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A natural and versatile actress, Sydney Park is quickly establishing herself as one of Hollywood's most sought after young talents. In her formative years, she attended a performing arts middle school. Starting at the age of 6 years old, she performed stand-up comedy regularly.
Sydney starred as Caitlin Park-Lewis in the highly-anticipated Freeform spin-off series Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Her performance was highlighted as "the standout of the young cast" by Variety magazine. Created by Pretty Little Liars' I. Marlene King, The Perfectionists is a drama-thriller that takes place in the town of Beacon Heights, where everything seems perfect but has mysteries at every turn. The ten-episode first season premiered on Freeform March 20, 2019. On September 27, 2019, Freeform canceled the series after one season.
Sydney starred in season 3 of the hit Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, opposite Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, which released on March 29, 2019. On the film side, Sydney starred in 2017 horror film Wish Upon alongside Joey King and Shannon Purser.
Sydney got her start at the age of 6 doing stand-up comedy at the Hollywood Improv. At the age of 8, she competed on reality competition show America's Got Talent as "Syd the Kid," the youngest stand-up comic to compete. She went on to guest star on hit Disney Channel series That's So Raven and Hannah Montana, in addition to HBO's Entourage, Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program and CBS' CSI: NY. Continuing her versatile work, Sydney starred in Nick at Nite's Instant Mom, opposite Tia Mowry and in AMC's acclaimed series, The Walking Dead. Sydney also lent her vocal talent to Netflix animated series, Spirit Riding Free.
She is set to star as Makani Young in the upcoming Netflix slasher film There's Someone Inside Your House. The film will be directed by Patrick Brice, from a screenplay by Henry Gayden, and based upon Stephanie Perkins' 2017 horror novel of the same name. Shawn Levy's 21 Laps Entertainment and James Wan's Atomic Monster Productions will be producing the film.
Sydney currently resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
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Nathalie Emmanuel is an English actress, known for her role as Missandei on the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones (2011) and Ramsey in Furious 7 (2015).
Nathalie was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, to a father of Saint Lucian and English descent and a mother of Dominican origin. Nathalie credits her mother for the initial motivation to become an actress. At the age of 10, she played Young Nala in the West End production of The Lion King. In 2006, she made her television break by starring as Sasha Valentine in the teen soap opera Hollyoaks (1995). Emmanuel appeared on the show until 2010, her character's story-lines included prostitution, and heroin addiction.
Nathalie presented BBC Three's Web-sex: What's the Harm?, investigating the online sexual habits of 16-24 year-old in the UK. Later in the same year she made her film debut in the thriller Twenty8. The following year, she was cast as Missandei, Daenerys Targaryen's translator, in HBO's fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011). In 2015, Emmanuel was promoted to a regular cast member on the show. In the same year, she played computer hacker Ramsey in the action film Furious 7 (2015) and Harriet in the sci-fi sequel Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015).
FHM magazine ranked Emmanuel as 99th in their 100 Sexiest Women of 2013. In 2015, she appeared in the April issues of InStyle and GQ magazines.- Actress
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Michaela was born on October 1st 1987 as Michaela Boakye-Collinson to Ghanaian parents and brought up in Tower Hamlets by her mother, a devout member of the Pentecostal church who instilled her religion into Michaela and her sister - something that she would later draw on for her play 'Chewing Gum Dreams. ' Already a poet and performance artist , releasing the album 'Fixing Barbie' in 2009, she obtained a 2.1 in English at university before enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was awarded the Laurence Olivier bursary, graduating in 2012. In 2013 she made her stage debut at the Bush Theatre, where she would perform 'Chewing Gum Dreams', later in the year transferring to the National Theatre, where she would return in 2014 to appear in 'Medea' with Helen McCrory. In 2015 a sitcom based on 'Chewing Gum Dreams', its title shortened to 'Chewing Gum' began its run on Channel 4 television and in 2016 she was back on that channel in another comedy-drama 'The Aliens'.- Actress
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Stephanie Corneliussen (born April 28, 1987) is a Danish actress and model best known for her role as Joanna Wellick in Mr. Robot.
Corneliussen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. She attended Johannesskolen in Frederiksberg and studied ballet in Copenhagen. She has a degree in graphic design.
She was discovered at age 13 and encouraged to enter the Supermodel of Scandinavia contest, which was orchestrated by Jacqueline Friis Mikkelsen, the CEO of Unique Models, an international modeling agency based in Copenhagen. She won the contest and subsequently began her international modeling career.
Corneliussen is represented by Scoop Models in Copenhagen. While still expanding her modeling career, she began studying in the United Kingdom in 2007, and in 2011 she relocated to Los Angeles.
Corneliussen has been on the cover of and featured in many magazines, including GQ, Vanity Fair, treats!, Vs., Playboy and Vogue. She has also appeared in several ad campaigns and commercials for brands like bebe, Armani, Dasani, Lexus and Nikon.
She has had guest appearances on the USA Network medical drama series Royal Pains, the NBC sitcom Bad Judge and the TV Land sitcom The Exes.
On July 30, 2012, Corneliussen appeared in Matchbox Twenty's official video for She's So Mean as the mayhem wielding girl.
For the American anthology horror television series American Horror Story, Corneliussen portrayed the "White Nun", the face representing the second season, subtitled Asylum. In 2013, she appeared in the film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, and the following year she portrayed Tatiana in HBO's Emmy Award nominated TV film Hello Ladies.
In 2015, Corneliussen was cast in a recurring role in the USA Network drama-thriller television series Mr. Robot, playing the character of Joanna Wellick. The pilot premiered on May 27, 2015. The show has received critical acclaim and has been nominated for multiple awards, winning the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama. Mr. Robot was picked up for a second season.
In September 2015, it was announced that Corneliussen had been cast as Valentina Vostok in the CW series DC's Legends of Tomorrow, a spin-off of Arrow and The Flash.
In March 2016, Corneliussen was promoted to series regular and added to the main cast of Mr. Robot.
In 2018, she was cast as the mysterious antagonist in the television series "Deception".- Actress
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Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series The Canterbury Tales, Rome, Luther, Human Target, and Game of Thrones (as Ellaria Sand). In September 2016, she began starring in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid, as DS Nina Suresh.
Varma was born in Bath, Somerset, the only child of an Indian father and a Swiss mother who was of part Genoese Italian descent; her parents were relatively elderly and were often mistaken for her grandparents. She was a member of Musical Youth Theatre Company and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, in 1995.
Varma has had a number of television and film roles, including Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love in 1997 and Bride and Prejudice in 2004, and the young Roman wife Niobe during the first season of BBC/HBO's historical drama series Rome. Her character appeared briefly in the second season of the award-winning series when it aired on 14 January 2007.
In 2006, she played Suzie Costello in the first and eighth episodes, "Everything Changes" and "They Keep Killing Suzie", of BBC Three's science-fiction drama series Torchwood. She appeared as Dr Adrienne Holland in the CBS medical drama 3 lbs which premiered on 14 November 2006 and was cancelled on 30 November 2006 due to poor ratings. Varma guest starred in the fourth-season premiere of hit US detective drama Bones as Scotland Yard Inspector Cate Pritchard. She also played the role of Zoe Luther in the first series of the BBC drama Luther.
Varma played the role of Ilsa Pucci in the second season of the Fox series Human Target until the show was cancelled on 10 May 2011.
Varma played the role of Ellaria Sand, the paramour of Oberyn Martell in season 4 of the HBO show Game of Thrones, and reprised the role in seasons 5, 6 and 7.
She lent her voice to the Circle mage Vivienne, in the 2014 role-playing video game Dragon Age: Inquisition.
In 2016, she played the lead role of DC Nina Suresh in the eight-episode British television drama Paranoid, streamed worldwide on Netflix.
In 1997, Varma played Bianca in Shakespeare's Othello at the National Theatre, London. In 2000 to 2001, she appeared in Harold Pinter and Di Trevis's NT stage adaptation of Pinter's The Proust Screenplay, Remembrance of Things Past, based on À la recherche du temps perdu, by Marcel Proust. In the summer of 2001, she played Gila in One for the Road, by Harold Pinter, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
In 2002, she played Sasha Lebedieff in Ivanov by Anton Chekhov at the National Theatre and Bunty Mainwaring in The Vortex by Noël Coward at the Donmar Theatre, London. In 2004, she played Sabina in The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder at the Young Vic Theatre Theatre, London. In 2008, she played Nadia Baliye in The Vertical Hour by David Hare at the Royal Court Theatre London. In 2009, she played Olivia in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with Donmar West End at Wyndham's Theatre, London. In 2012, she played Jessica in Terry Johnson's Hysteria at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In 2013 she played Miss Cutts in The Hothouse by Harold Pinter in the Trafalgar Transformed season at Trafalgar Studios.
In 2014, Varma played Tamora, Queen of the Goths, in Lucy Bailey's "gore-fest" production of Titus Andronicus at Shakespeare's Globe. In 2015, she appeared alongside Ralph Fiennes in George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman at the National Theatre.- Actress
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Audrey Giacomini is known for Mr. Nobody (2009), Super Z (2021) and 2047: Virtual Revolution (2016).- Brianne Tju's an actress. She was born on June 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California. She's of Chinese & Indonesian descent. She's known as Riley Marra in Scream: The TV Series (2015), Alex Portnoy in Light as a Feather (2018), Alexa in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) & Margot in I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021). She graduated from Ruben S. Ayala High School & Cal State Fullerton.
- Danni Wang was born in Shenyang, China. She is known for The Morning Show (2019), Magnum P.I. (2018) and Strange Angel (2018).
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Dana Wing Lau was born in Carroll, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Hypnotic (2023), Fung Family Feast (2017) and On Fire (2023).- Actress
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Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski was born and raised in Australia. Her parents were Polish immigrants. She attended the Santa Sabina College for her high school education. She then went on to study Performance at the University of Western Sydney's School of Contemporary Arts, graduating in 2003. Shortly afterwards, she landed her first role on television in an episode of Fear Factory (2004). Her next role was also on Australian television, appearing in several episodes of Headland (2005). In 2007, she made her big screen debut in Gone (2006). This performance caught the attention of casting directors in Hollywood. She decided to move from Australia to Los Angeles and, on her third day of arrival, she landed her breakthrough role as "Sarah Walker" in Chuck (2007).- Actress
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Lana Therese Condor is a Vietnamese-born American actress. She made her film debut in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), portraying Jubilation Lee / Jubilee. Condor was born on May 11, 1997 in Can Tho, Vietnam and was adopted by her American parents, Mary Carol (Haubold) and journalist Robert Condor, as an infant. Her non-biological brother, Arthur Robert, was adopted along with her.
Condor spent her early years in Chicago, Illinois. By seven years old, her family had settled in Whidbey Island, Washington, where Condor took her first dance class. She went on to dance at the Rock School of Dance Education and the Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle. At 11 years old, Condor and her family moved to New York City, where she continued her classical ballet training, dancing at multiple prestigious academies including the Joffrey School of Classical Ballet, the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
While living in New York, Condor's parents encouraged her to try acting when they saw a natural ability in their daughter. She took her first acting class during her freshman year at the Professional Performing Arts School, and went on to study for a summer at the New York Film Academy. Condor and her family then moved to Los Angeles, California for her sophomore year of high school, where she auditioned and landed a coveted spot in the Los Angeles Ballet. She joined the theatre department at her all-girls Catholic school, the Notre Dame Academy, and also studied at the Yale Summer Conservatory for Actors. During her senior year, she went out on her first handful of auditions and landed her role in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).- Actress
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Tao Okamoto born in Chiba, Japan on May 22, 1985, known professionally as Tao, is a Japanese actress and model. In 2009, she was one of the faces of Ralph Lauren. She made her film debut in 2013 as Mariko Yashida, the female lead, in The Wolverine (2013). She also had recurring roles in the television series Hannibal (2013), The Man in the High Castle (2015) and Westworld (2016). . She started modeling as a teenager in Japan, when she was 14 years old. In 2006, she made a decision to move to Paris and develop her career on an international level. Soon after that, Tao made her debut on the European runways, breaking barriers as one of the very few prominent East Asian models of that era. Through her long catwalk career, she has walked for numerous top brands, including Alexander Wang, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren, and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2009, Tao moved to New York City and made waves in the industry by donning a unique bowl haircut. It became an inspirational look and even prompted designer Phillip Lim to model the hairstyle of his entire Fall/Winter 2009 show's cast after Tao's cut.] Tao has been involved with various advertising and editorial projects. She has fronted campaigns such as Dolce & Gabbana with Mario Testino, Emporio Armani by Alasdair McLellan, Kenzo with Mario Sorrenti, and Tommy Hilfiger with Craig McDean. Editorially, she has shot for i-D Magazine, V Magazine, W Magazine, and various international editions of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. The November 2009 issue of Vogue Nippon (Japanese Vogue) is dedicated to Tao, with her featured exclusively inside as well as on the cover - the first Japanese model to do so in nearly a decade. Tao is widely recognized as one of the top models to ever come from Japan, having won honors such as "Model of the Year" from the Japan Fashion Editor's Club and being dubbed as one of Vogue Nippon's "Women of the Year" in 2010. In 2013, Tao made her film debut as the female lead, Mariko Yashida, opposite Hugh Jackman, in 20th Century Fox's The Wolverine (2013), also known in some parts of Asia as Wolverine: Samurai. In October 2014, it was announced that Tao had joined the cast of Hannibal (2013) as Chiyoh, Hannibal Lecter's family servant. In January 2015, it was announced that Tao would be starring in the film Crossroads (2015) with Filipino actress/cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao In 2015, Tao starred in The Man in the High Castle (2015) as Betty Kasoura, wife of lawyer Paul Kasoura and a customer at Robert Childan's American Artistic Handcrafts. Tao played Mercy Graves in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).- Actress
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Actress Stephanie Hsu (pronounced "Shoe") was born on November 25 in Los Angeles, California. She's known for her breakout performance as Joy/Jobu Tupaki in A24 & Daniels' "Everything Everywhere All at Once," as well as her work as Mei on Season 3 and 4 of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Joy on Hulu's cult drama "The Path", and MTV's "Girl Code." She made her start in experimental, downtown theater in New York, which eventually led her to Broadway as Karen the Computer in "SpongeBob The Musical," and as Christine Canigula in the viral sensation "Be More Chill." She is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied at the Atlantic Theater Company and the Experimental Theater Wing.- Actress
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Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. She's the daughter of Janet Yeoh & Kian Teik Yeoh. She's of Hokkien descent, speaking English and Malay before Chinese. A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen. After a brief dance career, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title in and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. Her first on camera work was a 1984 commercial with martial arts star Jackie Chan. In 1985, she began making action movies with D&B Films of Hong Kong. She was first billed as Michelle Khan, then Michelle Yeoh. Never a trained martial artist, she relied on her dance discipline and on-set trainers to prepare for martial arts action scenes.
She uses many dance moves in her films and does most of her own stunts. In 1988, she married wealthy D&B Films executive Dickson Poon & retired from acting. Even though they divorced in 1992, she's close to Poon's second wife and a godmother to his daughter. When she returned to acting, she became very popular w/ Chinese audiences. She later became known to Western audiences through role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). She turned down a role in a sequel to The Matrix (1999).
She has her own production company, Mythical Films. She trained with the Shen Yang Acrobatic team for her role in The Touch (2002), an English-language film she both starred in and produced. She hopes to use her company to discover and nurture new film-making talent. She also aspires to act in roles that combine both action and deeper spiritual themes.- Actress
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Andy Allo is a Cameroon born singer and actress starring as the lead female, 'Nora', in Amazon Prime's critically acclaimed original series "Upload", opposite Robbie Amell. With the global love and praise from critics and fans, Greg Daniels' (The Office) series quickly got renewed for more seasons.
She can also be seen in the upcoming Lionsgate new comedy, 2 Minutes of Fame opposite Keke Palmer and Jay Pharoah, set to release on all digital platforms on June 16th.
In addition, Andy can be seen as 'Lieutenant Wendy Seager' on "Chicago Fire". Andy is best known for her role of 'Serenity' in Pitch Perfect 3. She is known for working with Prince's New Power Generation as a singer/guitarist and worked with the legend on her sophomore album, "Superconductor". She has performed on Jimmy Kimmel, Guitar Center Sessions, Billboard Sessions Exclusive, and has toured extensively in Europe, Canada and the United States. You can listen to her music on Spotify, Apple and all music outlets.
Past credits also include; The Hero, opposite Sam Elliot, "Black Lightning" and "The Game".
"We knew she'd be leading her own revolution soon," adds Prince. Indeed, that soon is now.- Actress
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Christine Ko is an American actress best known for her role as Emma in the FX series Dave. She will play a key recurring role in Season 5 of the Handmaid's Tale opposite Elizabeth Moss and recently wrapped a character arc on Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. Christine is the female lead in the Netflix original film Tigertail from director Alan Yang. The multi-generational family drama is based off the real events of Yang's family. Previous television credits include the CBS comedy series The Great Indoors, ABC drama Deception, CBS drama Hawaii Five-0, and the second season of HBO's hit football comedy series Ballers as a Miami socialite opposite Andy Garcia. She also starred in Relationship Status alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Shawn Ashmore, BFFS, Sorry Ari, and a recurring role in the Nickelodeon television series Hollywood Heights. Previous film credits include the independent feature The Jade Pendant, based off the 2013 novel of the same name by author L.P. Leung, and Extracurricular Activities alongside Ellie Bamber and Collin Ford.- Actress
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Phoebe Miu is a Canadian actress known for her work on The CW's "Riverdale" (2020), Amazon's "Upload" (2019), and Paramount horror-thriller, "Margaux" (2022). Born in colonial Hong Kong to actors, Michael Kiu Wai Miu and Jaime Mei-Chun Chik, she spent much of her childhood around film sets where she discovered her love for acting and filmmaking. While her teenage years were largely dedicated to sports, namely, varsity swimming and basketball, she had a separate passion for arts and literature and committed to studying theatre in high school. She later went on to graduate from the University of British Columbia in 2013 with a BA in Sociology. After a brief stint in marketing and several years spent traveling the world as a professional photographer, Phoebe began pursuing a career in acting and started working in film and television in 2018. She has since gone on to star in projects under studios such as Paramount, Netflix, Amazon and Freeform to name a few.- Actress
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Jani Wang is an international actress, born in mainland China and growing up in California. As a teen, she landed a cover page on Singtao Magazine, and since, has done various print and commercial campaigns for companies such as Apple, McDonalds,and Starbucks. She competed in and was crowned Miss Los Angeles Chinatown, and served as an ambassador for the Chinese LA community, culminating in a goodwill trip to China. She starred in a film for the "Shanghai World Expo" which went on to be screened to over 3 million individuals. She has been covered by multiple news outlets, including Phoenix News Station and The World Journal. She then moved into the film and TV world, landing several TV shows (The Thundermans, CSI: Cyber and The Adversaries) and feature films. Jani is fluent in both Mandarin and English. She is a burgeoning scuba diver, a practicing martial artist (trained in kung fu), a greenhouse industry entrepreneur, a published author, and avid traveler.- Jin Maley (they/them) is a classically trained actor known for playing the Communications Officer Ensign Kova Rin Esmar in Star Trek: Picard.
Jin started acting at Oberlin College in Ohio, where they collaborated with the theater-makers Jon Levin and Josh Luxenberg, who would become the founders of the New York-based theater company Sinking Ship Productions. During their college years, they studied abroad at the British American Drama Academy in London and apprenticed at the Williamstown Theater Festival.
After graduating from Oberlin and performing in New York with Sinking Ship and other companies, Jin moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to continue their acting training at the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School Institute at Harvard University. They performed in lead roles at the ART in Cambridge, and a lead role in a production directed by Hungarian director Janos Szasz in Moscow. After receiving their M.F.A., they moved to Los Angeles. They have taught acting at conservatories and studios in Los Angeles and remotely.
Since 2020, Jin has been co-creating and playing the lead role in a devised theater piece with Sinking Ship Productions. The piece centers around the prophet Cassandra from Greek mythology, who can see the future but is never believed. The piece was commissioned by the Getty Villa in Los Angeles and a workshop performance was mounted at the Getty in May of 2022.
Jin publicly embraced their true gender identity in July of 2020. They are grateful to be living and working from a deeper place of authenticity. - Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut was born in Gainesville, Florida, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Picard (2020), Cruel Summer (2021) and The Good Fight (2017).
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Melissa Barrera Martinez was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León México. The first of four daughters of Rosana Maria Martinez García and Tomás Gerardo Barrera Tames. She attended the American School Foundation of Monterrey from the ages of 4 to 18 when she graduated high school. It was during her middle school years that she began getting involved in theater. She participated in school plays and musicals such as 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Footloose,' 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' and 'Aida.' She began her professional career during her last year of high school when she led the Mexican production of 'Romeo y Julieta'(the original french musical) playing the part of Julieta. After that she also participated in a regional production of 'Footloose'in the role of Ariel before leaving for college in New York. She auditioned and was accepted to the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21) as part of the Tisch School of the Arts in New York University (NYU) in 2009. During her years at NYU she participated in productions such as 'Sweet Charity' and Brecht's 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' in the lead role of Grusche Vachnadze. In 2011 she left NYU when she was selected to participate in the Mexican reality show 'La Academia'of TV Azteca in which she gained lots of critical acclaim for her singing and dancing abilities. At the end of 2011 she was chosen to participate in her first telenovela in TV Azteca: 'La Mujer de Judas' in the role of Zulamita. Directly after that she was offered her second role as the young ingenue in the telenovela 'La Otra Cara del Alma' alongside the latin telenovela star Gabriela Spanic. In this telenovela she earned great reviews for her acting abilities and earned her first lead in a telenovela as Olvido in 'Siempre Tuya Acapulco.' This became her big break as she positioned herself as one of the fresh new faces of Mexican television and the show became one of the most successful and beloved stories in over 20 countries. After the success of 'Siempre Tuya Acapulco'she got offered her second lead role in a telenovela 'Tanto Amor'in which she once again earned critical acclaim for her acting. After working in television she opted to try her luck in the film industry doing 4 films in two years. Two of the films which she leads are set to premiere in the second half of 2017: The first set in the 1950s 'Sacúdete las Penas', the second, a modern drama 'Prima.' Not leaving her love for the theatre behind Melissa has always procured to alternate television and film with theatre, starring in three long running productions in Mexico city: ¨Despertando en Primavera'(Spring Awakening) as Wendla, the spanish hit musical ¨Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar (Hnmpl)¨ as Maria, and Mel Brook's Él Joven Frankenstein'(Young Frankenstein) as Inga alongside the comedians Adal Ramones and the famous Mascabrothers. For her role as Maria in 'Hnmpl' she won two awards: Revelation in Theatre from the Agrupación de Periodistas Teatrales (APT), and the Female Revelation in a Musical from the Agrupación de Críticos y Periodistas de Teatro (ACPT).- Actress
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Jenna Marie Ortega was born on September 27, 2002 in Coachella Valley, California. She began acting at age 9 and has portrayed Harley, a creative-engineering prodigy navigating life as the middle child in a family of 7 children in "Stuck in the Middle," a Disney Channel series told from Harley's perspective.
Ortega is known not only for her stellar performance in multiple Disney productions but also for her roles in many award-winning movies and television series, such as her portrayal of Young Jane in The CW Television Network's iconic comedy-drama "Jane the Virgin," and Darcy in the 2015 Netflix sitcom "Richie Rich." In 2020 she co-starred as Phoebe in the horror sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020). Restless in her profession, Jenna is accountable for more than 15 television staples and blockbuster films to date, commonly accepting lead roles.
The daughter of mixed Mexican and Puerto Rican parents, Ortega makes it very clear to her audience that she is proud of her heritage and grateful for having the opportunity to share her culture with the world. In a 2016 Pop Sugar interview, Jenna conveys that succeeding in the American film industry as a Latina was an uphill battle, throttled by subjective casting and strict ethnic guidelines followed in the early 2000s. Despite this difficulty, Ortega did not let cultural barriers and prejudice hinder her progress as a rising star.
Working with the most prestigious studios in the film industry, Jenna Ortega has achieved a high status in her profession and gilded her family name for generations to come.- Actress
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Hong Chau was born on 25 June 1979 in Thailand. She is an actress and writer, known for The Whale (2022), Downsizing (2017) and The Menu (2022).- Actress
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Natasha Lyonne is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated producer, actor, writer, and director.
Lyonne co-created Netflix series Russian Doll (2019), which received three Emmy awards, a total of 13 Emmy nominations including Comedy Series and Lead Actress for Lyonne, a Gotham Award nomination, and a Golden Globe acting nomination for Lyonne after premiering in 2019. She is showrunner and writes and directs for the series, in which she stars alongside Greta Lee, Charlie Barnett, and Chloë Sevigny.
Lyonne directed the October 2020 Netflix comedy special, Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine (2020), a variety special dealing with issues of politics, race, gender, and class and featured Helen Mirren, Fred Armisen, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Hamm, Aubrey Plaza, Ben Stiller, Winona Ryder, and Marisa Tomei, among others. In addition to directing, Lyonne executive-produced the special through Animal Pictures, her production company with Maya Rudolph and Danielle Renfrew Behrens. Animal Pictures is developing and producing a slate of original content, including the half-hour series Desert People, which Lyonne co-created with Alia Shawkat and Apple TV+'s upcoming comedy series starring Rudolph, created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard.
Lyonne portrayed Tallulah Bankhead opposite Andra Day in her Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning turn as legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels's The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021). The biopic was released by Hulu in February 2021.
In 2019, Lyonne returned as Nicky Nichols in the seventh and final season of the Netflix original drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013), for which she also directed an episode. Lyonne directed and appeared in an episode of Comedy Central's Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020). She also directed an episode of Shrill (2019), starring Aidy Bryant, and an episode of Hulu series High Fidelity (2020), starring Zoë Kravitz.
Lyonne made her directorial debut with Kenzo short film Cabiria, Charity, Chastity (2017), featuring the Fall/Winter 2017 collection. She wrote the screenplay for the film, which stars Rudolph, Armisen, and Leslie Odom Jr., among others. In 2017, she produced and starred in IFC Midnight's Antibirth (2016), directed by Danny Perez, co-starring Sevigny. This independent farce horror hybrid, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016, was released wide in the US in 2016, and released in the UK in 2017.
In 2014, Lyonne earned an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Orange Is the New Black (2013). Recent television credits include guest stints on Portlandia (2011), Girls (2012), Inside Amy Schumer (2013), The Simpsons (1989), and IFC's Documentary Now! (2015).
As a young child, Lyonne was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency and at the age of six, and she was cast as Opal on Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986). She is well-known for her acclaimed performances in Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), the beloved comedy directed by Tamara Jenkins and co-starring Alan Arkin and Tomei; the coming-of age comedy But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), with Clea DuVall and RuPaul; and Everyone Says I Love You (1996). Additional film credits include The Grey Zone (2001), Sleeping with Other People (2015), Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), Blade: Trinity (2004), Party Monster (2003), James Mangold's Kate & Leopold (2001), American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), Detroit Rock City (1999), A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018), and Irresistible (2020).
On stage, Lyonne starred alongside Ethan Hawke in The New Group's darkly comic Off-Broadway production of Blood From a Stone, written by Tommy Nohilly and directed by Scott Elliott. Lyonne earned critical acclaim for her adept portrayal of the couch-ridden, heartbroken Grace in the Roundabout Theatre Company s production of Tigers Be Still, written by Kim Rosenstock and directed by Sam Gold. In 2019, Lyonne co-presented Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees with executive producer Mike Birbiglia. The comedy showed at the Cherry Lane Theatre and received rave reviews. Lyonne's other stage credits include roles in Love, Loss, and What I Wore, an intimate collection of monologues and stories by Delia Ephron and Nora Ephron, and the familial drama Two Thousand Years, directed by Scott Elliot and written by the legendary Mike Leigh.- Actress
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Dascha Polanco is a Dominican American actress known for playing the character Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on Orange Is the New Black (2013). As of January 2018, she has a recurring role on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2016) as Detective Lori Weider. Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at a young age. She was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York and Miami by her father, a mechanic, and mother, a cosmetologist. Polanco is the oldest of three children; she has a brother and sister.- Actress
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New Zealand-Tongan actor Luciane Buchanan started acting as a young teen in Aotearoa landing roles on local series 'The Blue Rose,' and 'Filthy Rich.' In 2018, Luciane was cast as the lead protagonist Tripitaka in 2 seasons of the Netflix Series 'The New Legends of Monkey.' Successive roles include Netflix 'Sweet Tooth' and Apple TV+ 'Mr Corman.' 2022 was a breakout year internationally for Luciane when she was cast in 'The Night Agent,' playing the lead role of Rose in Netflix's Political conspiracy thriller created by Shawn Ryan and based on author Matthew Quirk's 2019 New York Times bestseller, which went on to break records as Netflix's most watch series of 2023. This catapulted Luciane as one of IMDb Top Stars of 2023.
In 2020, Luciane was a recipient of the Script to Screen 'Fresh Shorts' program for her first short screenplay 'Lea Tupu'anga/ Mother Tongue' funded by the New Zealand Film Commission, which is world premiering at the Sundance 2024 International Fiction Short Film competition. With a passion for elevating Pasifika stories, Luciane worked alongside Tavake productions as associate producer on the hit show local show 'Panthers,' based on the true story of the Polynesian Panther movement in New Zealand during 1970s. The show had its world premiere at TIFF in 2021.
Luciane's latest lead role as Queen Ka'ahumanu in Apple TV+ series 'Chief of War' is set to release in late 2024.
The University of Auckland celebrated Luciane in the 2023 '40 under 40' list of alumni. As a drama and psychology major, Luciane approaches her roles with courage, conviction, and verve. Luciane is represented by Gail Cowan Management (NZ), WME (US) & Entertainment 360 (US).- Actress
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Fola is a British actress. She trained at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) and Identity Drama School in London. Most recently she starred in Netflix's No.1 show The Night Agent. Following her role in BAFTA winner John Morton's show, Ten Percent (Amazon), Fola was named as one of The Guardian's new TV stars to watch. She has also worked on internationally acclaimed shows such as the BAFTA and Emmy Award winning Black Mirror (Netflix), Siren (Disney+/Freeform), and the Emmy award winning Game of Thrones (HBO).- Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Jessie Liang is a Taiwanese-Brazilian actor, playwright, and acting coach. She is a graduate of the prestigious Acting Program at Studio 58 and holds an HBA in Management from the University of Toronto. Best known for her television roles in Netflix's The Night Agent, Maid, and Virgin River, Jessie also played Janet in the Arts Club touring production of Kim's Convenience. Recently, Jessie was Assistant Director to Redbone Coonhound (Arts Club), and her play, Surrender, was featured at both Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre's MSG Lab presentation and Ruby Slipper's Advance Theatre Festival in early 2023. She speaks fluent Portuguese and can be found on social media @jessieliang21.
- Sarah Peguero was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic and is the second out of three children. She's been involved in musical theatre, voice over and acting from a young age and is the daughter of two voice artists from her native country. She has lived in Vancouver, Canada since 2016.
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Faith Wright is known for Buying Back My Daughter (2023), Blind Date Book Club (2024) and The Night Agent (2023).- 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
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Christina Chang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, by her Chinese-Filipino father and American mother. At 17 she moved to the United States to study Theatre & Film in her mother's home state of Kansas and later studied acting in Seattle, USA. Chang went on to gain a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she won her first professional acting job in the play "Naomi's Road" at the Seattle Children's Theater. From there, she progressed to the off-Broadway production of Tina Landau's the "Trojan Women."
Once in New York, Chang gained several guest and recurring roles on various programs including Cosby, Guiding Light, and As the World Turns. She appeared in the feature films Random Hearts (1999), 28 Days (2000), Deadline (2000) and Girls Club (2002). She also hosted Globe Trekker, also known as Globe Trekker (1994).
Chang's other interests include working with children, following in the footsteps of her mother who is a school counselor. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, has studied the trapeze, and has an interest in social work.- Actress
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Paget Kagy was born on 27 November 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Kat Loves LA (2017), The Beauty Inside (2012) and Conspiracy (2011).- Actress
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Sian Clifford was born in London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Fleabag (2016), Life After Life (2022) and Quiz (2020).- Actress
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Originally from Texas, Brie attended the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University before graduating cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College. She then performed throughout New York City and regionally (Kennedy Center, Humana Festival.) Now based in Los Angeles, she has appeared in TV series for ABC, NBC, Netflix, Hulu, Apple+ and Starz. She continues to act onstage in plays and sketch comedy and can be heard in voice overs for Star Wars and the upcoming series Demascus.- Lisa Kimberley was born on July 24 in Toronto, Ontario, to two entrepreneurs of a jewelry business. At an early age, Kimberley showed a strong interest in the Performing Arts and began studying music and dance.
Lisa was suggested for beauty pageants and scouted to model at age 15 but decided to focus on her education instead. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Brand Communication and a minor in Psychology. She spent most of her time off from her studies in dance. After withdrawing from a competitive co-op program to graduate early, Kimberley flew out to Los Angeles, California, the day after her graduation to study acting. There, she attended Ivana Chubbuck Studios and instantly connected with the ability to tell stories through catharsis and free expression. Lisa continued her studies at the Professional Actors Lab and the Centre for the Arts in Toronto, Ontario.
Kimberley enjoys dancing, playing the guitar, piano, being outdoors, as well as learning about languages and different humanitarian causes. - Actress
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Vera Chok is a writer, actress, singer, artist and lover of language.
Of Chinese descent, Chok was born in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, where she grew up attending the missionary school of Asaunta until moving to the United Kingdom as a teenager and completing her secondary education in Abbots Bromley School in Staffordshire, England. Later she continued her education at Queens College, Oxford where she got her MA in Archaeology & Anthropology.
Pursuing her creative side, Chok studied acting at both the Poor School in London and Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris. Her desire to learn continues and in October 2013 she started an MA in Writing at the University of East London.
Chok's acting roles have included performances in theatre, television, radio and film; from independent spirited performances, large established television dramas, one-woman shows and performances in award-winning shows such as Lucy Kirkwood's play "Chimerica" at the Almeida and Harold Pinter theatres during 2013. In 2010 Chok founded saltpeter, an independent theatre company and has served as producer and co-produced on several successful shows with the company.
Away from acting Chok's other creative works include music and writing. She is the lead singer of the band FRIENDS OF FRIENDS (FOF), who released their first single "Your Sappy Song" in March 2014. In 2011 she setup and ran The Brautigan Book Club, an international creative society that uses the work of American Beat writer Richard Brautigan as the starting point for expressive and artistic exploration. Chok's writing consists of pieces which are based in poetry but not restricted by that definition and has been published by Ether Press, Brautigan Free Press and The Rising.- Danielle Isaie is as beautiful as she is talented. Her career blossomed at a young age after being spotted by a children's agent at the renowned drama school Anna Schear. Danielle was quickly invited to play Rochelle in the children's program "The Crust" on BBC1, Candice in "Sugar Rush", a popular show on Channel 4, and Tanya in a BBC2's Drama "If.. Drugs Were Legal". To support her passion and drive for her career Danielle decided to enhance her talents by training at London's The Poor School.
Right after graduation, Danielle landed a stand out role in the UK's popular favorite "The Bill" as the small time drug dealer Jade Morris, and Cherice in the award winning BBC 3 comedy, "Gavin and Stacey". Danielle's career quickly flourished with ITV showcasing her first film "Caught in a Trap", playing the feisty Felicia. Audiences fell in love with Danielle's performance and her fan base quickly grew. Danielle was snapped up to be a series regular in the popular children's BBC 1 show "The Legend of Dick and Dom". Danielle soon moved into the world of commercials staring in a Burger King advert, and shined in a role for the high rating medical drama on BBC1, "Casualty". Most recently Danielle heated up the screens playing a sexy fashion student in the up-to-date comedy "Off the Hook" for BBC 3. - Ashley Madekwe (born 6 December 1981) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as call girl Bambi in the ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, social climber Ashley Davenport on the ABC drama series Revenge and the witch Tituba in the WGN America series Salem.
Madekwe was born in South London, England into a mixed family. Her father is Nigerian-Swiss and her mother is English. She grew up on a south London council estate and attended The Brit School at age 14. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she gained a BA in acting. While attending the school, she appeared in numerous stage productions including King Henry V as Princess Katherine and Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw.
Madekwe started her acting career with a film titled Storm Damage. Since then, she has made guest appearances on Teachers, Doctors, Casualty, and Drop Dead Gorgeous. Madekwe landed her first motion picture in the 2007 Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream, opposite Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. Following that success, she played Elisha in the one-off BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN, and appeared in six episodes of Trexx and Flipside as Ollie. In 2008, she landed the role of Bambi on the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, appearing in series two and three. Madekwe starred in the 2008 comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Her theatre credits include Little Sweet Thing by Roy Williams and Flight Path by David Watson.
Madekwe made her official US debut in the 2009 drama series The Beautiful Life, which only aired two episodes on The CW before being cancelled. In February 2011, she was cast as Ashley Davenport in the ABC drama series Revenge. After being a regular for the first two seasons, it was reported in late May 2013 that Madekwe would depart the series following a guest appearance in the first episode of the third season. She starred as Tituba in the television series Salem from 2014 to 2016.
In June 2012, Madekwe married her long-time boyfriend, actor Iddo Goldberg. They have worked together on Secret Diary of a Call Girl and he also had a role alongside her on the TV series Salem. - Actress
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Alisha Bailey was born in London, England, UK. Alisha is an actor and writer, known for Domino Day (2024), Doctor Who (2005) and Grace (2021).- Afshan Azad, who is of Bangladeshi descendant, was born on February 12, 1988 in Manchester, England. She is an actress who is mostly known for her play in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).
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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.- Adelayo Adedayo was born on 18 December 1988 in Dagenham, Essex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Some Girls (2012), Timewasters (2017) and Origin (2018).
- Amara was born to Sri Lankan parents who had moved to England from Zambia to further her father's work opportunities. She went to the Wimbledon High School and, although she enjoyed drama, she regarded acting as a risky profession and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, graduating with a 2:1 degree. She then spent two years working in the City of London dealing in mergers and acquisitions. Whilst at Oxford she had directed and appeared in plays and finally decided to go to drama school. Within a month of graduation she was auditioning for Wes Anderson's film 'The Darjeeling Limited'.
- Amal Fashanu is a multi-talented individual known for her work as a filmmaker, equality campaigner, and musician. As the niece of the late Justin Fashanu, the first openly gay footballer in the UK, she has been a vocal advocate for equality, particularly within the world of sports. Daughter of John Fashuna, Amal's journey has included creating impactful documentaries that tackle issues like homophobia in football, and her commitment to promoting inclusivity has earned her recognition and respect.
In addition to her work in the documentary realm, Amal Fashanu has made her mark in the music industry, where her creativity and artistic expression shine. Her multifaceted career showcases her dedication to using her platform to address social issues and her passion for the arts. Amal Fashanu continues to inspire and make a positive impact through her work, demonstrating that powerful storytelling and creativity can drive important conversations and social change. - Amber Rose Revah is an British actress of Kenyan-Indian and European (Polish, Italian & Spanish decent) heritage. Amber Rose started her film career in the award-winning LGBT film 'I Can't Think Straight' whilst finishing her Bachelor of Arts at University. Amber Rose was then offered a role alongside actress Rachel Weisz by director Alejandro Amenabar in 'Agora'.
Amber Rose was cast as the character Nichole in Luc Besson and Pierre Morels 'From Paris With Love' alongside John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. She also starred in Lee Tamahori's 'The Devil's Double' after having already played a member of the Hussein family in BAFTA-nominated HBO/BBC series 'House Of Saddam'
She portrayed Helena Landless in BBC adaptation of Charles Dicken' The Mystery of Edwin Drood' opposite Rory Kenner and Matthew Rhys.
Amber Rose was cast as Mary Magdalene in 2015 box office hit 'Son Of God'. She learned Hebrew text for her role of Maacah Bat Talmai in Tom Fontana's hit television series "Borgia." Amber Rose lived in Malaysia while she filmed 2 seasons of Channel 4/PBS period drama 'Indian Summers'
Amber Rose moved to New York to film 'Marvel's The Punisher' opposite Jon Bernthal and Ben Barnes to which she received a nomination for 'Outstanding Actress in a Drama'.
She played Dr. Grace Hogart in Amazon Prime sci-fi series 'The Peripheral ' and CIA agent Mika Bakash in MGM limited series 'Last Light'
Her maternal ancestry is both Polish, Italian and Spanish. - Actress
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Amanda Mealing was born on 22 April 1967 in Dulwich, London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Casualty (1986) and Holby City (1999). She has been married to Richard Sainsbury since 2 July 1998. They have two children.- Actress
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Born in Edinburgh to a Ghanaian father and Scottish mother, Adiza trained at the prestigious drama school The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Her screen debut was playing regular Liberty Gordon in BBCs school drama Waterloo road. She has also written and appeared in several sketches for the mini series #sketchpack.The series won best international comedy sketch at Miami web fest in 2016.- Aiysha Hart is a screen and stage actress. Her first leading role was alongside Paddy Considine in the independent feature film, Honour (2014). More recently she has starred in an eclectic mix of high-end indies such as 'Colette', 'Hope Gap' and BAFTA nominated 'Mogul Mowgli', as well as the successful mainstream TV drama, 'Line of Duty' and the SKY/AMC fantasy series 'A Discovery of Witches'. Aiysha graduated with a first class degree in English Literature from Kings College London, before embarking on post-graduate acting training. She speaks fluent Arabic as well as English.
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Adjoa Andoh was born on 14 January 1963 in Bristol, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Invictus (2009), Bridgerton (2020) and Fractured (2019). She has been married to Howard Cunnell since March 2001. They have two children.- A.J. Odudu was born on 12 February 1988 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Married at First Sight UK: Afters (2021), The 5:19 Show (2009) and The Big Interiors Battle (2023).
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Cobie Smulders was born on April 3, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. As a girl, Cobie had set her sights on becoming a doctor or a marine biologist. In fact, it wasn't until high school that Cobie started to explore acting after appearing in several school productions. As a teenager, Cobie caught the eye of a modeling agency, which led to several years of world travel to places such as France, Japan, Italy, Greece, and Germany. Yet even as Cobie's modeling career was on the rise, she still managed to attend school, graduating from high school in 2000 with honors.
Once out of high school, Cobie continued modeling internationally until the opportunity arose to audition for film and television. It was not long before Cobie's natural ability as an actress impressed casting directors, landing her guest spots on television series such as Special Unit 2 (2001) and Jeremiah (2002). In addition, Cobie also appeared in the short Candy from Strangers (2001) directed by fellow Canadian rising star Eric Johnson.
Cobie got her big break just months later when she landed the role of Juliet Droil in the ABC program Veritas: The Quest (2003). The series marked her first series role for television.- Perla Middleton was born on 12 November 1976 in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for Council of Dads (2020), The Best of Enemies (2019) and Stranger Things (2016).
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Vaishnavi Sharma was born on 31 August 1980 in New Delhi, India. She is an actress and writer, known for Mr. Robot (2015), Small Packages and The Leftovers (2014).- Actress
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Susan was born in Southwark, London to Nigerian parents. Her television debut was at 14 years old as one of the eight children selected for CBBC's Serious Jungle (2002). Susan was a member of The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. At 18, whilst studying for her A Levels, she landed her first professional acting role in the BAFTA award winning That Summer Day (2006). The following year she started her actor's training at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Susan made her film debut in Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) as well as TV appearances in Bluestone 42 (BBC) Crashing (Channel 4) and as Cynthia in the E4 comedy hit Chewing Gum. Susan's first leading role was in the E4/Netflix co-production Crazyhead (2016). Susan is also a writer and her older sister, Emi, is a musical theatre actress.- Ali Ahn was born in Pasadena, California, USA. Ali is an actor, known for Liberal Arts (2012), Supernatural (2005) and Billions (2016).
- Kylie Liya Page is known for Ninja Assassin (2009), Social Distance (2020) and The Girl from Plainville (2022).
- Monica Barbaro was born in San Francisco and raised in Mill Valley, Calif. She is classically trained in ballet and has studied modern dance, salsa, flamenco and West African dance. She attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where she took her first acting classes while getting her bachelor of fine arts degree in dance. After university, Barbaro studied at various acting schools in San Francisco and Los Angeles, including the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
- Tiffany Boone stars as the beautiful and street smart "Roxy Jones" in the highly anticipated Amazon drama series HUNTERS opposite Al Pacino and created by Jordan Peele. The series, set to debut in early 2020, follows a diverse group of Nazi hunters on a quest for justice in 1977 New York City. This spring, Boone will also co-star in Hulu's LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, portraying the flashback 1980s version of Kerry Washington's "Mia Warren" character. Boone is currently in production on George Clooney's sci-fi Netflix feature based on the post-apocalyptic novel GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT. She will star alongside Clooney, as well as Felicity Jones and Kyle Chandler. In 2013, Boone co-starred in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES alongside Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis and Emma Thompson. In 2011, she co-starred in Joseph Kahn's film DETENTION with Josh Hutcherson. On television, Boone's breakout role came opposite Kevin Bacon in Fox's THE FOLLOWING. Her additional credits include THE CHI, SOUTHLAND, GREY'S ANATOMY, PERCEPTION, ONCE UPON A TIME and COMPLICATIONS. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Boone currently resides in Los Angeles. She is passionately involved in youth arts education and women's health issues.
- Actress Vienna Hehir, a mixed-race artist of European, Yakuts (Siberian) and Chinese ancestry, began her professional career on stage at a very young age and has since appeared in multiple series and films for HBO Max, Netflix, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, The CW, BBC, ABC, CTV and Global. Demand for Hehir's unique look, charisma and passion has taken her on projects across the continent as well as throughout Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. She has modeled for various commercial, print and advertising campaigns (PRADA, TOD'S, Calvin Klein, Neostrata) and is an alumna of the Stratford Festival of Canada, and the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, a prestigious training and performance company based in North America.
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Anna Diop is a Senegalese-American actress.
Diop was born in Senegal, but moved to United States when she was six. In 2006, she made her television debut, appearing on Everybody Hates Chris. In the following years, she guest starred on Lincoln Heights, Whitney, and Touch. In film, Diop had a role opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Moment (2013). In 2015, Diop starred as Rose Arvale in the short-lived The CW supernatural drama series, The Messengers. Later that year, she appeared in the ABC thriller series Quantico and was cast in a recurring role on the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf. In 2016, Diop was cast as a series regular in the Fox series 24: Legacy opposite Corey Hawkins and Miranda Otto. In 2017, Diop was cast as the alien super-heroine Kory Anders / Starfire in the DC Universe superhero series Titans, which premiered in October 2018.- Actress
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Teagan Croft is an Australian actress.
Croft's career began when she played the part of Scout Finch in a theatrical adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird when she was nine years old. She garnered enough attention to land the lead role in the 2016 film The Osiris Child. That same year, Croft had a recurring role as Bella Loneragan in Home and Away. In August 2017, she was cast as the DC Comics character Raven in the DC Universe series Titans, which premiered on October 12, 2018.
Croft has two sisters. She also writes her own songs and is an avid book reader. She moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 2016. She is the niece of actresses Penny McNamee and Jessica McNamee.- Lisa Hayley Ambalavanar is an English actress of mixed race heritage. She was born on February 19 in Derby, England. In 2022 she was cast as Jinx in DC's Titans. She is also known for her roles playing Mia in The A List (2018 - 2021) and Alia in Doctors (2018 - 2019).
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Nicola Correia-Damude was born on 21 June 1981 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Shadowhunters (2016), Burden of Truth (2018) and The Boys (2019).- Actress
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Krystle is a Canadian Actress, Intimacy Coordinator and Producer from Toronto, Canada. She grew up in Pickering, Ontario and was the youngest out of three children to her St. Lucian mother and Dominican father. She is known for her appearances in The Handmaid's Tale, and Bajillionaires. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialist in Accounting and a major in Economics from the University of Toronto.- Actress
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Kyana Teresa is a Canadian born actress and filmmaker. She is quickly making a name for herself in the Film & TV industry and shows no signs of slowing down. As an advocate for diversity and representation on screen, Kyana is dedicated to telling important and impactful stories in front of and behind the camera.- Natalie Gumede was born on 20 March 1984 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Titans (2018), C.B. Strike (2017) and Doctor Who (2005).
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Rebecca Amzallag is a Canadian actress known for her work on both French and English projects such as Titans (HBO Max), Slasher (Netflix), Transplant (NBC) Big Gold Brick (A Saboteur) and Padre (Unis TV). She appears in many Lifetime movies, most recently: The Disappearance of Cari Farver (2022) Love Triangle Nightmare (2022) Mommy's Little Star (2022).- Music Artist
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Janelle Monáe is an American musical recording artist, actress and model signed to their own imprint, Wondaland Arts Society, and Atlantic Records.
They were born in Kansas City, Kansas, to Janet, a janitor, and Michael Robinson Summers, a truck driver. In 2010, Monáe released her first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid. In March 2012, "We Are Young" by Fun., on which Monáe appears as a guest vocalist, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first appearance in the US Top 10. Monáe's music has garnered them six Grammy Award nominations.
Monáe has excelled at film acting and picking roles, having had major parts in Moonlight (2016), Hidden Figures (2016), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Harriet (2019). In 2020, they played the lead in the horror film Antebellum (2020).- Music Artist
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Olivia Rodrigo is a soulful artist with a rare gift for emotive and empathetic songwriting. "I think I'm good at knowing how people feel, how I feel, and being able to capture that," the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-actor shares. Her father had Filipino ancestry. Her mother had is German, English, Irish, and some Austrian ancestry.
Her keen sense for conveying feeling has served her well, thus far. Olivia is the star of the first two seasons of the Disney+ High School Musical series. Acting has been something of a new development for her. Singing since she was 4, Olivia took up acting based on a recommendation from her vocal coach. "Acting and music relate in that they are both about capturing feelings and moments as accurately as you can," she shares.
Olivia exudes an intriguing paradox of being both exuberantly youthful and, sagely, an old soul. She seeks authenticity and bold expression in her music. "My favorite songs are brutally honest and give a vivid look into the artist's life and mind," she says. "Honest storytelling is my ultimate goal." A select cross section of her influences include artists as diverse as Fiona Apple, Jack White, PJ Harvey, and Phoebe Bridgers. Olivia's worlds of acting, singing and songwriting meet when she performs two original songs she wrote, as well as HSM classics, on the series.
"Writing for HSM was surreal, to say the least. The fact that they gave a 16-year-old a shot to write for such a big project is so awesome." She continues: "I think the perspective of a teenage girl is so powerful, and something that doesn't always gets harnessed in its full capacity, too."
As a kindergarten-er, Olivia took voice lessons, and then later piano lessons. At age 12, she began playing guitar. It was during this time that she began writing songs. "I remember coming up with melodies and lyrics and writing them down in this pink fluffy notebook that I had won at some arcade. I still keep that notebook on my bedside table," she says, laughing.- Actress
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra) was born on July 18, 1982 in Jamshedpur, India, to the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both Indian Army physicians. She had a very varied upbringing. She started her education at La Martinière Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student; a short stay at Maria Goretti College in Bareilly prepared her for further studies in the U.S. Having completed tenth grade in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., she decided to become a software engineer or a criminal psychologist. She enjoys Indian music and dance; flair for writing poetry and short stories; reading, especially biographies; and has worked for a lot of social welfare programs.- Actress
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Vera Mindy Chokalingam is an Indian-American actress, comedienne, producer, writer and director from Cambridge, Massachusetts known for playing Kelly Kapoor in The Office, Disgust in Inside Out, and creating The Mindy Project. She also appeared in Wreck-It Ralph, Despicable Me, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Ocean's 8, and Monsters at Work. She has two children.- 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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Lily James was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson in Esher, Surrey, to Ninette (Mantle), an actress, and Jamie Thomson, an actor and musician. Her grandmother, Helen Horton, was an American actress. She began her education at Arts Educational School in Tring and subsequently went on to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 2010.- Actress
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Yara Shahidi was born on 10 February 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Salt (2010), Black-ish (2014) and Grown-ish (2018).- Kae Alexander was born on 31 August 1985 in Kobe, Japan. She is an actress, known for Game of Thrones (2011), Fleabag (2016) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
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With a career spanning over a decade, Emmy-nominated Letitia Wright has cemented her position as one of the industry's most captivating young actresses. From her breakout role as ambitious Summerhouse resident Chantelle in Top Boy, to her critically acclaimed performance as Nish in Black Mirror, not forgetting her scene-stealing turn as Shuri - lead scientist and Princess of Wakanda in Black Panther, Wright has played an integral role in what are arguably the most culture defining projects of the last ten years and whose impact is still felt to this day.
In 2019, Wright won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and a SAG Award as part of Black Panther's 'Best Ensemble'. The film grossed over $1.3B at the global box office and was nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for 'Best Picture' - a first for a superhero film. In 2020, Wright had repeated success with a starring role in Steve McQueen's anthology series, Small Axe, where she played British Black Panther Party leader, Altheia Jones-LeCointe. Wright's episode, "Mangrove", was included in the Cannes 2020 official selection and the series was nominated for 2 Golden Globes, including Best Television Motion Picture. Wrights performance in Small Axe also gained her a leading actress nomination at the 2021 BAFTA Television Awards.
Led by a passion to create meaningful content within the industry, Wright's creative endeavors extended behind the scenes with the launch of her independent production company 3.16 Productions in 2020. The company joined forces with BRON Studios for their first forthcoming feature, Surrounded, starring Wright, Jamie Bell and the late Michael K. Williams. Wright also flexed her production muscles in the BAFTA-nominated, female-led anthology series I Am for Channel 4, developing the powerful story line for her episode "I Am Danielle" in creative partnership with director Dominic Savage.
2022 is set to be Wright's biggest year yet with upcoming projects including The Silent Twins, Ireland-set drama, Aisha, written and directed by Frank Berry also starring Josh O'Connor; as well as the long-awaited sequel to the Marvel/Disney blockbuster - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.- Actress
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Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born March 1, 1983 in Mexico City, Mexico, to Kenyan parents, Dorothy Ogada Buyu and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o. Her father, a senator, was then a visiting lecturer in political science. She was raised in Kenya. At age 16, her parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish. She read film studies at Hampshire College, Massachusetts and, after working as a production assistant on several films, graduated from the Yale School of Drama's acting program. In 2013, she impressed cinema audiences in her film debut, as brutalized slave Patsey in acclaimed director Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013). She was also the lead in MTV's award-winning drama series, Shuga (2009), appeared in the thriller Non-Stop (2014) and had roles in the big-budget films Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Lupita's stage credits include playing "Perdita" in "The Winter's Tale", (Yale Repertory Theater), "Sonya" in "Uncle Vanya", "Katherine" in "The Taming of the Shrew", as well as being in the original production of Michael Mitnick's "Elijah".
Lupita played the female lead, Nakia, in the 2018 superhero film Black Panther (2018).- Actress
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on January 13, 1961, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Judith (LeFever), a special needs tutor and author, and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, a billionaire businessman. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., and New York. She met her husband, Brad Hall, while in college, and made her feature movie debut in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). She lives in Los Angeles with Brad and their two children. Her father was born in France, and her grandfather Pierre Louis-Dreyfus was in the French Resistance against the Nazis.- Born in Kampala, Uganda Florence Kasumba is a German actress living in Berlin. She is best known for her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe productions Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). She has also appeared in the films I Love You Too (2001), Transpapa (2012) and in the TV series The Quest (2014), Dominion (2014), Emerald City (2016), Deutschland 86 (2018) and Criminal (2019).
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Captivating, gifted, and sensational, Angela Bassett's presence has been felt in theaters and on stages and television screens throughout the world. Angela Evelyn Bassett was born on August 16, 1958 in New York City, to Betty Jane (Gilbert), a social worker, and Daniel Benjamin Bassett, a preacher's son. Bassett and her sister D'nette grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida with their mother. As a single mother, Betty stressed the importance of education for her children. With the assistance of an academic scholarship, Bassett matriculated into Yale University. In 1980, she received her B.A. in African-American studies from Yale University. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. It was at Yale that Bassett met her husband, Courtney B. Vance, a 1986 graduate of the Drama School.
Bassett first appeared in small roles on The Cosby Show (1984) and Spenser: For Hire (1985), but it was not until 1990 that a spate of television roles brought her notice. Her breakthrough role, though, was playing Tina Turner, whom she had never seen perform before taking the role, in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). Bassett's performance earned her an Academy Award nomination and a Golded Globe Award for Best Actress.- Actress
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Ni Ni was born on 8 August 1988 in China. She is an actress, known for The Flowers of War (2011), The Rise of Phoenixes (2018) and Lost in the Stars (2022).- Actress
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Ashley Jini Park is a Grammy and Tony nominated actress born in Glendale, California and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she graduated from the famed Musical Theatre program at The University of Michigan.
After making her Broadway debut in Broadway's "Mamma Mia!", Ashley starred as 'Tuptim' opposite Ken Watanabe, Kelli O'Hara, and Conrad Ricamora in the Tony-Award-winning Broadway revival of "The King And I" at New York's Lincoln Center. She then co-starred in Broadway's "Sunday In The Park With George" starring Jake Gyllenhaal while filming the second season of "Nightcap" (Pop TV/ Lionsgate/ Dakota Pictures). In 2018, Ashley took Broadway and Off Broadway by storm. She starred in the award winning "KPOP" and was honored with the esteemed Lucille Lortel award for Lead Actress in a Musical. This same year, Ashley starred as 'Gretchen Wieners' in the Tina Fey Musical "Mean Girls" based on the feature of the same name. Her honest portrayal of the interminably insecure Gretchen garnered her a Tony nomination for Featured Actress in A Musical.- Actress
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Comedian, actress, and writer are all ways multi-hyphenate talent Sherry Cola could be described as she has emerged over the last year as one to watch in the entertainment industry. Named a "Fresh Face" at the world-renowned Laugh Factory, Cola has proved that from drama to comedy in the scripted world, to hilarious, original stand up sets on stage, she can do it all.
In 2019 Cola can be seen starring on Freeform's brand new series "Good Trouble," slated to debut on January 8. The series, a spinoff from the smash hit show "The Fosters," follows Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) as they embark on the next phase of their young adult lives in Los Angeles. Cola shines as Alice, a first-generation Asian-American who manages the apartment complex the ladies are living in. On the film front Cola recently wrapped production on the Untitled Drake Doremus Project opposite Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, and Sebastian Stan. The film is set in present-day Los Angeles and follows Daphne (Woodley), a thirty-something woman navigating love and heartbreak over the course of one year.
Born in Shanghai China, Cola and her family moved to the United States when she was four years old, planting their roots in the San Gabriel Valley just east of Los Angeles. She attended California State University Fullerton where she majored in Entertainment and Tourism Studies, and worked for the campus radio station Titan Radio. Cola's innate ability to make people laugh and bring stories to life was indisputable, and students tuned in daily to listen to her funny commentary on celebrity news, fresh music picks, and more. Upon graduation Cola joined AMP Radio 97.1FM, spearheading promotions, social media, board operations, and even hit the street with a microphone talking to passerby's and music fans. Television host and radio personality Carson Daly took Cola under his wing at the station, helping her further hone her craft as she launched her own Sunday night show. Cola went on to interview top artists including: Noah Cyrus, Fifth Harmony, and Khalid. While Cola got her foot in the door in radio, she also had her hands in improv, writing and creating characters with friends around Los Angeles. When two friends launched a web series called "Luber," a parody of Lift/Uber drivers, one of Cola's most notable characters to date was born: Lil' Tasty. The Lakers loving, jersey wearing, Timberland rocking-rapper was an instant hit online, receiving over 20 million views on Facebook.
Cola got her break in television in 2017, landing a seven-episode arc on Amazon's "I Love Dick" opposite Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn. She was a scene stealer as jewelry maker Natalie, one of Dick's (Bacon) students at the art institute in Marfa, Texas. Cola went on to work with MTV on the comedy series "Safeword," showcasing her comedic skills alongside Kevin Hart, Ludacris, and LaLa Anthony. In 2018 Cola booked a recurring role on the hit TNT series "Claws" opposite Niecy Nash, Carrie Preston, and Judy Reyes. Joining the cast in season two, the series follows five diverse and treacherous manicurists, who are good women caught in bad places with even worse men. Cola instantly became a fan favorite as FBI Special Agent Lucy Chun, and is slated to return to the series in 2019 for season three.
On the comedy front Cola is constantly working on new material as a stand up comedian, and performs regularly at The Laugh Factory, The Improv and The Comedy Store. She also recently filmed an episode of "Funny Dance Show" for E! (2019) alongside Jackie Tohn, Solomon Georgio, and London Brown, and has worked with Kevin Hart's LOL Network and Funny or Die over the years.- Writer
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Sabrina Wu was born on 13 September 1997 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Sabrina is a writer and actor, known for Joy Ride (2023), Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. (2021) and Murderbot.- Actress
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Born into a family of doctors and educated in China at the Shanghai Film Academy and the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Languages, Joan Chen was discovered by veteran Chinese director Jin Xie while observing a filming with a school group. Her performance in Xiao hua (1979) (A.K.A. "The Little Flower") won China's Best Actress award, and resulted in the Chinese press dubbing her "The Elizabeth Taylor of China" for having achieved top stardom while still in her teen years. She came to the U.S. to attend college in 1981, first at the State University of New York at New Paltz, later at California State University at Northridge. She a succession of small parts in movies and T.V., with her first break coming in 1986 when, in true Hollywood legend, producer Dino De Laurentiis noticed her in the parking lot of Lorimar Studios and cast her in Tai-Pan (1986). The film bombed, but it led to her being cast as the ill-fated Empress in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987), which won critical acclaim. This, and her role as enigmatic mill owner Josie Packard in the cult TV series Twin Peaks (1990), are her best-known roles in Europe and North America. However, Hollywood's practice of type-casting East Asians has led to a dearth of major roles for Chen since then, and in recent roles, she has often been cast as a villainess.
After taking a few years off to start a family, Joan returned to the screen in important supporting roles playing women in early middle age, such as the mother of a principle adult character. As a result, her career is flourishing again on both sides of the Pacific. Her two directing efforts were well-received critically, and in a 2008 interview she revealed she planned to direct again but was putting that off until her daughters were grown, since directing took her away from them too much, whereas acting could be done on a part-time basis.- Actress
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Michelle Krusiec is an award winning Taiwanese American director, writer and actor whose lengthy career has proven to be a versatile and influential presence in the industry. Michelle writes and directs in genre, weaving in personal narrative and comedy. She's an alumnae of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her work has screened at top genre, Canadian and US Academy Qualifying festivals: Fantasia, Beyondfest, Brussels Fantastic, Calgary, Palm Springs, Hawaii FF, LAAPFF, among many others.
Michelle's short film NIAN was commissioned for Hulu's Bite Size Halloween. Nian's awards include Best Midnight Short at Palm Springs, Mark Braunstein Maverick Nomination at Woodstock, Young Audience Award at Court Metranges, Honorable Mention at Female Eye. Michelle is attached to write and direct NIAN as a feature for Worthen/Brooks formerly 20th Digital Studio.
Krusiec's work as an actress and advocate for API causes has been honored by The White House, State of California and Museum of Chinese America.- Actress
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At the age of five, Lynn Chen began singing on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera House. She has been performing ever since. Her feature film debut was in Sony Pictures Classics' Saving Face, a role that won her the title of "Outstanding Newcomer" at the 2006 AXAwards. She has been a fixture on the film festival circuit -- including Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, and SXSW. In 2017, she won "Best Actor" at the NBC Shorts Fest and a talent holding deal with the network.
Lynn was featured in Variety's 2020 "Power of Women" Issue for her directorial debut I WIll Make You Mine, which she also wrote, produced, and starred in. The movie has a 100% Rotten Tomato Rating and was an Official Selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.
Lynn has produced, directed, and hosted non-scripted content for outlets like BuzzFeed, Tastemade, Hello Giggles, and ISATV that have seen over 40 million views. She founded the blogs/podcasts "The Actor's Diet" and "Thick Dumpling Skin" (the first site dedicated to Asian-Americans and eating disorders). She has been featured on NPR, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire Magazine and has been a speaker at various colleges (Stanford, Dartmouth, Wellesley), conferences (WonderCon), and festivals (Disneyland California Adventure Food & Wine) for her acting work and body image activism. Lynn has been an Ambassador for The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and Miry's List. She has also written for LA Weekly, Filmmaker Magazine, and cupcakes & cashmere.- 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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Michelle Chen is a graduate of University of Southern California. She speaks English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese fluently, and a little bit Cantonese. She gained her initial fame in a minor role in the 2007 TV series Why Why Love (2007) starring Rainie Yang. Michelle is best known for her starring role in the 2011 movie You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011).- Actress
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Constance Wu was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother is a computer programmer and her father is a college professor. Both are immigrants from Taiwan. Constance grew up in Richmond performing in the local community theater scene. At 16, she moved to New York City to study at the famed Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and she's been busy ever since. While in New York, she worked in classical theater and quickly transitioned to film work. She soon appeared in several Sundance Feature Films including Stephanie Daley (2006) and Year of the Fish (2007). In 2010, she moved to Los Angeles where her theater and film background helped land her a role in another Sundance Feature, Sound of My Voice (2011). In 2014, she was cast as Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat (2015), which premiered in 2015. Based on Eddie Huang's memoir, it is set in the 1990s and revolves around a Taiwanese family that moves to suburban Orlando. Wu enjoys long-distance running, camping, piano, and reading. She lives in Silverlake, Los Angeles, with her pet rabbit, Lida Rose.
In 2018, she starred as Rachel Chu, an American college professor who dates a Singaporean multimillionaire (Henry Golding), in the smash romantic comedy hit Crazy Rich Asians (2018).- Actress
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Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is a British film, television, and theatre actress and former fashion model. She played Charlotte in season four of the Showtime and ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007); Ruth in Channel 4's Fresh Meat (2011); Mia Bennett in The Waters of Mars (2009), and Soo Lin in The Blind Banker (2010). She also appeared in the feature films Exam (2009) and Paramount Pictures' action-thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Chan made a film for Amnesty International to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Chan was born at Guy's Hospital in London, England. Her father grew up in Hong Kong and was an engineer. Her mother, a pharmacist at Guy's Hospital, emigrated from pre-Cultural Revolution Communist China via Hong Kong with her parents (Chan's maternal grandparents) and younger sister, growing up in Greenock, Scotland. Chan was raised near Sevenoaks, Kent, and attended Newstead Wood School for Girls in Orpington, Bromley, London. She later went on to read law at Worcester College, Oxford.
Following graduation, Chan gained a training contract offer as a graduate at the law firm Slaughter and May, but instead pursued an acting career and studied at the Drama Centre London. Spotted at her showcase by British film producer Damian Jones, she signed to acting agent Nicki van Gelder. In 2006, Chan was one of the models in series one of Project Catwalk, the UK version of Project Runway. She has been photographed by Rankin for a campaign for Nivea Visage, having previously worked as a model in order to fund her studies and drama school training.
Chan played geologist Mia Bennett in The Waters of Mars (2009), starring David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan, which aired 15 November 2009 in the UK. She was cast as a series regular in Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007), the fourth and final series airing on ITV2 in the UK and Showtime in the US in 2011. She also appeared in Sherlock (2010), and the fourth series of The IT Crowd (2006) for Channel 4.
In 2012, Chan was a regular in series two of Sky Living's supernatural drama Bedlam (2011) and in True Love (2012), a five-part semi-improvised television series produced by Working Title for the BBC One. In 2013, she starred in new BBC One crime drama Shetland (2013), alongside Douglas Henshall and Steven Robertson, and guest starred in the BBC's Death in Paradise (2011). She was a cast-member of Channel 4 romantic drama, Dates (2013).
Chan played the synthetic Anita/Mia in the AMC/Channel 4 eight-part science-fiction drama Humans (2015). Filming commenced in autumn 2014 with a June 2015 premiere. The second series premiered on 30 October. For her portrayal, she was nominated for numerous awards. In July 2016, Chan provided the voice "Dewdrop" in BBC One's animated television series Watership Down (2018). She appeared in the World War II drama film Shanghai (2010) and the comedy-drama Submarine (2010). Chan starred in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Families (2015).
She made her professional stage debut in the British Premiere of Bertolt Brecht's last play, Turandot, at the Hampstead Theatre, London, directed by Anthony Clark. In November 2012, she performed in The Sugar-Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie, a new play by Anders Lustgarten at the Finborough Theatre. In June 2013, she performed in the UK premiere of Yellow Face by American playwright David Henry Hwang at The Park Theatre, London, directed by Alex Sims. It was revived in 2014 at the Royal National Theatre with the original London cast returning. In November 2013, Chan performed in the world premiere of Our Ajax by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Southwark Playhouse, London. Wertenbaker chose her to play the war goddess Athena after she saw her performance in Yellow Face.- Actress
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Margaret Denise Quigley was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a father of Polish and Irish descent (originally based in New York) and a Vietnamese mother. Her parents met during the Vietnam War. Maggie has two older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage, and two older sisters. The family moved to Hawaii and settled in Mililani.
Maggie dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but modeled and found herself bursting onto the Hong Kong movie scene - eventually becoming a full-fledged superstar in Asia. She changed her name to the easily pronounceable "Maggie Q" (for the Chinese audience). She had a cameo in the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker smash hit Rush Hour 2 (2001) and is part of the supporting cast in Mission: Impossible III (2006), starring Tom Cruise.- 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).- Grace Park (born March 14, 1974) is an American-Canadian actress. She gained recognition as Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii and Lt. Sharon 'Athena' Agathon on Battlestar Galactica (2004), as well as Shannon Ng in the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont (2000). From 2010 to 2017, Park starred as Officer Kono Kalakaua in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0 (2010), which debuted on September 20, 2010. Born in Los Angeles, Park moved with her family to Canada when she was 22 months old. She was raised in the Vancouver neighborhood of Kerrisdale. Park is of Korean heritage. She graduated from Magee Secondary School in 1992 and holds a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia.
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Born in Taiwan, Qi Shu has won the prestigious Golden Horse Award in Taiwan (regarded as the East Asian Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress in 1998. She has also received a Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress in 2005. She appeared with Jackie Chan in the romantic comedy Gorgeous (1999) ("Gorgeous"). Her name is spelled in a variety of ways, including Hsu Qi, Hsu Chi, Qi Shu, and Shu Kei, and there are quite a few other variations on her name on foreign V.C.D.s, D.V.D.s, and internet sites.- Actress
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Most widely known for her work on prime time television on shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, House (FOX), ER, Grey's Anatomy, The OC, 8 Simple Rules (Disney), The Deep End (ABC), the critically acclaimed Aaron Sorkin series, Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip (NBC), Julia Ling starred as the popular "nerd-herder" Anna Wu on Chuck. This action-comedy garnered international support, and Ling was voted as "No.1 Woman of Geek Culture" by G4TV. After voicing the live action character "Izumi" for the video game, Command and Conquer (EA), Ling toured the world to raise money for charities. In the 2007 Jackie Chan Disciples martial arts competition, Ling was selected as a Finalist to compete in the International Top 100 and won "Best Acting Award" for her performance.
As a dancer, her first award-winning solo performance aired on national television when she was 8 years old. At sixteen, she was selected as a State Finalist in the "Miss America Pageant" and was awarded by Congressman David Dreier for over one hundred hours of volunteer service to her local hospital. After nine years of playing the piano, Ling received a diploma from the Royal Board of Music. She graduated high school second in her class with a 4.0 GPA, then went on to UCLA where she majored in chemical engineering and became Vice President of Engineering Society and honorary member of Society of Women Engineers. She returned to UCLA to study film producing and receive a professional certificate in the Mandarin Chinese language.
Ling later joined the star cast of FOX sitcom, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, voiced a sketch in Chinese for Conan O'Brien, performed opposite Academy Award winner Adrien Brody in the movie "High School," and starred in a number of independent films, but Ling could not contain her passion as a film-maker. While on set as an actress, she shadowed notable directors as Jay Chandrasekhar, Timothy Busfield, Leslie Linka Glatter and many others. She studied film producing at UCLA and was largely self taught through experience and studying from her mentors in the field. UCI awarded her the Anne Frank Researcher Award for her film-making efforts on a historical documentary.
Ling launched her own production company, Silver Rose Entertainment, for writing, script coverage, and film production. The company's clients included scientists from Cal Tech, University of Illinois, other filmmakers and commercial companies. In recent years, Ling joined the cast of a few feature films, and also co-created, produced and starred in a couple of her own short films: "Brotherhood" which won overall best action in the 2-minute category at the Urban Action Film Festival, and "Tango Down" which won "Best Short Film" at the 573 Film Festival in Perryville, MO. She appeared on Fox 2 St. Louis prior to the screening to promote "Tango Down."