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1-15 of 15
- Actress
- Soundtrack
She was a pert brunette with a winning smile who decorated several minor screen entertainments in the 1940s. A genuinely talented singer and tap dancer, even a fair actress, Mary Hatcher enjoyed a promising start, yet -- like so many other hopefuls -- her career barely got off the ground. Mary was born and raised in Florida where her good singing voice (coloratura soprano) found a willing sponsor in her father's wealthy employer. With ample funds for her vocal tuition thus available she went on to train under the famous Metropolitan Opera diva Gladys Swarthout. For some reason, or other, grand opera didn't pan out and Mary went on to take singing lessons from a local band leader, Frank Grasso, who also happened to be musical director at a radio station in Tampa. She then sang on radio broadcasts and eventually made her public debut at a 'Latin American Fiesta' in 1940. This was followed by gigs at various charity events for British War Relief. In 1941, still cheerfully subsidized by her father's boss, she undertook further studies at the Juilliard School of Music.
Mary's first attempt to get into films proved to be inauspicious, having twice failed auditions in New York. Her mother was ambitious for her to succeed and this may well have prompted the Hatcher family moving to California. In 1944, Mary was successfully screen-tested and signed to a seven-year contract by Paramount. Simultaneously, she was loaned out to a touring New York Theatre Guild production of "Oklahoma". As a result, she didn't make her screen bow until 1946. Her first three pictures were bit parts. Most of her subsequent leads turned out to be lightweight in nature. Her first was a star-studded musical jamboree: Variety Girl (1947) featured cameos from just about every Paramount contract star (except for Betty Hutton who was pregnant at the time). Opportunities for an upcoming starlet to shine were inevitably limited. At least, Mary got to warble "Julicat" in George Pal's 5-minute Puppetoon segment of "Romeow and Julicat".
She then played one of three sisters (the others were Veronica Lake and Mona Freeman) in a tepid black & white period musical (Isn't It Romantic (1948)), danced with Desi Arnaz in the cheerful low-budget musical Holiday in Havana (1949) and starred as a tomboy love interest opposite Mickey Rooney in The Big Wheel (1949) (an implausible tale of a garage mechanic who ends up becoming an Indianapolis 500 champion). In 1949, Mary landed the plum role of Dallas Smith in the original Broadway musical production of Johnny Mercer's "Texas, L'il Darlin" which ran for a respectable 293 performances, closing in September 1950. The following year, she made her movie swan song playing Maid Marian in a Poverty Row production of Tales of Robin Hood (1951), purportedly the pilot for a failed TV series. Mary gave up film work shortly thereafter and faded into relative obscurity.
Both of her husbands were involved in the big band scene: her first was the comedian Herkie Styles (at the time an alumnus of the Benny Goodman orchestra, later a regular on the Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964) TV show), the second was the renowned swing-era drummer Alvin Stoller.- A Florida native who worked at Cypress Gardens as a teenager selling orange juice and was a former teen golf champion in the area as well, Sheila's over three decade Hollywood career has encompassed not only film and TV but the dramatic and comedic stage.
A major TV highlight in Sheila's career was her recurring guest star turn as Jeannie Vogel, mother-in-law to troubled ad man Pete Campbell (played by Vincent Kartheiser) on AMC's Emmy-winning dramatic hit series Mad Men (2007). Other noticeable roles include a recurring part as Senator Patty Bates in the series Scandal (2012) and her series regular part as Connie on the Emmy-nominated Web series of Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462 (2015). She has amassed a number of TV credits including Grace and Frankie (2015) co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin; Shooter (2016) with Ryan Phillippe; Lady Dynamite (2016) starring Maria Bamford; and Vegas (2012) with Dennis Quaid, as well as Shameless (2011), Criminal Minds (2005), Sons of Anarchy (2008), Dexter (2006), Bones (2005), Gilmore Girls (2000), and The King of Queens (1998).
On film, Sheila has played character turns in People Like Us (2012) with Michelle Pfeiffer; Pineapple Express (2008) with Seth Rogen; First Daughter (2004), directed by Forest Whitaker and starring Katie Holmes; and Erin Brockovich (2000), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Academy Award winner Julia Roberts.
Active in the Los Angeles local theater for over 30 years, Sheila received her Equity card in the hallmark production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" at the Los Angeles Theater Center which starred Bill Pullman, Philip Baker Hall and the late Nan Martin. One of her particular favorites was the featured role of child-like May Bee Burley in Theatre West's 1985 premiere of "Verdigris", written by Jim Beaver and directed by Mark W. Travis, which earned her both the Los Angeles Weekly and Drama-Logue awards. Sheila returned to the play in Theatre West's 30-year anniversary of the production, this time receiving critical acclaim for the powerhouse leading role of Margaret Fielding. - Actress
- Composer
- Writer
Sevyn Streeter was born on 7 July 1986 in Haines City, Florida, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Furious 7 (2015), Black Lightning (2018) and Sevyn Streeter: Watchusay (2019).- Dazeran (Duke) Jones, also known as Duke Skywalka is a Professional American Basketball player, Internet Personality, Actor and Influencer. He is widely know for his basketball skills with "Ball Is Life" and his role in the remake of "White men can't jump". He also does Motion Capture acting for NBA 2K.
Dazeran is available worldwide for acting roles, appearances, stunt work, commercials, basketball demos, modeling, voice overs, podcasts and commentating. - Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Louis Cha was born on 10 March 1924 in Haining, Zhejiang Province, China. He was a writer and director, known for Wong lao hu qiang qin (1960), The Romance of the Condor Heroes (2014) and Sakra (2023). He was married to Lin Leyi, Zhu Mei and Du Zhifen. He died on 30 October 2018 in Hong Kong, China(undisclosed).- Director
- Writer
Dongshan Shi was born on 29 December 1902 in Haining, Zhejiang Province, China. Dongshan was a director and writer, known for Xin er lu ying xiong zhuan (1951), Kuanghuan zhi ye (1936) and Chang hen ge (1936). Dongshan died on 23 February 1955.- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Zheng Yu was born on 28 February 1978 in Haining, Zhejiang Province, China. He is a producer and writer, known for Story of Yanxi Palace (2018), Swordsman (2013) and Consummation (2020).- Director
- Writer
Pol Bury was born on 26 April 1922 in Haine-Saint-Pierre, La Louvière, province de Hainaut, Belgium. He was a director and writer, known for 8 500 Tonnes de Fer (1971), Une leçon de géométrie plane (1971) and 135 Km/h (1972). He died on 27 September 2005 in Paris, France.- Stunts
- Actor
Barry Brazell was born on 15 September 1960 in Haines City, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Passenger 57 (1992), Instinct (1999) and Ernest Saves Christmas (1988).- Vincenzo Scifo was born on 19 February 1966 in Haine-Saint-Paul, Wallonia, Belgium.
- Tony Joiner was born on 8 December 1985 in Haines City, Florida, USA.
- Norris Poulson was born on 23 July 1895 in near Haines, Oregon, USA. He died on 25 September 1982 in Orange, California, USA.
- Wayne Gandy was born on 10 February 1971 in Haines City, Florida, USA.
- Luther Burden was born on 28 February 1953 in Haines City, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). He died on 29 October 2015 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
- Arthur Legat was born on 1 November 1898 in Haine-Saint-Paul, Wallonia, Belgium. He died on 23 February 1960 in Haine-Saint-Paul, Wallonia, Belgium.