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- Actor
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James Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey, to Santa (Penna), a high school lunchlady, and James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a bricklayer and head school janitor. His parents were both of Italian origin. Gandolfini began acting in the New York theater. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin. James' breakthrough role was his portrayal of Virgil the hitman in Tony Scott's True Romance (1993), but the role that brought him worldwide fame and accolades was as complex Mafia boss Tony Soprano in HBO's smash hit series The Sopranos (1999). He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2013 while vacationing in Italy.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jason Sudeikis was born on September 18, 1975 in Fairfax, Virginia as Daniel Jason Sudeikis. His father is Daniel Joseph Sudeikis, a Vice President of a business development and his mother is Kathryn (née Wendt), a travel agent at Brennco and President of the American Society of Travel Agents. He is of Lithuanian, Irish and German ancestry. He has two younger sisters, Lindsay, a high school teacher and basketball coach, and, Kristen Sudeikis, an actress and dancer in New York City. His maternal uncle is actor George Wendt.
Sudeikis grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, where he attended Brookridge Elementary School, before transferring to Holy Cross Catholic School. In 1990, he attended Jesuit Rockhurst High School, later transferring to Shawnee Mission West High School. He attended Fort Scott Community College on a basketball scholarship, but left before finishing. He began performing improvisational comedy at ComedySportz (now called Comedy City) in Kansas City.
Sudeikis moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he studied at the Annoyance Theatre and ImprovOlympic, and was one of the founding members of the long-form team, J.T.S. Brown (1998). He performed with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was later cast in The Second City's National Touring Company. In the early 2000s, he became a founding member of The Second City Las Vegas.
In 2003, Sudeikis was hired as a sketch writer for Saturday Night Live (1975) and would occasionally make bit appearances as audience members or extras. In May 2005, he became a featured player and was upgraded to repertory status in 2006. In July 2013, Sudeikis announced that he was leaving SNL, but still occasionally makes appearances.
Sudeikis is known for starring in the films, Horrible Bosses (2011), Hall Pass (2011), We're the Millers (2013), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), Sleeping with Other People (2015), Mother's Day (2016), Masterminds (2015), The Book of Love (2016), Colossal (2016) and voicing the character of Red in the animated-comedy, The Angry Birds Movie (2016).
From November 2011 until November 2020, Sudeikis was in a relationship with Olivia Wilde. They have two children, Otis Alexander Sudeikis (born April 20, 2014) and Daisy Josephine Sudeikis (born October 11, 2016).
Recently, Sudeikis has starred in the films, Downsizing (2017), Kodachrome (2017), Driven (2018) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019).- Actor
- Soundtrack
James Paul Marsden, or better known as just James Marsden, was born on September 18, 1973, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Kathleen (Scholz) and James Luther Marsden. His father, a distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences & Industry at Kansas State University, and his mother, a nutritionist, divorced when he was nine years old. James grew up with his four other siblings, sisters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and brothers, Jeff and Robert. He has English, German, and Scottish ancestry. During his teen years, he attended Putnam City North High School which was located in Oklahoma City. After graduating in 1991, he attended Oklahoma State University and studied Broadcast Journalism. While in university, he became a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
While vacationing with his family in Hawaii, he met actor Kirk Cameron, and his actress sister, Candace Cameron Bure. They eventually invited James to visit them in Los Angeles. After studying in Oklahoma State for over a year and appearing in his college production, "Bye Bye Birdie", he left school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his interest in acting. James got his first job on the pilot episode of The Nanny (1993) as Eddie, who was Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then became part of the Canadian television series, Boogies Diner (1994), which aired for one season. After that series ended, he got a brief role as the original Griffin on Fox's Party of Five (1994). His first big break came when he became the lead on the short-lived ABC series, Second Noah (1996). Although the show didn't last long, the young actor received enough exposure from the public and even managed to win the hearts of fellow teenage girls. In 1996, he attended an audition for a movie titled Primal Fear (1996) but unfortunately lost that role to Edward Norton. Two years later, he was offered a lead role in 54 (1998), which he turned down. The role later went to another actor, Ryan Phillippe.
James' star power increased when he starred in David Nutter's Disturbing Behavior (1998), alongside Katie Holmes and Nick Stahl, which had mixed reviews, but mostly positive ones. His role in the television series as Glenn Foy in Ally McBeal (1997), is probably one of his biggest achievement to date. He became one of the main cast members during the first half of season 5, where he showcased his singing abilities. It was in that show where he was able to grab the attention of audiences from different backgrounds. The 5' 10" star later played Lon Hammon Jr. in the romantic movie, The Notebook (2004), which was based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks of the same name. His movies, Lies and Alibis (2006) and 10th & Wolf (2006) was also released around the world to audiences in the year 2006. One of his most memorable roles to fans is his role as Cyclops in the X-Men (2000) movie franchise. The movie was well accepted by audiences and critics, which eventually made James one of the hottest stars since it was released. He was among the actors who starred in all three of the X-Men movies. James had the honor of working alongside Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen and Hugh Jackman in the film. However, not many people know that he actually had to wear lifts for most of his scenes in the X-men movies, because his character Cyclops is supposed to be 6" 3" compared to a 5' 3" Wolverine. In reality, he is actually under 6' 0", shorter than Famke Janssen who plays his love interest, Jean Grey, and even shorter than Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine.
In the year 2006, he played Richard White in the highly anticipated movie, Superman Returns (2006), which coincidentally was directed by Bryan Singer, who also directed previous X-Men installments. Although he appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), the third installment of the X-Men franchise, many would notice that he in fact had more screen time in 'Superman Returns', as Lois Lane's long awaiting fiancé who had to accept the fact that his fiancée is in love with the man of steel. James earned great reviews from that movie, which led to him getting more movie roles. In 2007, James played Corny Collins in the film Hairspray (2007), an adaption of the Broadway musical based on John Waters movie, Hairspray (1988). He joined a star-studded cast, starring alongside top names such as John Travolta, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer. James not only acted in that movie, but also sang two of the film's songs, "The Nicest Kids In Town", and "Hairspray". Being part of Hairspray catapulted James to a different level of stardom as audiences got to see another side of him. His next role was in the Disney movie, Enchanted (2007), playing Prince Edward, where he acted alongside Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon and Patrick Dempsey. Once again, James had the opportunity to sing in two songs from the movie, "True Love's Kiss" and "That's Amore". Enchanted (2007) appealed to not only older audiences but also to those who were fans of Disney's network productions. Following his huge success in the years 2006 and 2007, James played the male lead role in the romantic comedy, 27 Dresses (2008), opposite actress Katherine Heigl in 2008. The movie did well at the box office, earning a gross revenue of over $159 million, which exceeded the expectations of crew members especially since it was under a $30 million budget.
Marsden played the male lead in the horror film, The Box (2009), based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson. He starred opposite Cameron Diaz in the movie.
He co-starred in Accidental Love (2015) (previously Accidental Love (2015), a politically-themed romantic comedy, directed by David O. Russell and filmed in Columbia, South Carolina. Marsden's recent film roles include the sequel comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), the romantic drama The Best of Me (2014), and the comedy Unfinished Business (2015).
James was married to Lisa Linde, an actress known from her role in Days of Our Lives (1965). Lisa is the daughter of legendary country music songwriter Dennis Linde. The couple wed on July 22, 2000 and have a son, Jack Holden Marsden who was born on February 1, 2001, and a daughter, Mary James, who was born on August 10, 2005. They divorced in 2011. James has another son, born in 2012, with model Rose Costa.
Many would assume that with all this success achieved by James at this age, he would be somewhat high-headed but James mentioned that despite all the attention he's getting from the public eye, he tries to keep himself as grounded as possible. He even admits that he flies coach instead of first class while traveling with his family. In an interview he mentioned that he believes he has a certain responsibility to let his children know that he isn't special because of what he does, but who he is as a person. With a great humble attitude and a bright future ahead of him, there's definitely more to expect from this Oklahoma native.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Aisha Tyler is an award-winning director, actor, comedian, New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and activist. She is an Emmy-winning television host and multiple award-winning voice actor for Archer (2009).
Aisha's feature directorial debut, Axis (2017), was shot in just seven days on location in Los Angeles in 2015 on a crowdfunded budget. It won Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival and was chosen "Best of the Fest" at the Sarasota Film Festival. Scene Magazine said of AXIS, "the directorial debut of Aisha Tyler is a revelation... brilliant in every way." And Paste Magazine wrote: "to make a film this experimental, this compelling, your first time out as a director is just extraordinary." AXIS was released wide in 2018 and is available everywhere on multiple VOD platforms.
Aisha has directed several episodes of television, including Fear the Walking Dead (2015), Roswell, New Mexico (2019), and Criminal Minds (2005), where she made her television directing debut. She has also directed several short films as well as multiple music videos for rock artists Minke, Clutch, and Silversun Pickups. Aisha voices superspy Lana Kane on F/X's Emmy-winning hit Archer (2009). In 2013 Aisha took over for Drew Carey as host of the rebooted improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2013) for the CW.
Ms. Tyler is the founder of Courage+Stone, a line of premium ready-to-drink cocktails. Debuting in January 2020, the company donated a significant portion of its online to bar and restaurant workers put out of work during the coronavirus lockdown. She is one of just a handful of women of color founders in the spirits category.
Ms. Tyler's second book of comedic essays, Self-Inflicted Wounds, named for the popular segment of her podcast Girl on Guy, debuted on The New York Times bestseller list in 2013. She is also the author of Swerve: Reckless Observations of a Postmodern Girl
Ms. Tyler is a supporter of many charitable organizations, including The International Rescue Committee, Family Violence Prevention Fund, The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, the LA Mission and Doctors Without Borders.
A San Francisco native, Ms. Tyler graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Government and Environmental Policy. An avid gamer and passionate advocate of inclusion in the gaming community, Aisha's voice can be heard in the video games Halo:Reach; Gears of War 3, and Watch Dogs. Aisha is a whiskey lover, a hard rock fan, a snowboarder and sci-fi obsessive, and confounding to all who know her.- Tim McInnerny is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom Blackadder. McInnerny was born on 18 September 1956 in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, the son of Mary Joan (née Gibbings) and William Ronald McInnerny. He was brought up in Cheadle Hulme, and Stroud, Gloucestershire, and educated at Marling School, a grammar school in Stroud, and read English at Wadham College, Oxford, matriculating in 1976 after taking a gap year backpacking around the world.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Adeel was born in London on 18th September 1980 to a Pakistani father and a Kenyan mother and attended Cheltenham College throughout the 1990s. His father was keen for him to become a lawyer and he obtained a law degree but was more interested in acting and studied at the Actors' Studio in New York. He has made several stage appearances, including as Guildenstern in the Young Vic's 2011 production of 'Hamlet' but is best known for his television performances, being the first non-white actor to bag a BAFTA award as actor in a leading role for the single drama 'Murdered By My Father' and in 2018 will be seen as the villainous Thenardier opposite Olivia Colman and Dominic West in the BBC's serialization of 'Les Miserables'.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Charity Wakefield was born on 18 September 1980 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Wolf Hall (2015), The Player (2015) and Sense & Sensibility (2008).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Christina Chong is an international television and film actress who stars in the CBS series "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" as series regular 'La'an Noonien-Singh,' alongside Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn. The series expanded on the iconic franchise, with six new crew members on the USS Enterprise, alongside its familiar trio of lead characters. The series returns for its second season in June and has already been picked up for a third season. Alongside acting, Christina is now following her musical passion with a debut EP titled "Twin Flames" releasing in August.
For Christina, the focus on equality and diversity in the Star Trek franchise leads back to her own personal journey in Hollywood. Christina is the proud daughter of a Chinese father who immigrated to the UK from Hong Kong and English mother. Her tireless work ethic stems from watching her father working low wage jobs in restaurants, often jobs only immigrants would be willing to take on, and her mother staying at home raising six children. She credits her ability to succeed in the arts to her mother, when despite living in government housing and raising her family on welfare, always managed to support Christina's dreams.
She began in the performing arts at three years old with dance and attended Italia Conti (the UK equivalent to world famous Juilliard) for high school. It was there she cultivated her musical theater and acting skills staring as 'Anita' in West Side Story in her graduation show, before moving to Germany to star in the European premier of the musical Aida, written by Elton John and Tim Rice. To further her career, she moved to New York to study at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Soon after, she returned to London to pursue her acting career full time.
Her career has seen no bounds to what she can achieve. On the television side she can be seen in hit series such as Netflix's "Black Mirror," BBC America's "Doctor Who," Fox's "24: Live Another Day," "Halo: Nightfall" with Mike Colter, British crime drama "Line of Duty," and ITV's "Grace."
On the film side, she stars in Blockbuster hits such as Universal Pictures' "Johnny English Reborn," Warner Bros.' "Tom & Jerry: The Movie," which was nominated for 'The Family Movie of 2021' award at the People's Choice Awards, "Christmas Eve" with Cheryl Hines and Patrick Stewart, award winning independent feature "W.E." with Oscar Isaac, and "Legacy" with Idris Elba.
Christina's lifelong passion to release original music has emerged in the form of her debut EP titled Twin Flames (August 2023). Comprised of four original songs: "Twin Flames," "No Blame," "Can't Show Love," and "I Get to Choose," listeners are taken on a journey of passion, pain, healing, and self-love during and after a "twin flame" relationship; from meeting to breaking-up to the understanding of what happened, and ultimately finding happiness alone. For the production, Christina worked with Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Shania Twain), NUUXS (Major Lazer, Diplo), and Matt Brettle (Cat Burns, Ardee) through record label Goldun Egg.
Christina has spent the last decade and half, rediscovering who she is in Hollywood both personally and professionally, working with life coach Michael James. She hopes to share her story of dealing with rejection, personal development, and overcoming adversity with the world. Aside from being in front of the camera, she is writing and producing, drawing from personal experiences to create content that gives hope and inspires.- Actor
- Music Artist
Aidan is #2 on IMDB's "Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2020" and #7 on IMDB's "Top 10 Stars of 2020." He recently completed filming of Season 4 of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, starring as fan favorite character Number Five. Aidan's performance has been widely acclaimed as "...one of the show's main delights." -David Betancourt, The Washington Post
In August 2018, Aidan made Variety's Power of Young Hollywood Ones to Watch list being named as one of the top actors under the age of 25.
Aidan was twice Nominated Favorite Male TV Star for the Kids Choice Awards for his performance on his Emmy Award winning series "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn." Aidan also hosted The Kids Choice Sports Awards.
An up-and-coming singer-songwriter musician, Aidan was selected for the prestigious Big Break Accelerator Program Showcase for 2020 SXSW, making him the youngest ever singer solo artist to be selected to perform at SXSW.
While his Blue Neon Tour was placed on hold due to the Covid19 Pandemic, Gallagher's self-produced music singles were recognized in two prestigious competitions with several Honorable Mentions and a People's Choice Winner Award for his song '4th of July'. As an independent artist his music videos for his 6 debut singles garnered over 30 million combined views on his YouTube channel.
In June 2018, Aidan made history becoming the youngest United Nations Ambassador in their history. Aidan has represented the youth of the world on behalf of the United Nations for several climate action initiatives including speaking at the 2019 Global Climate Action Summit and hosting the Illegal Wildlife Trade Summit on invitation of the UK Government, introducing the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) to the stage.
Aidan is an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitar & piano player, and composer/ producer - his first passion is a love of the ocean and working to save the environment.- Alison Lohman was born in Palm Springs, California, to Diane (Dunham), a patisserie owner, and Gary Lohman, an architect. She grew up in a family with no showbiz connections but she always wanted to perform. By age 9, she had landed her first professional, theatrical role playing "Gretyl" in "The Sound of Music" at Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. At 11, Alison won the Desert Theater League's award for "Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical" for the title role in "Annie" and, by age 17, she had appeared in 12 different productions. An accomplished singer, she performed as a featured solo vocalist for Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and the Desert Symphony. As a senior in high school, Alison was an awardee of the National Foundation of the Advancement of the Arts. The offer of a scholarship to NYU's Tisch School soon followed but, instead, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. She attended a session of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
An award-winning Canadian actor, Christopher Heyerdahl co-stars in one of Amazon's number 1 series of 2021 Little Marvin's anthology series: "Them", "Chapelwaite" for Epix, James Gunn's "The Peacemaker", WGNA's "Pure", USA's "Damnation" Sky Atlantic's "Tin Star", SyFy's "Van Helsing" and AMC's hit series "Hell On Wheels," playing the enigmatic 'Swede." This post-Civil War drama debuted as the second highest rated original series in AMC history. He started 2021 shooting the feature "Corner Office" with director Joachim Back and has appeared in the feature films "Sicario: Day of The Soldado", "Adopt a Highway" and co-starring in Robert Budreau's "Stockholm".
Born in British Columbia, Heyerdahl is known internationally for his powerful performances in film, theatre and television. His previous credits include roles as H.P. Lovecraft in the Gemini award winning "Out Of Mind: The Stories Of H.P. Lovecraft"." Fluent in French, he also starred in Québecois films "Le Dernier Tunnel," "Cadavres" and "La Loi Du Cochon." All directed by Érik Canuel and many recurring roles in French language television.
Heyerdahl has an impressive list of television credits including recent guest starring roles on "50 States of Fright" ," Star Trek: Discovery", "Messiah", "Deadly Class", "Midnight, Texas", "Minority Report", "Vegas," "Castle," "CSI," and "Falling Skies," as well as recurring guest roles on "Supernatural," "Caprica," "Smallville," "Human Target," "Stargate Atlantis," the award-winning children's series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" In addition to Steven Spielberg's Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning mini-series "Into The West" for Dreamworks TNT.
In 2017 Heyerdahl was nominated for a both Canadian Screen Award and Leo Award for his portrayal of Sam on SYFY's Van Helsing. In 2015 he won a Leo Award for Best performance by a male (supporting) in a motion picture for "Eadweard" and Best Performance in a Children's Program for R.L. Stine's "The Haunting Hour - Fear Never Knocks" In 2012. Additionally, in 2010 and 2006 Heyerdahl won Leo Awards for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for "Sanctuary" and Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series respectfully for his performance as Jan Van Der Heyden in "The Collector."
In 2009, Heyerdahl was nominated for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for "Sanctuary- Revelations Part 2" and a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series, also for "Sanctuary."
On stage, Heyerdahl has a long list of theatre credits including "Love's Labour's Lost", "The Changeling" and "Knight of the Burning Pestle" at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, "The Glace Bay Miners' Museum", "The Last Comedy", and "Savage Love", to name a few.
Most recently, Heyerdahl shot a leading role alongside Susan Sarandon, Donald Sutherland and Ellen Burstyn in the indie crime-drama "The Calling," Gil Bellows in "3 Days in Havana" and Michael Eklund in "Eadwaerd." Heyerdahl is internationally known for his dual roles of John Druitt and Bigfoot in SyFy's hit series "Sanctuary" and the mega hit "Twilight" franchise as the "sensitive" Volturi Leader Marcus.- Actress
- Director
- Music Department
Tara Fitzgerald was born in Sussex, England. Her mother, Sarah Fitzgerald, is Irish, and her father, Michael Callaby, was Italian. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Freeport, in the Bahamas where her grandfather, David Fitzgerald, was a well-established lawyer. Her sister, Arabella Fitzgerald, was born there, but the family returned to London when Tara was three. Her mother and father separated when she was four-years-old and, along with her mother and sister, Tara moved in with her uncle and Aunt Caroline. Her mother married the Irish actor Norman Rodway when Tara was age 6, and the birth of her half-sister, Bianca Rodway, followed shortly thereafter. Rodway and Sarah Fitzgerald separated when Tara was seven.
Tara's formative years were spent moving around - a lifestyle that saw her attending five primary schools while living in a variety of locations which included Glasgow, Dublin, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Eventually, Sarah and her three daughters returned to South London, but she left at the age of 16 after passing her "O" level examinations, now known as the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams. Her reason for taking a break from the educational process was that she was not allowed to pursue her goal of attending drama school. Tara had auditioned for RADA and the Guildhall, but she was unable to secure a placement. She now recognizes that, at age 17, she really had not been ready.
Tara spent the next two years working her way around Europe as a waitress, an experience that provided her with an improved perspective. When she returned to London and decided to audition for a place at the Drama Centre, she was accepted immediately. Her training at the Drama Centre leaned heavily toward method acting which she recalls was like one long therapy session of breaking down the ego, and then rebuilding it. (Other well-known actors who trained at the Drama Centre include Anthony Hopkins, Colin Firth, Simon Callow and Pierce Brosnan).
Life at the Drama Centre consisted of long days and hard work, but Tara recalls the time as being one of the best in her life. She was living at home with her mother, and working as a waitress at "The Ark" restaurant in Kensington to repay the bank loan which she had secured to cover her tuition fees. A theatrical agent noticed her performance in an amateur production, and arranged for Tara to audition for a co-starring role in the offbeat comedy Hear My Song (1991). Tara was the first actress to audition and, after the director had seen another 300 young hopefuls, the role was hers. Two weeks after graduating from college in July, 1990, Tara was at work on a major film that turned out to be a surprise success, and generated rave reviews of her performance. Tara never looked back.
Starring roles in several successful television productions during 1991 and 1992 followed. Tara received critical acclaim for The Black Candle (1991), Six Characters in Search of an Author (1992), The Camomile Lawn (1992) and Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992). Her next major step was a co-starring role in the West End play, "Our Song", where she acquitted herself nightly opposite one of the legends of the London stage, Peter O'Toole. This success was followed by a role opposite Hugh Grant in the Australian hit film, Sirens (1994), for which the Australian Film Institute nominated Tara as Best Actress in a Lead Role.
An American mini-series, Fall from Grace (1994), was followed by the Irish film, A Man of No Importance (1994), which found Tara sharing honors with Albert Finney. Then came the two widely different television productions Mystery!: Cadfael (1994) (The Leper of St. Giles (#1.3)) and The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995).
Tara was back co-starring with Hugh Grant in The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995) before she embarked upon another major change of pace by playing "Ophelia" opposite Ralph Fiennes in "Hamlet" on the London and Broadway stages. Ralph received the notoriety, but Tara received the award for Best Supporting Actress from the New York Critics Circle.
Tara's next success was co-starring with Ewan McGregor in the highly acclaimed comedy/drama Brassed Off (1996). Then, it was back to BBC television for The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996), The Woman in White (1997) and The Prince of Hearts (1997), all of which were featured on the U.S. mainstay, "Masterpiece Theatre". Tara's next theatrical film was Conquest (1998), which was produced in Canada. Back on the British side of the Atlantic, Tara starred in the contemporary Little White Lies (1998) and the Daphne Du Maurier swashbuckler (also featured on Masterpiece Theatre) Frenchman's Creek (1998), for which she received the award for Best Actress at the 1999 Reims International Television Festival.
A major part in the film Childhood (2001) (which, regrettably, has never been released) was followed by the harrowing role of a stalked woman in the psychological drama In the Name of Love (1999). Radio dramatizations have included "A Handful of Dust", "Look Back in Anger", "The African Queen" and, most recently, "Laughter in Leningrad".
Tara has been heard as the voice of the narrator in such diverse television mini-series as Wild Thing (Animal Life), The Final Day (Celebrity Deaths), Vice - Inside Britain's Sex Business (Self-explanatory), Reputations (Biographies), Omnibus: A Long Time Ago, The Story of Star Wars (TV Special) and, most recently, The Changemakers.
You also will hear Tara's great voice doing radio and television advertisements for products ranging from Johnson's Facial Wipes to Norwich Union Insurance.
Tara's recent cinematic appearances have included co-starring with Rutger Hauer in New World Disorder (1999), and starring opposite Rhys Ifans and Joseph Fiennes in Rancid Aluminum (2000).
During this period, Tara appeared on stage in the title role of "Antigone", and as "Blanche du Bois" in "A Streetcar Named Desire".
In 2001, Tara appeared as the female lead in the World War II drama, Dark Blue World (2001) (aka "Dark Blue World"), a Czech film by Academy Award-winning director Jan Sverák (Kolya (1996)). She was also seen on the big screen in I Capture the Castle (2003), a romantic comedy based upon the 1948 novel by Dodie Smith (101 Dalmatians).
Tara's recent television work has included a starring role in a segment of the highly-regarded psychological drama series Murder in Mind (2001), Echoes (2003). She also played the leading female role in Love Again (2003), a dramatization of the life of British poet Philip Larkin, which was telecast on the BBC in July.
Tara has completed work on Secret Passage (2004) opposite John Turturro, a period drama which is set in Venice during the Spanish Inquisition, and Five Children and It (2004), a family adventure film based on E. Nesbit's classic 1902 novel, which was released in the U.K. on October 22, 2004. During the late winter and early spring of 2004, Tara completed a very successful tour of the United Kingdom playing the role of "Nora Helmer" in "A Doll's House", for which she received high critical acclaim. In the fall of 2004, she began a tour in the role of "Mara Hill" in a new comedy "Clouds", by Michael Frayn.
During her career, Tara has picked her roles cautiously, always seeking to play the role of a strong woman. She feels that playing characters who have weak and insipid parts do not provide her with the motivation that the role of a strong woman can deliver. She has been remarkably successful in a variety of genre ranging from historical costume dramas (The Woman in White (1997), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996) and Frenchman's Creek (1998)), to contemporary psychological suspense dramas (Little White Lies (1998) and In the Name of Love (1999)), as well as comedy dramas (Brassed Off (1996) and Conquest (1998)), and offbeat comedies (Sirens (1994) and The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995)). Her fine performance in the World War II drama Dark Blue World (2001) (aka "Dark Blue World") and her recent work on stage give further evidence of her acting versatility.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Robsol Grant Pinkett, Jr., a contractor, and 'Gammy' Adrienne Banfield Norris, a nurse. They divorced after only a few months of marriage. Her father is of African-American descent and her mother is of Afro-Caribbean ancestry (from Barbados and Jamaica). Jada majored in dance and choreography at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where one of her classmates was Tupac Shakur. She spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Her big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of a college frosh on the television sitcom A Different World (1987). She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Society (1993). She did not gain widespread recognition, however, until her role opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). In addition to being in front of the camera, she has spent time behind it directing music videos. Pinkett-Smith is married to Will Smith, and they have a son, Jaden Smith; and a daughter, Willow Smith.- Gerry Bamman was born on 18 September 1941 in Independence, Kansas, USA. He is an actor, known for Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) and The Secret of My Success (1987).
- Nina Arianda made her break-out debut in the 2010 off-Broadway production of Venus in Fur just months after graduating from NYU's Tisch graduate acting program. Her performance garnered the attention of the entire New York theater community. Following her off-Broadway acclaim, Nina procured roles in Woody Allen's Oscar-winning film Midnight in Paris (2011), Tom McCarthy's Win Win (2011), and Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground (2011). Venus in Fur transferred to Broadway in 2011 where Nina's performance went on to become the most critically acclaimed of the 2011-2012 season resulting in her winning the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. This recognition followed her 2011 nod for her Broadway debut performance as "Billie Dawn" in Born Yesterday.
In 2011, Nina appeared in Universal's Tower Heist (2011) starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy and made her network television debut on the Emmy-winning series The Good Wife (2009). In addition to the Tony Award, Nina has been honored with numerous accolades for her work in the theater including recognition from The Drama League, an Outer Critics Circle Award, the Actors' Equity Association Clarence Derwent Award, the Theater World Award and the Clive Barnes Award. Nina was named 2011 Stage Star of the Year by New York Magazine, and topped Forbes Magazine's 2011 Top 30 Under 30 in entertainment list. She was also honored by Marie Claire Magazine with their 2012 Women on Top Award for top performer.
Following Venus in Fur's successful Broadway run, Nina has appeared on NBC's landmark series 30 Rock (2006), and CBS' Hostages (2013). She can be seen in the recently released films Lucky Them (2013) starring Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church and Oliver Platt, Rob the Mob (2014) where she stars alongside Michael Pitt, Andy Garcia and Ray Romano, and in the 2014 films The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014), starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, and The Humbling (2014) directed by Barry Levinson, starring Al Pacino, and will be starring with Sam Rockwell in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love at Williamstown Theater Festival beginning July 2014. - Actor
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Billy Eichner was born on September 18, 1978 and raised in New York City. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School (NY) in 1996. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he majored in Theater.
He is the star, executive producer and creator of Billy on the Street (2011), a comedy game show that airs on Fuse TV.
Billy will be a voiceover guest star on a season two episode of the animated series, Bob's Burgers (2011). He has been a regular performer at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He is also a commentator on pop culture, via his Twitter account.- Patrick Schwarzenegger was born September 18, 1993, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He graduated USC with a degree in Business and a minor in cinematic arts. Patrick started studying acting with Nancy Banks while at college. He is known for being GoldenBoy in GenV (2023), as well as starring opposite Collin Firth in HBO highly acclaimed "The Staircase" (2022).
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Legendary voice actress June Foray was born June Lucille Forer on September 18, 1917 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Maurice Forer and Ida Edith Robinson, who wed in Hampden, Massachusetts. Her father, who was Jewish, emigrated from Novgorod, Imperial Russia, while her Massachusetts-born mother was of Lithuanian Jewish and French-Canadian descent. Her mother converted to Judaism to marry, and took the name Sarah.
At age 12, young June was already doing "old lady" voices. She had the good fortune of having a speech teacher who also had a radio program in the Springfield area. This teacher became her mentor, and added June to the cast of her show. Eventually her family moved to Los Angeles, where she continued in radio. By age fifteen, she was writing her own show for children, "Lady Makebelieve", in which she also provided voices. June dabbled in both on-camera acting and voice work, but was particularly talented in voice characterizations, dialects and accents. Just like Daws Butler, one of her later co-stars, she was a "voice magician" and worked steadily in radio from the 1930s into the 1950s.
June branched out from radio and began providing voices for cartoon characters. In the 1940s, she provided the voices for a live-action series of shorts, "Speaking of Animals", in which she dubbed in voices for real on-screen animals, a task she was to repeat many years later in an episode of The Magical World of Disney (1954). In the late 1940s June, Stan Freberg, Daws Butler, Pinto Colvig and many others recorded hundreds of children's and adult albums for Capitol Records. Her female characterizations on these records ran the entire gamut from little girls to middle-aged women, old ladies, dowagers and witches. No one seemed to be able to do these same voices with the warmth, energy and sparkle that June did.
In the 1950s June's star in animation not only began to rise but soared when Walt Disney sought her out and hired her to do the voice of Lucifer the cat in Cinderella (1950). The Disney organization continued to use June many times over, well into the 21st century. Warner Brothers also hired her to replace Bea Benaderet and do all of its "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons. June has done many incidental characters for Warners, but her most famous voice has been that of Granny (in the "Tweety and Sylvester" series). Unfortunately, since Mel Blanc's contract called for exclusive voice credit on these cartoons, June never received credit for all the voices she did. During this time she also appeared on [error].
In 1957, Jay Ward met with June to discuss her voicing the characters of "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" and "Natasha Fatale" in a cartoon series. On November 19, 1959, the show debuted as The Bullwinkle Show (1959), later changing its name to The Bullwinkle Show (1959). June provided many other voices for this show, especially its "side shows" such as "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Aesop and Son". She did fewer voices for the "Peabody's Improbable History" segment, but she did appear in at least three of those episodes. After the show had been successful for a few years, Ward added one of its most popular segments, "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties". June was a regular in this side show as Dudley's girlfriend Nell Fenwick.
Since Ward used June exclusively for nearly all his female voices, he showcased her talents as no other producer had before. June missed out on doing voices for three of the show's "Fractured Fairy Tales" because she could not reschedule some bookings to do recording work with Stan Freberg, so Julie Bennett filled in for her on those occasions. Dorothy Scott--co-producer Bill Scott's wife--also filled in for June a few times for "Peabody's Improbable History". Her collaboration with Ward made her incredibly famous, and "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" became her signature voice. To this day June regularly wears a necklace with the figure of Rocky sculpted by her niece Lauren Marems.
Ward later produced two other cartoon series, Hoppity Hooper (1964) and George of the Jungle (1967). June's appearances on "Hoppity Hooper" were limited to the segments of "Fractured Fairy Tales", "Dudley Do-Right" and "Peabody" that aired during its run. On "Fractured Fairy Tales" June did a whole montage of voices similar to those from her Capitol Records days. Her witch voices were so incredibly funny and magnificently done that Disney and Warner Brothers tapped her to provide that same voice for the character of Witch Hazel. She was once again the lone female voice artist, this time on "George of the Jungle". Included on that show were the "Super Chicken" and "Tom Slick" side shows.
In the 1960s, June lost out to Bea Benaderet when she auditioned for the voice of "Betty Rubble" on The Flintstones (1960). June appeared numerous times during the decade in holiday specials such as Frosty the Snowman (1969) and The Little Drummer Boy (1968)). In the 1960s and 1970s, June dubbed in voices for full-length live-action feature films many times. Jay Ward and Bill Scott also had her dub in dialogue for silent movies in their non-animated series Fractured Flickers (1963).
In the early 1970s, June tried her hand at puppetry. She became the voice of an elephant, an aardvark and a giraffe on Curiosity Shop (1971). Around this time she also recorded various voices for the road shows of "Disney on Parade", which toured the US and Europe for several years.
She acted on-camera occasionally over the years, primarily on talk shows, game shows and documentaries; in the early years of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), she performed a 13-week stint as a little Mexican girl. However, June had said that she prefers to record behind the scenes because she jokingly said "She can earn more money in less time."
June Foray died on July 26, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. She was ninety nine years old.- Actor
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Fred Willard radiated a unique charm that established him as one of the industry's most gifted comic actors, first coming to prominence as ambitious but dimwitted sidekick Jerry Hubbard to Martin Mull's smarmy talk-show host Barth Gimble in the devastating satirical series Fernwood Tonight (1977). A master of sketch comedy, he was most heralded for his quick wit and improvisational expertise. His 50 appearances in sketches on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) were indicative of his ability to transform any character into a unique comic portrayal. Fred starred in an oft sold-out one-man show, "Fred Willard: Alone At Last!" (actually with a cast of 12) that received two Los Angeles Artistic Director Awards, for Best Comedy and Best Production. He was also an alumnus of The Second City and headed a sketch comedy workshop, The MoHo Group.- Anna Thomson was born on 18 September 1953 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for True Romance (1993), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and Unforgiven (1992).
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Babs Olusanmokun is an actor, best known for Denis Villeneuve's Academy Award-winning Dune (2021), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 - ), Nicolas Winding Refn's Too Old To Die Young (2019), Black Mirror (2017). He is multilingual, fluent in Portuguese, French and Yoruba and a third degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He lives in New York City.- Actor
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American actor who began as a child in Our Gang comedies and reappeared as a powerful adult performer of leading and character roles. Born in New Jersey, the young Mickey Gubitosi won a role in MGM's Our Gang series at the age of 5. As one of the more prominent children in the Gang, he gained attention for his cute good looks and his lovable, if somewhat melancholy, personality.
In 1940 he took on the stage name Bobby Blake (though he continued to use the name Mickey Gubitosi in the Our Gang series for another three years) and began playing child roles in a wide range of films. He gained a good deal of fame as the Indian sidekick Little Beaver in the Red Ryder series of Westerns. Though roles were sporadic as he grew to manhood, he was never long off the screen (except for a period of military service, 1954-56). But despite some fine work in films like Pork Chop Hill (1959) and Town Without Pity (1961), his career did not take off until his stunning portrayal of killer Perry Smith in In Cold Blood (1967). A number of telling performances in films of the next decade, stardom in a popular television series (Baretta (1975), and several ruefully comic appearances as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) made him a popular figure even as his personal difficulties increased.
Consumed with anger over his treatment by his family and the studio as a child, he denigrated his early work, suffered bouts of difficulty with drugs, and became known as a difficult, perfectionist person to work with. He quit his successful TV series Hell Town (1985) when his personal demons became overwhelming. After a self-imposed exile of nearly eight years, during which he struggled to right his life, he successfully returned to films and television work, appearing renewed and more confident in himself and his work.
In 2001, though, the murder of his wife, Bonnie Bakley, thrust Blake into the limelight in a different way. Admittedly having married Bakley through the coercion of her pregnancy, a routine Bakley had apparently tried with various other celebrities, Blake made no denial of his distaste for the woman, but was by all accounts thrilled with the daughter born to them. Blake was arrested for his wife's murder, but the presumption of innocence trumped when jurors didn't believe what they thought was flimsy evidence, and Blake was acquitted in a trial that made worldwide headlines. Reportedly broke from legal costs, Blake indicated hopefulness that he might be allowed to return to acting work, though a number of self destructive psychological issues, as well as an increasingly strained relationship with his daughter proved unable to save his career. Although Blake did clean up his habits, he retired from acting after starring in the David Lynch film Lost Highway, released in 1997, and was nevertheless weakened by health issues which contributed to his death in 2023.- Actor
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The Topeka, Kansas native's career began after he graduated from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater. He quickly found success as a model and moved to Los Angeles in 1999, when he scored the lead on the NBC hit, Passions (1999).
Acting is just one of Schuldt's many talents. In 2004, Schuldt worked with director Jonathan Walls and writer/actor/producer Jay Thames to create, write, finance, produce and star in the critically acclaimed independent film, Automatic (2005), which found enthusiastic audiences as an official selection at SXSW, Woodstock, Starz Denver, and the Deep Ellum Film Festival in Dallas.
Schuldt is also very active in the Lone Star Ensemble, the nonprofit theater group he founded in 2000, and the production company 35 Terrace.- Actor
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Jack Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter, Jr. on September 18, 1920 in Newark, New Jersey, to Laura M. (Costello) and John Warden Lebzelter. His father was of German and Irish descent, and his mother was of Irish ancestry. Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, at the age of seventeen, young Jack Lebzelter was expelled from Louisville's DuPont Manual High School for repeatedly fighting. Good with his fists, he turned professional, boxing as a welterweight under the name "Johnny Costello", adopting his mother's maiden name. The purses were poor, so he soon left the ring and worked as a bouncer at a night club. He also worked as a lifeguard before signing up with the U.S. Navy in 1938. He served in China with the Yangtze River Patrol for the best part of his three-year hitch before joining the Merchant Marine in 1941.
Though the Merchant Marine paid better than the Navy, Warden was dissatisfied with his life aboard ship on the long convoy runs and quit in 1942 in order to enlist in the U.S. Army. He became a paratrooper with the elite 101st Airborne Division, and missed the June 1944 invasion of Normandy due to a leg badly broken by landing on a fence during a nighttime practice jump shortly before D-Day. Many of his comrades lost their lives during the Normandy invasion, but the future Jack Warden was spared that ordeal. Recuperating from his injuries, he read a play by Clifford Odets given to him by a fellow soldier who was an actor in civilian life. He was so moved by the play, he decided to become an actor after the war. After recovering from his badly shattered leg, Warden saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, Nazi Germany's last major offensive. He was demobilized with the rank of sergeant and decided to pursue an acting career on the G.I. Bill. He moved to New York City to attend acting school, then joined the company of Theatre '47 in Dallas in 1947 as a professional actor, taking his middle name as his surname. This repertory company, run by Margo Jones, became famous in the 1940s and '50s for producing Tennessee Williams's plays. The experience gave him a valuable grounding in both classic and contemporary drama, and he shuttled between Texas and New York for five years as he was in demand as an actor. Warden made his television debut in 1948, though he continued to perform on stage (he appeared in a stage production in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (1966)). After several years in small, local productions, he made both his Broadway debut in the 1952 Broadway revival of Odets' "Golden Boy" and, three years later, originated the role of "Marco" in the original Broadway production of Miller's "A View From the Bridge". On film, he and fellow World War II veteran, Lee Marvin (Marine Corps, South Pacific), made their debut in You're in the Navy Now (1951) (a.k.a. "U.S.S. Teakettle"), uncredited, along with fellow vet Charles Bronson, then billed as "Charles Buchinsky".
With his athletic physique, he was routinely cast in bit parts as soldiers (including the sympathetic barracks-mate of Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra in the Oscar-winning From Here to Eternity (1953). He played the coach on TV's Mister Peepers (1952) with Wally Cox.
Aside from From Here to Eternity (1953) (The Best Picture Oscar winner for 1953), other famous roles in the 1950s included Juror #7 (a disinterested salesman who wants a quick conviction to get the trial over with) in 12 Angry Men (1957) - a film that proved to be his career breakthrough - the bigoted foreman in Edge of the City (1957) and one of the submariners commended by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster in the World War II drama, Run Silent Run Deep (1958). In 1959, Warden capped off the decade with a memorable appearance in The Twilight Zone (1959) episode, The Lonely (1959), in the series premier year of 1959. As "James Corry", Warden created a sensitive portrayal of a convicted felon marooned on an asteroid, sentenced to serve a lifetime sentence, who falls in love with a robot. It was a character quite different from his role as Juror #7.
In the 1960s and early 70s, his most memorable work was on television, playing a detective in The Asphalt Jungle (1961), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965) and N.Y.P.D. (1967). He opened up the decade of the 1970s by winning an Emmy Award playing football coach "George Halas" in Brian's Song (1971), the highly-rated and acclaimed TV movie based on Gale Sayers's memoir, "I Am Third". He appeared again as a detective in the TV series, Jigsaw John (1976), in the mid-1970s, The Bad News Bears (1979) and appeared in a pilot for a planned revival of Topper (1937) in 1979.
His collaboration with Warren Beatty in two 1970s films brought him to the summit of his career as he displayed a flair for comedy in both Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). As the faintly sinister businessman "Lester" and as the perpetually befuddled football trainer "Max Corkle", Warden received Academy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actor. Other memorable roles in the period were as the metro news editor of the "Washington Post" in All the President's Men (1976), the German doctor in Death on the Nile (1978), the senile, gun-toting judge in And Justice for All (1979), the President of the United States in Being There (1979), the twin car salesmen in Used Cars (1980) and Paul Newman's law partner in The Verdict (1982).
This was the peak of Warden's career, as he entered his early sixties. He single-handedly made Andrew Bergman's So Fine (1981) watchable, but after that film, the quality of his roles declined. He made a third stab at TV, again appearing as a detective in Crazy Like a Fox (1984) in the mid-1980s. He played the shifty convenience store owner "Big Ben" in Problem Child (1990) and its two sequels, a role unworthy of his talent, but he shone again as the Broadway high-roller "Julian Marx" in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994). After appearing in Warren Beatty's Bulworth (1998), Warden's last film was The Replacements (2000) in 2000. He then lived in retirement in New York City with his girlfriend, Marucha Hinds. He was married to French stage actress Wanda Ottoni, best known for her role as the object of Joe Besser's desire in The Three Stooges short, Fifi Blows Her Top (1958). She gave up her career after her marriage. They had one son, Christopher, but had been separated for many years.- Actor
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Michael will next be seen in the Peacock Limited Series Lockerbie, opposite Colin Firth. He recently appeared alongside Mark Wahlberg in the feature film Arthur the King and played Vic Damone in the Paramount + series The Offer directed by Dexter Fletcher.
Prior to that he was on our screens as series regular Greg Turner in the award-winning drama series Cruel Summer.
Other recent screen credits include roles in Netflix's Traitors opposite Michael Stuhlbarg, Amazon's You are Wanted opposite Matthias Schweighofer, the lead role in the SKY action-adventure series Hooten and the Lady, features Angel Has Fallen with Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler, and Luxor opposite Andrea Riseborough.
On stage, Michael's recent work includes All The President's Men?, directed by Nicholas Kent, at The National Theatre. He played the lead role in David Mamet's House Of Games at the Almeida Theatre as well as Harry in the west end production of When Harry Met Sally, opposite Molly Ringwald.
Other notable roles include BBC drama Upstairs Downstairs, Silent Witness, and the BBC comedy Love Soup opposite Tamsin Grieg. As a producer, he co-created and starred in the Fox pilot Played opposite Vanessa Kirby.
Michael was born in the Bronx, New York.