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Born on October 1, 1921, in White Plains, New York, gruff veteran character actor James Whitmore earned early and widespread respect with his award-winning dramatic capabilities on Broadway and in films. He would later conquer TV with the same trophy-winning results.

The son of James Allen Whitmore and Florence Crane, he was educated at Connecticut's Choate School after receiving a football scholarship. He later earned his BA from Yale University in 1944 before serving with the Marines in World War II. Following his honorable discharge he prepared for the stage under the G.I. bill at the American Theatre Wing, where he met first wife Nancy Mygatt. They married in 1947 and went on to have three sons together -- Steve, Dan and actor/director James Whitmore Jr..

Applause and kudos came swiftly for Whitmore while under both the Broadway and film banners. After appearing with the Peterborough, New Hampshire, Players in the summer of 1947 in "The Milky Way," Whitmore made a celebrated Broadway debut as Tech Sergeant Evans in "Command Decision" later that year. His gritty performance swept the stage acting trifecta -- Tony, Donaldson and Theatre World awards. In later years Whitmore would often comment that most of his satisfaction came from performing on the live stage.

Hollywood soon took notice of Whitmore. Clark Gable happened to be starring in the film version of Command Decision (1948), and it was hoped that Whitmore would get to recreate his award-winning role. But it was not to be. Song-and-dance star Van Johnson, who was looking for straight, serious roles after a vastly successful musical career, was given the coveted part. The disappointment didn't last long, however, and Whitmore made an auspicious film bow the following year with a prime role in the documentary-styled crime thriller The Undercover Man (1949) starring Glenn Ford and Nina Foch. Whitmore scored brilliantly with his second film as well. Battleground (1949), another war picture, was highly praised and the actor became the talk of the town upon its initial release, grabbing both the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for "supporting actor" for his efforts.

Hardly the handsome, matinée lead type, Whitmore nevertheless primed himself up for leading roles in a character vein and found a fine range of material come his way. He showed off his soft inner core as a religious, moral-minded family man opposite Nancy Reagan [Reagan] in the inspirational drama The Next Voice You Hear... (1950); featured his usual saltier side alongside Marjorie Main in Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950); ably portrayed a hunchbacked crook in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and displayed customary authority as a security chief in the stoic military drama Above and Beyond (1952) starring Robert Taylor. Elsewhere, he played it strictly for laughs as a Runyonesque gangster partnered with Keenan Wynn in the classic MGM musical Kiss Me Kate (1953); portrayed a valiant cop fighting off gigantic mutant ants in the intelligent sci-fi thriller Them! (1954); a hard-hitting social worker in Crime in the Streets (1956) and even made the most of his small role as Tyrone Power's manager in The Eddy Duchin Story (1956).

By 1959, the craggy-faced actor known for his trademark caterpillar eyebrows, turned more and more toward the small screen, with memorable roles in The Twilight Zone (1959), The Detectives (1959) (working again with Robert Taylor), Ben Casey (1961) and a host of live theater dramas. He also starred in his own series as attorney Abraham Lincoln Jones in The Law and Mr. Jones (1960), which lasted two seasons.

Every so often a marvelous character would rear its pretty head and interest him back to the big screen. Notable of these were his white man passing for black in the controversial social drama Black Like Me (1964); his weary veteran cop in Madigan (1968); and his brash, authoritative simian in the classic sci-fi Planet of the Apes (1968).

Divorced from wife Nancy after more than two decades, Whitmore married actress Audra Lindley, best known on TV as Mrs. Roper of Three's Company (1976) fame, in 1972. The couple forged a strong acting partnership as well, particularly on stage, and maintained a professional relationship long after their 1979 divorce. Whitmore and Lindley were lauded for their appearances together in such plays as "The Magnificent Yankee," "On Golden Pond," "The Visit," "Foxfire" and "Love Letters," among others.

In the 1970s the actor transformed into a magnificent one-man-show machine playing such celebrated and inspiring historical/entertainment icons as Will Rogers, Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt. He disappeared into these historical legends so efficiently that even the powers-that-be had the good sense to preserve them on film and TV in the form of Will Rogers' USA (1972); Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975), which earned him his second Oscar nomination; and Bully: An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt (1978).

In his twilight years, Whitmore showed he still had what it took to touch movie audiences, most notably as the fragile prisoner-turned-parolee who cannot adapt to his late-life freedom in the classic film The Shawshank Redemption (1994). On TV he continued to win awards, copping a TV Emmy for a recurring part on The Practice (1997) in the late 1990s. A household face in commercials as well, one of his passions was gardening and he eventually became the spokesman for Miracle-Gro plant food.

Whitmore remarried (and re-divorced, 1979-1981) his first wife Nancy briefly before finding a lasting union with his fourth wife, actress-turned-author Noreen Nash, whom he married broaching age 80 in 2001. Whitmore died of lung cancer on February 6, 2009, after having been diagnosed in mid-November 2008.

Ralph Waite was born in White Plains, New York on June 22, 1928. Educated at Bucknell University where he graduated with a BA degree, Waite existed rather aimlessly as a young adult while trying to find his way in the world. Occupations came and went, including social worker, religious editor for Harper & Row, and even Presbyterian minister after spending three years at the Yale School of Divinity. At age 30, however, he began to study acting and found his true life's passion.

Waite made his professional NY debut in a 1960 production of "The Balcony" at the Circle in the Square and was seen on Broadway in "Blues for Mister Charlie" before earning fine reviews in 1965 alongside Faye Dunaway in "Hogan's Goat". This was enough to encourage him to move West where he began collecting bit parts in prestigious movies, including Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Five Easy Pieces (1970). One of those films, the coming-of-age Last Summer (1969) starred an up-and-coming talent named Richard Thomas, who, of course, would figure prominently in Waite's success story in years to come. Waite continued to thrive as well on the stage appearing in both contemporary plays ("The Trial of Lee Harvey Osward") as well as Shakespearean classics (Claudius in "Hamlet" and Orsino in "Twelfth Night").

Stardom came for him in the form of the gentle, homespun Depression-era series The Waltons (1972). In the TV-movie pilot, the roles of John and Olivia Walton were played by Andrew Duggan and Patricia Neal. The Earl Hamner Jr. series, however, would welcome Waite along with Michael Learned, and make both, as well as Richard Thomas playing their son John-Boy, household names. Waite also directed several episodes of the series during the nine seasons. Throughout the seventies, he strove to expand outside his Walton patriarchal casting with other TV mini-movie endeavors. Those included Roots (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination, the title role in The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976), OHMS (1980), Angel City (1980) and The Gentleman Bandit (1981). He also appeared in a few films including On the Nickel (1980) which he wrote and directed.

Throughout the run of the series, Waite continued to revert back to his theater roots from time to time. Notable was his role as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot (1977), which was televised by PBS, and a return to Broadway with "The Father" in 1981. Waite also founded the Los Angeles Actors Theatre in 1975 and served as its artistic director.

The Waltons (1972), which earned him an Emmy nomination, ended in 1981 and Waite ventured on to other TV character roles during the 80s and 90s but less visibly. In his second TV series The Mississippi (1982), which was produced by his company Ralph Waite Productions, he played a criminal lawyer who abandoned his practice (almost) for a leisurely life captaining a riverboat. It lasted only a year. There have been other more recent theater excursions including "Death of a Salesman" (1998), "The Gin Game" (1999), "Ancestral Voices (2000) and "This Thing of Darkness" (2002). He also had a recurring role on the offbeat HBO series Carnivàle (2003) and in 2009 began putting time in on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives (1965) as Father Matt. Waite was able to carry with him a certain grizzled, rumpled, craggy-faced, settled-in benevolence, although he was quite capable of villainy. He always seemed more comfortable in front of the camera wearing a dusty pair of work clothes than a suit. He continued to act well into his 80s, most notably playing the father of Mark Harmon on NCIS (2003).

For many years, Waite had held passionate political ambitions. He twice ran unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat -- in 1990 and 1998. A Palm Desert resident during his second attempt, the 70-year-old Californian was a Democratic hopeful for a seat left vacant by the late Sonny Bono after his fatal skiing accident in 1998. He was ultimately defeated by Bono's widow, Mary Bono.

Waite died in Palm Desert, California on February 13, 2014, at age 85. He is survived by his third wife, Linda East, whom he married in 1982 and two daughters from his first marriage.

Britt Baron was born in White Plains, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for GLOW (2017), The Thing About Harry (2020) and Into the Dark (2018). She has been married to Taber Onthank since 4 September 2022.

Dan Duryea was educated at Cornell University and worked in the advertising business before pursuing his career as an actor. Duryea made his Broadway debut in the play "Dead End." The critical acclaim he won for his performance as Leo Hubbard in the Broadway production of "The Little Foxes" led to his appearance in the film version, in the same role.

Benjamin Norris is a Los Angeles based actor, writer, and producer. Originally from White Plains, NY, he honed his craft by studying improv at the Groundlings school, as well as writing, producing, and starring in his own web series. Benjamin is best known for his lovable TV characters, like Trent in Netflix's Never Have I Ever, and Tony in NBC's Superstore. His biggest influences are his grandmothers.

Erin Cardillo was raised in Greenwich, CT and has a Bachelor of Science in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, where she studied acting, writing, and literary adaptation. In addition, she spent a year in London studying Shakespeare through Marymount College and a summer at The Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab in NYC. After college, Erin moved to New York and worked extensively on stage, but a decision to pursue a career in film and television brought her to Los Angeles. Since living in LA, Erin has appeared in leading and supporting roles in feature films and in guest starring, recurring, and regular roles on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, NICK, ABC Family, Lifetime, Directv, FX, and Disney Channel. She returned to the stage in 2012, originating the leading role of Melody Dent in Under My Skin at the Pasadena Playhouse. Erin's background as an actress (and as an acting teacher at Warner Loughlin Studios in Hollywood for many years) fostered her desire to create projects of her own. In 2009, she began writing romantic comedy features as a solo writer with various producers. In 2012, she was the writer/producer for an improvisational romantic dramedy developed at Warner Loughlin Studios (WLS) called Speak Now (Audience Award: Austin Film Festival 2013/now available on Amazon). Additionally in 2012, she partnered with fellow WLS member Richard Keith to create original projects for television. In 2013, Cardillo & Keith won the New York Television Festival's comedy pilot competition, receiving their first development deal at FOX. Shortly thereafter, they partnered with Alloy Entertainment to develop Significant Mother for CW Seed, which was picked up to series by the network and premiered on the CW on August 3, 2015. In 2015, Cardillo & Keith sold an original pilot script to the CW called The I Do Crew with Little Engine Productions and Warner Brothers Television. In 2016, Cardillo & Keith were hired as Co-Executive Producers for Fuller House season 2 on Netflix and sold another original pilot to the CW called Life Sentence, which they developed with Doozer Productions and Warner Brothers Television. Life Sentence was picked up to series and premiered on the CW on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 (now available on Netflix). In 2018, Erin also completed a solo feature project for Disney titled Cursed, which she developed with Mandeville Entertainment. After Life Sentence, Cardillo & Keith went on to be described by Deadline as "the most prolific writers in broadcast television" for the 2018 season, after selling three pilot scripts in the span of a few months: The Family Practice at FOX, developed with Jason Winer's Small Dog Picture Company and 20th; 3000 Hours at NBC, developed with Berlanti Productions and Warner Brothers Television; and Nobody's Princess at the CW, developed with James Cordon's Fulwell 73 and CBS Studios. In 2019, Cardillo & Keith began a multi-year overall deal at Warner Brothers Television, where they continue to develop, write, and produce original TV series for broadcast and cable under their In Good Company banner. In Spring 2019, Cardillo's first feature film, Isn't It Romantic, starring Rebel Wilson and Liam Hemsworth, was released in theaters by New Line and Warner Brothers (now available on multiple streaming platforms). In the last two years, Cardillo & Keith have continued to build In Good Company on both the feature film and television sides of the business. With the addition of Creative Executive Rachel Borders, they've developed four pilots: the TV adaptation of The Five People You Meet in Heaven at FOX with Mitch Albom; the supernatural comedic procedural Pandora's Box and Ship at the CW with Spondoolie producing; the family dramedy Love Me at ABC with Brownstone Productions producing; and the YA soap The Beach at HBOMax with Alloy, Julie Plec, and Jenna Dewan producing. In addition, the duo has developed their first feature film, Fall, produced by Little Engine Productions, which they also plan to co-direct. Erin lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Joe Towne, founder of The Performers Mindset, and their son, Lucas, a future "astronaut/writer."

Shelley was born July 6, 1947 and was a model from age 16. Then in the 1970s she was Charlie's perfume girl in TV commercials, after which she went on to appear in bit parts in TV shows and movies. However, her big break came in 1979 when Charlie's Angels (1976) was casting a replacement for Kate Jackson.

Hack was chosen to play Tiffany Welles, however, she lasted only 1 season before she herself was replaced. Hack has lasted a lot longer than some people would have after leaving Charlie's Angels (1976).

Noah Fleiss was born on 16 April 1984 in White Plains, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Brick (2005), Until Dawn (2015) and Joe the King (1999).

Michael McGlone was born in White Plains, NY, the third born child of Joe and Jean McGlone. Raised in various towns throughout the American northeast, it was in 1991, when the family was living in Fairfield, CT that McGlone departed for New York City and Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, wherefrom, a year later, in his words he "self-graduated." Not long after, through an ad in the paper Backstage, he landed the role that would mark the beginning of his career as an actor. That role was the beloved Patrick McMullen, the excessively moral and excessively conflicted youngest brother in the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize Winning film The Brothers McMullen. With the middle brother and director of that film, Edward Burns, McGlone would go on to star in She's the One and later, with Philip Noyce, The Bone Collector, with Bruno Barreto, One Tough Cop and in Bob Giraldi's classic sleeper independent film Dinner Rush. As prolific in television, McGlone's numerous recurring roles include the fan favorite Detective Szymanski on Person of Interest, Bobby McKeen in Starz' dramatic series Crash, and SpikeTV's The Kill Point. In a return to the screen with Eddie Burns you can also see him in their third feature film together, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, in which McGlone plays the fiery Quinn Fitzgerald...

Also a writer, director, producer, musician and performer McGlone's life is often full with work on simultaneous projects. Whether his award winning Kenny The Gun, his various poetry and novels, stand-up comedy or Music, McGlone has always pursued the most abundant expression of his multi-talents.

As to Michael's Music, his latest EP, The Center, is now available along with his three full length records, HERO, To Be Down and SPEED, in addition to his various singles, The Other Side, Guinivere, Let the Light In, Everywhere I Go (You Go), Rise Up, The Hammer and Thank you again.... His fourth album, Two Dancers, is on deck...an album which will include, in McGlone's words, "The finest productions of my Music, yet..."

Among the reviews of his Music, one concluded, "The world needs more songs like Hero, and more songwriters like Michael McGlone."

In addition to his writing for both television and film, McGlone is also the author of the novels CAL, "And All the Roses Dying...", Dice, Hourigan's Song and The Soft Drive...as well as several volumes of verse and short stories...

With various projects in development, most recently McGlone can be seen on ABC's The Rookie: Feds, in the role of the hard-nosed Commander Trent Hyde and in the coming weeks look for him on CBS's NCIS: Hawai'i in an episode written by Amy Rutberg, when he joins the exceptional Vanessa Lachey, et al in the role of Dennis Lang...

Known to her generation as the "Queen of Daytime Soaps", Ms. McLaughlin's place in the history of the network soap opera cannot be overestimated. She was not only one of the founding cast members of General Hospital (1963) in 1963 (speaking the series' first line), but it was her negotiation with ABC-TV in the 1960s which won billing for actors on daytime serials for the first time. She was immensely popular with fans, and enjoyed telling the story of being with her movie actor husband, Jeffrey Hunter, only to have fans call her by her character's name ("Jessie Brewer") and not speak to him at all. Hunter's death in 1969 after just four months of marriage left her with a sense of loneliness, which was to follow her for the rest of her life. Still, she was for many years one of the biggest stars on daytime television. Though her role with the show diminished in the late 1980s, she stayed with the series until February 13, 1991, when she appeared for the last time. She died in April of that year.

Rosalind Harris was born on 22 December 1946 in White Plains, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Cotton Club (1984) and Mrs. Santa Claus (1996).

American character actor specializing in villainous roles. Born in White Plains, New York to Herman E. and Franceska Lauter, he was raised in Denver, Colorado. Although it has been suggested that he appeared briefly in a couple of films during the Thirties, his real movie career began in 1946. He came to be a familiar presence in low-budget films, serials, and television programs in the 1950s, though he only once really came close to stardom, as one of the leads in the television series Tales of the Texas Rangers (1955). Most of his career was spent as a serviceable second lead or heavy, though he continued to play bit parts in larger pictures. The son of an artist, he devoted much of his energy late in life to his own painting and running an art gallery. He died in 1990.

Jonathan Larson was born to Allan and Nanette Larson in Mount Vernon, New York, on February 4, 1960. A talented actor and musician, he was offered a full scholarship to Adelphi University on Long Island, where he met his idol (and later mentor) Stephen Sondheim. After graduating, he moved to the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan and, over a period of 12 years, wrote many plays and musicals, including the off-Broadway hit "Tick...tick...BOOM!" It wasn't until 1994, however, that he began work on what would be known as Rent. Finished in 1995, the musical was set to go into previews off-Broadway in early 1996. However, the night of the final dress rehearsal, Jonathan died of an aortic dissection as a result of later-to-be-known Marfan's syndrome.

Andrew Goldberg was born on 17 March 1978 in White Plains, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Big Mouth (2017), Family Guy (1999) and Human Resources (2022).

Dan Berk was born on 26 February 1987 in White Plains, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Significant Other (2022), Villains (2019) and Body (2015).

Nick Creegan was born and raised in White Plains, N.Y. and he is currently a series regular as Marquis Jet on the DC Universe's Batwoman. 10/10/21

He is best known for his major recurring role on NBC's hit Law and Order spin-off, Organized Crime as Richie Wheatley; the son of Mob boss Richard Wheatley played by Dylan McDermott.

Acting has always been a passion of his, and after leaving the corporate world of producing branded documentaries, Nick has been paving his path in the film and TV space.

Ritesh Rajan was born on 23 October 1988 in White Plains, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Definition Please (2020), Russian Doll (2019) and Barbie: Epic Road Trip (2022).

Mary Bronstein was born on 7 September 1979 in White Plains, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Yeast (2008), If I Had Legs I'd Kick You and Round Town Girls (2009). She has been married to Ronald Bronstein since 3 September 2006.

Jenn is an actress and singer who is most known for her critically acclaimed work on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony Award at age seventeen for her work in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Next to Normal. Two years prior, she was the youngest member of the original cast of Duncan Sheik's groundbreaking, Tony winning musical, Spring Awakening. When she was nineteen, Jenn originated the role of Mary-Jane Watson in the notable Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, working alongside Julie Taymor and Bono and The Edge of U2. She later went on to star in the Broadway adaptation of the cult classic, American Psycho, directed by Rupert Goold. Jenn has headlined various concerts and cabarets in prestigious New York venues while continuing to establish a progressing string of off-Broadway, TV, and film credits as well. Her most recent work includes The New Group's Black No More, adapted for stage by Oscar winning screenwriter, John Ridley (12 Years a Slave).

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was born on 7 January 1966 in White Plains, New York, USA. She was married to John Kennedy Jr.. She died on 16 July 1999 in Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

Pace began his studying with members of the Actors Studio Mimi Turque and Susan Batson in 1995. He then moved on to William Esper's two-year program where he studied under Terry Knickerbocker. He has been awarded "Best Actor" at the 2004 Palm Beach International Film Festival for his performance in the independent feature, Little Kings. He was a member of The MET Theater Company and the Tim Robbins Company, The Actors' Gang in Los Angeles. During the Pandemic of 2020 and 2021, Pace toured the country in an effort to support Small Business Comic Shops. Through autographs of his Gekko character from The Mandalorian, he helped raise over $35,000 for the stores, along with over $10,000 for charity. Mayors of Houston, TX and Sioux City, IA named a day after him in recognition for his contribution to the local economy. The Mayor of Cleveland, TN awarded Pace with the Key to the City. Consistent in booking Guest Stars and Co-Stars on Television, Pace returns to the stage in 2024 with a starring role in Jersey Boys for La Mirada Theater in Los Angeles. Pace is repped by Christina Scott of CA Talent.

Susan Odin was born on 5 January 1942 in White Plains, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Mission: Impossible (1966), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). She was married to Charles R. Rondeau. She died on 17 October 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Kyle Beltran was born in White Plains, New York, USA. Kyle is an actor, known for American Horror Story (2011), Inventing Anna (2022) and American Rust (2021).

Roberto Schaefer, A.S.C., is a BAFTA-nominated Cinematographer who began his film career in Europe working for Martin Scorsese, Joe Pykta and Nestor Almendros. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to shoot for Director Chris Guest. Schaefer shot classic films for Guest such as Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and For Your Consideration.

Soon thereafter, Schaefer and Director Marc Forster began an extensive collaboration, shooting nine films together including Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, Stay, The Kite Runner, Quantum of Solace, and Machine Gun Preacher. Schaefer has also collaborated with a variety of other directors including Lee Daniels for 2012's The Paperboy, Andrew Niccol for 2013's The Host, Don Cheadle for 2015's Miles Ahead, and Gideon Raff for 2019's Red Sea Diving Resort.

Other recent credits include 2021's Creation Stories directed by Nick Moran for Burning Wheel Productions and 2019's Rattlesnake directed by Zak Hilditch for Netflix.

Schaefer is fluent in Italian and resides in Los Angeles with his wife Caroline Eselin.

Anna Damergis was born on 7 February 1971 in White Plains, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Mother's Day (2005), Law & Order (1990) and Little Nicky (2000).