Little-Known, Forgotten & Not-so-Famous Actors & Actresses (in ABC order)
If you disagree with any then please comment below. :-)
Update 21/09/2012: Stellan Skarsgård has been removed because he’s a famous actor AND a famous atheist activist.
Update 21/09/2012: Stellan Skarsgård has been removed because he’s a famous actor AND a famous atheist activist.
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Film and television actress Christine Adams was born in London, United Kingdom.
She starred on several British and American films and television series since early 2000s.
On television, she is known for roles as "Katherine Williams Osgood" on the British miniseries, NY-LON (2004); "Simone Hundin" on the American comedy-drama series, Pushing Daisies (2007) (2007-2009); as "Lena Boudreaux" on the short-lived ABC legal drama series, The Whole Truth (2010); and as "Mira" in FOX's science-fiction drama series, Terra Nova (2011).
In 2012, she starred, opposite Anthony LaPaglia, on the ABC drama series, Americana (2012). Adams appeared on several films, such as Submerged (2005), Batman Begins (2005), Eye of the Dolphin (2006), Green Flash (2008), Beneath the Blue (2010), Tron: Legacy (2010) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.Little-known- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Originally trained as a painter, he studied art at Chelsea Art School and London University and taught in his hometown of Northhampton after spending time in the RAF Medical Corps. He was a performer with the Children's Theatre Company and was involved in several productions in London's West End, including two years in "Alibi For a Judge."Forgotten- Actress
- Producer
Lysette Anthony was born on 26 September 1963 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), Krull (1983) and Husbands and Wives (1992). She was previously married to David Price and Luc Leestemaker.Little-known- Actor
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- Director
Lee Arenberg has the remarkable ability to morph himself into frightening aliens, twisted psychotherapists, lascivious entertainment executives and everything in between. Most frequently referred to as a character actor, Arenberg maintains a flourishing acting career--almost 20 years spanning television, stage and film. Arenberg has appeared in more than 30 movies, including Cradle Will Rock (1999), RoboCop 3 (1993), Waterworld (1995), Bob Roberts (1992), The Apocalypse (1997), Cross My Heart (1987) and the fantasy adventure feature Dungeons & Dragons (2000). Bitten by the acting bug at age eight when he portrayed David in his Hebrew school play, "Killing Goliath", Arenberg notes that the parable "could be the title of any actor's chances in this game." A native Angeleno, Lee attended Santa Monica high school with "brat packers" Sean Penn, Robert Downey Jr. and Emilio Estevez, and co-wrote a play with Estevez which was directed by Penn. Lee's first professional job was in 1986 at the Mark Taper Forum in "Ghetto", a play directed by Gordon Davidson. Within weeks he was cast in three films, including the role of Norton in the feature Tapeheads (1988)opposite Tim Robbins and John Cusack. Guest appearances on television began in 1987 with the hit sitcom Perfect Strangers (1986), and have continued with memorable roles such as the parking space-stealing New Yorker on Seinfeld (1989) and as the murderous rock promoter opposite Katey Sagal and Sam Kinison in Tales from the Crypt (1989), as well as roles on Arli$$ (1996), Friends (1994), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995). Arenberg can also be seen in the role of the notoriously huge studio head, Bobby G., on the controversial syndicated comedy Action (1999) opposite series star Jay Mohr. Arenberg names his family and friends as his inspirations, and states that having grown up on Los Angeles' Westside, he was able to see actors as the parents of friends and classmates, not as just as movie stars. "It also gave me an honest assessment of the industry and what I was getting myself into," he laughs. He credits "fear of failure" as his main motivation, and admires the talents and creativity of such legendary actors Paul Muni, Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff. Lee also credits much of his development as an actor to his participation in the Actors' Gang, one of Los Angeles' oldest theater companies. The Actors' Gang was founded by Lee in 1981 with Tim Robbins and other friends from UCLA. After 20 years as an actor in the group, Lee recently made his writing and directing debut with Foursome, a play about golf, sex and witchcraft. In his leisure time, Arenberg enjoys golf, cooking, blues harmonica, video games and pitching for his softball team Bubblin' Crude, which is made up of other actors, many of whom are friends from high school. He is involved with St. Jude's Children's Hospital and other children's health causes, and animal rights organizations, participating regularly in fund raising efforts on behalf of those charitable causes.Not-so-famous- Jonathan Aris is the son of the late British character actor Ben Aris but, despite having a thespian as a father, acting was not his first choice. He studied painting at Camberwell School of Art and read Russian and Italian at Cambridge University before training as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Like his father, Jonathan has chiefly been seen in character roles, notably on television as the private secretary to the (female) Prime Minister in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006). He also does a great number of voice-overs for television commercials and narration for documentaries. He has made numerous stage appearances and was in the original London cast of "Fame - the Musical".Little-known
- Actor
- Producer
Arben Bajraktaraj was born on 29 January 1973 in Isniq, Yugoslavia [now Kosovo]. He is an actor and producer, known for Taken (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).Little-known (apart from France and Albania).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Mathew Baynton was born on 18 November 1980 in Essex, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Wonka (2023), The Wrong Mans (2013) and Bill (2015).Little-known- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Predrag Bjelac was born on 30 June 1962 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. He is an actor, known for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Killing Eve (2018) and Gangster Ka (2015). He was previously married to Katarina Bjelac.Little-known (apart from Serbia).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Di Botcher was born on 2 June 1959 in Port Talbot, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Victor Frankenstein (2015), Stella (2012) and Sherlock (2010).Little-known- Todd Boyce was born in Columbus, Ohio.
He was raised in upstate New York, Germany, Chicago and Brazil. At age 16 Todd moved with his family to Australia where he finished his schooling at Sydney Church of England Grammar School and promptly joined the Australian soap opera "The Restless Years". Having been accepted at USC and UCLA he planned to attend university in Los Angeles but after 12 months in the TV show he chose instead to Audition for The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) from which he graduated in 1983.
Todd has worked extensively in film, television and theatre in Australia, America and in the United Kingdom. His work continues to take him all over the world. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Bremmer was born on 27 January 1953 in Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The 13th Warrior (1999), Les Misérables (2012) and Mr. Turner (2014).- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
After graduating from the University of Missouri, Brent Briscoe began his career as an apprentice at The Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre in 1985. Thereafter, he spent several years on the road, starring in the theatrical productions "Greater Tuna" and "A Tuna Christmas." In 1994, he switched gears and spent the year as a staff writer for the television series Evening Shade (1990) before penning the teleplay The Right to Remain Silent (1996) for Showtime with his friend and partner Mark Fauser, his old college roommate. In 1996, Brent moved to Los Angeles permanently on the heels of his role as Scooter in Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade (1996), the first of several efforts linking the two. Since then he has worked in a considerable number of films for some of the industry's most notable directors. His most memorable and critically acclaimed role was that of Lou in Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan (1998), also a project involving Thornton. Other highlights include roles in U Turn (1997), The Green Mile (1999), The Majestic (2001), Mulholland Drive (2001), Driven (2001), Madison (2001), and Spider-Man 2 (2004). He also played a role alongside his partner Fauser in Waking Up in Reno (2002) for Miramax, for which they wrote the screenplay.Little-known- Actor
- Soundtrack
He was a master class in cerebral eloquence and audience command...and although his dominant playing card in the realm of acting was quite serious and stately, nobody cut a more delightfully dry edge in sitcoms than this gentleman, whose calm yet blistering put-downs often eluded his lesser victims.
Acting titan Roscoe Lee Browne was born to a Baptist minister and his wife on May 2, 1922, in Woodbury, New Jersey. He attended Lincoln University, an historically black university in Pennsylvania until 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served in Italy with the Negro 92nd Infantry Division and organized the Division's track and field team. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1946, and studied French through Middlebury College's summer language program. He received his master's degree from Columbia University, then subsequently returned to Lincoln and taught French and comparative literature, seemingly destined to settle in completely until he heard a different calling.
Roscoe relished his first taste of adulation and admiration as a track star, competing internationally and winning the world championship in the 800-yard dash in 1951. He parlayed that attention into a job as a sales representative for a wine and liquor importer. In 1956, he abruptly decided to become an actor. And he did. With no training but a shrewd, innate sense of self, he boldly auditioned for, and won, the role of the Soothsayer in "Julius Caesar" the very next day at the newly-formed New York Shakespeare Festival. He never looked back and went on to perform with the company in productions of "The Taming of the Shrew", "Titus Andronicus", "Othello", "King Lear" (as the Fool), and "Troilus and Cressida".
Blessed with rich, mellifluous tones and an imposing, cultured air, Roscoe became a rare African-American fixture on the traditionally white classical stage. In 1961 he appeared notably with James Earl Jones in the original off-Broadway cast of Jean Genet's landmark play "The Blacks". Awards soon came his way -- the first in the form of an Obie only a few years later for his portrayal of a rebellious slave in "The Old Glory". Additionally, he received the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award for both "The Dream on Monkey Mountain" (1970) and "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (1989). Roscoe found less successful ventures on 1960s Broadway, taking his first curtain call in "A Cool World" in 1960, which folded the next day. He graced a number of other short runs including "General Seegar" (1962), "Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright" (1962), "The Ballad of the Sade Cafe" (1964), "Danton's Death" (1965), and "A Hand Is on the Gate: An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music" (1966), which he also wrote and directed. He did not return to Broadway until 1983 with the role of the singing Rev. J.D. Montgomery in Tommy Tune's smash musical "My One and Only" in which his number "Kicking the Clouds Away" proved to be one of many highlights. Roscoe returned only once more to Broadway, earning acclaim and a Tony nomination for his supporting performance in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" (1992).
Although he made an isolated debut with The Connection (1961), he wouldn't appear regularly in films until the end of the decade with prominent parts in the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film, The Comedians (1967), Jules Dassin's Uptight (1968), Hitchcock's Topaz (1969) and, his most notable, The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970). Thereafter, he complimented a host of features, both comedic and dramatic, including Super Fly (1972) (and its sequel), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Logan's Run (1976), Legal Eagles (1986), The Mambo Kings (1992) and Dear God (1996)
Elsewhere, Roscoe's disdainful demeanor courted applause on all the top 70s sitcoms including "All in the Family", "Maude," "Sanford and Son", "Good Times" and "Barney Miller" (Emmy-nominated), and he played the splendidly sardonic role of Saunders, the Tate household butler, after replacing Robert Guillaume's popular "Benson" character on Soap (1977). In 1986 he won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on The Cosby Show (1984). His trademark baritone lent authority and distinction to a number of documentaries, live-action fare, and animated films, as well as the spoken-word arena, with such symphony orchestras as the Boston Pops and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to his credit. A preeminent recitalist, he was known for committing hundreds of poems to memory. For many years he and actor Anthony Zerbe toured the U.S. with their presentation of "Behind the Broken Words", an evening of poetry and dramatic readings.
At the time of his death of cancer on April 11, 2007, the never-married octogenarian was still omnipresent, more heard than seen perhaps. Among his last works was his narrations of a Garfield film feature and the most recent movie spoof Epic Movie (2007).Forgotten- Julian Christopher was born on 7 November 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Elysium (2013) and McQ (1974). He died on 26 February 2023 in the USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born in Stockholm, Sweden to a German mother and Russo-Finnish father, Allan Corduner moved to England with his parents at the age of one year old, growing up in London. His parents were artistic and encouraged his early ambition to become a concert pianist - he is still extremely accomplished on the piano - but after attending Bristol University he opted for the stage and trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has worked extensively on stage and TV both in the U.K. and the US, and of his over 40 feature films he's perhaps best known for portraying Sir Arthur Sullivan to Jim Broadbent's Gilbert in the film Topsy-Turvy (1999).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
James Cosmo was born on 24 May 1948 in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Braveheart (1995), Troy (2004) and Highlander (1986). He has been married to Annie Harris since 24 May 2000.- Actor
- Producer
John Cothran was born on 31 October 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Black Snake Moan (2006), Yes Man (2008) and Rango (2011). He has been married to Judyann Elder since 1997.Little-known- Actor
- Additional Crew
Christian Coulson was born on 3 October 1978 in Manchester, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), The Hours (2002) and The Good Liar (2019).Not-so-famous- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Born James Jonah Cummings on November 3, 1952, he grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.
Sooner or later, he moved to New Orleans. There, he designed Mardi Gras floats, was a singer, door-to-door salesman, and a Louisiana riverboat deckhand.
Then Cummings moved to Anaheim, California, where he started his career playing Lionel from the program Dumbo's Circus (1985).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Phil Davis was born on 30 July 1953 in Grays, Essex, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Vera Drake (2004), Alien³ (1992) and Bleak House (2005). He has been married to Eve Matheson since 2002. They have one child.- Alison Doody was born in Dublin in 1966, in a well-off family. She is the youngest of three children. She was educated in a convent, where she gained a passion for the arts. She later studied at the National College of Fine Arts in Dublin, but she left because she lacked the motivation and thought she would take a year off to think it out. Meanwhile, while sitting in a café with friends, she was approached by a still photographer who asked her if she would be interested to model. Thinking she could use the pocket money, she said yes. Modeling proved to be both fun and lucrative, and very soon she did it professionally. Her modeling contracts led to commercial work, which would take her around the world. One day, a casting director saw her work and suggested she try acting instead. She was sent to London at age 19, here she quickly won an audition to appear in the new James Bond film, A View to a Kill (1985). She so loved acting that she pursued a career in that direction. After her first film, she shot a few TV dramas in London and in Dublin, but her big break came when she was cast as Aryan seductress Dr. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Apparently, she made a huge impression on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, who loved her great sense of humor and her Grace Kelly looks. After Indiana Jones, which introduced her to Hollywood and to the United States, she was chosen to replace Cybill Shepherd as the spokeswoman for L'Oréal. After that, she shot a few B-movies in the United States, but at one point felt she missed Ireland too much, so she went back to Dublin. In 1994, she put her career on hold to spend more time with media heir Gavin O'Reilly, whom she had been dating for two years. In 1996, they married, and later had two children. In 2002, she was asked to cameo in the Michael Caine comedy The Actors (2003), and there she regained a lust for the movie industry. The following summer, she shot King Solomon's Mines (2004) with co-star Patrick Swayze, and it's then that the whole ball started rolling again. In 2006, she and her husband divorced, and she decided to relaunch her stalled career, but she quickly realized how difficult it was to break into this kind of business for a second time, especially after ten years away from the camera. She appeared in the short film Benjamin's Struggle (2005), directed by newcomer Jamie Breese, and played a role in the well-known British series Waking the Dead (2000). In an interview, she said she was thrilled to be acting again but added that she wasn't willing to accept anything for the sake of working. She is determined to find the right part, but she also wants to do different things: "I'm fed up playing the nasty Nazi. I'd like to do something quite extreme."
- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Brian Doyle-Murray was born on 31 October 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Caddyshack (1980), JFK (1991) and Groundhog Day (1993). He has been married to Christina Stauffer since 28 August 2000.- James Dreyfus was born on 9 October 1968 in Islington, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Notting Hill (1999), The Thin Blue Line (1995) and Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004).
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Duke Media Entertainment, led by actor, director, producer, writer and humanitarian, Bill Duke, is dedicated to bringing quality Edutainment to audiences around the globe. Formerly Yagya Productions, Duke Media has successfully produced critically acclaimed film and television content for more than 30 years. Additionally, Duke Media is in process of expanding the brand to involve itself in the development of new media technologies, i.e. cellphone apps, games, and virtual world experiences. Since the early 70s, Bill Duke along with industry veterans Michael Shultz and Gordon Parks, have long paved the way for African Americans in the industry.
Mr. Duke excels in front of and behind the camera. His acting and directing credits are extensive and include stints on such ground breaking television series as Falcon Crest, Fame, Hill Street Blues, Knotts Landing, Dallas, and New York Undercover. His feature credits include Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Get Rich or Die Trying, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, Predator, Menace II Society and Not Easily Broken, to name a few. He has recently completed production on, Blexicans, a new television pilot that takes a comedic look at a mixed race family. His documentaries, Dark Girls and Light Girls, both NAACP Image Award nominees, aired on OWN and were two of the most successful documentaries on the network.
Bill Duke's invaluable contributions to the industry have been recognized by both his peers and the entertainment community. Appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment of Humanities, he was appointed to the Board of the California State Film Commission by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he has been honored by the Directors Guild of America with a Lifetime Achievement Tribute.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Donald Eccles was born on 26 April 1908 in Nafferton, East Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Wicker Man (1973), The Theban Plays by Sophocles (1986) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968). He died on 2 February 1986 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.Forgotten