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- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, who was a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. His mother, born in Indiana, was from a Swedish family, and his father was from Texas. Val studied at Hollywood's Professional's School and, in his teens, entered Juilliard's drama program. His professional acting career began on stage, and he still participates in theater; he played Hamlet at the 1988 Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His film debut was in the 1984 spoof Top Secret! (1984), wherein he starred as blond rock idol Nick Rivers. He was in a number of films throughout the 1980s, including the 1986 smash Top Gun (1986). Despite his obvious talent and range, it wasn't until his astonishingly believable performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) that the world sat up and took notice. Kilmer again put his good baritone to use in the movie, performing all of the concert pieces. Since then, he has played two more American legends, Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). In July 1994, it was announced that Kilmer would be taking over the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne from Michael Keaton.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jay North will forever be remembered for giving TV life to the popular comic strip hellion Dennis the Menace (1959). Humanizing this little tornado would not only be his treasure, it would be his torment.
Jay was born Jay Waverly North, Jr. on August 3, 1951, in Los Angeles, and started off on the small screen at age 7 with roles on such series as "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "77 Sunset Strip," "Sugarfoot" and "The Defenders." He quickly moved into minor filming as well with featured roles in the western The Miracle of the Hills (1959) and the low-budget, exploitation film The Big Operator (1959) .
With over 500 children auditioning, Jay was selected by Dennis the Menace cartoon creator Hank Ketcham himself for the star-making title role alongside beleaguered parents Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry and exasperated neighbors Joseph Kearns and Sylvia Field. During this four-season TV peak that filmed 146 episodes, Jay appeared in countless programs as either himself or Dennis on such shows as "The Donna Reed Show," "The Red Skelton Show," "The Hollywood Squares," "I've Got a Secret," various talk shows, and even a cameo in the film Pepe (1960). Also an occasional presence on variety shows hosted by Dinah Shore, Milton Berle and Tennessee Ernie Ford. He guest starred in episodes of "Wagon Train," The Lucy Show," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "My Three Sons."
However, after the cancellation of his own show, the now active teenager noticed a major tapering off. He found himself badly typecast and efforts to forge ahead with film projects and other series work proved difficult. At first things looked promising. He perpetuated his wholesome image with the family film Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) and, more notably, the exotic adventure Maya (1966), which spun off into a mildly popular TV series, but then all offers dried up. He went from top child star to cruelly, discarded teen in only a few short years, and had a terrible time adjusting.
Despite voicing the popular character Bamm-Bamm in the animated series The Flintstones (1960) and Prince Turhan in The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968), he would find occasional work in the field. Jay all but disappeared after a co-starring role in the adult-aimed film The Teacher (1974) with sexy blonde Angel Tompkins. Glimpsed here and there, he appeared on a 70's "Lassie Series" and appeared in the TV movie Scout's Honor (1980), a co-starring role in the "C" film Wild Wind (1985) and an appearance in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) as himself.
Jay went through years of personal turmoil and emotional anguish (two divorces, drug experimentation, weight gain) before his recovery. Reportedly abused and mishandled during his peak years by on-set relatives/caretakers, Jay has since been instrumental in providing advice and counseling to other professional child/teen stars in the same boat and remarried a third time (since 1993) to Cynthia Hackney. From time to time these days, Jay has been glimpsed at nostalgia conventions.- Actor
- Producer
- Talent Agent
Nicky Katt started acting at the age of 7, when he appeared on the TV series CHiPs (1977) in 1977. He continued to work steadily through the 1980s on shows like Quincy, M.E. (1976), Father Murphy (1981), and V (1984) but did not fall into the trap of many child actors who became identified with one famous role because his child roles were as guest spots or, as in the case of Herbie, the Love Bug (1982), were canceled early on, or can't get work as adults and allow their lives to fall to pieces.
In a way, Katt had two careers. The one as the child actor of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and as the character actor of the 1990s who so often played the bully or thug. Extremely talented and at ease in front of a camera in the medium of either television or feature film, Katt had a very impressive body of work for someone of his age.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Richard Chamberlain became the leading heartthrob of early 1960s television. As the impeccably handsome Dr. James Kildare, the slim, butter-haired hunk with the near-perfect Ivy-League charm and smooth, intelligent demeanor, had the distaff fans fawning unwavering over him through the series' run. While this would appear to be a dream situation for any new star, to Chamberlain it brought about a major, unsettling identity crisis.
Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, he was the second son of Elsa Winnifred (von Benzon) (1902-1993) and Charles Axiom Chamberlain (1902-1984), a salesman. He has English and German ancestry. Richard experienced a profoundly unhappy childhood and did not enjoy school at all, making up for it somewhat by excelling in track and becoming a four-year letter man in high school and college. He also developed a strong interest and enjoyment in acting while attending Pomona College. Losing an initial chance to sign up with Paramount Pictures, the studio later renewed interest. Complications arose when he was drafted into the Unites States Army on December 7, 1956 for 16 months, serving in Korea.
Chamberlain headed for Hollywood soon after his discharge and, in just a couple of years, worked up a decent resumé with a number of visible guest spots on such popular series as Gunsmoke (1955) and Mr. Lucky (1959). But it was the stardom of the medical series Dr. Kildare (1961) that garnered overnight female worship and he became a huge sweater-vested pin-up favorite. It also sparked a brief, modest singing career for the actor.
The attention Richard received was phenomenal. True to his "Prince Charming" type, he advanced into typically bland, soap-styled leads on film befitting said image, but crossover stardom proved to be elusive. The vehicles he appeared in, Twilight of Honor (1963) with Joey Heatherton and Joy in the Morning (1965) opposite Yvette Mimieux, did not bring him the screen fame foreseen. The public obviously saw the actor as nothing more than a television commodity.
More interested in a reputation as a serious actor, Chamberlain took a huge risk and turned his back on Hollywood, devoting himself to the stage. In 1966 alone, he appeared in such legit productions as "The Philadelphia Story" and "Private Lives", and also showed off his vocal talents playing Tony in "West Side Story". In December of that year, a musical version of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Richard and Mary Tyler Moore in the sparkling George Peppard/Audrey Hepburn roles was headed for Broadway. However, it flopped badly in previews and closed after only four performances. Even today, it is still deemed one of Broadway's biggest musical disasters.
An important dramatic role in director Richard Lester's Petulia (1968) led Richard to England, where he stayed and dared to test his acting prowess on the classical stage. With it, his personal satisfaction over image and career improved. Bravura performances as "Hamlet" (1969) and "Richard II" (1971), as well as his triumph in "The Lady's Not for Burning" (1972), won over the not-so-easy-to-impress British audiences. And on the classier film front, he ably portrayed Octavius Caesar opposite Charlton Heston's Mark Antony and Jason Robards' Brutus in Julius Caesar (1970), composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Ken Russell's grandiose The Music Lovers (1971) opposite Glenda Jackson, and Lord Byron alongside Sarah Miles in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). While none of these three films were critical favorites, they were instrumental in helping to reshape Chamberlain's career as a serious, sturdy and reliable actor.
With his new image in place, Richard felt ready to face American audiences again. While he made a triumphant Broadway debut as Reverend Shannon in "The Night of the Iguana" (1975), he also enjoyed modest box-office popularity with the action-driven adventure films The Three Musketeers (1973) as Aramis and a villainous role in The Towering Inferno (1974), and earned cult status for the Australian film The Last Wave (1977). On the television front, he became a television idol all over again (on his own terms this time) as the "King of 80s Mini-Movies". The epic storytelling of The Count of Monte-Cristo (1975), The Thorn Birds (1983) and Shogun (1980), all of which earned him Emmy nominations, placed Richard solidly on the quality star list. He won Golden Globe Awards for his starring roles in the last two miniseries mentioned.
In later years, the actor devoted a great deal of his time to musical stage tours as Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady", Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" and Ebenezer Scrooge in "Scrooge: The Musical". Enormously private and having moved to Hawaii to avoid the Hollywood glare, at age 69 finally "came out" with a tell-all biography entitled "Shattered Love", in which he quite candidly discussed the anguish of hiding his homosexuality to protect his enduring matinée idol image.
Married now to his longtime partner of over 40 years, writer/producer Martin Rabbett, he has since accepted himself and shown to be quite a good sport in the process, appearing as gay characters in the film I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), and in television episodes of Will & Grace (1998), Desperate Housewives (2004) and Brothers & Sisters (2006). More recently, he has enjoyed featured roles in the films Strength and Honour (2007), The Perfect Family (2011), We Are the Hartmans (2011), Nightmare Cinema (2018) and Finding Julia (2019).- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Eugene Allen Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California, the son of Ann Lydia Elizabeth (Gray) and Eugene Ezra Hackman, who operated a newspaper printing press. He is of Pennsylvania Dutch (German), English, and Scottish ancestry, partly by way of Canada, where his mother was born. After several moves, his family settled in Danville, Illinois. Gene grew up in a broken home, which he left at the age of sixteen for a hitch with the US Marines.
Moving to New York after being discharged, he worked in a number of menial jobs before studying journalism and television production on the G.I. Bill at the University of Illinois. Hackman would be over 30 years old when he finally decided to take his chance at acting by enrolling at the Pasadena Playhouse. Legend says that Hackman and friend Dustin Hoffman were voted "least likely to succeed."
Hackman next moved back to New York, where he worked in summer stock and off-Broadway. In 1964 he was cast as the young suitor in the Broadway play "Any Wednesday." This role would lead to him being cast in the small role of Norman in Lilith (1964), starring Warren Beatty. When Beatty was casting for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), he cast Hackman as Buck Barrow, Clyde Barrow's brother. That role earned Hackman a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, an award for which he would again be nominated in I Never Sang for My Father (1970). In 1972 he won the Oscar for his role as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection (1971). At 40 years old Hackman was a Hollywood star whose work would rise to new heights with Night Moves (1975) and Bite the Bullet (1975), or fall to new depths with The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Eureka (1983). Hackman is a versatile actor who can play comedy (the blind man in Young Frankenstein (1974)) or villainy (the evil Lex Luthor in Superman (1978)). He is the doctor who puts his work above people in Extreme Measures (1996) and the captain on the edge of nuclear destruction in Crimson Tide (1995). After initially turning down the role of Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992), Hackman finally accepted it, as its different slant on the western interested him. For his performance he won the Oscar and Golden Globe and decided that he wasn't tired of westerns after all. He has since appeared in Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), and The Quick and the Dead (1995).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Trachtenberg grew up in Brooklyn and started her acting career young; she began appearing in commercials at the age of 3.
She continued to act and dance through her school years, making regular television appearances from the age of 10. She landed a recurring role in the kids' TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1992) and starred in Harriet the Spy (1996), but it was her role as Buffy's sister Dawn from the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) that really brought her to worldwide attention, and all before she was 18 years old.
More high profile TV and movie work followed.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married Peggy Lynch and then fathered future director Jennifer Lynch shortly after he turned 21. That experience, plus attending art school in a particularly violent and run-down area of Philadelphia, inspired Eraserhead (1977), a film that he began in the early 1970s (after a couple of shorts) and which he would work on obsessively for five years. The final film was initially judged to be almost unreleasable weird, but thanks to the efforts of distributor Ben Barenholtz, it secured a cult following and enabled Lynch to make his first mainstream film (in an unlikely alliance with Mel Brooks), though The Elephant Man (1980) was shot through with his unique sensibility. Its enormous critical and commercial success led to Dune (1984), a hugely expensive commercial disaster, but Lynch redeemed himself with the now classic Blue Velvet (1986), his most personal and original work since his debut. He subsequently won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival with the dark, violent road movie Wild at Heart (1990), and achieved a huge cult following with his surreal TV series Twin Peaks (1990), which he adapted for the big screen, though his comedy series On the Air (1992) was less successful. He also draws comic strips and has devised multimedia stage events with regular composer Angelo Badalamenti. He had a much-publicized affair with Isabella Rossellini in the late 1980s.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
William Theodore Kotcheff was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Bulgarian parents from Plovdiv. He graduated with a degree in English Literature from the University of Toronto. He began his professional career directing TV drama at age 24 at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, at the time becoming the youngest director in the CBC. After two years there he went to live and work in England, directing in television and the theatre.
He twice won the British Emmy for Best Director, the second time for an extraordinary docudrama about a female derelict entitled, "Edna, the Inebriate Woman" episode of Play for Today (1970). The film also won the Best Actress and Best Script Award. Kotcheff's television work in Great Britain was part of the new wave of working-class actors and drama that changed British theatre and television in the late 1950s. His stage successes include the long-running Lionel Bart musical, "Maggie May." His film career started in England: Tiara Tahiti (1962), a social comedy starring James Mason and John Mills; Life at the Top (1965), starring Laurence Harvey and Jean Simmons; Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), starring Robin Phillips, a film set in the West Indian community of London and dealing with relationships between blacks and whites which was the official British entry at the Venice Film Festival. His next film, Wake in Fright (1971), was made in Australia. It was the Australian entry in the Cannes Film Festival and many Australians still think it is the finest Australian film ever made and the beginning of the renaissance of the Australian cinema. Kotcheff returned to Canada in 1972 to make a film of a novel written by his best friend, Mordecai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974). This film, thought to be one of the best Canadian films ever made, won the Golden Bear First Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and numerous other awards including an Academy Award nomination for best script. Kotcheff also directed Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), starring Jane Fonda and George Segal; Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), starring Jacqueline Bisset and George Segal; North Dallas Forty (1979)--which he also wrote--starring 'Nick Nolte' (a film considered by many in the sport to be one of the best ever made about professional football); First Blood (1982), starring Sylvester Stallone--one of the biggest box-office winners of all time--Uncommon Valor (1983), starring Gene Hackman; and Weekend at Bernie's (1989). In the mid-'80s Kotcheff made a film of another Mordecai Richler novel, Joshua Then and Now (1985). This film, starring James Woods and Alan Arkin, was the official Canadian entry in the Cannes Film Festival, and together with "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", is one of the most widely known and acclaimed Canadian films in the United States. Kotcheff is married to Laifun Chung and has two children, Thomas age 7 and Alexandra age 9. Laifun Chung is President of their film company, Panoptica Productions, Inc. He has homes in Toronto and Los Angeles.- Actress
- Writer
Sian Barbara Allen was born Barbara Susan Levy in Reading, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1946. She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse from 1964 to 1965. Her performance as the mentally-challenged Kathleen in You'll Like My Mother (1972), opposite Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy, and Richard Thomas, earned her a 1973 Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising New Actress." While working on 'You'll Like My Mother,' Allen met and fell in love with the man playing her character's psychopathic brother, actor Richard Thomas. The two began a relationship that lasted for several years in the 1970s. Thomas went on to play John-Boy on the hit TV show The Waltons (1972). When the writers of "The Waltons" wanted to do a love story for John-Boy in the first season, Thomas suggested that his real-life girlfriend play his onscreen love interest. Allen appeared as Jenny Pendleton in the episode The Love Story (1973), which earned Thomas his Emmy award in 1973, and in The Thanksgiving Story (1973). Allen portrayed the titular character Peggy Johns in the 1973 TV movie Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973), with Bette Davis and Ted Bessell. Allen worked steadily as a TV actress throughout the 1970s, appearing on such shows as The Rockford Files (1974), Ironside (1967), Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955), and many others. She also wrote a script for an episode of the fourth season of Baretta (1975). Her last onscreen role was in the L.A. Law (1986) episode Whatever Happened to Hannah? (1990). Allen ended her acting career after marrying and giving birth to a daughter. She now channels her creativity into writing. She is the older sister of flash-fiction author, editor, and teacher Meg Pokrass. She lives in Portland, Oregon.- Actor
- Writer
- Stunts
Born in Burnley, Lancashire, UK in 1953. Saint Ryan spent much of his earlier life in the world of Martial Arts both as a fighter and a Teacher. It was this life that led him in to the world of independent films. In 1983 he was brought on board the Brit cult action movie GBH as a fight choreographer, and was subsequently asked to play one of the villains of the piece. This developed over the next few years and Saint Ryan went on to co star in five more of these low budget independents finally in 1988 taking the lead in 'The Assassinator', an ambitious self penned dark action drama set in Northern Ireland, North West England and the Mediterranean island of Malta. The project was initially picked up by the progressive UK Channel 4 but was considered too politically sensitive at that time given its subject matter of the IRA and the 'Troubles' in Ireland.
Following 'The Assassinator' Saint Ryan hit the 'boards' and spent some time in regional and West End Theatre. Then went on to co star in a number of British TV series until he was 're-discovered' in the bar of the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv. At the time he was once again playing an assassin, this time sent to kill Dolph Lundgren in the movie 'Cover Up'. At that moment the producers of the film Delta Force 3 were looking for a replacement for Gregory Pecks son Tony. Saint Ryan fit the bill and so co starred alongside Nick Cassavettes. A picture deal with Cannon films took him to the USA and a string of movie and TV roles. He bounced back to the UK in 1994 to co star in the award winning soap 'Coronation Street'. On his return to the USA he continued to work in both TV, film and commercials, his most prominent being the TV series 'Roar' with Heath Ledger. For several years now Saint Ryan's passion and interest in horses has established him as a well respected horseman and teacher. He won the US National Championship in Doma Vaquera 3 years in a row (2004-2006). In 2007 he formed Galloping Gelding Productions and has filmed several documentaries on his favorite horseman and mentor Tom Dorrance.- Actor
- Producer
Quintessential action movie villain Mel Novak has battled a who's who of legendary Hollywood heroes and is best known as Stick the Assassin in Bruce Lee's Game of Death. Through his appearances in several highly regarded martial arts films, Mel quickly gained a cult following among action film fans. He has also starred in Black Belt Jones, The Ultimate Warrior opposite Yul Brenner, An Eye for an Eye opposite Chuck Norris, & Christopher Lee, Tom Horn, opposite Steve McQueen, Garry Marshall's Exit To Eden opposites Dan Aykroyd & Rosie O'Donnell, and more recently Mel was featured alongside Mel Gibson in Greg Laurie's documentary, Steve McQueen American Icon, which ranked #3 at the box office on it's opening night right behind The Kingman : The Golden Circle & Stephen King's It.
His first appearance was a villainous role, where he portrayed a Nazi opposite Jerry Lewis in Which Way to the Front. His first villainous TV role was as a hit man opposite Mike Connors and Abe Vigoda in the classic series Mannix. This role was also his first kill. While he is the ultimate villain on screen, in real life, he is a true hero. Mel is also inducted into five various Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He has been bestowed with numerous awards for his acting work as well as humanitarian awards for all his numerous charitable endeavors. He has been volunteering on Skid Row for over 30 years and has counseled prisoners at the most dangerous prisons in the country and has also volunteered with the Special Olympics.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Joey D. Vieira spent over 65 years in show business. As a child, he co-starred in the first version of Lassie (1954) to come to television, winning, in the years 1954 to 1958, two Emmy Awards for "Best Family Television show". Those four years of the long-running series, with Tommy Rettig as Jeff and Joey as his best friend Porky, are still entertaining audiences today under the name "Jeff's Collie". Joey then started making appearances on other top television series, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), My Three Sons (1960) and Hank (1965). He also starred in live TV shows like Playhouse 90 (1956), Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958), a Bob Hope special and "The George Gobel Show". Joey made his first feature film in 1955 when he costarred with Charlton Heston in The Private War of Major Benson (1955). Other memorable movies over the decades include Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Red Heat (1988) and costarring with Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000) as Peter Howard.
Joey has a diversified background in many other areas of entertainment. He has produced several recording artists including Rick Springfield and Taylor Dayne and has produced and directed national television and radio commercials for such heavyweights as AT&T, Ford, Subaru, Northern Telecom and Mattel Toys. As a writer, Joey co-created the 3-hour musical variety special for NBC, Motown Returns to the Apollo (1985), which won an Emmy for Best Variety Special of the Year. He has also directed presentation videos for some of the top corporations in the world...Bally's, Spiegel Catalog, Paramount Properties, Holiday Inns of America, and the government of the Isle of Mann, to name a few. Lately, Joey has written six original screenplays of different genres and signed with Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency for representation. He recently starred in four independent films including The Dwegons (2011) an animated feature film where Joey does the voices of seven characters. Joey says he looks forward to many more years in the biz and hopes they will be at least half as exciting and rewarding as the past half-century has been.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
The son of writer/producer/actor Dwight Hauser, who worked on (amongst many other projects) the classic "Whistler" radio series, and Geraldine Hauser (the daughter of author Tom Thieness), he raised a child as a single father, having arrived in Hollywood "with thirty dollars and a box of pampers" - and actually earned his career accomplishments with hard work and dedication. He is the father of actor Cole Hauser.
Wings Hauser married his young music and filmmaking partner, actress/filmmaker Cali Lili on June 12, 2012. Having often been compared to Richard Widmark for some of his "mean" roles, he has played a variety of equally remarkable roles in films and on TV. After a high-school career centered in sports (his name "Wings" is taken from the wing-back position he played in football), he chose to lean toward the arts - acting and music (including an album of his original music for RCA) - instead of pursuing professional sports. Having descended from an artistic and talented family, this choice was a heartfelt one.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Born in London, Jean Marsh became interested in show business while taking dancing and mime classes as therapy for a childhood illness. After attending a charm school and working as a model, she started acting in repertory and took voice lessons. Her repertory work was supplemented by a number of film appearances as a dancer. She then spent three years in America, appearing in Sir John Gielgud's Broadway production of "Much Ado About Nothing" and numerous TV shows, including an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959). Returning to London, she won roles on stage, film and TV. It was during this period that she appeared in Doctor Who (1963), first as Princess Joanna in "The Crusade" and then as Sara Kingdom in "The Daleks' Master Plan." In the early 1970s she co-created and starred in LWT's Upstairs, Downstairs (1971). Since then she has maintained a very busy career in the theatre, on TV - including a starring role in the US sitcom Nine to Five (1982) and films such as Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988). She also co-created another successful series, The House of Eliott (1991).- Dubbed "The Latin Marilyn Monroe" by Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction in Spin Magazine, her old-fashioned, movie-star visage and traffic-stopping curves definitely give Cindyana Santangelo that elusive "It" factor. Whether it's on TV as The Jiggly Room's sexy stripper Sierra Madre (a recurring role) on Married... with Children (1987), the gritty Maria Marion on CSI: Miami (2002), on film as a sexy tomboy opposite Danny Trejo or on the stage, Cindyana has the acting chops. Her unique look and exotic beauty are what made director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2 (1990), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)), call her a natural and a stand-out.
Born in Manhattan and raised on the West Coast, at age 19 she got a scholarship to the Lee Strasberg School in London, and she was personally selected by Anna Strasberg for the role of Doris in the school's production of "The Owl and the Pussycat". Cindyana has studied at USC's School of Cinema and Television and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. This enables her to capture a variety of ethnic diversities, which she does so well. She also studied with the prestigious Circle in the Square Forum in NYC, working in a string of groundbreaking and underground projects on both coasts, like Lawrence Bridges' innovative cult movie 12 (2003).
She has worked opposite Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Perry Farrell, Anthony Kiedis, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Dave Navarro, Marvin Young (aka Young MC) and LL Cool J, to name just a few. She doesn't stop there, however. Cindyana gives new meaning to the word "multi-hyphenate". She's an actress, a model, an entrepreneur, a fashion designer and a philanthropist.
Cindyana started as a dancer and soon became a video goddess. When she had just turned 18 she dominated MTV's airwaves. She is still the only actress to have starred in three top-10 MTV music videos at the same time, all in different genres, proving her versatility and desirability in many different roles. Her influence and style helped launch the multi-ethnic look that is now the mainstream. Who can ever forget the voice and vision of the sultry siren of Jane's Addiction's infamous "Ritual De Lo Habitual" #1-selling album? Or the salacious "STOP" hot pants of the original famous Latina Derriere in the "Bust a Move" hip hop sensation.
Whether she is a cop from Jersey, a French dance teacher on an album cover or a poster on your bedroom wall, Cindyana Santangelo is an anomaly. She does not rely on just her looks--she takes chances morphing seamlessly from comedy to drama. This head turner with an edge is often compared to Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba. Cindyana can be seen guest-starring on any of the major networks and cable, making an appearance in Los Angeles' popular burlesque troupes and sizzling up the silver screen! - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Mike Berry was born on 24 September 1942 in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Are You Being Served? (1972), Worzel Gummidge (1979) and Love Potion (1987). He was married to Susan. He died on 11 April 2025.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Dame Joan Ann Plowright, the Baroness Olivier, is one of the most distinguished actors of her generation. She may be best remembered as the third wife and widow of Laurence Olivier, generally considered the greatest anglophone actor of the 20th Century, but she had a distinguished career of her own on stage and screen spanning six decades.
Born in Brigg, Lincolnshire on October 28, 1929, she received her training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and made her professional stage debut at Croydon in 1948. Her London debut came in 1954, and two years later, she joined George Devine's English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, which would change her life just as the drama at the Royal Court revolutionized the English theater.
The Royal Court's 1956 production of John Osborne's 'Look Back In Anger' was a watershed in English theatrical history, ushering in the 'Angry Young Man" era in British cultural life. In 1957, Plowright first co-starred with her future husband Olivier in the Royal Court's production of Osborne's The Entertainer (1960) when she took over the role of Archie Rice's daughter Jean Rice when the play transferred to a commercial venue in the West End. She recreated the role in Tony Richardson's 1960 film of the play.
To escape the notoriety from Olivier's divorce from Vivien Leigh, Plowright and Olivier went to New York, where they appeared on Broadway, he in Becket (1964) and she in A Taste of Honey (1961). For her performance as Josephine, which Rita Tushingham played in the movie version, she won a 1961 Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play. (She had first appeared on Broadway in a twin bill of Eugène Ionesco's "The Chairs" and "The Lesson" in January 1958, a month before she appeared with Olivier in "The Entertainer".) When his divorce from Leigh came through, they were married in March 1961 in New York with Richard Burton as Larry's best man.
From 1963 onward, she was a member of the National Theatre, which was headed by Olivier. Plowright created a distinguished stage career and was acclaimed when she began appearing more frequently in movies and television starting in the the 1980s. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a knighthood, in the 2004 Queen's New Year Honours.
Plowright divorced her first husband, the actor Roger Gage, to marry Olivier in 1961 and they had three children, Richard Kerr Olivier, Tamsin Olivier and Julie Kate Olivier.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Denis Arndt was born on 23 February 1939 in Clyde, Ohio, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for S.W.A.T. (2003), Basic Instinct (1992) and Bandidas (2006). He was married to Magee Cynthia Downey and Marjorie Ann Arveson. He died on 25 March 2025 in Ashland, Oregon, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
An instinct for acting showed very early for Bruce. In 1935, aged 3, he distracted his mother from the worries of Depression-era Chicago by recreating stuff they'd seen at the movies like FDR struggling to walk, putting his little body through it, to try to understand by experiencing it. A knack for comedy showed when as part of a church pageant his #1 line, ''No room at the Inn", booming hugely out of a tiny body sent the whole congregation into laughter. He so enjoyed it he repeated it even louder to louder laughter then again and again continuing even as he was chased by the minister all over the altar to gales of laughter.
At age 6, he had his first job, earning 60 cents for 6 days of delivering groceries. From then on there was always a job after school, Saturdays and summers, such as on a Chicago Loop newsstand or in a glass factory ladling molten glass. At age 15, his desperate father asked him to quit school to help support the family. His mother saved him by herself taking a job. School was showing him two paths out of poverty: art (selling paintings) and football (the 1949 Chicago high school city champs) and a chance for a scholarship. He played for two college seasons and moonlighted on a semi-pro team. Then a new window opened -- posing at an Art Institute class with a naked lady who said, ''How would you like to- [pause] - be a gorilla?'' She was a stripper and needed a guy strong enough to wear a 90 lb. ape suit and toss her around. A magician at the club tapped him jokingly with his magic wand, saying "Bruce, you are an actor".
Drafted into the U.S. Army for the Korean War, he served there for the last six months of that war, and came back with malaria, delaying his football. He tried out for a play (in 1955) never having had an acting class or read a book on it, but he was a natural, got the lead and great reviews, went to summer stock did a new play every week. He did a dozen years of theater, on Broadway and off-Broadway. He visited Hollywood in 1965. In 1967, he made it his home.- Actor
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A powerful screen presence, Richard Norton wins the applause of international audiences with his engaging ability to play either the hero or the heavy. Rare versatility and focused work ethic have enabled him to build an expanding library of almost 100 film and television titles. The disciplines that brought Norton success originated in his hometown of Croydon, Australia, and his early fascination with martial arts. By age 17 he was a karate black belt working security for nightclubs and serving as chief instructor to 500 karate schools nationwide. He landed a job as bodyguard to The Rolling Stones during the band's Australian tour and experienced his first brush with the demands of global celebrity. Norton trained with Mick Jagger in 4:00 a.m. workouts after concerts. His competency attracted a dazzling roster of other rock star clientèle including James Taylor, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and Linda Ronstadt, who invited him to California as her bodyguard. Before Aussies invaded Hollywood in posses, Norton ventured there alone. A friendship with Chuck Norris brought him work in motion pictures. Norris cast Norton as the lethal Kyo, a masked ninja, in The Octagon (1980), and their grueling final combat endures as a classic cinematic fight scene. Director Robert Clouse chose Norton to be one of the ensemble heroes in Force: Five (1981), an international hit, and the young martial artist's career in movies took off. His reputation for stellar performances emerged largely from high-energy Hong Kong films directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and starring Jackie Chan in the mid-'80s. Muscular charisma made Norton the perfect Anglo bad boy for Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) and Millionaires' Express (1986). Taking the hits of his screen adversaries in those films earned Norton more Hong Kong work and, notably, Chan's abiding respect. Richard calls Jackie "the maestro of martial arts movies." Jackie has returned the compliment by recruiting Norton as one of just two Western actors to perform in several of his Hong Kong-based productions, including the comedic cult favorite Madam City Hunter (1993) and the darker Mr. Nice Guy (1997), directed by Hung. Hung encouraged Norton to play the "Guy" nemesis, a well-heeled gangster, with eccentric edginess. Norton embraced the direction and delivered one of the best co-starring performances in all of Chan's films. The success of Norton's Hong Kong work made him an established star in action films and a frequent cover subject for global martial arts and movie magazines. His collaborations with Cynthia Rothrock catapulted them to a level of fame that inspired a British magazine to deem them the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of martial arts movies. The recurring partners produced two Rage and Honor (1992) movies, besides co-starring in China O'Brien (1990) and Lady Dragon (1992), among other titles. They reunited for Redemption (2002) with 'Don 'The Dragon' Wilson'. Norton nurtured his leading man status in crime dramas, MIA pictures and futuristic adventures that often featured his real-life training partners in supporting roles, such as Chuck Jeffreys in Rage (1993) and Benny Urquidez in The Fighter (1989). With standout performances in The Sword of Bushido (1990) and Under the Gun (1995), Norton displayed his attraction to heroes with dimensions, even flaws, that force them into action. His style of action incorporates the humor essential to humanizing a hero. It is the dark comedy in Mind Games (2003), directed by Adrian Carr, that enables Norton to triumph in another well-textured role as a suspicious Texan, demonstrating that he takes risks as an actor who ventures beyond action genres. Norton's credits behind the camera have become as diverse as his screen roles. Apart from acting and producing, he is a sought-after stunt/fight coordinator, choreographing action in films such as Nomad: The Warrior (2005), produced by Milos Forman, and Devil's Pond (2003), with Tara Reid and Kip Pardue. Despite a busy career, he continues to achieve black belts in the martial arts, always a motivating force for Norton's accomplishments- Raised in Oregon and northern California. Attended Del Norte High School, Crescent City, California. Acted and directed at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, Ashland, Oregon, from 1963 to 1972. BA (Theatre Arts), Humboldt State College, Arcata, California (1967). Diploma in Drama, University of Manchester, UK (1969). UK resident since 1969. Credits include stage work, voice work, television, radio and film.
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- Writer
- Producer
Born 25th November 1961. London UK. Character Actor, forte comedy but equally at home with drama. Extensive experience across the whole spectrum of the Industry from Shakespeare to Panto, film, TV Radio and Web series.
Best known for, Puppy Love (BBC), Doctor Who (BBC), 3Some (Web), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Les Miserable (2012).
Could conduct a full Symphony and Choir.
Public Motivational Speaker with own One Man Shows.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Colin Fox was born on 20 November 1938 in Aldershot, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Tommy Boy (1995), Daylight (1996) and Virus (1980). He was married to Carol Bermingham, Irene Balser and Susan Bovell. He died on 5 April 2025 in Fergus, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Writer
- Visual Effects
Manoj Kumar, born Harikrishna Giri Goswami, is an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his work in Hindi films.
Born in Abbottabad, a small town in the North-West Frontier Province, British India (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), he and his family shifted to Delhi during the Partition.
Kumar made his film debut with Fashion (1957). He then got his break in Kanch Ki Gudiya (1961), where he acted with Sayeeda Khan.
After acting in Reshmi Rumal (1961) and Piya Milan Ki Aas (1961), Kumar was cast opposite Mala Sinha in Vijay Bhatt's Hariyali Aur Rasta (1962).
He continued to rule the roost with films, including Apna Banake Dekho (1962) and Nakli Nawab (1962).
He also acted in social films, including Grahasti (1963) and Apne Huye Paraye (1964).
In 1964, Kumar appeared in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) with Sadhana Shivdasani. He worked alongside Mala Sinha and Vijay Bhatt again in Himalay Ki Godmein (1965).
Kumar and Khosla built upon their joint success with Do Badan (1966), which became a success. In this film, Kumar was cast opposite Asha Parekh.
His thriller, Gumnaam (1965), was another box office hit, and it was one of the highest-grossing movies that year, earning Rs. 2.6 crores. In the same year, Kumar starred in the film Shaheed (1965), which explored the life of the great freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh.
He also played pivotal roles in classics such as Sawan Ki Ghata (1966) and Patthar Ke Sanam (1967).
In 1967, he forayed into film direction with Upkar (1967), where he starred as a farmer and a soldier. This film won multiple awards at the Filmfare Awards 1968, including Best Story, Best Dialogue, Best Director, and Best Film.
Kumar followed up his success with more films such as Aadmi (1968), Purab Aur Pachhim (1971), and Be-Imaan (1972). He also directed and acted in Shor (1972).
Kumar acted in and directed Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974) and won the Best Director award at the Filmfare Awards in 1975.
He then went on to appear in more classics, including Sanyasi (1975); Pehchan (1975), wherein he starred opposite Babita Kapoor; and Dus Numbri (1976).
He directed Dilip Kumar, his idol, in the film Kranti (1981), which explored the Indian struggle for Independence.
Post Kranti, Kumar acted in films such as Kalyug Aur Ramayan (1987), Clerk (1989), and Maidan-E-Jung (1995). He also directed Kunal Goswami, his son, in Jai Hind (1999).
Kumar was conferred the title of Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1992. He also received The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 for his work spanning four decades; the Bharat Gaurav Award in New Jersey, U.S., in 2012; and The Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016- Actress
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Patty was born in Perkinsville, New York. At age 7 she moved with her family to Winter Park, Florida. Her family loved her and didn't treat her any differently from her brother or sisters. She began her show-business career as a featured dancer at Edith Royal's newly-opened studio in Winter Park. During high school she spent a summer traveling with a carnival, then a year with the Ringling Brothers Circus.
Patty soon became aware that she could lead a cosmopolitan life, and her family realized that she had become an adult. At her mother's insistence, she attended the University of Florida and became a keypunch operator. She later returned to New York and worked for National Airlines, where she met her future husband Joseph Vitek, a 4'8 printer from Chicago. They exchanged letters and Patty traveled to Europe and Latin America; soon they were wed at the Actors' Chapel in New York. They moved back to Chicago and had a blissful but short marriage; to her deep sorrow, Joseph soon died and she lost their premature baby at the same time.
Patty's friends forced her to return to show business. She was most grateful for this because the Krofft Brothers were producing a new TV show: "Far Out Space Nuts". She promptly accepted the role of Honk and moved to Los Angeles. Now, over 20 years later, Patty is still in demand for entertaining.