Armenian Filmmakers in Hollywood and Beyond

Rouben Mamoulian was born on 8 October 1897 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a director and writer, known for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Applause (1929) and Becky Sharp (1935). He was married to Catharine Azadia Newman. He died on 4 December 1987 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

One of the 20th century's greatest masters of cinema Sergei Parajanov was born in Georgia to Armenian parents and it was always unlikely that his work would conform to the strict socialist realism that Soviet authorities preferred. After studying film and music, Parajanov became an assistant director at the Dovzhenko studios in Kyiv, making his directorial debut in 1954, following that with numerous shorts and features, all of which he subsequently dismissed as "garbage". However, in 1964 he was able to make Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965), a rhapsodic celebration of Ukrainian folk culture, and the world discovered a startling and idiosyncratic new talent. He followed this up with the even more innovative The Color of Pomegranates (1969) (which explored the art and poetry of his native Armenia in a series of stunningly beautiful tableaux), but by this stage the authorities had had enough, and Paradjanov spent most of the 1970s in prison on almost certainly rigged charges of "homosexuality and illegal trafficking in religious icons". However, with the coming of perestroika, he was able to make The Legend of Suram Fortress (1985), Ashik Kerib (1988) and The Confession, which survives as Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992), before succumbing to cancer in 1990.

Steven Zaillian was born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), The Irishman (2019) and A Civil Action (1998). He is married to Elizabeth Zaillian. They have two children.

Born in Egypt to Armenian parents, he was raised in Western Canada. Both his parents were painters, and he planned to be a playwright, but after making a short film, he became hooked on telling stories visually. Returned to ethnic "homeland" when he filmed Calendar (1993) in Armenia. Won attention at the Sundance Film Festival for earlier work, then broke through critically and commercially with Exotica (1994). Afterwards, The Sweet Hereafter (1997) led him to receive two Academy Award nominations, and then Chloe (2009) became his biggest moneymaker ever (after the film's DVD/Blu-ray release).

English film actor, director and author Andy Serkis is known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the eponymous King Kong in the 2005 film, Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). Serkis earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of serial killer Ian Brady in the British television film Longford (2006), and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of new wave and punk rock musician Ian Dury in the biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010). In 2015, he had a small role in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Serkis has his own motion capture workshop, The Imaginarium Studios in London, which he will use for his directorial debut, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018).

Andrew Clement G. Serkis was born April 20, 1964, in Ruislip Manor, West London, England. He has three sisters and a brother. His father, Clement Serkis, an ethnic Armenian whose original family surname was Serkissian, was a medical doctor working abroad, in Iraq; the Serkis family spent time around the Middle East, and for the first ten years of his life, Andy traveled between Baghdad and London. His mother, Lylie (Weech), who is British-born, was busy working as a special education teacher of handicapped children, so Andy and his four siblings were raised with au pairs in the house. Young Serkis wanted to be an artist; he was fond of painting and drawing, and visualized himself working behind the scenes. He attended St. Benedict's School, a Roman Catholic School for boys at the Benedictine Abbey in London. Serkis studied visual arts at Lancaster University in the north-west of England. There, he became involved in mechanical aspects of the theatre and did stage design and set building for theatrical productions. Then, Serkis was asked to play a role in a student production, and made his stage debut in Barrie Keeffe's play, "Gotcha"; thereafter, he switched from stage design to acting, which was a real calling that transformed his life.

Instead of going to an acting college, Serkis, in 1985, began his professional acting career at the Duke's Playhouse in Lancaster, where he was given an Equity card and performed in fourteen plays, one after another, as an apprentice of Jonathan Petherbridge. After that, he worked in touring theatre companies, doing it for no money, fueled by a sense of enthusiasm, moving to a new town every week. He has thus appeared in a host of popular plays and on almost every renowned British stage. In 1989, he appeared in a stage production of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", so beginning his long association with the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, where he would return many times, to appear in "She Stoops to Conquer", "Your Home in the West" and the "True Nature of Love", among other plays. In the 1990s, Serkis began to make his mark on the London stage, appearing at the Royal Court Theatre as "The Fool" in "King Lear", making his interpretation of "The Fool" as the woman that "Lear", a widower, could relate to - a man, in drag, as a Victorian musician. He also appeared as "Potts" in the hit play, "Mojo", playing in front of full houses and earning huge critical success. In 1987, Serkis made his debut on television, and he acted in several major British TV miniseries throughout the 1990s.

In 1999, Andy Serkis landed the prize role of "Gollum" in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's saga, "The Lord of the Rings". He spent four years in the part and received awards and nominations for his performance as "Gollum", a computer-generated character in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), which won 11 Oscars. "Gollum" was the collaborative team's effort around Serkis's work in performance capture - an art form based on CGI-assisted acting. Serkis's work was an interactive performance in a skin-tight CGI suit with markers allowing cameras to track and register 3D position for each marker. Serkis' every nuance was picked up by several cameras positioned at precisely calculated angles to allow for the software to see enough information to process the image. The images of Serkis' performances were translated into the digital format by animators at Weta Digital studio in New Zealand. There, his image was key-frame animated and then edited into the movie, Serkis did have one scene in "The Return of the King" showing how he originally had the ring, killing another hobbit to posses it after they found it during a fishing trip. He drew from his three cats clearing fur balls out of their throats to develop the constricted voice he produced for "Gollum" and "Sméagol", and it was also enhanced by sound editing in post-production.

Serkis spent almost two years in New Zealand and away from his family, and much of 2002 and 2003 in post-production studios for large periods of time, due to complexity of the creative process of bringing the character of "Gollum" to the screen. Serkis had to shoot two versions for every scene; one version was with him on camera, acting with (chiefly) Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, which served both to show Wood and Astin the moves so that they could precisely interact with the movements of "Gollum", and to provide the CGI artists the subtleties of Gollum's physical movements and facial expressions for their manual finishing of the animated images. In the other version, he'd go the voice off-camera, as Wood and Astin repeated their movements as though "Gollum" were there with them; that take would be the basis for inserting the CGI Gollum used in the released movie. In post-production, Serkis was doing motion-capture wearing a skintight motion capture suit with CGI gear while acting as a virtual puppeteer redoing every single scene in the studio. Additional CGI rotomation was done by animators using the human eye instead of the computer to capture the subtleties of Serkis' performance. Serkis also used this art form in his performance as "Kong" in King Kong (2005), which won him a Toronto Film Critics Association Award (2005) for his unprecedented work helping to realize the main character in "King Kong", and a Visual Effects Society Award (2006) for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture.

Apart from his line of CGI-driven characters, Serkis continued with traditional acting in several leading and supporting roles, such as his appearances as "Richard Kneeland" opposite Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30 (2004), and "Alley" opposite David Bowie in The Prestige (2006), among other film performances. On television, he starred as 'Vincent Van Gogh' in the sixth episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006), the BBC2 series about artists. Serkis is billed as "Capricorn" in the upcoming adventure film, Inkheart (2008). At the same time, he continued the development of performance capture while expanding his career into computer games. He starred as "King Bothan" in the martial arts drama, Heavenly Sword (2007), a Playstation 3 title, for which he provided a basis for his in-game face and also acts as a dramatic director on the project.

Andy Serkis married actress and singer Lorraine Ashbourne, and the couple have three children: daughter Ruby Serkis (born in 1998), and two sons Sonny Serkis (born in 2000) and Louis Ashbourne Serkis (born on 19 June 2004), who is now also a movie star. Away from acting, Andy Serkis is an accomplished amateur painter. Since his school years at Lancaster, being so close to the Lake District, Serkis developed his other passion in life: mountaineering. He is a pescetarian. Serkis has been active in charitable causes, such as The Hope Foundation, which provides essential life-saving medical aid for children suffering from Leukemia and children from countries devastated by war. In October 2006, he was a presenter at the first annual British Academy Video Games Awards at the Roundhouse, London. Andy Serkis lives with his family in North London, England.

Eric Bogosian was born in Boston and grew up in Woburn, Massachusetts. After graduating from Woburn Memorial High School in 1971, he attended the University of Chicago and graduated from Oberlin College in 1976, whereupon he moved to New York City. In New York he was hired by the Kitchen as an assistant, established a dance series there and after five years left to devote all his energies to his theater work. Between 1976 and 1982, Bogosian wrote, directed and/or starred in over sixteen productions Off-Off-Broadway. In 1982, he toured the Midwest with Fab Five Freddy and the Rock Steady Crew.

In the early 1980's Eric Bogosian became well-known in New York for his intense one-man theater pieces, winning the Obie Award three times as well as the Drama Desk Award. In 1983, after attending one of his one-man shows, Larry Cohen cast Bogosian as the homicidal director in his low-budget film Special Effects (1984). Four years later, Bogosian's Pulitzer-nominated play, (in which he also starred), "Talk Radio" caught the attention of the greater film world. Robert Altman cast Bogosian in his film of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988) while producer Edward R. Pressman obtained the rights to the play and brought it to director Oliver Stone. Stone and Bogosian adapted the play script to film script, Bogosian again played the lead and the film of Talk Radio (1988) opened in December 1988. Bogosian received the prestigious "Silver Bear" at the 1989 Berlin Festival for his work on the film.

After the release of "Talk Radio", Bogosian worked regularly as an actor in film and television while remaining very active in the theater. 1994 was a banner year in which Bogosian co-starred with Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as the diabolical "Travis Dane", was featured in Dolores Claiborne (1995), staged another one-man show Off-Broadway and authored the play, "subUrbia" directed by Robert Falls and produced by Lincoln Center Theater, ("subUrbia" was adapted for film by director Richard Linklater). Around this time, Bogosian would also cameo appearances in Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry (1997), Atom Egoyan's Ararat (2002), Cindy Sherman's Office Killer (1997) and Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996).

In the 1990's Bogosian continued to write for film and TV, adapting his own work as well as receiving assignments from studios. He began to write for television when he was invited to co-create a show for Steven Spielberg: High Incident (1996) in 1996. As an actor, in 2003, he co-starred with Val Kilmer as the notorious Eddie Nash in James Cox's Wonderland (2003). In 2006 he was invited onboard Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) as Captain Danny Ross (where he appeared in over sixty episodes).

In 2010, Bogosian starred on Broadway in Donald Margulies' "Time Stands Still" with Laura Linney, Brian d'Arcy James, Alicia Silverstone and Christina Ricci.

In 2013, Bogosian created a website featuring his numerous monologues performed by notable actors. Visit 100monologues.com to view the complete catalog of over 75 monologues.

More recently, Bogosian landed a series of featured television roles on Netflix's The Get Down (2016), Showtime's Billions (2016) and as Senator Gil Eavis on HBO's Succession (2018).

Bogosian has been featured in Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems (2019) (starring Adam Sandler).

In addition to his numerous plays, Bogosian is the author of three novels "Mall", "Wasted Beauty" and "Perforated Heart." His non-fiction history, Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide was published by Little, Brown in 2015.

He lives in New York City with his wife, director Jo Bonney with whom he has two children; Travis Bogosian and Harry Bogosian.

Simon Abkarian was born Simone Abkarian on March 5, 1962, in Gonesse, a northeastern suburb of Paris, France, into a French - Armenian family. Young Simon Abkarian grew up in a trilingual environment, he learned French at school in addition to his native Armenian, and also learned English by watching American films since he was a kid. He spent most of his childhood in France until the age of nine, then went with his parents to Beirut, Lebanon.

From 1971 to 1977 young Abkarian lived with his mother and father in Lebanon. He studied dancing with the Lori Dance Ensemble in Beirut. There he attended Armenian school and also studied French and English. In 1977, his father went to war in Lebanon, and 15-year-old Abkarian with his mother moved back to Paris. A few years later he moved to New York and continued his studies of dancing and acting at the Antranik company in New York, then moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1983-1985 he studied acting and joined the Armenian Theatre Company Artavadzt of the AGBU under the leadership of director Gerald Papazian. In 1984, he joined the workshop at renown Theatre du Soleil on tour in Los Angeles during the Olympics Art Festival. Abkarian took a month-long acting workshop from Mnouchkine's mask-maker, Georges Bigot, then was auditioned by Ariane Mnouchkine who invited him to join the company. In 1985 Abkarian returned to Paris, France. There he resumed a successful stage acting career, and had an eight-year-long collaboration with Ariane Mnouchkine, the legendary director of Théâtre du Soleil. There he played leading roles in Greek tragedies and became known for his charismatic performances. He also directed several stage plays in Paris, including Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour Lost' at the Bouffles du Nord, and Aeschylus's 'The Last Song of Troy' at Bobigny, among others. In 2001 Abkarian won the highest award in French theatre for an actor - the Prix Molière, for his performance in 'Une Bête Sur La Lune' (aka.. Beast on the Moon). Since 1993, Abkarian and his actress-director wife, Catherine Schaub-Abkarian, started their own theatre T.E.R.A. (Theatre Espace Recherche Acteur) in Paris. There he has been playing and directing classical and contemporary plays. In the season of 2005-2006, he was brought by The Actors' Gang to direct Shakespeare's 'Love's Labor's Lost' in Los Angeles.

Abkarian made his film debut in 1989, in a short film Ce qui me meut (1989) by director Cédric Klapisch. During his early film career, Abkarian enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Cédric Klapisch in 6 French films, becoming noticed in the award winning When the Cat's Away (1996). He earned critical acclaim for his portrayal of painter Archil Gorky in Atom Egoyan's award winning epic Ararat (2002). Simon Abkarian won awards for his performance as Eliahou in Ve'Lakhta Lehe Isha (2004) by director Ronit Elkabetz. That same year Abkarian gave a stellar performance in his first leading role in English, co-starring as He, a passionate Lebanese doctor turned cook who is in love with an American woman (Joan Allen) in Yes (2004) directed by Sally Potter. He made a step forward in his film career with the supporting role as Alex Dimitros in Casino Royale (2006), playing in several powerful scenes opposite Daniel Craig.

Simon Abkarian has been generously involved in the humanitarian causes of the Armenian people across the world. He has been a frequent participant, host and presenter at numerous charitable events and ceremonies related to the Armenian causes. He was also a member of French President Jacques Chirac's delegation to Armenia in October of 2006.

Mardik Martin is in the elite group of screenwriters on WGA's list of 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written. He immigrated to the United States from Iraq to attend 'New York University'. He won the Mahler award and graduated with a Master's degree in Screenwriting in 1968, then went on to teach at NYU from 1968 to 1973. Mardik moved to Hollywood after Mean Streets (1973), which he co-wrote with Martin Scorsese, became a huge success. He worked for Chartoff-Winkler Productions in the years following, writing screenplays like Valentino (1977) and collaborating with Scorsese on multiple projects before writing the first three drafts of Raging Bull (1980). Recently Martin co-wrote the screenplay to Fatih Akin's The Cut (2014) which premiered in the Competition at the 'Venice Int. Film Festival 2014'. Mardik Martin is a professor at the prestigious 'USC School of Cinematic Arts', having mentored and taught thousands of the brightest young luminaries in the movie business.

Though born in Georgia and having a Russian-sounding name, Akim Tamiroff is actually of Armenian descent. At 19 he decided to pursue acting as a career and was chosen from among 500 applicants to the Moscow Art Theater School. There he studied under the great Konstantin Stanislavski, and launched a stage career. This included road company productions, in one such tour in 1920 Tamiroff came to New York City, which he liked so much he decided to stay there. Broadway suited him, and he worked steadily with the Theatre Guild from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s. He was a short, stout man with a guttural baritone voice and a thick but rather generic Russian accent that, with his skill in characterizations, seemed to mesh with any role calling for a foreign type--whether European, West Asian or even East Asian. His voice became his principal asset. He came west to Hollywood in 1932 to break into the movie business, and first appeared on screen in a bit part in Okay America! (1932). Until 1934 his appearances were usually uncredited, but he managed to stand out in several films, one of his best roles of the time being the servant Pedro of John Gilbert Queen Christina (1933). By early 1934 he was much in demand, appearing in 12 films during that year. The next year was even busier for him, with roles in 15 films altogether, and not just bit parts--he was getting more feature supporting roles, such as Gopal the emir in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) and the comic puppet master Rudolpho in the adapted operetta Naughty Marietta (1935). He signed with Paramount in 1936 but was often loaned out to other studios. He went to Warner Bros. for one of his earliest big supporting characters: the sly Cuban mercantile agent Carlo Cibo in Anthony Adverse (1936). For Paramount, his General Yang in The General Died at Dawn (1936) brought him his first of two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Along with substantial supporting roles in top movies, Tamiroff was getting starring roles in "B" pictures, allowing him to show his range by playing everything from amiable rogues to thoroughly evil villains. Two of his roles from that time exemplify what a versatile actor he was. As French trapper and scout Dan Duroc of North West Mounted Police (1940), he was something of a rascal but with a sense of humor and dignity. However, as the vile Colonna in The Corsican Brothers (1941), he is irredeemably wicked, and deservedly dies in the longest sword duel on film. For his role as the self-serving guerrilla Pablo in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Tamiroff received his second Oscar nomination. He continued through the decade with more fine work, and in 1949 he joined the cast of Black Magic (1949) and met Orson Welles, who played late 18th-century charlatan Cagliostro. The two became friends and associates in Welles' later film projects. Through the 1950s Tamiroff's time was fairly divided between T.V. productions and films earlier in the decade and a surprising number of episodic TV and more films later. His three films with Welles, as director and sometime actor, were: Confidential Report (1955) with its Wellesian maze of flash-backs; the over-the-top Touch of Evil (1958) with its gritty surrealism and incredible cast; and The Trial (1962) (The Trial), Welles' stylistic spin on the Franz Kafka story. Certainly it was in "Touch of Evil" that Tamiroff's Tijuana boss Uncle Joe Grandi--outlandishly bug-eyed alternately with fear or mercurial anger intensified by Welles' wild camera angles--stood out as a most intriguing character. He took a last fling at Broadway in 1959. For the 1960s Tamiroff continued to sample American T.V. but was still very active in American, French and Italian movies. His voice and talent were still a draw in films like Topkapi (1964) and Alphaville (1965). In addition, he remained on call for Welles' meandering/unfinished Don Quixote (1992) as Sancho Panza for nearly twenty years. One of the great character actors of film history, Akim Tamiroff appeared in over 150 screen projects.

Beloved French chanson entertainer Charles Aznavour, who wrote more than 800 songs, recorded more than 1,000 of them in French, English, Italian, German and Spanish and sold over 100 million records in all, was born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian on May 22, 1924, in Paris, the younger of two children born to Armenian immigrants who fled to France. His mother was a seamstress as well as an actress and his father was a baritone who sang in restaurants. Both Charles and his elder sister waited on tables and he performed, as well. He delivered his first poetic recital while just a toddler. Within a few years later he had developed such a passion for singing/dancing, that he sold newspapers to earn money for lessons.

He took his first theatrical bow in the play "Emil and the Detectives" at age 9 and within a few years was working as a movie extra. He eventually quit school and toured France and Belgium as a boy singer/dancer with a traveling theatrical troupe while living the bohemian lifestyle. A popular performer at the Paris' Club de la Chanson, it was there that he was introduced in 1941 to the songwriter Pierre Roche. Together they developed names for themselves as a singing/writing cabaret and concert duo ("Roche and Aznamour"). A Parisian favorite, they became developed successful tours outside of France, including Canada. In the post WWII years Charles began appearing in films again, one of them as a singing croupier in Adieu... Chérie (1946).

Eventually Aznavour earned a sturdy reputation composing street-styled songs for other established musicians and singers, notably Édith Piaf, for whom he wrote the French version of the American hit "Jezebel". Heavily encouraged by her, he toured with her as both an opening act and lighting man. He lived with Piaf out of need for a time not as one of her many paramours. His mentor eventually persuaded him to perform solo (without Roche) and he made several successful tours while scoring breakaway hits with the somber chanson songs "Sur ma vie" and "Parce que" and the notable and controversial "Après l'amour." In 1950, he gave the bittersweet song "Je Hais Les Dimanches" ["I Hate Sundays"] to chanteuse Juliette Gréco, which became a huge hit for her.

In the late 50s, Aznavour began to infiltrate films with more relish. Short and stubby in stature and excessively brash and brooding in nature, he was hardly leading man material but embraced his shortcomings nevertheless. Unwilling to let these faults deter him, he made a strong impressions with the comedy Une gosse 'sensass' (1957) and with Paris Music Hall (1957). He was also deeply affecting as the benevolent but despondent and ill-fated mental patient Heurtevent in Head Against the Wall (1959). A year later, Aznavour starred as piano player Charlie Kohler/Edouard Saroyan in Francois Truffaut's adaptation of the David Goodis' novel Shoot the Piano Player (1960) [Shoot the Piano Player], which earned box-office kudos both in France and the United States. This sudden notoriety sparked an extensive tour abroad in the 1960s. Dubbed the "Frank Sinatra of France" and singing in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Armenian, Portuguese), his touring would include sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall (1964) and London's Albert Hall (1967).

Aznavour served as actor and composer/music arranger for many films, including Gosse de Paris (1961), which he also co-wrote with director Marcel Martin, and the dramas Three Fables of Love (1962) [Three Fables of Love") and Caroline chérie (1968) [Dear Caroline]. The actor also embraced the title role in the TV series "Les Fables de la Fontaine" (1964), then starred in the popular musical "Monsieur Carnaval" (1965), in which he performed his hit song "La bohême".

His continental star continued to shine and Aznavour acted in films outside of France with more dubious results. While the satirical Candy (1968), with an international cast that included Marlon Brando, Richard Burton and Ringo Starr, and epic adventure The Adventurers (1970) were considered huge misfires upon release, it still showed Aznavour off as a world-wide attraction. While he was also seen in The Games (1970) (1970), The Blockhouse (1973) (1973) and an umpteenth film version of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians (1974), it was his music that kept him in the international limelight. Later films included Yiddish Connection (1986), which he co-wrote and provided music; Il maestro (1990) with Malcolm McDowell; the Canadian-French production Ararat (2002) for which he received special kudos; cameos as himself in The Truth About Charlie (2002) and Emmenez-moi (2005); and his final feature film, Mon colonel (2006)

Films aside, his chart-busting single "She" (1972-1974) went platinum in Great Britain. He also received thirty-seven gold albums in all. His most popular song in America, "Yesterday When I Was Young" has had renditions covered by everyone from Shirley Bassey to Julio Iglesias. In 1997, Aznavour received an honorary César Award. He has written three books, the memoirs "Aznavour By Aznavour" (1972), the song lyrics collection "Des mots à l'affiche" (1991) and a second memoir "Le temps des avants" (2003). A "Farewell Tour" was instigated in 2006 at age 82. He died

Married at least three times (some claim five) to Micheline Rugel, Evelyne Plessis and Ulla Thorsell, he fathered six children (daughters Katia, Patricia and Seda Aznavour, and sons Misha, Nicholas, and Patrick Aznavour). He died on October 1, 2018, in France.

Arlene Francis, the witty actress and popular television personality, was born Arlene Francis Kazanjian on Oct. 20, 1907, in Boston. Her father was an Armenian immigrant, later painter and portrait photographer; her mother was the daughter of actor Alfred Davis. Even at an early age, Arlene said, "I started out with one goal: I wanted to be a serious actress." She studied at the Theatre Guild and then went to Hollywood. Her movie debut was in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), in which Bela Lugosi (often cast as a villain or mad scientist in many of his over 40 horror movies) tied her to an X-cross to extract her blood (trivia: Arlene and Bela were both born on Oct. 20). The live theater, however, was her first love, and she appeared in many plays. In 1935, she married movie executive Neil Agnew; they'd stay together for 10 years. Arlene made her Broadway debut in 1936 and had her first major role in "All That Glitters" two years later. She appeared with Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre production of "Danton's Death" in 1938, and in "Journey to Jerusalem" in 1940. Her big hit was "The Doughgirls" in 1942; it ran for 1-1/2 years. Arlene had auditioned for her first radio part at the same time she was getting started in the theater; she later recalled, "Radio came easily." In the 1940s, she played in as many as five radio serials a day. Arlene married actor Martin Gabel in 1946 (he died in 1986), and they had a son, Peter. She also was host of a radio dating show called "Blind Date," which was adapted to a TV series in 1949 (Your Big Moment (1949)), and she was the host (1949-1952). It was television that brought Arlene fame, and she became one of the highest-paid women in TV. Arlene was a permanent panelist on CBS' What's My Line? (1950) (a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production) from 1950 through 1967 and continued as a panelist in a syndicated version that ran until 1975, thus being with the show for its entire 25-year run. She was warm, witty and had a cute laugh--and was always fashionably dressed. She wore a diamond heart-shaped necklace, which started a fad. She was still doing radio while on TV, and in 1960, she was the star of "The Arlene Francis Show," a daily interview show in New York, on WOR; it ran for 23 years. Arlene retired from show business after that and lived comfortably. She was still giving interviews in 1991. Arlene spent her last years living in San Francisco. Arlene died of cancer on Thursday, May 31, 2001, in a San Francisco hospital, at age 93. Her many fans will miss her, Arlene was truly one of the greats.

Marco Khan(lian) is a true citizen of the world. He was born March 27th of Armenian parents in Tehran, Iran. His father, Levon was born in Lebanon and raised in Iran where he met his wife Anna, born in Babol, Iran. Marco's grandparents (from his mother's side) were a grandfather from Russia and a grandmother from the country of Georgia. Marco and his younger brother left Iran at age 11 in pursuit of higher education. Schooled in Venice, Italy and then in Catalina Island, California. Marco now calls Los Angeles, CA, home. At age 17, Marco picked up English as his 4th language and assumed the responsibility as the caretaker for his entire family. While operating a series of restaurants for 12 years to support his family, Marco enjoyed brief stints as a Professional Athlete in Soccer, Football and Pro Wrestling! After his father passed away, he decided to pursue his lifelong passion of becoming an actor. His looks, talent, and diverse background have allowed Marco to play a variety of interesting characters. He is a versatile actor, achieving success in comedy, action and drama. Despite his "tough guy" appearance, his demeanor is quiet, gentle, gracious and sincere. As a father, he loves children and animals. Almost everyone who meets Marco agrees that there is "Just something special that draws you towards him." He is a kind and tolerant humanitarian who is relentless in his pursuit for peace. Always positive and encouraging to others, "Never Give Up" is the motto he lives by. Marco is a true believer that everything happens for a reason, that tests and trials in life shape your character and that his destiny is in God's hands.

Oscar winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient William Saroyan, who gained world fame with his classic book "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" (1934), was born in California to Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan.

With his unmistakably American literary works, deeply rooted in his Armenian heritage, William Saroyan soon established himself as one of the preeminent short story writers, playwrights and novelists in the United States.

In 1939 and 1940 William Saroyan's "My Heart's in the Highlands" and "The Time of Your Life" were staged for theater and "Love's Old Sweet Song" opened on Broadway, winning the New York Critics Circle Award.

In 1943 his MGM screenplay "The Human Comedy" was novelized and published and received great reviews, and he won the Academy Award for Best Writing Original Story for "The Human Comedy".

He wrote the lyrics of Ross Bagdasarian's famous # 1 hit song "Come On-a My House", performed by Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Rosemary Clooney, which was featured in Madonna's "Swept Away" (2002) and Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952).

William Saroyan is one of the most important American writers of the 20th century -- along with such masters as John Updike, John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller, who admired him. Saroyan is perhaps the only major and influential writer to receive both the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy Award, and his work continues to appear on the theater stage and the silver screen worldwide.

Aram Khachaturyan was born in 1903, in Tiflis, Russian Empire (now Tbilisi, Georgia). He was the fourth son in a modest Armenian family. His father was a book-binder and a craftsman; he noticed the son's musical talent and got him a used piano, but he did not have money for a music teacher. Khachaturyan was self-taught until the age of 19, when he moved to Moscow to join his brother, a theater director. He studied physics and mathematics at the Moscow University for one year before entering the Gnesin School of Music in 1922. At the entrance test he saw a cello and said, "I want to learn to play this big violin." He studied cello under Mikhail Gnesin He graduated with honors from the Gnesin School in 1929 and from the Moscow Conservatory in 1934, where he studied composition under 'Nikolai Miaskovsky'. Sergei Prokofiev promoted Khachaturyan's music in Europe, and his piano trio and the First Piano Concerto (1936) has won him international acclaim.

His Ballet "Gayane" (1942), with the brilliant "Sabre Dance", became an international sensation. But his second ballet, "Spartacus", written in 1945, was not staged for 11 years. Khachaturyan was among the Soviet artists and intellectuals affected by official attacks on culture under Joseph Stalin in 1940s and 50s. His music was denounced as being 'formalistic'. Khachaturyan suffered from official attacks along with Sergei Prokofiev, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova and many other distinguished intellectuals in the Soviet Union. Only in December of 1956 "Spartacus" had it's premiere on the stage of Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and soon it gained international success. The "Adagio" from the ballet "Spartacus" and the "Sabre Dance" from the ballet "Gayane" became the signature themes of Khachaturyan. He also wrote an acclaimed score for "Masquerade", a drama by Mikhail Lermontov. Khachaturyan was a recipient of many Soviet and International awards. As professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory he promoted innovative and inter-cultural approach to music education. He cherished his Armenian heritage. He also included in his compositions a taste of the world music and various oriental influences. Aram Khachaturyan died in Moscow in 1978 and was buried in Armenia.

Arthur Sarkissian's 40-year career has established him as one of Hollywood's most successful producers. Over the course of his career, Sarkissian has developed and produced feature films that have dominated the domestic and global landscape, with box office receipts totaling close to one billion dollars. His biggest hits include the Rush Hour franchise, While You Were Sleeping, Last Man Standing and The Foreigner. Sarkissian's latest feature films are the action-thriller The Protege directed by starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson along with the thriller Memory starring Liam Neeson, both directed by Martin Campbell.

Throughout his long career, Sarkissian has put a premium on creativity, with a progressive eye and entrepreneurship that have been the common denominators in his formula for success. It is this approach and ability to produce a big budget blockbuster that has made him one of the most sought after producers in the business.

In the '70s and '80s, he produced films like Beyond Reason and Wanted: Dead or Alive. However, it was not until the 1990's that Sarkissian's films transcended box-office expectations. In 1995, Sarkissian released While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock, which became one of the year's biggest hits grossing over $190 million worldwide.

In 1997, Sarkissian discovered and developed the first Rush Hour film, pairing the unlikely duo of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, as well as tapping the then up-and-coming director Brett Ratner. The first film-which grossed more than $140 million domestically and another $103 million internationally-made history by being the highest grossing independent film released in September or October as well as becoming one of the highest grossing films in the history of New Line Cinema. In 2001, the second installment of the Rush Hour series solidified Sarkissian's position as a hit-maker when the movie earned $347 million worldwide. Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, turning the franchise into a $900 million hit.

In the fall of 2012 and in conjunction with CBS Television, Sarkissian created and executive produced his first TV series, Vegas, about the legendary Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, to critical acclaim. More recently, Sarkissian produced a spin-off television series of the Rush Hour franchise again in conjunction with CBS Television.

Other projects on the horizon for Sarkissian include: The Red Circle, a retelling of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic 1970 film; Le Cercle Rouge and the next install in the Rush Hour franchise.

Roger Kupelian is a multi-faceted cinematic artist and has contributed visuals to major Hollywood film projects. for close to three decades. His extensive list of credits includes Peter Jackson's Academy award winning The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Space Jam (the original), Marvel's Moon Knight, The Griffith Park Observatory's latest full dome show Signs of Life, among many other unique efforts. His artwork has been published numerous times and was featured in many of the Lord of the Rings film books (and even as part of a stamp collection for the New Zealand postal service). He has directed and co-produced numerous short films and award-winning music videos, using a variety of current and legacy techniques. His illustrations have appeared in a variety of publications, including his East of Byzantium graphic novel series.

Edwin Avaness received his Master of Arts Degree from Northwestern University's Radio-TV-Film Program, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Digital Media productions at University of California, Santa Cruz. He joined the executive board of Arpa Foundation for Film, Music & Art in 1999 and directed the 3rd Annual Arpa International Film Festival in 2000. The annual humanitarian honor, in conjunction with the International Film Festival in Hollywood, is co-created by Mr. Avaness, where filmmakers are awarded for their work that has contributed to the fight for social conscience and human rights issues. Among the past recipients of this award are documentary films Screamers (2006), Darfur Now (2007), Children of War (2009), and Aghet - Ein Völkermord (2010). Mr. Avaness also serves as a board member of Armin T. Wegner Society of USA, where the society revives the legacy of this 20th Century humanist through his work.

After co-producing his first feature film, My Dark Days (2001), at Bearsmouth Entertainment, Mr. Avaness joined J F Productions where he oversaw all aspects of productions for the company. During his time at J F Productions Mr. Avaness produced and directed the feature film The Journey (2002). This feature was shot internationally with a full international cast and crew. The Journey was awarded the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival in 2002. Mr. Avaness also worked at Arbor Vitae Entertainment as a producer of Tabriz: Images from the Forgotten World (2006), an international docudrama, which has gone on to popular reception and awards during its tour of over ten film festivals. Mr. Avaness participated in different film markets as well, including MIFED in Milan, Italy, Bangkok Int'l Film Market, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Market - China, and American Film Market in Los Angeles.

Mr. Avaness later established EOS Entertainment which is developing and producing content to mainstream audiences. Projects such as the documentary Epic Denied: Depriving the Forty Days of Musa Dagh which covers the trials and tribulations of Hollywood's multiple attempts to produce an epic movie based on Franz Werfel's bestseller novel.

As a joined venture with other production companies, he has produced Virginity (2014) a film about human rights issues, which deals with women struggling in their social and cultural environments and facing unforeseeable crises. Damn Foreigners (2015) a feature film based on a true story which questions prejudice elements within the justice system of the United States. Also, Zoya (2016), a vividly poetic avant-garde story about abduction, unlawful imprisonment, and execution of human rights' activists in countries with corrupt governments. And most recently Loteria (2022), which is about a young Iranian man who's plan is to cross over the boarder illegally from Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better life.

Mr. Avaness has several projects in development stages with different entertainment companies.

Serj Minassians is known for Epic Denied: Depriving the Forty Days of Musa Dagh, Stream of Social Intercourse (1990) and Without Baggage.

Michael Goorjian, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer. As an actor, Michael won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for David's Mother (1994) with Kirstie Alley. He is also well known for his role as Justin, Neve Campbell's love interest on the Golden Globe winning series Party of Five (1994), as well as Heroin Bob in SLC Punk! (1998). As a director, Michael achieved widespread recognition for his first major independent film, Illusion (2004), a film he wrote, directed and starred in alongside Hollywood-legend Kirk Douglas

Michael's acting career began at the early age of 14 when he decided to audition for a local theatre company thinking it was a 'cool way' to skip class. After landing the lead role in a 'not-so-cool play called Computer Crazy, Michael soon found out that the rest of the cast were all senior citizens and that he would have to perform the play at his own junior high. Despite this rather humiliating experience, Michael stuck with acting and eventually trained at UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television.

Michael's first big Hollywood break came as a dancer when in 1992 he was cast as Skittery in the Disney film, Newsies (1992), starring Christian Bale and Robert Duvall. What followed was starring roles in numerous films including Chaplin (1992) with Robert Downey Jr., Forever Young (1992) with Mel Gibson, Oscar-winning Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Hard Rain (1998) with Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater, SLC Punk! (1998), The Invisibles (1999) with Portia de Rossi, Broken (2006) with Heather Graham and Conversations with God (2006).

Michael also guest starred in countless television series including Lie to Me (2009), House (2004), Alias (2001), Monk (2002), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), CSI: Miami (2002), Without a Trace (2002), Chicago Hope (1994) as well as a recurring role on Life Goes On (1989) as Ray Nelson.

Never straying far from the stage, Michael is a founding member of the Los Angeles based theater group, Buffalo Nights and starred in the West Coast premiere of Dennis McIntyre's powerful drama, Modigliani, which won him a L.A. Weekly Theater Award nomination for Best Lead Actor. With the 'Nights', Michael also received tremendous critical acclaim for playing title roles in both productions of, The Apollo of Bellac by Jean Giraudoux, and J.B. by Archibald MacLeish. Michael also won a LA Critics Choice and a Garland Backstage West awards for his original choreography for the L.A. production of the musical Refer Madness.

Michael Vartan came to international acclaim with his starring role as 'Agent Michael Vaughn' on the worldwide hit ABC series, "Alias," which ran for five seasons. With upcoming film and television roles, he continues to explore the different facets of his talent and versatility.

Vartan currently stars in E!'s original one-hour drama series "The Arrangement," about the relationship between an A-list movie star 'Kyle West' (Josh Henderson) and his beautiful young co-star 'Megan Morrison' (Christine Evangelista). Vartan portrays 'Terrence Anderson,' best friend, producing partner and mentor to 'Kyle,' as well as leader of a fictitious self-help organization called the Institute of the Higher Mind. His influence on Kyle's life is pervasive, and when 'Kyle' begins to date 'Megan,' 'Terrence' becomes particularly invested, presenting her with a marriage contract to ensure that the 'The Arrangement' goes as planned. E! will debut the 10-episode first season on March 5, 2017.

He played a key role in Season 2 of A&E's "Bates Motel" as 'George,' a charming divorcé who caught the eye of Norma (played by Emmy-nominee Vera Farmiga). He also had a recurring role in USA Network's "Satisfaction." He previously starred for three seasons alongside Jada Pinkett Smith in TNT's medical drama "HawthoRNe."

On the feature front, Vartan next appears in the indie thriller "Small Town Crime," with Academy Award nominee John Hawkes. The storyline revolves around a boozing ex-cop 'Mike' (Hawkes) who becomes a makeshift private investigator to solve the murder of a young prostitute. Vartan plays 'Detective Scott Crawford' who is investigating the murder and knows that 'Mike' has messed up in the past, yet to a certain extent still believes in him and trusts him to carry out his private investigation as long as he reports back to him with his findings. The film will make its World Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 11, 2017.

Vartan previously starred opposite Zoe Saldana ("Avatar") in TriStar Pictures' "Colombiana." In 2011, he starred opposite Jessica Chastain, as 'Brad Benton' in the independent film "Jolene: My Life," for director Dan Ireland ("The Whole Wide World"). Based on a story from critically acclaimed author, E.L. Doctorow ("Ragtime," "Billy Bathgate").

He previously starred opposite Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez in New Line's summer blockbuster, "Monster-In-Law." He also starred opposite Robin Williams in the psychological thriller, "One Hour Photo." Additional film credits include a starring role opposite Drew Barrymore in the romantic comedy "Never Been Kissed."

Born in Paris to a French father and an American mother, Vartan grew up in the tiny Normandy village of Fleury until the age of 16 when he moved to Los Angeles to live with his mother, who encouraged him to take acting classes.

After starring in two small French films, Vartan grabbed the attention of the film world with his breakthrough performance in the 1993 Italian epic, "Fiorile," directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Soon after, Vartan signed with an agent and landed a role in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," playing the bigoted small-town thug who harasses three drag queens (Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo). He went on to star opposite David Schwimmer as one of his best friends in "The Pallbearer," a comedy of escapades surrounding three old high school pals coping with bachelorhood, marriage and a case of mistaken identity. He also starred in Sony Pictures Classics' "The Myth of Fingerprints" with Julianne Moore.

For television, Vartan appeared in the two-part TNT mini-series "The Mists of Avalon," a retelling of the legendary story of Camelot. He portrayed 'Sir Lancelot,' opposite Angelica Huston, Julianna Margulies and Joan Allen.

In his limited free time, Vartan feeds his obsession with sports, particularly ice hockey. "If it weren't for acting, I'd give anything to play a professional sport," he says, still holding onto his life-long dream.

Tall, bald and nearly always bearded, Sid Haig provided hulking menace to many a low-budget exploitation film and high-priced action film.

Sid Haig was born Sidney Eddie Mosesian on July 14, 1939 in Fresno, California, a screaming ball of hair. His parents, Roxy (Mooradian) and Haig Mosesian, an electrician, were of Armenian descent. Sid's career was somewhat of an accident. He was growing so fast that he had absolutely no coordination. It was decided that he would take dancing lessons, and that's when it all began. At the age of seven, he was dancing for pay in a children's Christmas Show, then a revival of a vaudeville show... and on it went.

Sid also showed a musical inclination, particularly for the drums. So when his parents got tired of him denting all the pots and pans in the house, they bought him a drum set. The music was in him and he took to it immediately, a born natural. First it was swing, then country, then jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll. Sid always found it easy to make money with his music, and did very well. One year out of high school and signing a recording contract is not too bad. Sid went on to record the single "Full House" with the T-Birds in 1958. However, back while he was in high school, Sid got bitten by the "acting bug". Alice Merrill was the head of the drama department at that time and gave him all the encouragement in the world to pursue an acting career. The clincher came in his senior year. The way that the senior play was cast was that she would double cast the show, then have one of her friends from Hollywood come up and pick the final cast.

You see, Merrill was quite famous as an actress on Broadway and kept up her contacts in the business. When the appointed day came, the "friend" that showed up was Dennis Morgan, a big musical comedy star from the 1940s. The rest is history -- he picked Sid for the role, then two weeks later came back to see the show and told Sid that he should continue his education down south and consider acting as a career path. Two years later, Sid enrolled in the world famous Pasadena Playhouse, the school that trained such actors as Robert Preston, Robert Young, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and so on. After two years of "actor's hell" (non-stop 7:00 am to 11:00 pm with homework thrown in just for the fun of it), it was time to move on to the big "H", Hollywood! Sid did so with longtime friend and roommate Stuart Margolin (Angel on The Rockford Files (1974)).

Sid's first acting job was in Jack Hill's student film at UCLA. It was called The Host (1960), which was released in 2004 on DVD as a companion to Switchblade Sisters (1975), another Hill film. That role launched a 40-year acting career during which Haig appeared in over 50 films and 350 television series. He has proven himself quite valuable to such filmmakers as producer Roger Corman. He also became a staple in the pictures of Jack Hill, appearing in Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967), Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). Haig's other memorable credits include George Lucas' THX 1138 (1971), and the James Bond opus Diamonds Are Forever (1971) (he is one of the Slumber Brothers, and got to toss a topless Lana Wood from the window of a high-rise Vegas hotel).

Among his most significant television credits are appearances on such landmark series as The A-Team (1983), T.J. Hooker (1982), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Quincy, M.E. (1976), Hart to Hart (1979), Fantasy Island (1977), Charlie's Angels (1976), Police Woman (1974), The Rockford Files (1974), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), Mannix (1967), Mission: Impossible (1966), Gunsmoke (1955), Get Smart (1965), Here's Lucy (1968), The Flying Nun (1967), Daniel Boone (1964), Star Trek (1966), Batman (1966) and The Untouchables (1959).

Sid was never one to give-up on anything but after nearly 40 years of carrying a gun (except for the occasional Jack Hill or Roger Corman film), his dreams of being recognized as a more than competent actor were fading. Then in 1992, frustrated with being typecast, Sid retired from acting and quoted, "I'll never play another stupid heavy again, and I don't care if that means that I never work, ever." This just proves that if you take a stand people will listen, for Quentin Tarantino wrote for Sid the role of the judge in Jackie Brown (1997). Then things got better, much better. During the mid and late 1990s, Sid managed a community theatre company, as well as dabbled occasionally in theater in Los Angeles.

Then in 2000, Sid came out of his self-imposed retirement at the request of Rob Zombie for a role in Zombie's debut film House of 1000 Corpses (2003). He starred as the fun-loving, but murderous, Captain Spaulding. This role breathed new life into Sid's acting career and earned him an award for Best Supporting Actor in the 13th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, as well as an induction into the Horror Hall of Fame. Sid's character Captain Spaulding became an icon for the new horror genre. Sid has recently enjoyed success as Captain Spaulding once again in Rob Zombie's follow-up to House of 1000 Corpses (2003), entitled, The Devil's Rejects (2005). For this film, Sid received the award for best Actor in the 15th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, as well as sharing the award for "Most Vile Villain" at the First Annual Spike TV Scream Awards with Leslie Easterbrook, Sheri Moon Zombie and Bill Moseley as The Firefly Family.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Sid continued to enjoy his renewed success as an actor. In September 2019, he was hospitalized after falling in his home in Los Angeles, California. While recovering, he suffered from a lung infection after vomiting in his sleep. He died on September 21, 2019, from complications of the infection at age 80.

Peter Macdissi is an actor and producer who can be seen in the comedy-drama film "Uncle Frank," written and directed by Alan Ball. Macdissi produced and co-stars alongside Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis. He portrays 'Wally' who joins a road trip with his partner 'Frank' (Bettany) and his niece 'Beth' (Lillis) from Manhattan to South Carolina to attend a funeral. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and can currently be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

In 2017, Macdissi executive produced The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the shockingly true story of an African-American woman who becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs in the early 1950s. The film was written and directed by George C. Wolfe and is based on the award-winning book by author Rebecca Skloot. Fellow producers included Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball.

Macdissi's extensive collaboration with Alan Ball consists of a vast array of film and television projects including the prolific HBO series Six Feet Under which garnered 44 Emmy Award nominations and 9 wins, 8 Golden Globe nominations, and achieved a total of 46 award wins. Macdissi won the Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble acting for a drama television series, in addition to critical and commercial praise. Variety included him as one of their featured players for his performance as 'Olivier,' the temperamental teacher of budding artist 'Claire' (Lauren Ambrose). He also served as an executive producer of the Cinemax series Banshee, which ran for four seasons. Macdissi portrayed 'Dr. Farid Shokrani' in the 2018 series Here and Now on HBO which he also executive produced. The series starred Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins.

Macdissi appeared in many films and television series including The Losers with Jeffery Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, and Idris Elba and Burning Palms alongside Rosemund Pike and Dylan McDermott. He also starred with Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, and Maria Bello in Towelhead as the domineering father, 'Rifat Maroun.' The film was based on the breakout 2005 novel by Alicia Erian, and made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Additional credits include writer/director Matthew Bright's film, Tiptoes, alongside Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey, and Kate Beckinsale. His other roles include Three Kings, from director David O. Russell which starred George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Bad Company, from director Joel Schumacher which starred Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. Jag, X-files and many other shows.

Macdissi was born in Beirut, Lebanon to a Lebanese father and an Armenian mother and his upbringing was influenced by both cultures. He grew up during the civil war and discovered an innate talent for performing when he would put on shows to distract the rest of his family from the gunfire and bombing taking place outside. At twelve years old, James Dean's mesmerizing performance in Rebel Without a Cause inspired Macdissi to dream about the possibility of an acting career in Hollywood. Despite living through the war and its horrors, his determination to pursue an acting career never wavered. He was accepted to the theater branch of the Institut De Beaux Arts, but the ongoing war kept shutting classes down so he left Lebanon to spend three years in Sweden where he learned Swedish and Swedish literature and embarked on a brief dancing career before being accepted to the Lee Strasberg Institute. He booked his first job three weeks after settling in Los Angeles.

Macdissi's fascination with people and cultures led him to travel extensively in Europe, South and Central America, North Africa and the Middle East. He speaks English, French, Arabic, Armenian, Swedish, and Spanish.

An avid equestrian and animal lover, Macdissi resides in Los Angeles.

Michel Legrand is a three-time Academy Award-winning French composer, conductor and pianist who composed over 200 film and television scores as well as recorded over a hundred albums of jazz, popular and classical music.

He was born on February 24, 1932, in Becon-les-Bruyeres, in the Paris suburbs, France. His father, Raymond Legrand, was a French composer and actor. His mother, Marcelle der Mikaelian, was descended from the Armenian bourgeousie. From 1942 - 1949 young Legrand studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire. There his teachers were Nadia Boulanger and Henri Challan among other renowned musicians. He received numerous awards for his skills in composition and piano and mastered a dozen other instruments. In 1947 he attended a concert by Dizzy Gillespie and caught a jazz bug. He started working as a pianist for major French singers. He eventually collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie on several albums and film scores.

In 1954 Legrand became an overnight star after his album "I Love Paris" became a hit, it went on selling over 8 million copies. He followed the success with such albums as "Holiday in Rome" (1955) and "Michel Legrand Plays Cole Porter" (1957). In 1958 he was invited to play at Moscow Festival of Students and Youth. There, in Moscow, he met his future wife, a young French model with who he went on to have three children.

In the late 1950s and 1960s Legrand was caught up in the French New Wave. He scored seven films for jean-Luc Godard, he also made ten films with Jacques Demy, and became responsible for creating the genre of musical in the French Cinema. In 1963 Legrand did The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), the first film musical that was entirely sung. For that film score he received three Oscar nominations. His beautiful, haunting melody, "I Will Wait For You", received nomination for Best Original Song.

In 1966 Legrand decided to take his chances in Hollywood, and moved to Los Angeles with his wife and three children. His friendship with Quincy Jones and Hank Mancini helped him a great deal, especially in meeting the lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. In 1969 Legrand won his first Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for "The Windmills of Your Mind" and was also nominated for Best Music, Original score for a Motion Picture for The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Eventually Legrand went on to become a star in the US, he received twelve nominations for Academy Awards, and won two more Oscars. He was also nominated for a Grammy 27 times and received 5 Grammys in the 1970s.

In the 1980s and 1990s Legrand continued giving live concerts with his own jazz trio. He also led his big band which he took on several international tours, accompanying such stars as Ray Charles , Diana Ross , Björk , and Stéphane Grappelli who celebrated his 85th birthday in 1992. He also recorded several classical albums, including an album with cross-genre hits entitled "Kiri Sings Michel Legrand" with the opera singer Kiri te Kanawa. During the 2000s Legrand has been working mainly in the studio, and also made several international tours.

In 2005 a compilation of Legrand's best known film soundtracks was released under the title "Le Cinema de Michel Legrand", featuring 90 songs composed in the course of his career.

Born and raised in Southern California, Ludwig is an actor, writer, director, and martial artist. He is an advocate for Armenian causes and an ensemble member in the "Big Bad Armo Show". The Los Angeles Times called his one-man show, "I Ask You Ladies and Gentlemen", "harrowing ...powerful...skillful". He has been nominated for a BackstageWest Garland Award for Best Performance. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Born in Tehran, Iran of Armenian descent, Anahid Avanesian has been recognized as a genuine comedic force on stage and on the small and big screens. Cutting her comedic chops in several years of sketch comedy for television, Avanesian is considered one of the top Armenian and Persian performers in Los Angeles and has recently received great reviews on stage playing the lead role of Tina in "I Don't Need a Psychiatrist," directed by Vahik Pirhamzei. She also played Linda in the Rafael Keri (Uncle Rafael) hit stage franchise of "Mez Lavutyan Chi Yekel", "Rafael Keri Gandzere", and "Rafael Keri Bartezeh." She toured nationally with the trilogy.

Anahid was featured in the acclaimed Iranian film Surviving Paradise, and has worked with some of the most noted Iranian stage directors of our time. Besides playing various roles, Avanesian has also written several episodes of "Richmond Comedy Club." She speaks Italian, Farsi, and Armenian.