rangers RPM" (2009) and appeared in all 32 episodes of the series.
McIver had a supporting role in the supernatural drama film "The Lovely Bones" (2009) as main character Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan)'s younger sister Lindsey Salmon, who helps investigate her sister's murder.
McIver had a main-cast role in the comedy series "Super City" (2011), and a recurring role in the period series "Masters of Sex" (2013-2016). In 2013, she joined the cast of fantasy series "Once Upon a Time" (2011-), where she plays Tinker Bell.
McIver plays the lead character Olivia "Liv" Moore in the comedy-drama series, "iZombie" (2015-). Olivia works as a coroner's assistant and tries to control the urges of her transformation into a zombie.- Actress
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Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Erica Cerra discovered her love of acting by her 8th birthday. After appearing in numerous commercials Erica decided to take a break from acting. Returning to the business at 22, she decided to dedicate herself whole-heartedly to living as a professional actor. She has since committed herself to extensive study with the likes of Matthew Harrison and top acting coaches Larry Moss and Gina Chiarelli.
Erica has worked alongside the likes of Lolita Davidovich, Luis Guzman, and Hank Azaria. Her most recent credits include: New Line Cinema's Blade III; Showtime's The L Word; Adam Druxman's The Condemned; and MGM's Dead Like Me. In addition to appearances on Jake 2.0, The Collector, Dead Zone and Long Weekend.- Actress
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Lisa Berry is a dedicated actress with classical training and has had the honour of performing a diverse range of roles, from the immortal works of Shakespeare to the captivating narratives of Suzanne-Lori Parks. Throughout her career, Lisa has enjoyed working with esteemed repertory theatre companies across North America, where she has honed her craft.
Among her notable appearances, she has had the privilege of portraying "Billie" (also known as "Death") in the beloved sci-fi/fantasy series, Supernatural. Her performances as "Cleophas Garroway" in Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, "Nellie Bullock" in Bad Blood, and "Natashia" in Workin' Moms have also allowed her to connect with a wider audience. Lisa's participation in the well-received horror anthology, Slasher further showcases her versatility as an actress.
She has been honoured with a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lead Performance for bringing the character of NBA champion Crystal Hinds to life in "21 Black Futures." It is a recognition she cherishes deeply, as it highlights the collaborative effort that shaped her portrayal and the artistry that enveloped the project. Additionally, her heart is filled with gratitude for her nomination for the revered Dora Mavor Moore Award in the Best Lead Actress category. The character of Penny in "Father Comes Home From The Wars" holds a special place within her artistic journey, and to be acknowledged in this manner is a profound honour.
Looking forward, Lisa is excited to play one of the leads in Freevee's upcoming series, Beyond Black Beauty and will make a guest appearance in the highly anticipated new show Nesting, created by the talented Anna Hardwick and Rosa Labordé.- Actress
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Born In England, raised in Canada. BFA Acting University of Windsor. Amanda spent 12 seasons on Stargate SG-1 (1997) and its spin-offs, Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009), as "Samantha Carter". She then took on the lead role of "Dr. Helen Magnus" on the television series Sanctuary (2008), a project she had been nurturing from its inception on the internet.
Tapping has come to secure a strong and direct influence on her projects from behind the lens. She was an Executive Producer of Sanctuary (2008) and also sat in the director's chair for several episodes. She previously directed the Stargate SG-1 (1997) episode, Resurrection (2004), in 2004, which garnered her a Leo Award nomination for Best Director. She has also directed three episodes each of Primeval: New World (2012), Arctic Air (2012) and Continuum (2012). She has also directed Strange Empire (2014), Olympus (2015), Dark Matter (2015) and X Company (2015). Tapping has also earned four Leo Awards for Best Actress, has been nominated for two Gemini Awards and four Saturn Awards and won the 2005 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Amanda's love of comedy lead her to co-found the all female Canadian comedy troupe, Random Acts. Her work in the short film Breakdown (2006) earned her the Canadian Comedy Award in 2007. She also did films like Space Milkshake (2012), Random Acts of Romance (2012), Taken Back: Finding Haley (2012) and Kid Cannabis (2014). She was Naomi on 7 episodes of the 8th season of Supernatural (2005). She also played a recurring character on the sitcom Package Deal (2013).
Tapping has had the pleasure of supporting various charities and organizations such as The Coast Foundation, a support agency for people with mental disabilities, The Canadian Cancer Society, UNICEF and V-Day by performing in "The Vagina Monologues" to help end violence against women and girls worldwide. She also sits on the leadership council for The Waterkeeper Alliance. Amanda launched the charitable foundation "Sanctuary for Kids" in 2009 to support both local and global children's charities helping children in crisis. To date they have raised over $650,000. Their work takes them to Nepal, Haiti and the downtown east side of Vancouver. She was honored with Women in Film's "Woman of Vision" award. She also received the YWCA Women of Distinction "Connecting the Community" Award. She was awarded The Jules Verne Award in Paris for her humanitarian work. She was offered an Honorary Life Membership from the University College of Dublin Law Society and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of Windsor.- Actress
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Offbeat comic actress and voice specialist Yeardley Smith has made a virtue out of her distinctive looks, small figure, and child-like nasal tones. Lending vocal life to the animated role of "Lisa Simpson," the intelligent, caring, saxophone-droning, vegetarian member of the Simpson family, has been her bread-and-butter job for over a remarkable 30 years.
While Yeardley is American, she was born Martha Maria Yeardley Smith on July 3, 1964, in Paris, France where her father served as a correspondent with UPI. By the time she was two, she and her family had moved to Washington, D.C., where she was raised. A shy, introverted child, she started her pixie-like young career as a teenager at a nearby dinner theater where she played "Tinkerbell" in a musical adaptation of "Peter Pan". After receiving her high school diploma, she apprenticed for a time at the famed Arena Stage, then headed off to New York and bigger things.
Yeardley understudied the role of "Debbie" on Broadway in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing", starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close, then took over the part for eight months. Small film offers started coming her way with Heaven Help Us (1985) and The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), so in 1986, she headed West and settled. After some work on the LA stage with "Boys and Girls/Men and Women" (1987) and "How the Other Half Loves" (1988) and a recurring role on the ground-breaking gay comedy, Brothers (1984), Yeardley won the part of daughter "Lisa Simpson". The animated character was launched on the sketch TV comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show (1987). Two years later, she spun off into The Simpsons (1989) and still going strong after 20 years.
Yeardley has made the TV rounds on-camera as well with amusing guest appearances on Dharma & Greg (1997) (recurring), "Murphy Brown," "Empty Next" and "Mama's Family." She also had regular role for three seasons as "Louise" on Herman's Head (1991). Other film supports during that time included roles in City Slickers (1991), Jingle All the Way (1996) and As Good as It Gets (1997).
Yeardley continues to be quite active well into the millennium. In 2004, Yeardley performed front-and-center in her own one-woman autobiographical show entitled "More" in New York. Other comedic and occasional dramatic film parts include the Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back by Midnight (2004), an animated full-length The Simpsons Movie (2007), Waiting for Ophelia (2009), High School (2010), Tug (2010), Virginia (2010), The Chaperone (2011), Miles (2016), All Square (2018), Love & Debt (2019) and Gossamer Folds (2020). On TV, Yeardley appeared as a guest on "Becker," "The Big Bang Theory," "Hot in Cleveland" and "Mom."
Married and divorced twice, Yeardley's first husband was actor Christopher Grove.- Actress
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Gina was born in New York City and is youngest of three children in a close-knit Cuban American family. Attended New York City's High School of Music and Art She is a gifted mezzo soprano and was trained in opera and jazz and also sang in a gospel choir.- Actress
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Michelle is a proud Chicana born and raised in Hollywood, California. While no one in her family was "in the business", it certainly helped that she grew up next door to an original munchkin from The Wizard of Oz (1939). It was here where she learned about the magic of filmmaking, television, and ultimately, her love for acting. An early education of Doris Day and Busby Berkeley films helped fuel her love for the arts. She went on to major in Theatre at California State University-Northridge, and quickly started auditioning professionally in her late teens. She booked her first audition.
With more than 170 credits to her name, she is an avid supporter of LGBTQ rights and advocacy. She has used her skills as a writer and producer to create projects such as her short film Slip Away (2011) about substance abuse and its effect on a lesbian Latina relationship. Slip Away (2011) went on to screen at numerous film festivals around the world, including Outfest-The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film festival, and won The Q Award at the Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival and The Bronze Award at the Mexico International Film Festival for best short film. She co-created, produced and wrote the comedy web series Failing Upwards (2012).
Bonilla made her big screen debut in Above Suspicion (1995), starring Christopher Reeve and Kim Cattrall. Her most recent credits include Clemency (Grand Jury Prize Winner, Sundance Film Festival 2019 US Dramatic Competition), Pin Up, Criminal Minds, Jane The Virgin, 24: Live Another Day - Solitary, The Bold and The Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives. She has had recurring voice roles as "Mrs. Flores" in The Casagrandes (2019), the new spin-off of the Emmy Award-winning The Loud House (2014).
Her theatre credits include the critically acclaimed Dark Rapture by Eric Overmyer at the prestigious Kalita Humphreys Theatre in Dallas, Texas. In Los Angeles, her theatre credits include As You Like It...Fresh, Wilding, The Circle, The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts; the West Coast Premiere of Eddie Sanchez's Award Winning, Clean, and Borderlands (Co-written by Dana Stevens) at Second Stage. She worked with the world renowned, Los Angeles Philharmonic, in The Impressionists at The Disney Concert Hall
Bonilla is a recipient of the Inaugural Gift of Life Entertainment Media Award from the National Kidney Foundation presented to the cast of ER. She is also the winner of The ALMA (American Latino Media Arts Award) Award for her portrayal in PBS's Award Winning Foto-Novelas Series, Seeing Through Walls, and is honored to have received the prestigious recognition of being awarded the Resolution from The City of Los Angeles, Special Honoree - Latinas In Pride, for her work in the Arts and for promoting and advancing LGBTQ Rights.- Actress
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Tamala Jones was born on 12 November 1974 in Pasadena, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Blue Streak (1999), Can't Hardly Wait (1998) and Booty Call (1997).- Actress
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Erin Jessica Cahill is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jen Scotts in Power Rangers Time Force (2001), as Ted Mosby's sister, Heather, in How I Met Your Mother (2005), and as Kendra Burke in Saving Grace (2007). She had a recurring role as Felicity in the ABC series Red Widow (2013). She is also noted to be the first lead female character for the Call of Duty franchise, as Chloe "Karma" Lynch in Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012).
Cahill was born in Stafford, Virginia. She began acting in her mother's local high school productions at age four, and started singing and dancing lessons at age eight. She was Miss Pre-Teen Virginia in 1991 and the first runner-up for Miss Junior America. She continued to act into her high school years at Brooke Point High School, where she served as the president of many clubs, including the Honor Thespians group. As a junior, Cahill was the only one of her year to garner perfect scores in all phases of her audition to the Governor's School for the Arts in drama.
At age 16, she also won Overall Actor in the Actors, Models, Talent for Christ competition. She was further selected into the Barton and Williams Dance Company, winning both company and individual awards. Following high school graduation in 1998, she attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York on an academic and performing arts scholarship. She left college at age 19 to pursue a full-time acting career in Los Angeles.
Cahill was cast as Jen Scotts in Power Rangers Time Force (2001). She began making guest appearances in 2003 in Crossing Jordan (2001) and General Hospital (1963). In 2006, she starred in the short-lived Fox series Free Ride (2006). Her first big guest starring role came in 2007 as a 20th-century suffragette in the Cold Case (2003) episode Torn (2007). Since then, she has worked in numerous films and television shows such as Supernatural (2005), CSI: Miami (2002), The Mentalist (2008), Castle (2009), Ghost Whisperer (2005), Grey's Anatomy (2005), and House (2004).
Cahill co-founded Charitable Living, which services the local community throughout the year with various fundraisers and days of volunteering. In May 2015, she joined non-profit group BuildOn and traveled to Malawi to promote education and build schools.- Actress
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Helen Slater was born in Bethpage, New York, to Alice Joan (Citrin), a lawyer and peace activist, and Gerald Slater, a television executive. She was raised in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, and is of Eastern European Jewish descent. Appearing in many shows as a child, she attended the New York High School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1982. Having made her acting debut in Amy & the Angel (1982), co-starring with James Earl Jones and Matthew Modine. Helen took her career very seriously. Within months of her graduation, she attended auditions for the upcoming spin-off of the famous Superman (1978) franchise, Supergirl (1984). It was to be shot in England at Pinewood Studios, where the first "Superman" movies were filmed. Slater even spoke to Christopher Reeve about playing a superhero to assure herself she could do it. After being the first to present herself for audition, she was cast as the lead in the film and her career took off. Although Supergirl (1984) received mixed reviews, most critics were impressed with Helen's abilities. In fact, the critics' consensus was that she did a better job at keeping a secret identity (a mousy schoolgirl) than Reeve did as Clark Kent. In her next film, she was cast as a modern-day "Joan of Arc" in The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) with Yeardley Smith and Peter Coyote. The film, though not particularly successful, has managed to attract a somewhat cult following. She next appeared in one of her best-received roles, that of the female half of the bumbling husband-and-wife team that kidnaps Bette Midler in the comic blockbuster, Ruthless People (1986), and scored again in the hit The Secret of My Success (1987). Both roles helped to cement her status as an actress of note. Next, she and her friend, Melanie Mayron, starred in the feminist comedy, Sticky Fingers (1988), a critical but not financial success. It was in this film and her next, Happy Together (1989), that she was able to prove that she could do comedy as well as drama. She went on to do more feature films such as City Slickers (1991), A House in the Hills (1993) and Lassie (1994), before making regular appearances on television. Her regional stage credits include appearances in such plays as "Grease" and "Shakespeare and Friends". On Broadway, she starred in "Responsible Parties" and "Almost Romance". She also attended classes at both NYU and UCLA, trying to broaden her acting abilities. On television, she has appeared in Caroline in the City (1995), as well as many others. She also became a spokeswoman for Preference by L'Oreal in both TV and print ads. She is an accomplished pianist and now has an album out called "One of These Days". She co-founded the New York theater group, The Naked Angels, with her friend Gina Gershon. In 1990, she married award-winning editor Robert Watzke and they have a daughter, born in 1995. She stepped out of the limelight for a couple of years, appearing mainly in the occasional TV show, but came back strong in 2003, showing moviegoers and TV audiences how great an entertainer she really is.- Actress
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Cindy Sampson was born on 27 May 1978 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is an actress and director, known for Supernatural (2005), Private Eyes (2016) and The Shrine (2010). She has been married to Ryan Wickel since 7 July 2016.- Actress
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Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress and comedian known for her deadpan style. She portrayed April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation (2009), and after appearing in supporting roles in several films, had her first leading role in the 2012 comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (2012).
Plaza began her career as an intern. After performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, she appeared in the web series The Jeannie Tate Show (2007). She later appeared in films such as Funny People (2009), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Life After Beth (2014).- Actress
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Elizabeth Mitchell was born in Los Angeles in 1970. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to Dallas, Texas. She was graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas. Later, she earned a BFA degree in acting from Stephens College and also studied at the British American Drama Academy. Additionally, she spent six years at the respected Dallas Theatre Center and one year with that theater's Encore Company. Before her big screen debut, she started her acting career from theaters. Her theatrical stage credits include productions of "As You Like It", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Measure for Measure", "Baby" and "Chicago", among many others.
Her breakthrough performance was opposite Angelina Jolie in Michael Cristofer's acclaimed HBO telefilm Gia (1998) endearing her to audiences and critics, alike. Following with the sci-fi time-travel adventure, Frequency (2000) with Dennis Quaid and Neil LaBute's highly anticipated Nurse Betty (2000) opposite Renée Zellweger, Elizabeth showed her charismatic acting skills. With numerous credits from theaters, TV series and movies, Elizabeth Mitchell continues to give her best in the acting field.- Actress
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Shawnee Smith has consistently put her versatile talents to use in the film, television, theatrical and musical arenas with much success. Her impressive career includes a co-starring role on an award-winning television show, which is now strong in syndication, and a variety of memorable roles in hit feature films. She also toured America and the U.K. fronting a rather extreme rock band called "Fydolla Ho". Smith was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, to Patricia Ann (Smoak), an oncology nurse, and James H. "Jim" Smith, a financial planner and U.S. Air Force pilot. Shawnee's achievements began early in her career when she appeared in the movie Annie (1982). As a young actress, she was awarded the Youth in Film Award for Best Actress in a television film for her role in the CBS drama Crime of Innocence (1985). She was honored with the Dramalogue Critics Award for her performance in the theatrical production "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday". In the same year, she received rave reviews for her co-starring role with Richard Dreyfuss at the Huntington Hartford Theatre in "The Hands of its Enemy". Shawnee then starred in The Blob (1988) for Columbia Pictures, in the hit comedy Summer School (1987) for Paramount Pictures and in Who's Harry Crumb? (1989), also for Columbia Pictures. Those roles would be followed by appearances in such highly-acclaimed films as Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Armageddon (1998), Desperate Hours (1990) and Breakfast of Champions (1999). Shawnee's television credits are equally as impressive, with a list that includes a regular role on the hit CBS comedy Becker (1998) as well as series regular roles on The Tom Show (1997) and Arsenio (1997). She appeared in the CBS television movies Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1997), I Saw What You Did (1988) and Face of Evil (1996), as well as the miniseries The Stand (1994) and The Shining (1997). Her recent film projects include The Almost Guys (2004), Saw (2004), a gritty, taut and terrifying film and the sequel Saw II (2005). Satisfied with pushing the extremes in her critically-acclaimed punk/metal band "Fydolla Ho", Shawnee is working on her first solo record with Queens of the Stone Age producer Chris Goss.- Actress
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Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress best known for her roles as Barbara Gordon in Birds of Prey (2002), Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers (1997) and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw installments. Meyer started acting in 1993, with her first major role playing Lucinda Nicholson in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). In the same year she made her film debut in the TV movie Strapped (1993). She broke out two years later, playing the cybernetically enhanced bodyguard Jane in the cyberpunk thriller Johnny Mnemonic (1995). In addition to Johnny Mnemonic, Meyer has played roles in other science fiction productions including Starship Troopers, Birds of Prey and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). She also starred as Detective Allison Kerry in the horror/thriller film Saw (2004) and its sequels as well. She has made many guest appearances and played one of the series regular roles in FOX's Point Pleasant (2005). Her additional guest star roles include Criminal Minds (2005), Castle (2009), The Mentalist (2008), Burn Notice (2007), and Nip/Tuck (2003), and she has recurred on ABC's Scoundrels (2010), CW's 90210 (2008), CBS's CSI: Miami (2002), and NCIS (2003).
Meyer resides in Los Angeles.- Canadian actress Athena Karkanis began her professional career in acting in 1996 with several episodes of Stickin' Around (1996). Since that time, Athena has an extensive career in film, television and voice acting. Her credits include the Canadian teen drama The Best Years (2007), The Border (2008), and Wild Kratts (2010). Athena also had a recurring role in the "Saw" movie saga, particularly Saw IV (2007) and Saw VI (2009). During the course of 2011-2012, Athena found work on the supernatural series Lost Girl (2010) and contributed voice-work for video games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) and Diablo III (2012).
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Julie Benz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on May 1, 1972. Julie's father is a Pittsburgh surgeon and her mother is a figure skater. The family settled in nearby Murrysville, when Julie was two, and she started ice skating at age three. She competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing with her partner David Schilling, coming in 13th. Her older brother and sister, Jeffrey and Jennifer, were 1987 U.S. Junior Champions in ice dancing and competed internationally. When Julie was 14, she had a bad stress fracture and had to take time off.
By 1989, with her figure skating career over, Julie turned to acting and got involved in the local theater where she got a role in the play "Street Law". Her first movie role was a small credited speaking part in the Black Cat segment of the Dario Argento/George A. Romero co-direction horror flick, Two Evil Eyes (1990), playing in one scene alongside Harvey Keitel. A year later, she got a role on a TV show called Hi Honey, I'm Home (1991).
After graduating from high school, Julie entered New York University to study acting there. After graduation, Julie moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her career and landed some small roles in movies and TV shows including a guest appearance on Married... with Children (1987) and in the Aaron Spelling TV pilot Crosstown Traffic (1995).
In 1996, Julie auditioned for the role of "Buffy" in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), but lost out to Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, she was offered a small role as a vampire girl in which she did such a good job that her part was expanded to a few more episodes in playing the vampire "Darla". With that, Julie Benz's career had finally taken off. She reprised her role as "Darla" in the Buffy spin-off series Angel (1999) for two years and has had several small roles in various film productions. She also had a small, but memorable, role playing a receptionist in the movie As Good as It Gets (1997).
Even after her role on Angel (1999) wrapped up, Julie continued to find work on television in playing many guest staring roles in numerous popular TV shows from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), to Supernatural (2005), to playing the lead and supporting roles in various made-for-TV movies. She landed another notable role on the TV-cable series Dexter (2006) playing "Rita", a troubled divorcée and lover of the title character played by Michael C. Hall. Benz played a leading role in the TV series No Ordinary Family (2010) playing Stephanie Powell along with actors Michael Chiklis, Kay Panabaker, Jimmy Bennett, Autumn Reeser, Romany Malco, and Stephen Collins.
In 2013, she had the starring role in the sci-fi / fantasy breakout hit show Defiance (2013).- Actress
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Melanie Neige Scrofano is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Mrs. McMurray on the Crave comedy series Letterkenny, Rebecca on the CBC comedy-drama series Being Erica, October on the Showcase mockumentary series Pure Pwnage, and Tia on the CTV fantasy-drama series The Listener. From 2016 to 2021, Scrofano starred as the title character on the Syfy modern Western drama Wynonna Earp. In 2019, she played Emilie in the comedy horror film Ready or Not.- Actress
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Marisol Nichols currently (2023) stars opposite Jenna Ortega in Paramounts Winter Spring Summer Fall. She recently starred opposite Chris Rock and Sam Jackson as Capt. Angie Garza in the Lions Gate film Spiral, and opposite Eugenio Derbez in the Lions Gate comedy The Valet. On the small screen Nichols' currently stars as Hermione Lodge on The CW's highly rated, Riverdale which has won a collective 19 Teen Choice Awards.
Nichols' first appeared in shows including Beverly Hills 90210, Friends, and ER. She made her movie debut in the film Vegas Vacation playing Audrey Griswald opposite Chevy Chase. She's appeared in films Scream 2, Can't Hardly Wait, Bowfinger, Jane Austen's Mafia & Felon opposite Val Kilmer. Marisol also commanded the Counter Terrorist unit in 24 opposite Kiefer Sutherland, appeared as the mysterious and elusive Desert Wolf on Teen Wolf, was Special Agent Zoe Keates in NCIS and starred in Stephen Bochco's Blind justice as well as numerous other roles.
Balancing her work on screen with her humanitarian efforts fighting for the rights of young girls and women, Marisol created her non-profit, Foundation for a Slavery Free World, embracing the global eradication of the most heinous human rights violations-human trafficking. She is a deputized legal informant and has been dubbed, the "Hollywood Vigilantly" as she's taken part in numerous undercover operations leading to the successful arrest of dozens of traffickers and child predators. Sony Pictures recently bought the rights to her life story and is adapting it for a Television Series that Nichols is Executive Producing.
In 2017, Marisol was recognized by President Barack Obama with the President's Distinguished Volunteer Service Award for her work in human rights and for her service to our community.- Actress
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Born in Mumbai, India and raised in Nigeria until the age of seven, Contractor was well-versed in world travels and a variety of cultures at a very young age. She attended boarding school in London from seven to nine years old, then her family moved to Toronto, Canada, where she spent the majority of her childhood and young adulthood. In Toronto, Contractor excelled in academics and trained as a classical ballerina. She attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, a specialized public arts high school where she not only danced but studied theater as well. At the age of 16, after nearly 10 years of dance Contractor realized she wanted to pursue acting seriously. Upon graduating from high school she accepted a full scholarship to the University of Toronto, where she pursued a masters in theatre and a double major in psychology and sociology. After one year at University, Contractor went to an open call audition for the play Pericles at the prestigious, world-renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival [Ontario, Canada], and landed the lead role. She received rave reviews for her work in the 92 shows performed, the play was voted the #1 production of the year by Canadian critics, in 2002. Contractor was offered the opportunity to enroll in Stratford's conservatory program, where a select eight men and four women are accepted for a 20-week crash course on classical theater, which she eagerly took. Contractor was guaranteed a spot in the next season of plays, and landed the role of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. By the third season with the company, Contractor wanted to pursue film and television. In 2005 she booked a role in a FOX pilot by Anthony Hines [Borat, Bruno, The Dictator]. The role was intense, leaving the actors in character for eight to nine hours a day in front of an audience, and was a precursor to the style of film that Borat would be, just one year later. When the pilot did not get picked up, Contractor decided to go back to school and finish her education. While securing her degrees, she booked "The Border," a Canadian drama for CBC. She starred as Layla Hourani for 26 episodes, and the series aired worldwide. The role also garnered her a Golden Nymph Award at The Montecarlo Television Festival, in 2008. Once the show wrapped, Contractor made the move to Los Angeles.
In 2009, Contractor booked the role of Kayla Hassan, in 21 episodes of the hit FOX series "24." As President Omar Hassan [Anil Kapoor] and Dalia Hassan's [Necar Zadegan] daughter, she was a scene stealer, portraying a seemingly sheltered young woman, whose secret life ends up putting her in horrible conditions. While in production on "24" Contractor also booked a recurring role on CBS' "Rules of Engagement" opposite David Spade and Adhir Kalyan. Other television credits for Contractor include "Lone Star" [FOX] and "Last Resort" [ABC]. On the film front, Contractor has been seen in Seance: The Summoning [Lionsgate] in which she won Best Supporting Actress at WorldFest Houston, in 2012.
In May 2013, Contractor appeared as a devoted wife and mother facing extreme challenges in her family in the highly anticipated, Paramount feature film Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).
When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yogi. She loves to travel the world, and her preferred method of transportation while in other countries is by motorcycle. She was also born into the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, and is one of the 150,000 Parsis in the world. Philanthropy is a huge priority for Contractor, she is a strong supporter of the organization Second Harvest to feed the homeless, and Look Good Feel Better, supporting women with cancer. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, son, and border terrier.- Actress
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Rachel Miner wanted to be an actress from age two. She began working with an acting coach at eight, got an agent at nine and, by ten, had not only worked for Woody Allen, but was cast as "Michelle Bauer" on Guiding Light (1952) (a part that started as recurring and evolved into a contract role lasting nearly five years (1990-1995) and earning her three Young Artist Awards and an Emmy nomination).
Born into a show business family, she represents the third generation of Miners to take to the theatre, film and television. Her father, Peter Miner, was an Emmy-winning director and noted New York acting teacher (at T. Schreiber Studio), directing teacher (at Columbia University) and acting coach. Her mother, Diane Miner Diane Miner, a writer and off-off-Broadway director, taught and coached acting with her husband. Her grandparents were producer/director Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller. Her brother is actor Peter Miner.
Rachel has played roles, ranging from addicts, prostitutes, murderers and murder victims to innocent brides or understanding veterinary techs in dozens of films and television series, with recurring roles as an ambitious, amoral secretary (in Showtime's Californication (2007) and a kick-ass demon (in the CW's Supernatural (2005). Whether terrorized by a psychopath or playing one, there seems little that daunts this fearless young actress.
In addition to her film and television work, Rachel has several noteworthy theatrical credits. At fourteen, she appeared in Laura Cahill's "The Way at Naked Angels" (1994). She made her Broadway debut at seventeen, playing "Margo Frank" to Natalie Portman's "Anne" in Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1996/97), directed by James Lapine. She originated the role of "Rivkele" in Donald Margulies' adaptation of Sholom Asch's "God of Vengeance" (2000), directed by Gordon Edelstein at ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) in Seattle. She also originated the role of "Sandy" in Rebecca Gilman's "Blue Surge" (2001), directed by Robert Falls at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago (and reprised in 2002 at The Public Theatre in New York).- Music Artist
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Kylie Ann Minogue was born on 28 May, 1968. The eldest of three children, Kylie's acting career began early, but it was her role as "Charlene" in the Australian soap, Neighbours (1985), which established Kylie as an international star. Her singing career began, purely by accident, when a record company executive heard Kylie's rendition of Little Eva's 1962 hit, "The Loco-Motion". She signed with PWL Records and hit-makers Stock/Aitken/Waterman in 1987. Five albums and a greatest hits compilation followed, and she made history by having more than 20 consecutive top ten hits in the UK. Her motion picture debut came with the starring role of "Lola" in The Delinquents (1989). She left PWL Records in 1992 to head in a decidedly more mature musical direction, and her self-titled debut on deconstruction records was released in 1994, spawning chart hits like "Confide In Me" and "Put Yourself In My Place". Kylie's doings were always a favorite subject of the press, but she really made waves with her controversial 1995 duet with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Where the Wild Roses Grow". 1997 saw the release of Kylie's first single in more than 3 years, "Some Kind of Bliss", co-written and produced by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of The Manic Street Preachers.- Actress
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Pam Grier was born in Winston-Salem, NC, one of four children of Gwendolyn Sylvia (Samuels), a nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., an Air Force mechanic. Pam has been a major African-American star from the early 1970s. Her career started in 1971, when Roger Corman of New World Pictures launched her with The Big Doll House (1971), about a women's penitentiary, and The Big Bird Cage (1972). Her strong role put her into a five-year contract with Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures, and she became a leading lady in action films such as Jack Hill's Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), the comic strip character Friday Foster (1975) and William Girdler's 'Sheba, Baby' (1975). She continued working with American-International, where she portrayed William Marshall's vampire victim in the Blacula (1972) sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973).
During the 1980s she became a regular on Miami Vice (1984) and played a supporting role as an evil witch in Ray Bradbury's and Walt Disney Pictures' Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), then returned to action as Steven Seagal's partner in Above the Law (1988). Her most famous role of the 1990s was probably Jackie Brown (1997), directed by Quentin Tarantino, which was an homage to her earlier 1970s action roles, She occasionally did supporting roles, as in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996), In Too Deep (1999) and a funny performance in Jawbreaker (1999). She also appeared in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001) and co-starred with Snoop Dogg in Bones (2001). Her entire career of over 30 years has brought only success for this beautiful and talented actress.
A sister of Grier's died from cancer in 1990 and the son of that sister committed suicide because of his mother's illness. Pam herself was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and given 18 months to live, which has had an effect on how she has chosen to live. She has never been wed, although she has been romantically linked to Richard Pryor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the past.- Actress
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Maria Doyle Kennedy was born on 25 September 1964 in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress and director, known for The Tudors (2007), The Commitments (1991) and Orphan Black (2013). She has been married to Kieran Kennedy since 11 June 1988. They have four children.- Actress
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Lauren Lee Smith was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Mutant X (2001), Pathology (2008) and If I Stay (2014). She has been married to Dillon Casey since March 2024. She was previously married to Erik Lee Steingröver.- Actress
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Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is a British actress known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Young Victoria (2009), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and The Girl on the Train (2016), among many others.
Blunt was born on February 23, 1983, in Roehampton, South West London, England, the second of four children in the family of Joanna Mackie, a former actress and teacher, and Oliver Simon Peter Blunt, a barrister. Her grandfather was Major General Peter Blunt, and her uncle is MP Crispin Blunt. Emily received a rigorous education at Ibstock Place School, a co-ed private school at Roehampton. However, young Emily Blunt had a stammer, since she was a kid of 8. Her mother took her to relaxation classes, which did not do anything. She reached a turning point at 12, when a teacher cleverly asked her to play a character with a different voice and said, "I really believe in you". Blunt ended up using a northern accent, and it did the trick, her stammer disappeared.
From 1999 - 2001, Blunt went to Hurtwood House, the top co-ed boarding school where she would excel at sport, cello and singing. She also had two years of drama studies at Hurtwood's theatre course. In August 2000, she was chosen to perform at the Edinburgh Festival. She was signed up by an agent, Kenneth Mcreddie, who led her to the West End and the BBC, scoring her roles in several period dramas on stage as well as on TV productions, such as Foyle's War (2002), Henry VIII (2003) and Empire (2005). In 2001, she appeared as "Gwen Cavendish" opposite Dame Judi Dench in Sir Peter Hall's production of "The Royal Family" at Haymarket Theatre. For that role, she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Newcomer. In 2002, she played "Juliet" in "Romeo and Juliet" at the prestigious Chichester Festival.
Blunt's career ascended to international fame after she starred as "Isolda" opposite Alex Kingston in Warrior Queen (2003). A year later, she won critical acclaim for her breakout performance as "Tamsin", a well-educated, cynical and deceptive 16-year-old beauty in My Summer of Love (2004), a story of two lonely girls from the opposite ends of the social heap. Emily Blunt and her co-star, Natalie Press, shared an Evening Standard British Film award for Most Promising Newcomer. In 2005, she spent a few months in Australia filming Irresistible (2006) with Susan Sarandon and Sam Neill. Blunt gave an impressive performance as "Mara", a cunning young destroyer who acts crazy and surreptitiously provokes paranoia in others. She also continued her work on British television, starring as "Natasha" in Stephen Poliakoff's Gideon's Daughter (2005), opposite Bill Nighy, a role that won her a 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
She continued the line of playing manipulative characters as "Emily", a caustic put-upon assistant to Meryl Streep's lead in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Blunt's performance with a neurotic twist added a dimension of sarcasm to the comedy, and gained her much attention as well as new jobs: in two dramas opposite Tom Hanks, then in the title role in the period drama, The Young Victoria (2009). Her most recent works include appearances as antiques dealer "Gwen Conliffe" in The Wolfman (2010) and as the ballerina in The Adjustment Bureau (2011).
Emily is a highly versatile actress and a multifaceted person. Her talents include singing and playing cello; she is also skilled at horseback riding.
On August 28, 2009, Blunt and Krasinski announced their engagement. The couple married on July 10, 2010, at the estate of their friend, George Clooney, on Lake Como in Italy. Blunt and Krasinski live in the Los Angeles area, California, and have two children.- Actress
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Paula Newsome is an American actress. In 2021, she appeared in the crime television series CSI: Vegas, as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home. Newsome grew up in Chicago and is a graduate of Morgan Park Academy. She received a bachelor's degree from Webster University's Conservatory of Theater Arts.- Actress
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Karen Jane Allen was born in Carrollton, rural southern Illinois, to Patricia (Howell), a teacher, and Carroll Thompson Allen, an FBI agent. She spent her first 10 years traveling around the country with her parents and two sisters. She was always "the new girl in school." Acting did not really cross Allen's mind until she was in her early 20s, when she saw a Jerzy Grotowski theater production that impressed her so much, she instantly decided to give it a shot. She trained as a classical actress and enrolled at the Actors Studio and with Lee Strasberg in New York City. During this period, she made several student films and directed and acted in several plays. In 1976, she made her first film appearance in the award-winning small film The Whidjitmaker (1976).
Her first major film role came as Katy in 1978's National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), which became one of the biggest hits of the year, obtained "classic" status, and launched a whole host of young "hot" stars. However, shortly after National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) opened, Allen was struck by a rare and dangerous eyesight condition called keratoconjunctivitis. Luckily, the condition subsided and Allen could continue her dramatic rise to the top. Lead roles in cult favorites like The Wanderers (1979) and the controversial thriller Cruising (1980) followed, as did smaller parts as in Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979). However, it was her performance in Rob Cohen's A Small Circle of Friends (1980), as well as her previously mentioned turn in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), that caught the eye of a certain Steven Spielberg. He then cast her as the feisty heroine and co-star of Harrison Ford in his big-budget blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which became a huge hit in 1981-82 and is regarded by many film buffs as the greatest action-adventure film ever made.
Following the huge success of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Allen chose to spend more than two years out of the limelight, concentrating on smaller, more personal projects. She won a major award for her performances on Broadway, won critical acclaim for her portrayal of Abra in the hugely successful ABC production of East of Eden (1981), and had parts in two smaller films: Alan Parker's Shoot the Moon (1982) and Split Image (1982), co-starring James Woods and Peter Fonda. She returned to the mainstream in 1984 with Until September (1984) and Starman (1984), co-starring Jeff Bridges and directed by John Carpenter (of Halloween (1978) fame), but once again decided to leave the limelight for a couple of years to do more stage work and some troubled indie films. While Allen has worked almost constantly since then, giving notable performances in Paul Newman's screen adaptation of The Glass Menagerie (1987), the Christmas hit Scrooged (1988), and Steven Soderbergh's underrated King of the Hill (1993), she has not been able to scale the same dizzy heights as the early 1980s hits. Most of her lead roles in feature films since Starman (1984) have not been that well-received (Animal Behavior (1989), Ghost in the Machine (1993), and The Turning (1992) among them). However, she has been seen to good effect on TV in such films as Challenger (1990), in which she portrayed tragic schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, and All the Winters That Have Been (1997), co-starring Richard Chamberlain.
She has also made special guest star appearances on such shows as Law & Order (1990), Knots Landing (1979), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985), and in several TV movies, including Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story (1996) and Secret Weapon (1990). She also played the lead in the CBS series The Road Home (1994). Karen Allen was married to soap star Kale Browne (with whom she co-starred in 'Til There Was You (1997)) in 1988 and they have a son, Nicholas. Apart from acting, Allen is also an accomplished singer, songwriter, and musician. She played in a band with Kathleen Turner, and recorded a duet with Jeff Bridges for the Starman (1984) soundtrack album.
She also writes plays, screenplays, and poetry; owns her own Ashtanga yoga enterprise; and spends time at her Berkshire Mountains farm or Upper West Side Manhattan townhouse. The classically trained actress also has a screenplay called "The Second Coming," which is about to be made into a movie. Most recently she has starred opposite Peter Coyote in The Basket (1999), and appeared in the blockbuster The Perfect Storm (2000), in which she co-starred with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Diane Lane. In addition to these, she is working on Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001) and recently made an independent film, In the Bedroom (2001). Karen Allen is undoubtedly one of the most talented, ambitious, and versatile actresses of the last 20 years. In many ways, her own choices to "go back to theater and smaller projects" are the only things that have really stopped her being a major, major star. Allen was voted one of the most beautiful women in the world in 1983, and is a naturally attractive lady - who often plays characters significantly younger than herself. She also often plays unglamorous types - and there is no one better at portraying real, human, and wholly believable people.- Actress
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This elegant lady has defined the television version of the rich, sophisticated businesswoman who knows what she wants, and will do whatever it takes to get it. She was born Patsy Ann McClenny on February 3, 1950 in Dallas, Texas. She began acting as a child, when her mother enrolled her in drama lessons after she was too shy to give a book report in class. From the age of 10, she performed in children's plays. Later, she would do dinner theater and stock productions in Dallas. She chose Morgan as a stage name. In 1973, Morgan decided to pursue a career in television; just 6 weeks after moving to New York, she landed the key role of Jennifer in the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow (1951); she stayed on until 1977.
Morgan moved to Los Angeles, where she originated the role of Jenna Wade on the wildly popular nighttime soap opera Dallas (1978) (Jenna was later portrayed by Priscilla Presley). Morgan made numerous guest appearances on television series. She played Constance (Weldon) Carlyle in Flamingo Road (1980), and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress; that was her breakout series that propelled her to stardom.
Morgan continued to perform in live theater, her acclaimed portrayal of Skye in the off-Broadway comedy "Geniuses" helped make it one of the "Top Ten Plays" of the year according to Time Magazine and the New York Times. Other stage appearances have included productions of "Goodbye Charlie" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." On television, she played the naughty Racine in the soap opera Paper Dolls (1984) in 1984. Later, she starred in the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981) from 1985-86, having made a niche for herself playing ambitious beauties. Morgan received an Emmy nomination for a special episode of Murphy Brown (1988).
Morgan has shared some of her beauty secrets by authoring the book "Super Looks" which is a complete guide that includes makeup, exercise, and diet tips. Morgan is a member of the Entertainment Industry AIDS Task Force. She is an active speaker on environmental issues and helped found the Environmental Communications Office, which encourages entertainment industry professionals to become better educated and more active on environmental issues. Morgan is a collector of movie memorabilia (particularly anything about Marilyn Monroe) and antique clothing. She is a ballet fan and is also interested in anthropology and paleontology; Morgan is truly a brainy beauty.- Actress
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Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar®-nominated actress, who is known for her character portrayals in both period and present-day screen roles, as well as a long history of stage and film roles.
Mary Eileen McDonnell was born on April 28, 1952 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Eileen (Mundy) and John McDonnell, a computer consultant, both of Irish descent. Raised in Ithaca, New York, she graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. She later attended drama school and was accepted into the prestigious Long Wharf Theatre Company on the East Coast. Two decades later, she landed her breakthrough film role, in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990), playing "Stands with a Fist", a white woman raised by the Sioux Indians. She earned her first Academy Award nomination for the role.
McDonnell's film credits include the Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991) and Mumford (1999) (opposite such seasoned performers as Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, and Ben Kingsley); Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996) (starring Will Smith); acclaimed art house cult-hit Donnie Darko (2001); and Margin Call (2011) (opposite Kevin Spacey), which earned her the Robert Altman Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. On the small screen, McDonnell starred in four seasons on the Syfy Network's award-winning series Battlestar Galactica (2004) in her critically praised performance as President Laura Roslin. She garnered an Emmy nomination for her recurring guest role on the television series ER (1994). She stars as Captain Sharon Raydor on the TNT's hit drama series Major Crimes (2012), the follow-up to The Closer (2005), in which McDonnell originated the role and for which she earned a Primetime Emmy® nomination. She garnered a Best Actress Academy Award® nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of a paraplegic soap opera star in John Sayles's critically acclaimed film, Passion Fish (1992).
McDonnell began her career in theatre and has starred in a wide variety of both Broadway and off-Broadway productions. She received an Obie Award for her performance in Emily Mann's Still Life and has starred in off-Broadway productions including the debut production of Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning Buried Child (off-Broadway), John Patrick Shanley Savage in Limbo, John O'Keefe's All Night Long, Michael Cristofer's Black Angel, Kathleen Tolan's A Weekend Near Madison, Paula Cizmar's Death of a Miner, and Dennis McIntyre's National Anthem. Her Broadway credits include Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke, the title role in Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles, and Emily Mann's Execution of Justice. She received rave reviews for her performance opposite David Strathairn in Emily Mann's acclaimed adaptation of Chekhov's classic, The Cherry Orchard.
McDonnell lives in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles County, California with her husband, actor Randle Mell, and their children, Olivia and Michael.- Actress
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Fiona Rene was born on 5 April 1988 in Montana, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Lincoln Lawyer (2022), Fire Country (2022) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021).- Actress
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Born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in Toronto Canada. Is of Spanish, Irish, French and Jewish descent. She trained in ballet and flamenco and is fluent in Spanish and French, and also speaks Italian and Portuguese. She lived in Spain and France before returning to Canada to pursue her Masters degree in Vancouver.