Notable People Met

Ian McDiarmid was born on August 11, 1944 in Carnoustie, Tayside, Scotland. He studied for a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of St. Andrews, but eventually found that his calling was in theatre. He went to the Royal Academy in Glasgow, where he received the prestigious gold medal for his work. He now has a highly successful career as a theatre director, and from 1990 until his retirement in 2001, was Joint Artistic Director of London's Almeida Theatre in Islington. He and his co-director Jonathan Kent revived the Almeida and persuaded many Hollywood stars including Kevin Spacey, Ralph Fiennes and Anna Friel to tread the boards in their humble theatre. They won the coveted London Evening Standard Award in 1998 for their efforts. McDiarmid is also well known for his film and television appearances, and is perhaps most famous for his chilling performance as Emperor Palpatine in George Lucas's Star Wars films.

Initially not a science fiction fan, theatre actor Anthony Daniels was persuaded by his agent to meet George Lucas for the casting of C-3PO in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He went on to perform the character, both his voice and body in the suit, for all the episodic Star Wars films produced. Additionally, he performed the voice of the character for the radio serial based on the original trilogy and the animated series Star Wars: Droids (1985), Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), related series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Star Wars: Rebels (2014).

For Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), he wore a blue Spandex suit, as the android is incomplete in the film and ultimately produced in CGI. In addition to playing the golden droid, he appeared in a live action cameo in the nightclub scene of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and opera scene in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). As C-3PO, he played a small role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and The Lego Movie (2014).

Peter Mayhew was born on May 19, 1944 in Barnes, London, England, to Constance Elizabeth (Yeates) and Walter Henry Mayhew. Later resident in Texas, this former resident of Yorkshire, England, was working as a hospital attendant at the King's College Hospital in London when film producer Charles H. Schneer saw his photo, literally standing above the crowd around him. Schneer cast him in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), Ray Harryhausen's special effects film.

A year later, he was offered another role. Mayhew was told it was for a big hairy beast. It was the role of Chewbacca, the faithful 200 year-old Wookiee in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and his life was changed forever. Following the original Star Wars trilogy, he made several television commercials in the Wookiee costume.

In 1997, the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Star Wars were announced with the release of the "Special Edition" and all the conventions started. He was active on the "Star Wars" convention circuit where he signed autographs. He wrote two books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant", and founded a non-profit 501(c)3 charity organization called "The Peter Mayhew Foundation".

Billy Dee Williams was born William December Williams on April 6, 1937 in New York City. Billy Dee has notched up an impressive array of film and television appearances over the past 50+ years. He is easily best known to international film audiences as the roguish Lando Calrissian in the last two episodes of the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Williams can also be seen on screen in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Nighthawks (1981), Batman (1989), Moving Target (1996) and Undercover Brother (2002). A regular performer also in many fine quality television movies and television series.

English actor Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, the son of Susan J. (Pain) and Ashley Davis, an insurance broker. Davis was born with the condition spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenital (SED), which caused his dwarfism. He was educated at City of London Freemen's School. When he was 11 years old, his grandmother heard a radio appeal for people under four feet tall to appear in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). A huge Star Wars fan, Davis auditioned successfully and was cast as an extra, playing an Ewok. Kenny Baker was cast as lead Ewok Wicket, but fell ill so George Lucas chose Davis to replace him. The film was a smash hit, and Davis went on to reprise his role as Wicket in further TV projects - The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).

Davis next big role came with a part specifically written for him, as the titular hero in Willow (1988). Other successes followed with roles in such projects as Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989) and two distinctly different film series - the 'Harry Potter' and 'Leprechaun' film series. In 2006, he appeared in a cameo role in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's hit sitcom Extras (2005), which led to the pair writing a series specifically for Davis, the comic mockumentary Life's Too Short (2011).

Davis, along with his father-in-law Peter Burroughs, is also the director of an acting agency for very short and tall actors called Willow Management. He is married to Samantha Davis and they have a son and a daughter.

John Morton was born on 26 March 1947. He is an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Flash Gordon (1980) and Superman II (1980).

Cathy Munroe was born on October 7, 1959 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England. Cathy has three sisters and one brother. Munroe attended Italia Conti Stage School for four years in London, England. Moreover, Cathy not only was in the church choir for many years, but also was in a band called Encore. Munroe appeared in a handful of films in uncredited minor roles; she's probably best known for her small, but memorable part as the bounty hunter Zuckuss in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Moreover, Cathy has also acted under the name Katy Jarrett.

Bill Hargreaves was born in July 1954 in Wantage, Berkshire, England, UK. He was a set decorator, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), About a Boy (2002) and Legend (1985). He died on 19 March 2024 in Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK.

John started the improvisational duo group, "Sal's Meat Market", in Bridgeport, Connecticut with fellow actor and friend Ray Hassett. He was later affiliated with the ensemble group, "The Downtown Cabaret". Coincidentally, he was a friend of Susan Ryan, the mother of Meg Ryan. A mutual friend, also associated with "The Downtown Cabaret", was the daughter-in-law of actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of actor Jack Albertson.

Kevin is one of 6 siblings who always stole the scenes and attention since he was born. He performed in school plays and family skits while growing up. He attended Pasadena City College and Los Angeles Valley College studying cinematography while touring with The Original Harmonica Band and The Hollywood Shorties Smallest Sports Team. Along the way he started auditioning and landed a role in the classic sci-fi film Blade Runner (1982) delivering his first on camera line "Home again, home again jiggity jig, Good Evening JF". Later he would work again alongside Harrison Ford in the Star Wars IV-Return Of The Jedi (1983). He continued in the made for television movies as the Ewok Chukha Truk in The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewok Battle For Endor (1985). Kevin appeared in the 80's cult films Weird Science (1985), Amazing Stories (1985), Twilight Zone (1986), Night of The Creeps (1986), Garbage Pail Kids (1987), Spaced Invaders (1990), Looney Tunes Back In Action (2003) Epic Movie (2007)and Mirror Mirror(2012). Television brought Kevin into your living room with such shows as Married With Children, Growing Pains, Boy Meets World, Bob Newhart, Carol & Company, Ally McBeal, Charmed, Malcolm In The Middle and Dexter. A memorable moment for Kevin was being in the opera Tales Of Hoffman, sitting on the lap of Placido Domingo and his favorite role was starring as Micky alongside Carol Burnett. He has been published in the book "The Star Wars Vault" as well as several newspapers and magazines. Kevin has a few trading cards as the character Ali-Gator and his Ewok character.

Tim Rose was born on 17 July 1956 in Pittsfield, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Howard the Duck (1986) and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015).

Childhood performing included a professional magic act at the age of eight and a puppet show that ended in a pie fight at age nine! After becoming fascinated by The Muppet Show (1976), he knew that was the future for puppetry. He first met Jim Henson and his puppeteers as a fan in 1977, later visiting the set of "The Muppet Show", bringing along homemade Muppet style puppets on a regular basis and learning and receiving much encouragement.

Upon leaving school, he directly landed his first job as a Muppeteer in 1980 on The Great Muppet Caper (1981), filling in on crowd scenes and doubling up for main characters. This directly led to building Podlings and Slaves for The Dark Crystal (1982) and then actually performing the Slavemaster Skeksis for the film.

Many Muppet and creature film and television projects followed, including the noteworthy character Nien Nunb on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and assisting Frank Oz with the evergreen lovable Yoda.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, whilst continuing with his puppeteering career, he joined forces with fellow puppetmaster David Alan Barclay to create Ultimate Animates, a production company created to experiment and develop new building and performing techniques for many of their own internal as well as external puppet productions.

A natural progression for Mike was to explore the use of computer graphic technologies to assist and to open up the performing and acting possibilities for his characters. By early 1997, he moved to San Francisco to become a character animator for Pixar after being impressed by their character work. Although he animated on A Bug's Life (1998), his finest moment at Pixar was most definitely developing and animating on the 1950s style TV puppet show Woody's Round Up on Toy Story 2 (1999).

His desire to go full circle took him next to George Lucas's ILM, first animating the famed dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III (2001), then moving on to animate on Yoda along with many other creatures in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002).

Fresh from his time as an animator, he is busy acting on stage and screen and also once more puppeteering with The Muppets. He is also pursuing character voiceover work, and development on his own independent productions for future film and television projects.

Mark Dodson was born on 1 February 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Gremlins (1984), Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). He was married to Teresa Kay Willey and Tanya Lee Christopherson. He died on 2 March 2024 in Evansville, Indiana, USA.

Simon J. Williamson is known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and Top Secret! (1984).

Ahmed Best is an African-American actor, musician and dancer. He gained recognition for portraying Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). He would later reprise the role in the rest of the prequel trilogy, video games and cartoons as well as Robot Chicken Star Wars specials. He also voiced Louis Booker from Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A and Cloak from Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

At the age of 18, Amy Allen moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco. After graduating, she went to work for ILM. As a Production Assistant, she worked on several films, including Gangs of New York (2002), before going to work on Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002).

Bonnie Piesse first got into the business when she was 14. A friend of hers got an agent and began doing some work, and suggested she do the same. Bonnie got the very first role she auditioned for and played a Trapeze artist in the Australian children's television show, High Flyers (1999). She took six months off High School for the shoot. Bonnie picked up the guitar when she was 14 and started writing songs. She entered them in, and won a number of prestigious Songwriting Awards. In 2002, was selected with only a handful of the highest-achieving arts students from around Victoria, to perform in two "VCE-Season of Excellence" events, including one at the Melbourne Concert Hall.

Bonnie acted in other Australian TV shows, including Blue Heelers (1994), Stingers (1998), Horace & Tina (2001), and Last Man Standing (2005). Then came the job that has garnered her the most attention, by not only Australian audiences, but the world, as Luke Skywalker's foster mother, "Beru Whitesun", in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).

Bonnie then moved to LA where she met Grammy-winning Music Producer, Val Garay (Kim Carnes, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Santana). Val introduced her to many world class songwriters including Eric Kaz ("Love Has No Pride"), Bonnie Hayes ("Have a Heart"), Jack Tempchin ("Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Slow Dancing") and JD Souther ("Heartache Tonight", "New Kid In Town").

Her debut album, "The Deep End", will be released in January 2011 on Big Deal Records, and her song, "All I Have", was featured on Life Unexpected (2010) in Sept 2010 on the CW network.

Jerome Blake debuted as an actor with a part as one of the knights guarding Sean Connery in First Knight (1995). After playing a succession of roles, Nick Dudman Creature effects supremo called him to say: "I'm doing Star Wars now". After Jerome congratulated him, Nick simply said "Do you want to be in it?" Blake - a Star Wars fan since he saw the first movie on its opening day back in 1977- immediately said yes. A year later he had Seven different characters in "Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace". And reprised several of those roles in "Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones" and "Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith"

Cailey Fleming was born on 28 March 2007 in Picayune, Mississippi, USA. She is an actress, known for IF (2024), The Walking Dead (2010) and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015).

Spencer Wilding is a Welsh actor and special creature performer in the UK.

He is known for his interpretation of strong and imposing characters, often using prosthetics and makeup. He has appeared in films and series like Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, the saga Harry Potter, Wrath of the Titans (2012), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and Victor Frankenstein (2015).

In 2016, Wilding starred as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).

From his acting debut at age two on "The Andy Griffith Show" to his first lead role in the TV series "Gentle Ben," including roles throughout so many blockbuster films, art-house films, ever-popular cult horror films, and valued comedies, with a rare voice adding life to multiple characters of Disney, Clint Howard is an iconic Hollywood Legend who is ever solid, energetic, and always readily prepared to contribute his talents.

He is one of very few if any who has had a unique five-generation Star Trek run, including episodes in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds", "Star Trek: Discovery," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: Enterprise," all the way to "Star Trek: The Original Series."

Clint has played a variety of characters over the years in several classic films including "Frost/Nixon," "Apollo 13," the Austin Powers trilogy, "The Waterboy," "The Rocketeer," "Tango and Cash," and Disney's "The Jungle Book," along with hundreds of other titles through his 60 years of acting.

Clint Howard has played such a variety of roles ready to take on any acting challenge. He is the ultimate chameleon of television and film. He has consistently worked well alongside Hollywood's fellow top actors throughout the decades, and has fully committed himself to every character in parts large and small. He has carried unique roles echoing through the generations in some of Hollywood's most memorable roles, still driving forth full steam ahead, ready to take on his next acting persona.

Born James Jonah Cummings on November 3, 1952, he grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.

Sooner or later, he moved to New Orleans. There, he designed Mardi Gras floats, was a singer, door-to-door salesman, and a Louisiana riverboat deckhand.

Then Cummings moved to Anaheim, California, where he started his career playing Lionel from the program Dumbo's Circus (1985).

With hundreds of V/O credits to his name, Veteran Voice Monkey Steve Blum is best known as the voice of "Spike Spiegel" from Cowboy Bebop, "Wolverine" from several incarnations of X-Men (animated movies, games, the Wolverine and the X-Men TV Series, The Super Hero Squad Show, X-Men Anime and more), "Zeb Orrelios" and dozens of other characters from Star Wars: Rebels, "Orochimaru," "Zabuza," and others from Naruto, "Green Goblin" from the Spectacular Spiderman series, "Heatblast," "Vilgax" and "Ghostfreak" from Ben 10, "Grayson Hunt" (Bulletstorm) "Grunt" (Mass Effect 2 and 3),"Zoltan Kulle" from Diablo 3, "Abathur" from Starcraft 2:Heart of the Swarm, "Tank Dempsey" (Call of Duty), "Killer Croc" from Arkham Asylum, "Oghren" (DragonAge),"Vincent Valentine" (Final Fantasy VII), "Leeron" (Guren Lagann), "Jamie" from Megas XLR, "Storm Troopers" and many others in most of the Star Wars games, The voice of 7-11, dozens of Digimon and a gigantic list of other characters from Anime, Video Games, TV and Film. In 2012, Steve was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records as Most Prolific Voice Actor in Video Games - appearing in almost 300 games (now over 400!)

Lately you can catch him as Yumyan Hammerpaw in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, the terrible Jindiao in Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda: Paws of Destiny, more Star Wars stuff like The Mandalorian, Star Wars Resistance, Jedi: Fallen Order and as Admiral Karius in Vader Immortal, Wheeljack in the BumbleBee Feature film, Returning as Tank Dempsey in COD Black Ops 4, Grimstroke in Dota 2, Roy Evans in Angel of Vine - the true crime podcast, as "Shoe" and "Sparky" in Laika's The Boxtrolls, and as astronaut Quentin Thomas on Hip Hop superstar Logic's amazing albums "The Incredible True Story," "Everybody," and "Young Sinatra 4" and on camera in Logic's music videos for the songs "Everyday," "Take it Back," and "Icy."

Also appearing as "Nar Est" and "Rasper" in Amazon's Niko and the Sword of Light, "Frank" the flying monkey and others in Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz on Boomerang, as "Makucha" the Leopard on Disney's The Lion Guard and as Lovable Pub Thug "Attila Buckethead" and more in Disney's Tangled television series! And see if you can find his characters in Star Wars Star Wars Rogue One, Solo, and Rise of Skywalker, Incredibles 2, Goosebumps 2, Shazam and Critters Attack feature films!

And... in the Emmy award-winning Transformers: Prime, he played "Starscream." "Green Lantern" in Injustice 2, "Sub-Zero," "Reptile and "Bo'Rai Cho" in Mortal Combat X, "Baraka" and "Sub-Zero" in MK 11. Several characters in Wabbit, Ultimate Spider Man, Ben 10: Omniverse, The Regular Show, We Bare Bears, Doc McStuffins, Uncle Grandpa, Wander over Yonder, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Scooby Doo, Guild Wars 2, Peabody and Sherman, Pickle and Peanut, Transformers Rescue Bots, Young Justice, and as the terrifying anti-bender "Amon" on the hit series Avatar: The Legend of Korra! And every Saturday night, Steve continues to take the helm as "TOM," the robotic host of Cartoon Network's Toonami on Adult Swim.

If you're interested in learning the art of Voiceover from a guy who does a LOT of it, check out Steve's VO Webinar Teaching Series, newsletter and more at https://www.blumvoxstudios.com/ !

For more info, please visit www.steveblumvoices.com On Twitter and Instagram! @blumspew

Keone Young is an Asian-American actor who is known for playing Mr. Wu from Deadwood and voicing Kaz Harada from Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. He also acted in Men in Black 3, Samurai Jack, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Mighty B, American Dragon: Jake Long and the Spider-Man 3 video game. He speaks English, Japanese and Chinese.

Donald Faison was born on 22 June 1974 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Scrubs (2001), Clueless (1995) and Skyline (2010). He has been married to Cacee Cobb since 15 December 2012. They have two children. He was previously married to Lisa Askey.