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- Actor
- Producer
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The middle child between two sisters, Zachary Levi was born as Zachary Levi Pugh on September 29, 1980 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Susan (Hoctor) and Darrell Alton Pugh. He uses his middle name as his stage surname because his birth name, "Pugh", which is of Welsh origin, sounds too much like "Pew." His other ancestry includes Irish, English, French, German, Scottish, and Swiss. He grew up all over the country before his family put down roots in Ventura County, California. At the early age of six, Zachary began acting, singing and dancing in school and local theater productions.
After graduating from Buena High School he headed to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of acting. Zachary began acting in theater, performing roles in such regional productions like Grease, The Outsiders, Oliver, The Wizard of Oz, and Big River. It was his portrayal of Jesus in Ojai's Godspell that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.
He had a supporting role in the television movie Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) with David Krumholtz, Tory Kittles, Jennifer Morrison, and Nicholas Turturro. He then began acting as Kipp Steadman in the TV series Less Than Perfect (2002) with Sara Rue, Andrea Parker, Eric Roberts, Andy Dick, and Sherri Shepherd.
He was seen in the television movie See Jane Date (2003) on the WB with Charisma Carpenter, Holly Marie Combs, Linda Dano, and Rachelle Lefevre. In his spare time, Zachary enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, skydiving, and participating in various other sports. After living in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade, he recently moved to Austin, Texas.
In 2019 he starred in the action-comedy film Shazam! (2019), playing the title superhero; a magic-created older version of teenager Billy Batson played by Asher Angel. The film and his comic-heroic performance received positive notices.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A true triple-threat, Emmy Award-winner Julianne Hough is known to audiences around the world for her success in the worlds of film, television and music. She became a household name virtually overnight as a two-time professional champion on ABC's top-rated "Dancing With the Stars," before making a seamless transition to award-winning recording artist and making her mark on the world of motion pictures, recognized by the National Association of Theatre Owners as Rising Star of the Year at the 2011 CinemaCon Conventions.
In 2013, Julianne starred opposite Josh Duhamel in Nicholas Sparks' "Safe Haven," directed by Lasse Hallstrom, which topped the box-office on its Valentine's Day opening and earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination. Prior to that, she starred opposite Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer in Diablo Cody's "Paradise," marking the Oscar-winning screenwriter's directorial debut. She starred as Sherrie Christian, the female lead in the film adaptation of the international musical sensation, "Rock of Ages," part of a superstar cast including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and Mary J. Blige. She made headlines by winning the coveted female lead role in Paramount's 2011 remake of the classic movie musical, "Footloose," and critics praised her performance in the film. She made her film debut in the star-studded ensemble of Screen Gems' musical "Burlesque," working alongside an all-star cast, including Cher, Christina Aguilera, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell and Cam Gigandet. She appeared in the comedy "Dirty Grandpa," opposite Robert De Niro and Zac Efron, and starred as fitness pioneer Betty Weider in the feature "Bigger."
On January 31, 2016, Julianne fulfilled her lifelong dream of playing the role of Sandy in FOX Television's critical and ratings hit, "Grease Live!," which was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, winning four awards including Outstanding Special Class Program. As performed by Julianne and the cast, the show-stopping "You're the One That I Want" won the MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Musical Moment, beating such heavy hitters as Ariana Grande and John Legend's "Beauty and the Beast," Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling" and the Ryan Gosling-Emma Stone duet, "City of Stars" from "La La Land."
In 2014, Julianne and her brother, Derek, produced, co-directed and starred in MOVE Live on Tour, which sold out theaters across North America. They followed that success with an all-new production in Summer 2015, which featured live vocal performances by Julianne and Derek in addition to fresh, exciting choreography featuring the superstar siblings and the MOVE Company Dancers.
They hit the road again in 2017 with MOVE Beyond Live on Tour, their biggest and best show yet, with brand-new stage production inspired by the elements - earth, wind, fire, and water - which the duo have infused into fresh, high impact choreography that only they can deliver. The show brought fans on a journey of dance and music, taking inspiration directly from the four elements as an exploration of the human relationship with nature. The pair was joined by the Move Company Dancers for group performances in styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hip-hop and everything in between.
In 2015, Julianne launched her lifestyle website and blog, Jules.
A born entertainer, Julianne Hough (pronounced "Huff") always loved singing, dancing and acting. At age 10, she was presented with an opportunity to study performing arts in London, which established her fierce independence and was the beginning of a period of intense training and education. She returned to Utah at age 15 and, after graduating high school, moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of a career in entertainment.
Quickly earning a solid reputation for her talent, discipline and professionalism, it took less than a month for Julianne to land a job as a dancer on the ABC game show, "Show Me The Money," and shortly thereafter joined the "Dancing With the Stars" tour as a company dancer before joining the cast of the hit series in the show's fourth season, where she was paired with two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno. She toured with the troupe again, before returning to the hit show for seasons five through eight, pairing with Indy race champion Helio Castroneves, comedian Adam Carolla, actor Cody Linley and country singer Chuck Wicks. Hough remains the youngest dancer to have won the competition twice, with partners Ohno and Castroneves. Her skills as a choreographer also led to a collaboration with Gwen Stefani on the singer's "Wind It Up" video.
Julianne earned Emmy nominations in 2008 and 2009 for Best Choreography for her work on the show and in 2015, won the Emmy for choreographing, along with her brother Derek and Tessandra Chavez, her and Derek's memorable performance of Sia's "Elastic Heart," performed live by the singer-songwriter.
Following her departure from "Dancing With the Stars," Julianne made several appearances on the show to promote her films and as a guest judge. She thrilled fans when she returned full-time to the ballroom as a judge for three hit seasons in 2014-15 and again in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017.
Julianne's self-titled debut album, released by Universal Music Group Nashville in 2008, hit the Billboard Country charts at #1 and entered the Billboard 200 at #3, marking the highest debut for a country artist since 2006. Her first two singles from the album, "That Song in My Head" and "My Hallelujah Song," soared up the country charts and she earned her first two 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards for Top New Female Vocalist and Top New Artist.
Hitting the road for the first time as a recording artist in 2009, Julianne opened for superstar Brad Paisley and later toured with George Strait, playing over 100 shows. Her second album, The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection, became an instant holiday classic for her legions of fans, distributed exclusively at Target.
In 2009, Julianne also starred in her first fitness DVD, "Cardio Ballroom," the first in a series designed to motivate exercise novices and enthusiasts alike on the dance floor. The second, "Just Dance!," was released in 2010, also topping sales charts for months.
In 2012, she created her own shoe line, Julianne Hough for Sole Society, a collaboration with leading women's footwear designer Vince Camuto and is highly sought-after in the world of commercials and endorsements, as an international spokesperson for Proactiv Solution and previously as the official spokesperson for Venus Embrace, co-authoring their "Goddess Guide to Getting Closer" for the company's 2009 marketing campaign. She was featured in the iconic Got Milk? Campaign and sang an updated version of the Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum theme, "The Taste is Gonna Move Ya," with numerous international campaigns in the works.
Julianne has a long-term partnership with MPG Activewear, which was introduced with 12 favorite styles curated and selected by Julianne from the popular line's Spring/Summer 2016 collection and now features quarterly collections designed by Julianne. She is the face of Giorgio Beverly Hills Fragrances, celebrating the iconic brand's 35th anniversary and the recent introduction of Giorgio Beverly Hills Glam. Julianne executive produced and she and Derek hosted a family Thanksgiving special for Disney that aired on ABC in November 2016, as well as "The Disney Parks' Magical Christmas Celebration," which aired on Christmas Day and was nominated for an Emmy. In May 2017, Julianne executive produced and co-hosted The Miss USA Competition for the second time.
In addition to her performing career, Julianne is also active in a wide range of philanthropic endeavors, charities and humanitarian efforts. Julianne has joined forces with the Kind Campaign to create and host Kind Camp, empowering and encouraging girls to be confident, beautiful women and to eradicate girl against girl bullying. Her charitable affiliations range from numerous causes and organizations that serve women and girls to those that are fueled by her lifelong passion for dogs and other animals, among many others.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Sean Patrick Flanery was born in Lake Charles, La. and raised in a small town outside of Houston, Texas. While attending the University of St. Thomas in Houston, he saw a beautiful girl leaving a building on campus every Monday and decided to drop an English class and sign up for "whatever the hell they were teaching in that building". The building was the University's theater department, and the class was acting. Through his theater studies, he penned a piece of children's theater and decided afterwards to pack up his car and head to Los Angeles with the hopes of actually producing the play. Somewhere in the process, an agent approached him and requested to represent him commercially. His first paid role in Hollywood was a Kellog's Corn Pops commercial starring alongside none other than Paul Walker. Shortly after a string of national commercials, the same agent then began representing him for TV/film roles. He very quickly landed the title role in George Lucas' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) after shooting 2 films for the Mickey Mouse Club called Just Perfect (1990) and My Life as a Babysitter (1990). Since then, Flanery has been in numerous films and TV shows every year, including Powder (1995), The Dead Zone (2002), Saw 3D (2010), Suicide Kings (1997), and the runaway cult hit The Boondock Saints (1999), and most recently, the TV show "Powers" for Sony, which was scheduled to be released in early 2015.
Flanery is also noted for winning the Toyota celebrity race of Long Beach two years in a row, the first as an amateur, and the second after being invited back to compete as a pro. He won after qualifying on the pole both times.
Off camera, Flanery is a high ranking martial artist having earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the Renzo Gracie lineage on May 4th of 2008. He owns his own BJJ academy called Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in West Hollywood, Ca. where he trains regularly when his film schedule allows.- Actor
- Stunts
Wilford Brimley was born on 27 September 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for The Natural (1984), In & Out (1997) and Cocoon (1985). He was married to Beverly Berry and Lynne Brimley. He died on 1 August 2020 in St. George, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Patrick Fugit was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Jan Clark-Fugit, a dance teacher, and Bruce Fugit, an electrical engineer. He has two siblings. He began acting in a summer Theater program through the University of Utah at eleven. He continued on through high school and regional productions. He enjoys biking and skating. In 2002, he was featured in Seventeen magazine, along with Alison Lohman, his co-star from White Oleander (2002).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Talia Rose Shire is an American actress who played roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series. For her work in The Godfather Part II and Rocky, Shire was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively, and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Rocky.- Ian Alexander was born on 20 April 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Last of Us: Part II (2020), The OA (2016) and Daughter (2022).
- Lala Kent rose to fame on Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules," and has since become a wildly-popular media personality, and ultimately coined the phrase "Give Them Lala". This phrase paved the way for her beauty empire, Give Them Lala Beauty, and her ambitious, fun, talented personality has led her to a massive following worldwide.
As an actress, Lala recently played the lead role in the Lionsgate horror film "The Row" and is set to appear in a new heist film, "Vault." She has also played major parts in past film like "Dudes & Dragons," "Pitching Love and Catching Faith," "One Shot," and "The Mentor." Lala's hit single "Boy" reached #1 in the Electronic genre on iTunes in 2018. - Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Firebrand Roseanne Barr has long been one of America's funniest and most controversial comedians.
She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Helen (Davis), a cashier and bookkeeper, and Jerome Hershel "Jerry" Barr, a salesman. Her family was Jewish, and had moved to the U.S. from Russia, Lithuania, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She dropped out of high school when she was seventeen, and, after a car accident, was admitted to a mental institution, claiming she was having nightmares and memory loss. She left the institute less than a year later. At seventeen, she gave birth to her first daughter, Brandi Brown, and gave her up for adoption. She began working at a restaurant as a dishwasher and waitress. Her hilarious comments to the customers she waited on led her to doing stand-up comedy at the restaurant. She married Bill Pentland and they had three children together, Jessica, Jennifer, and Jacob Pentland.
Roseanne worked doing stand-up comedy until her August 23, 1985 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) thrust her into the limelight. In 1987, HBO offered her a show of her own, On Location: The Roseanne Barr Show (1987). It was canceled after a short time. In 1989, Roseanne starred opposite Meryl Streep and Ed Begley Jr. in She-Devil (1989). Though her first picture wasn't as successful as she might have hoped, her sitcom, Roseanne (1988), debuted in 1988 and ran for 9 seasons on ABC, co-starring John Goodman. It dealt with real-life issues in a lower middle-class working family. During its first season on ABC, it leaped to #2 in the ratings. After the sitcom's first season, Roseanne gained notoriety when she gave a screeching, crotch-grabbing performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a baseball game.
When Roseanne divorced her first husband, Bill Pentland, after 16 years of marriage in 1990 and married Roseanne (1988) co-star Tom Arnold only four days later, her sitcom was already beginning its downward spiral. In 1991, she started to be billed as Roseanne Arnold. Around this time, she began to claim that she, as well as her siblings, had been physically and sexually abused as a child. Both her siblings and parents denied the charges, and lie detector tests used on Roseanne's parents came back negative. The court battles led to ten years of estrangement with her parents and siblings. Her marriage with Arnold lasted four years before she filed for divorce from him for physical abuse and domestic violence. It is still not known if the accusations were true. Although she insisted that he hit her, she admits that he never abused her three children from her previous marriage:
In 1996, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won, but she was not there to accept it. Luckily, Tom Arnold's exit from "Roseanne" happened towards the end of the sixth season, allowing the show to have an almost smooth ending. However, after the sixth season of Roseanne (1988), the plots started to run dry and ratings began to drop. During the season following her divorce, she insisted on being billed as simply "Roseanne." After Roseanne (1988) was canceled, she went on Broadway to play "The Wicked Witch of the West" in "The Wizard of Oz" to rave reviews.
On Valentine's Day 1995, Roseanne married former bodyguard Ben Thomas. With Thomas, she had her tubal ligation surgery reversed in order to become pregnant with her fifth child, Buck Thomas. In 1997, she slowly began being billed as "Roseanne Thomas", as in the last 11 episodes of Roseanne, as executive producer (she was still "Roseanne" in the cast credits). She guest-starred in The Nanny (1993) as Roseanne Thomas in late 1997. In 2002, she filed for divorce against Thomas for the second time (the first time, in 1998, she dropped the suit), accusing him of being disturbed and claiming that he threatened to run off with their son.
After the divorce, she began to study the Kabballah, a form of Jewish mysticism, and those around her said she became amazingly centered and stable. In the 2000s, she ended the feud with her parents and siblings and went back to being billed as Roseanne Barr. Today, Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas spends her time with her family in her home in El Segundo, California.
Always outspoken, Roseanne began commenting on politics in earnest in the 2000s, and unsuccessfully ran for the Green Party's presidential nomination in 2012. She was subsequently chosen as the Peace and Freedom Party's candidate for President of the United States in '12, receiving 61,971 votes in the general election, and placing sixth. Her run is depicted in the documentary Roseanne for President! (2015).
Initially a left-leaning liberal, she became considerably more right-wing throughout the 2010s. Her show Roseanne returned for a tenth season in 2018, to blockbuster ratings, but was canceled after Roseanne sent a racially-offensive tweet that capped off a longer run of incendiary comments.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Cynthia Watros was born on 2 September 1968 in Lake Orion, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for General Hospital (1963), Guiding Light (1952) and Video Game High School (2012). She was previously married to Curtis Gilliland.- Popular Australian actor born in New South Wales, whose earlier film work typified the "Aussie larrikin" sterotype with his lively and animated acting style, blonde hair and lairish grin. Bisley broke into film alongside fellow NIDA graduate Mel Gibson in the surfie flick Summer City (1977), followed by a minor role in Newsfront (1978), next up Bisley appeared as quick tempered police officer "Jim Goose", again with Mel Gibson in the action thriller Mad Max (1979), and then as a wildcat miner in the gritty outback tale of The Last of the Knucklemen (1979).
The likeable Bisley found himself in regular demand in both Australian cinema and TV, and over the next few years he showed up in a variety of fine productions including _"A Town like Alice" (1981)_, _Highest Honor (1982)_, Squizzy Taylor (1982) and Silver City (1984).
Bisley then appeared in the highly popular TV series _"The Flying Doctors" (1985)_, in the period piece _"Emma: Queen of the South Seas" (1988)_ and the ABC TV series G.P. (1989). His next role was as a slick talking and shonky car salesman in the delightful The Big Steal (1990), however Bisley was back on the side of good in the prime rating TV series _"Police Rescue" (1990)_. Bisley continued to keep busy in the 1990s with great performances in many TV productions such as _"Halifax f.p: Sweet Dreams" (1996)_, Breaking News (1994) and four years as tough detective "Jack Christey" in Water Rats (1996).
A key actor in the growth of Australian cinema and TV for nearly three decades. - Matthew W. Davis (born May 8, 1978), also professionally known as Matt Davis, is an American actor who is known for his roles as Adam Hillman on the ABC comedy-drama What About Brian from 2006 to 2007 and Alaric Saltzman on The CW fantasy drama The Vampire Diaries from 2009 to 2012. In 2014, he returned as a series regular for the sixth season, he starred on the short-lived CW mystery and horror drama Cult as Jeff Sefton, and had a recurring role on the CBS police drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sean Yeager.
Davis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Woods Cross High School, and the University of Utah. He was briefly married to actress Leelee Sobieski in 2008.
Davis co-starred with Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001), as Warner Huntington III, who breaks up with Elle Woods (Witherspoon).
His notable film credits include Blue Crush (2002) with Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez, Tigerland (2000) with Colin Farrell and BloodRayne (2005) with Kristanna Loken.
Davis starred in The CW fantasy drama The Vampire Diaries, as Alaric Saltzman since 2009 and starred in the short-lived CW mystery and horror drama Cult, as Jeff Sefton that same year.
Davis had a recurring role in the CBS police drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from 2013 to 2014 in the 14th season, as swing shift CSI Sean Yeager. He appeared in the sixth episode titled "Passed Pawns", the eighth episode titled "Helpless", and the 13th episode titled "Boston Brakes".
He later returned to the hit The CW show The Vampire Diaries as Alaric Saltzman once again as a series regular. - Actress
- Producer
Christine Woods was born on 3 September 1983 in Lake Forest, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Hello Ladies (2013), Perfect Couples (2010) and Flashforward (2009).- Kristen Hager is a Canadian actress. She co-starred in films Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) and Wanted (2008), and played Leslie Van Houten in the independent film Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009). From 2011 to 2014, Hager starred as Nora Sergeant in the Syfy supernatural comedy-drama series, Being Human.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
He possessed the same special brand of rebel/misfit sensitivity and charm that made superstars out of John Garfield and (later) James Dean and Montgomery Clift. In the war-torn 1940s, Robert Walker represented MGM's fresh, instinctive breed of up-and-coming talent. His boyish good looks combined with an attractive vulnerability came across the screen with such beauty, power and naturalness. He went quite far in his short life; however, the many tortured souls he played so brilliantly closely mirrored the actor himself and the demons that haunted his own being wasted no time in taking him down a self-destructive path for which there was no return.
Walker was born Robert Hudson Walker in 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the youngest of four sons of Zella (McQuarrie) and Horace Hudson Walker, a news editor for the local paper. He was of English and Scottish descent. His maternal aunt, Hortense (McQuarrie) Odlum, was the first female president of Bonwit Teller. His parents separated while he was quite young and the anxiety and depression built up over this loss marred his early school years, which were marked by acts of belligerent aggression and temper tantrums, resulting in his being expelled from school several times. To control his behavioral problems, a positive activity was sought that could help him develop confidence and on which he could focus his energies. It came in the form of acting. Following a lead in a school play at the San Diego Army and Navy Academy at Carlsbad-by-the-Sea, California, Walker entered an acting contest at the Pasadena Playhouse and won a top performance prize. A well-to-do aunt paid for his tuition at the American Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA) in 1938, and he was on his way.
Things started off quite promisingly. While there he met fellow student Phyllis Isley who went on to play Elizabeth Barrett Browning to his Robert Browning in a production of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (Phyllis was later renamed Jennifer Jones). The couple fell in love and both quit the academy in order to save money and marry, but they found little work other than some small parts at a Greenwich Village theater. They eventually found a radio job together in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and married on January 2, 1939, honeymooning in Hollywood in order to secure more acting parts. Other than some radio jobs and bit parts in films, the move didn't pan out. The couple returned to New York and started a family. Sons Robert Walker Jr. (born 1940) and Michael Walker (born 1941) would both become actors in their own right. Following their births Jennifer returned to auditioning and caught the eye of producer David O. Selznick, who took an immediate interest in her and signed her to a contract. Selznick was also instrumental in securing a contract for Robert over at MGM. Stardom would be theirs as a result of this Selznick association, but at quite a cost to Robert.
Robert gained immediate attention in his first important MGM role as a shy, ill-fated sailor in Bataan (1943), but was miscast as a scientist in the Greer Garson biopic Madame Curie (1943). Hollywood notice would come in the form of his sweet, sad-sack title role in the service comedy See Here, Private Hargrove (1944), the story of a cub reporter who is drafted into the army. The role brought out all the touching, fascinating qualities of Robert. In the meantime, Jennifer became so caught up in her obsessive relationship with mentor Selznick that she broke off with Robert. The actor was devastated and abruptly turned to heavy drinking. He would never completely recover from this loss. The first of many skirmishes with the law came about when he was arrested on a hit-and-run charge. In another self-destructive act, he agreed to appear with his estranged wife in the Selznick film Since You Went Away (1944). Although he suffered great anguish during the filming, the movie was praised by critics. He played a young soldier who dies before the end of the last reel, and audiences identified with him in both his troubled on- and off-screen roles. Another vivid part that showed off Walker's star quality came opposite the equally troubled Judy Garland in The Clock (1945), a simple romantic story of two lost souls, a soldier and a girl, who accidentally meet while he is on furlough.
The tumultuous state of Walker's not-so-private life began to seriously affect his screen career in the late 1940s. In the musical Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) he played composer Jerome Kern but was eclipsed by the musical numbers and flurry of special guests. He was third billed behind Katharine Hepburn and Paul Henreid, who portrayed pianist Clara Schumann and mentally unstable composer Robert Schumann, in Song of Love (1947). Robert played famed composer and friend Johannes Brahms. Following a lead part as a love-struck window dresser in One Touch of Venus (1948), which focused more on Ava Gardner's creative vision of loveliness, he impulsively married Barbara Ford, the daughter of famed director John Ford. The marriage ended in divorce after just five months, following more erratic outbursts, including arrests for drunkenness. By this time Jennifer had married Selznick, and this pushed Robert over the brink. He was committed to a sanatorium and not released until the middle of 1949.
After his recovery and release, he was back to work with top roles in the comedy Please Believe Me (1950) opposite Deborah Kerr and the western Vengeance Valley (1951) starring Burt Lancaster. Robert happened to be loaned out to Warner Bros. when he was handed the most memorable film role of his career, that of the charming psychopath who attempts to trade murder favors with Farley Granger in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Strangers on a Train (1951). Hailed by the critics, Robert was mesmerizing in the part and part of the Hollywood elite once again. He had begun filming Paramount's My Son John (1952), which included Helen Hayes, Van Heflin and Dean Jagger in the cast, when tragedy occurred.
Robert had just finished principal photography and was making himself available for re-shoots for director Leo McCarey when, on the night of August 28, 1951, his housekeeper found him in an extremely agitated state. Failing to calm him down, she panicked and called his psychiatrist, who, upon arrival, administered a dose of sodium amytal, a sedative, which Walker had taken in the past. Unfortunately, he had been drinking as well and suffered an acute allergic reaction to the drug. Robert stopped breathing, and all efforts to resuscitate him failed. His death cut short the career of a man destined to become one of the most charismatic actors in film. As for life imitating art, perhaps Robert's agonies are what brought out the magnificence of his acting.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Clarence Gilyard Jr. was born on 24 December 1955 in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Die Hard (1988), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) and Top Gun (1986). He was married to Elena Castillo and Catherine Dutko. He died on 28 November 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sweet, sweeter, sweetest. No combination of terms better describes the screen persona of lovely Loretta Young. A&E's Biography (1987) has stated that Young "remains a symbol of beauty, serenity, and grace. But behind the glamour and stardom is a woman of substance whose true beauty lies in her dedication to her family, her faith, and her quest to live life with a purpose."
Loretta Young was born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 6, 1913, to Gladys (Royal) and John Earle Young. Her parents separated when Loretta was three years old. Her mother moved Loretta and her two older sisters to Southern California, where Mrs. Young ran a boarding house. When Loretta was 10, her mother married one of her boarders, George Belzer. They had a daughter, Georgianna, two years later.
Loretta was appearing on screen as a child extra by the time she was four, joining her elder sisters, Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (later better known as Sally Blane), as child players. Mrs. Young's brother-in-law was an assistant director and got young Loretta a small role in the film The Only Way (1914). The role consisted of nothing more than a small, weeping child lying on an operating table. Later that year, she appeared in another small role, in The Primrose Ring (1917). The film starred Mae Murray, who was so taken with little Loretta that she offered to adopt her. Loretta lived with the Murrays for about a year and a half. In 1921, she had a brief scene in The Sheik (1921).
Loretta and her sisters attended parochial schools, after which they helped their mother run the boarding house. In 1927, Loretta returned to films in a small part in Naughty But Nice (1927). Even at the age of fourteen, she was an ambitious actress. Changing her name to Loretta Young, letting her blond hair revert to its natural brown and with her green eyes, satin complexion and exquisite face, she quickly graduated from ingenue to leading lady. Beginning with her role as Denise Laverne in The Magnificent Flirt (1928), she shaped any character she took on with total dedication. In 1928, she received second billing in The Head Man (1928) and continued to toil in many roles throughout the '20s and '30s, making anywhere from six to nine films a year. Her two sisters were also actresses but were not as successful as Loretta, whose natural beauty was her distinct advantage.
The 17-year-old Young made headlines in 1930 when she and Grant Withers, who was previously married and nine years her senior, eloped to Yuma, Arizona. They had both appeared in Warner Bros.' The Second Floor Mystery (1930). The marriage was annulled in 1931, the same year in which the pair would again co-star on screen in a film ironically titled Too Young to Marry (1931). By the mid-'30s, Loretta left First National Studios for rival Fox, where she had previously worked on a loan-out basis, and became one of the premier leading ladies of Hollywood.
In 1935, she made Call of the Wild (1935) with Clark Gable and it was thought they had an affair where Loretta got pregnant thereafter. Because of the strict morality clauses in their contracts - and the fact that Clark Gable was married - they could not tell anybody except Loretta's mother. Loretta and her mother left for Europe after filming on The Crusades finished. They returned in August 1935 to the United States, at which time Gladys Belzer announced Loretta's 'illness' to the press. Filming on Loretta's next film, Ramona, was also cancelled. During this time, Loretta was living in a small house in Venice, California, her mother rented. On November 6, 1935, Loretta delivered a healthy baby girl whom she named Judith. It wasn't until the 1990s when she was watching Larry King Live where she first heard the word 'date rape' and upon finding out exactly what it was, professed to her friend and biographer Edward Funk and her daughter-in-law Linda Lewis, that she had gone through the same with Clark Gable. "That's what happened between me and Clark."
In 1938, Loretta starred as Sally Goodwin in Kentucky (1938), an outstanding success. Her co-star Walter Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Peter Goodwin.
In 1940, Loretta married businessman Tom Lewis, and from then on her child was called Judy Lewis, although Tom Lewis never adopted her. Judy was brought up thinking that both parents had adopted her and did not know, until years later, that she was actually the biological daughter of Loretta and Clark Gable. Four years after her marriage to Tom Lewis, Loretta had a son, Christopher Lewis, and later another son, Peter Charles.
In the 1940s, Loretta was still one of the most beautiful ladies in Hollywood. She reached the pinnacle of her career when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in The Farmer's Daughter (1947), the tale of a farm girl who rises through the ranks and becomes a congresswoman. It was a smash and today is her best remembered film. The same year, she starred in the delightful fantasy The Bishop's Wife (1947) with David Niven and Cary Grant. It was another box office success and continues to be a TV staple during the holiday season. In 1949, Loretta starred in the well-received film, Mother Is a Freshman (1949) with Van Johnson and Rudy Vallee and Come to the Stable (1949). The latter garnered Loretta her second Oscar nomination, but she lost to Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949). In 1953, Loretta made It Happens Every Thursday (1953), which was to be her final big screen role.
She retired from films in 1953 and began a second, equally successful career as hostess of The Loretta Young Show (1953), a half-hour television drama anthology series which ran on NBC from September 1953 to September 1961. In addition to hosting the series, she frequently starred in episodes. Although she is most remembered for her stunning gowns and swirling entrances, over the broadcast's eight-year run she also showed again that she could act. She won Emmy awards for best actress in a dramatic series in 1954, 1956 and 1958.
After the show ended, she took some time off before returning in 1962 with The New Loretta Young Show (1962), which was not so successful, lasting only one season. For the next 24 years, Loretta did not appear in any entertainment medium. Her final performance was in a made for TV film Lady in the Corner (1989).
By 1960, Loretta was a grandmother. Her daughter Judy Lewis had married about three years before and had a daughter in 1959, whom they named Maria. Loretta and Tom Lewis divorced in the early 1960s. Loretta enjoyed retirement, sleeping late, visiting her son Chris and daughter-in-law Linda, and traveling. She and her friend Josephine Alicia Saenz, ex-wife of John Wayne, traveled to India and saw the Taj Mahal. In 1990, she became a great-grandmother when granddaughter Maria, daughter of Judy Lewis, gave birth to a boy.
Loretta lived a quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her death on August 12, 2000 from ovarian cancer at the home of her sister Georgiana and Georgiana's husband, Ricardo Montalban.- Jaime Bergman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 23, 1975. If people don't recognize Bergman as the 1999 St. Pauli Girl, representing St. Pauli beer, they are sure to recall that she was the January 1999 Playboy Playmate of the Month; the 45th Anniversary Playmate. Bergman, putting her talent and assets to good use, has also appeared in several Playboy videos, including Playboy: Playmate Pajama Party (1999), as well as her own video centerfold. Bergman's film credits do not only include Playboy videos, since she has appeared in several big-time feature films such as Oliver Stone's football themed drama Any Given Sunday (1999); and Daybreak (2000), a less known film. Before being cast as lifeguard/sketch artist/model B.J. Cummings in the comedy series Son of the Beach (2000), an FX Production (Howard Stern's production company), Bergman appeared in several television shows including: Brutally Normal (2000), Shasta McNasty (1999), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), and Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998). She received the part on the show after being sent by her agency and auditioning three or four times. Bergman describes her character as "...a California girl who is very sweet and extremely naïve". When she's not working for Howard Stern Productions, Bergman is still very busy. She has recently appeared on The X Show (1999), will soon appear on the cover of Incite and would like to go on some more auditions.
- Michael Hogan, a prospector's son, was born in Northern Ontario. He trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, where he met his future wife, actress Susan Hogan (nee King). They worked as a package until their their children, Jennie Rebecca Hogan (actress), Gabriel Hogan (actor), and Charlie Hogan (audience member), came along.
Over the years, Hogan has appeared in countless plays, films, TV series, and radio dramas, and even an opera.
Some of his favorite feature film experiences include Clearcut (1991), with his good friend, Graham Greene, shot in the bush north of Lake Superior Road to Saddle River, shot in the Badlands of Alberta; Klondike Fever (1979), with Rod Steiger, Lorne Greene, Angie Dickinson and Gordon Pinsent, shot in and around Barkerville, B.C. in the winter; A Simple Curve (2005), shot in Slocan Valley, B.C. His most rewarding television experiences include his work on Jake and the Kid (1995), Monk (2002), African Skies (1992), Dead Man's Gun (1997), Lifeline to Victory (1993), Nights Below Station Street (1997), _Secret in Giving (1999) (TV) (aka "Calico Christmas"), _For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down (1996) (TV)_ and, of course, his all-time favorite, Battlestar Galactica (2004).
Among his numerous live theater performances are the title role in "Cowboy King", performed on horseback at the Caravan Farm Theatre in the interior of B.C.; "Biff Loman" in "Death of a Salesman", then 19 years later, "Willy Loman" in the same play; "Red Mango Blues", a one-man show (with guitar virtuoso Harris Van Berkel), written by poet/playwright Charles Tidler; and "Petruchio" in "Taming of the Shrew", with wife Susan Hogan as "Kate".
Hogan has performed on several radio shows, including "Pocket City Blues", a radio series about a blues DJ who stumbles into a different crime every week. Hogan's distinctive voice has also been heard over CBC Radio as the narrator of many books, poems, and short stories. His award nominations are numerous and include a Blizzard Award for Best Leading Actor (feature length) for his role in Nights Below Station Street (1997), from Manitoba Film; and a Genie for Best Supporting Actor (feature length) in Solitaire (1991).
The Hogans live on an island with son Charlie, a couple of dogs, cats, bikes, skis, and a few kayaks. - Actress
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Fetching, glossy-lipped, blue-eyed, white-hot blonde Jean Hale showed major promise playing superficial glamour girls, a la Carroll Baker and Virna Lisi, throughout the 1960s. Born on December 27, 1938, to Mormon parents in Salt Lake City, Utah, she was raised in Darien, Connecticut and expressed an early interest in acting. As a promise to her parents, however, she attended college first to test her ambitions.
After attending the University of Utah (for one semester, majoring in ballet) and then Skidmore College for Women (three additional semesters), Jean went directly to New York, where she was accepted as a student at the Neighbood Playhouse. There, she studied under Sydney Pollack and met (and later married) fellow acting student, Dabney Coleman. To supplement her income, Jean's incredible beauty served her well as a model for both the Conover and Huntington Hartford agencies. Upon her graduation from the Playhouse, she set out to find work -- her first professional job being a Hudnut commercial.
More TV work came her way as a dancer on the 1960 Sing Along with Mitch (1961) series and she also appeared, on stage, in the plays, "The Male Animal" and "Everybody Loves Opal". Agent Len Luskin (Sandra Dee's agent) took an interest and signed her up in 1960. Turning down a part in BUtterfield 8 (1960) in order to stay put in New York with Coleman, the couple eventually married on December 11, 1961, and Coleman wound up accompanying her to Puerto Rico to shoot what should have been her debut film Felicia (1964). The movie was never released.
Her second film, however, Violent Midnight (1963) [aka Psychomania], a gruesome low-budget horror film, was released. She plays the potential victim of a knifing stalker and she received decent reviews. It led to a Universal contract in 1963 and co-starring/featured parts in a modicum of films, including Taggart (1964) and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965). For the latter film as a man-hungry lieutenant, she dyed her hair platinum blonde and kept it). She also found TV guest parts in such shows as McHale's Navy (1962), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962), The Wild Wild West (1965) and The Virginian (1962).
It was the role of a spoiled movie diva in the overly melodramatic, poorly-received flick, The Oscar (1966), that gave Jean an unexpected career boost. This led to her sexy villainous cohort role to "The Mad Hatter" (David Wayne) on TV's Batman (1966). She also capitalized on her sensuality, with a key role opposite James Coburn, in the James Bond spoof, In Like Flint (1967), a move that earned her a Fox contract -- one picture a year for seven years. Jean followed this immediately with her co-star role in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), directed by Roger Corman, in which she looked period perfect as George Segal's moll. And then, her career hit a major decline.
Soon after her third child was born, Jean and Dabney Coleman separated and the actress lost complete focus of her career. The studio was promoting Jean as a sex goddess but, much to its consternation, she was unwilling to fulfill the requirements of such an image -- wearing skimpy costumes; turning down film roles that required semi-nudity; turning down publicity tours in Europe for the sake of her family. Jean even refused a Playboy Magazine spread having her model men's pajama tops, while promoting the "In Like Flint" film. The frustrated heads at Fox released her.
Turning back to the small screen once again (Tarzan (1966), Perry Mason (1957), Hawaii Five-O (1968), Mod Squad (1968), Cannon (1971)), Jean then filmed Something Big (1971) with Dean Martin but all her scenes were excised from the final print. After guest appearances on such shows as "Bonanza," "The Virginian," "The Mod Squad" and "Cannon," she was little seen, but did return briefly to be featured in two TV movies -- Thanksgiving Day (1990) and Lies Before Kisses (1991).
Long separated, Jean's marriage to Coleman was finally dissolved on December 4, 1984. Her three children, daughters Kelly Johns and Mary (later aka singer-songwriter Quincy Coleman) and middle son Randy Coleman all pursued the music/acting careers at one time or another. In later years, Jean co-founded her own production company ("Coleman/Tanasescu Entertainment") with partner Gino Tanasescu and continues to reside in Southern California.- Actress
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Lindsay Pulsipher is an American actress. She has had several roles in film and television, she is best known for HBO's True Blood, and Hatfields & McCoys (2012).
She was born and grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, with five siblings, and was inspired to be an actor by her mother, a theater actress. After appearing in several roles from 2000 to 2003 in the television series, Touched by an Angel, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a lifelong dream of a career in acting.
She also starred in the TV Series The Beast starring Patrick Swayze.- Music Department
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Alan Thicke was born on 1 March 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Growing Pains (1985), Raising Helen (2004) and That's My Boy (2012). He was married to Tanya Callau, Gina Marie Tolleson and Gloria Loring. He died on 13 December 2016 in Burbank, California, USA.- Shannon Whirry is not just a talented actress with girl-next-door looks, she captured a generation of men's (and teenage boys'!) imaginations by wishing that she actually was the girl-next-door.
Born in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, Whirry graduated from high school and packed her bags for New York. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts during the 1980s and began her career in Off-Broadway productions as well as appearances on 'Saturday Night Live' and the popular daytime soap 'One Life to Live'. When Steven Seagal came to town during the casting for his 1991 movie Out for Justice (1991), Whirry won the role of Terry Malloy, a cocktail waitress. She left for LA.
Following this small role, she auditioned for and won the part of Joanna Coles in the erotic thriller Animal Instincts (1992). Directed by Gregory Dark, the movie capitalized on the direct-to-video market and the popularity of steamy movies in the early 1990s. Animal Instincts (1992) revolved around a couple's bid to spice up their marriage through voyeuristic sexual adventures. The film was a hit.
Over the following years, Whirry worked with Gregory Dark on more films in the same vein. Animal Instincts II (1994) and Body of Influence (1993) are well known. She also appeared in Exit (1996), Ringer (1996), Mirror Images II (1993), and Private Obsession (1995) among others. She was, and still is, regarded as an icon of the erotic thriller genre. Debate continues as to whether one prefers Shannon Whirry or Shannon Tweed.
In the mid-90s, Whirry broke away from the confines of the genre, and appeared in movies with more focus on action and adventure, as well as appearing in numerous TV shows in guest spots. TV roles have included Murder One (1995), Nash Bridges (1996), V.I.P. (1998), and ER (1994). Whirry was also a regular on the TV show Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997).
Despite some Hollywood attention and a variety of roles (including a cameo in the Jim Carrey vehicle Me, Myself & Irene (2000)) Whirry felt that roles were drying up in LA, where the focus was, and remains, on youth. She left LA in 2004.
These days, Shannon Whirry lives in the Phoenix area of Arizona. She can be seen in challenging roles on the stage with iTheatre Collaborative or Nearly Naked Theatre. Her stage roles have garnered her much acclaim. Small roles continue in front of the camera, mostly filmed locally. She also has appeared in TV commercials.
In May 2009, Whirry appeared in "Bug" at the Herberger Theatre Center in Phoenix. More recently she has appeared in 'Raising Buchanan' in a supporting role. Whilst fans are sure to be pleased that her career is continuing and flourishing, some surely wouldn't mind another Animal Instincts (1992) sequel. - Actress
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Joi Lansing was born Joyce Renee Brown on April 6, 1929 in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a teen she developed early, and because of her striking good looks, she began to model and was extremely successful throughout the 1940s.
It was only natural that her physical assets eventually landed her on the silver screen. Her first go at films occurred in 1948 with roles as--what else?--models in The Counterfeiters (1948), Julia Misbehaves (1948), and Easter Parade (1948). She was 20 years old and her acting wasn't exactly polished in the beginning, but producers cared not--she was hired for her looks and her body.
The following year brought more of the same; she got mostly uncredited roles in films as nothing more than a showpiece. She took a hiatus in 1950 to concentrate on her modeling career. She returned to the big screen in 1951 to play minor roles, though this time went a little better. She played Susan Matthews in F.B.I. Girl (1951) and Marilyn Turner in On the Riviera (1951); at least she played characters with names. Then it was back to being a showpiece. In 1952, she had an uncredited role in one of the most popular movies of all time, Singin' in the Rain (1952). Another minor role as the Maxim Girl in The Merry Widow (1952) followed. She began appearing on television in 1955 when she played in an episode of Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951) and one of I Love Lucy (1951) the following year.
In 1955, Joi landed a recurring role as Shirley Swanson in the television series The Bob Cummings Show (1955). It was this series that proved to all that she actually could act well. Because of this series, she began to get more-substantial parts in films such as The Brave One (1956), Hot Cars (1956), and So You Think the Grass Is Greener (1956), all in 1956. Then it was back to bit roles. For the balance of the 1950s, she continued to appear in B-movies with less-than-quality roles. After appearing in the comedy film Who Was That Lady? (1960), Joi landed the role of Goldie in the television series Klondike (1960). However, most viewers remember her as the wife of Lester Flatt on the situation comedy The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), in which she appeared from 1965 to 1968. As Gladys Flatt, her beauty even surpassed Donna Douglas' as Elly May Clampett.
Her film career was now winding down and she appeared as Boots Malone in the B-movie Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967), which went nowhere.
Joi Lansing died of breast cancer at age 43 on August 7, 1972 in Santa Monica, California.- When we think of the term "worse for wear," somehow provocative images of 39-26-37 Edwina Beth Williams (better known as Edy Williams) and her outrageous apparel at film festivals and award shows instantly stand out in one's mind. You have to admit that this wild child, who has now come into her seventies (born on July 9, 1941), can never be accused of being a shrinking violet or not giving her all to her chosen profession.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, this courageous perennial starlet grew up in all sorts of ways in southern California. She first began her career chasing after modeling work with local photographers while in her teens and has not slowed down since. An undeniably fetching and voluptuous presence, she was the recipient of several California beauty titles which led to her eventual signing by 20th Century-Fox in the early 1960s.
Known for her untamed chestnut hair, she displayed her talents initially with taunting, decorative roles in such pictures as For Love or Money (1963), Man's Favorite Sport? (1964), A House Is Not a Home (1964) (in which she and fellow glamazon Raquel Welch played call girls), The Naked Kiss (1964), the Elvis Presley musical Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) and Nevada Smith (1966) starring Steve McQueen. Television utilized her as sexy scenery or a vapid foil on such series as The Twilight Zone (1959), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Burke's Law (1963) and Batman (1966).
In her more mainstream prime, Edy earned second-femme lead status next to James Farentino, Julie Sommars and Brian Bedford in the teasing comedy The Pad (and How to Use It) (1966) and Walter Matthau and Anne Jackson in The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968), but things changed big-time once she associated with producer-director Russ Meyer, her mentor-turned-husband. She was displayed front-and-center as a predatory porn star in his campy softcore erotica Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and The Seven Minutes (1971), but in the end he failed to make her anything but a cult figure.
She and Meyer divorced in 1975, and since then she has been more or less promoting herself. The notorious publicity hound who could make even Jayne Mansfield wince a little, Edy has made annual cheesecake appearances (not usually in a positive way), opting for jaw-dropping bordello-chic formal wear to get the flashbulbs popping at entertainment events. Her scanty gowns have earned her numerous worst-dressed awards from here to Timbuktu. In later years, she has occasionally departed exploitation with roles in such films as Chained Heat (1983), Lady Lust (1984), Hollywood Hot Tubs (1984), Nudity Required (1989), Bad Girls from Mars (1990) and Snatch Masters 6 (1995). You have to give her credit or praise, Edy Williams certainly succeeded her way.