Actresses

Ally Sheedy was born in New York City, to Charlotte (Baum), a press agent and writer, and John J. Sheedy, Jr., an advertising executive. She is of Russian Jewish (mother) and Irish and German (father) descent. While at New York's Bank Street School, twelve-year-old Ally Sheedy wrote about a mythical encounter between Queen Elizabeth I and an inquisitive mouse. The result, "She Was Nice to Mice", was published by McGraw-Hill and became an instant bestseller. Although it proved a springboard to an acting career, Sheedy's strongest memories of childhood remain those of "dancing and doing plays". From six until fourteen, she danced with the American Ballet Theatre and, during summers at Fire Island, she'd "get a bunch of kids together and stage shows on back lawns and porches". When she discovered that to stay with dancing meant staying with starvation diets, she shifted her focus to acting for good. Meanwhile, her book brought her requests from several publications. The Village Voice asked her to review movies and the New York Times wanted her to review children's books. The assignment she accepted was from Ms. Magazine, which requested an article about her mother and herself. It was an appearance on "The Mike Douglas Show (1961) to promote her book, however, that brought Sheedy work as a performer.

Signed by an agent who caught the show, she was sent out on television commercials, immediately. Only 15 at the time, she also performed off-Broadway and on a series of after-school specials. The day she turned 18, Sheedy packed her bags and headed for Los Angeles, where she enrolled in the drama department at USC, and soon landed roles in the television drama The Best Little Girl in the World (1981), The Day the Loving Stopped (1981), Splendor in the Grass (1981) and Homeroom (1981) and played a recurring character on Hill Street Blues (1981). The strength of her performances led directly to her film debut as Sean Penn's naive-but-knowing girlfriend, "J.C.", in Bad Boys (1983). That same year (1983), she starred as Matthew Broderick's zany partner in WarGames (1983). After starring as Rob Lowe's would-be romantic interest in Oxford Blues (1984), the withdrawn adolescent of The Breakfast Club (1985) and Gene Hackman's adoring daughter in Twice in a Lifetime (1985), Sheedy played her first fully-adult role in St. Elmo's Fire (1985), the 1985 hit about college friends.

Lily Jane Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England. Her father is English musician Phil Collins, while her mother, Jill Tavelman, who is from Los Angeles, California, was president of the Beverly Hills Women's Club for three terms. Lily moved with her mother to LA at the age of five, after her parents split up. She is of Russian Jewish (from her maternal grandfather), English, and German descent.

Her first screen role was at the age of two in the BBC series Growing Pains, in 1992. Collins performed at the Youth Academy for Dramatic Arts as a child, but her main interest was journalism. She graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School, and attended the USC, where she majored in broadcast journalism. She began writing a column ("NY Confidential") for the British magazine Elle Girl in her teens as well as contributing to Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and the Los Angeles Times magazines.

After some early television appearances as a presenter/reporter (for instance, covering the 2008 US Presidential campaign as a host on the Nickelodeon show, Kids Pick the President (2000)), she made a couple of appearances on 90210 (2008) in 2009. She co-starred as the daughter of Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock's characters in the massive box office hit The Blind Side (2009). More dramatic roles followed, and she came to worldwide attention when she played the starring role in Mirror Mirror (2012), following it up by headlining The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) and Love, Rosie (2014).

Jennifer Bartels was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for American Woman (2018), Broken (2016) and Friends of the People (2014). She is married to Ed Bartels.

Makenna started her acting career at 12 years old appearing in several national commercials and guest starring television roles. She got her big break in 2016 when she earned a series regular role on the new television show American Woman (2018) starring alongside of actresses Alicia Silverstone and Mena Suvari. The show, debuting in 2018 on the new Paramount Network, takes place in the 1970's and is based on the real life story of Kyle Richards. Makenna plays the role of "Becca", the rebellious and intellectual daughter of "Bonnie" played by Alicia Silverstone. Working on American Woman has been a dream come true for Makenna, allowing her to showcase her comedic strengths while simultaneously exploring the issues of racism, inequality, and the feminist movement.

Makenna is also known for her recurring role on the Emmy and Golden Globe winning series, Transparent (2014), where she plays the part of Young Sara. The role has afforded her the great honor of learning from and working with award winning actors, Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light. Makenna's future goals include obtaining an extraordinary collegiate education, continuing her environmental activism, and blazing a path in politics.

Lia Ryan McHugh is an American actress. She has roles in Totem (2017), The Lodge, and Into the Dark (both 2019). She portrayed Sprite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Eternals (2021). McHugh was born on November 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, into an acting family. She has three older siblings-Flynn, Logan and Shea-and a younger sibling, Gavin, who has cerebral palsy. Gavin is also an actor and plays Christopher Diaz in the drama series 9-1-1.

Mena Alexandra Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the youngest of four children. She is the daughter of Ando Suvari, a psychiatrist, and the former Candice Chambers, a nurse. Mena's first name comes from her British aunt named after the "House of Mena" Hotel (at the base of the pyramids in Egypt); her last name is Estonian. Suvari grew up in an old stone mansion that she insists was haunted. The family later relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where her brothers lined up to attend the Citadel (a military college). Mena, meanwhile, was entertaining dreams of becoming an archaeologist, astronaut, or doctor. Her interests took a turn for the... less cerebral, however, when a modeling agency stopped by her all-girls school to offer classes. At age 12, after receiving a few pointers on her runway strut, Suvari attended a modeling convention and was snapped up by the Manhattan-based Wilhelmina agency. She later moved to L.A. under their children's theatrical division WeeWillys, which began her acting career.

Suvari started in on TV work almost immediately--commercials at first, followed by guest appearances on Boy Meets World (1993), ER (1994), and Chicago Hope (1994). Mena was a natural for movies: she is petite (5'4"), has blue eyes, and her natural hair color is blonde. She launched her film career in 1997, picking up small roles in Gregg Araki's Nowhere (1997) and the Morgan Freeman-Ashley Judd thriller Kiss the Girls (1997). She popped up again in the background of Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), then landed a slightly meatier role as the best friend of the telekinetic heroine in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999).

Suvari's ticket to fame was the teen sex quest American Pie (1999), which cast her as a wholesome choir girl who falls for a jock (Chris Klein). A few months later, she turned even more heads as the vampish cheerleader who captures Kevin Spacey's unwholesome imagination in American Beauty (1999). The sultry-but-fragile character earned Suvari a British Academy Award nomination, as well as a flurry of job offers and gushing fansites. In the midst of the hubbub surrounding the film, she slipped off with her boyfriend, cinematographer Robert Brinkmann, to tie the knot in a secret ceremony. The media was quick to point out the pair's 18-year age difference, but Suvari shrugged it off (her own parents, who divorced in 2001 after 32 years of marriage, wed when her mother was 21 and her father 48).

The in-demand actress completed her patriotic hat trick by starring in American Virgin (1999) (originally titled "Live Virgin") as the daughter of a porn king. The title change wasn't enough of a boost to keep the mediocre movie afloat in theaters--after a brief New York run, it headed straight to video. Her next effort was another underperformer, but the aptly named Loser (2000) (a collegiate love story that reunited her with American Pie's Jason Biggs) at least made it into suburban circulation--perhaps on the name recognition of its two young stars. Suvari kept her chin up, heading back to high school for the cheerleading/bank heist flick Sugar & Spice (2001) and joining the cast of the period film The Musketeer (2001).

She continued to showcase her range in ability by costarring with John Leguizamo in Jonas Åkerlund's cult classic Spun (2002) and then alongside Jennifer Aniston in Rob Reiner's Rumor Has It... (2005) and Keira Knightley in Tony Scott's Domino (2005). She also played opposite James Franco in Sonny (2002), the directorial debut of Nicolas Cage, and had a recurring role on HBO's Six Feet Under (2001).

Mena rounded out her creative pursuits by playing the iconic Black Dahlia in Ryan Murphy's anthology series American Horror Story (2011) and continued working in TV by following up with an arc in the hit series Chicago Fire (2012), as well as leading the Amazon pilot Hysteria (2014) and WeTv's miniseries South of Hell (2015). Mena then starred opposite Alicia Silverstone for TV Land's American Woman (2018).

Amicably divorced from Brinkmann after five years, Mena had a brief second marriage to Simone Sestito, an Italian concert promoter who, she claims, drained her financially. Since 2018, she has been married to Canadian prop master Michael Hope. The couple had a son, Christopher Alexander Hope, in 2021. That same year, Mena published her first book, 'The Great Peace'. Mena's hobbies include: jewelry making, photography, mountain biking, and hiking. Her fans look forward to her new projects.

Diandra Lyle is known for Bel-Air (2022), Secrets of Sulphur Springs (2021) and American Woman (2018).

Hailee Steinfeld was born on December 11, 1996 in Tarzana, California, to Cheri (Domasin), an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She has a brother, Griffin. Her uncle is Jake Steinfeld, a fitness trainer, and her great-uncle is actor Larry Domasin. Her father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and her mother's ancestry is Filipino, African-American, British Isles, and German. Hailee was raised in Thousand Oaks, California.

At an early age, she appeared in several short films to gain experience. She played the role of Talia Alden in She's a Fox (2009), which received several awards. Her debut in a feature film for theater was True Grit (2010). She played a major role, Mattie Ross, with Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Matt Damon. She got big attention for her performance in this movie, and she was nominated for the 'Best Supporting Actress' Academy Award. After a short break, she appeared in several films which were released in 2013. She played the role of Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (2013), which also starred Douglas Booth, and was released in 2013. Also, she appeared in Ender's Game (2013) as Petra Arkanian, based on the book written by Orson Scott Card, and this movie was directed by Gavin Hood. She starred with Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford, and this movie received positive reviews. She appeared in the short film The Magic Bracelet (2013), with Bailee Madison, as Angela.

In 2014, She appeared in 3 Days to Kill (2014), which was released on February 21, 2014. she played the major role of Zoey Renner, daughter of Kevin Costner. In Hateship Loveship (2013), she played Sabitha with Kristen Wiig. This movie was released on April 11, 2014 in USA. Steinfeld performed the role of Emily Junk in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015). She also starred in Barely Lethal (2015) with Jessica Alba. She filmed the movie, Ten Thousand Saints (2015), as the role of Eliza, again opposite Asa Butterfield.

In 2016, she starred in the teen dramedy The Edge of Seventeen (2016), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.

She has been home-schooled since 2008. Hailee says she is very interested to be on the other side of camera and would like to eventually produce and direct.

Pamela Adlon comes from an acting family and began her career in television in 1983. She has appeared in many popular TV shows, including as a voice actress in a number of animated TV series including, most famously, King of the Hill (1997) for which she won an Emmy for her role as Bobby Hill.

Megyn Price is an actor, writer, and director who has starred in theater, film and nearly 300 television episodes. This funny girl never intended to become a professional actor, even turning down admission to The Juilliard School for a more traditional education. But after she graduated from Stanford University with a double degree in Economics and Journalism, she couldn't escape her true calling.

She is known for being Larry David's "yo-yo-ing" girlfriend on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and for her three long-running series: "Grounded for Life", "Rules of Engagement", and "The Ranch." Showrunners call her "The Pilot Fairy" since she has never done a single television pilot that did not go on to become a long-running series.

Megyn spends her time outside of work in nature with her daughter and way too many animals, reading everything she can get her hands on. In Spring 2025, Megyn is directing and producing a comedy/horror musical with her daughter.

Marcella Bragio is a San Francisco based actress with numerous TV and movie credits. After establishing herself as a successful model in national adds with stars such as Steve Young and Jerry Rice, she transitioned to acting into 2015. A member of SAG-AFTRA, she continues to be in demand model and actress. Multi talented, Marcella also plays and teaches piano. She regularly appears on lists of the most beautiful actresses and models of North and South America.

Marcella Bragio was was born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espirito Santo, Brazil. She is of Italian, Portuguese and Brazilian ancestry. At the University of Vicosa, Bragio majored in Business Administration in 2004 followed by a post degree in Business Management in 2006. She has degrees in Piano and Music Theory and received diplomas from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. She continues to instruct piano, theory and vocal.

Bragio is known for her performance in 'Under the Palm Tree'(2017), directed by Bryan Martin and written by Franklyn Cole Jr., Bryan Martin and Ted Franse, in which she costars with Richard Tyson. Marcella is featured in a documentary 'Artists' (2016) for Fashion on Film, written and directed by Dan Heflin. She can also be seen in 'The Great Controversy Ended'(2017), written and directed by Nancy Hamilton, as Cindy, a survivor. She has been in a hand full of TV Shows such as "Chance" (with Hugh Laurie), "13 Reasons Why" (Produced by Selena Gomes), Sense 8 (by the creators of Matrix), Pitch (New Fox Series) and "Wives with Knives"(Discovery Channel). She was also part of a number of other movies still in post-production such as 'Hood Damnation'(2016), written and directed by Alonzo Chism, and 'Crush' as Allison. Marcella had the lead role in 'Lifeline', written and directed by Nabil Bucks, and can be seen as the featured actress in 'Smoke Screen', 'Truman's Last Kiss' as well as a movie by Ken Hardy for the Sacramento International Film Festival 2016.

Marcella continues to actively model and do commercials and print jobs as well as runway work. Previous to appearing in movies, Bragio has done commercials and has been a fashion model since 2009. She has worked with Steve Young and Jerry Rice on a Tommy Hilfiger commercial in 2010, with Porcaro Communications on a cell phone commercial for Alaska, NorCal Honda and has been featured on GlamModelz magazine and Dallas Wine Festival. As a model she gained representation with two agencies in California and has done scores of photo shoots, fashion shows, catalogs, print work, Sacramento Fashion Week, and has also been featured on Belazon.com, "the ultimate website for your favorite celebrities" since 2015.

She is married to actor William Barbour, known for numerous television and movie projects. The couple have a young son and daughter and live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marcella gained her US citizenship in 2015. Her work appears in IMDbPro, Belazon, Facebook and Model Mayhem as well as casting agencies in California. She, her husband and their two children are all represented by Models Inc. Talent Agency.

Vanessa Ross is a multiple award winning, seasoned and well-trained SAG and AFTRA actress, with over ten years experience. She has captured the film and television industry with leads and supporting roles. She has worked both dramatic and comedic projects, in all mediums. Having worked with with Jeremy Piven, Lindsay Lohan, Ving Rhames, Mindy Robinson, Isaac C. Singleton, Patrick Durham, Derek Zemrak, Demetrius Navarro, Robert Miano, Romane Simon, Steve Crest and many more. She trains at A.C.T. (Actors Certified Training), Hollywood; advanced courses at Santa Monica College; workshops at Network Studio; and private coaches in San Francisco, her native area.

A second career is modeling, which did jump start her acting career. At age five, she began modeling for major department stores. This evolved to print, runway, video/film and promotional work.

What other artistic skills does Vanessa maintain? A jazz dancer with a ballet foundation since age eight, then picking up a little hip hop, compliments her acting and modeling careers. Music training includes voice, violin, guitar and piano. She draws, preferring illustrative, beach, tribal art, as well as portraits (pencil, permanent pens, paint pens) and acrylics/oil projects. She has advanced art courses from Diablo Valley College and Santa Monica College; even computer-art courses.

Gracie Dzienny was born on 26 August 1995 in Toledo, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for First Kill (2022), Jupiter's Legacy (2021) and Bumblebee (2018).

Gail Gamble, is an American actress, from Northern California. Even from a young age of six years old, Gail won speech contests and loved to act. At age 18, Gail started modeling. Before she turned 19, she lived in Los Angeles and in New York working as a model and actress. Before she was 20 she was living in Milan, Italy, where she was in her first television show. She proceeded working in film and is known for the 1996 film, "JACK" with Robin Williams, 1997 film, "Mad City" with John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman. Playing featured characters over the years, being computer generated, being precision driver or a body double in more movies such as Jordan Peele's horror film, "US", or past Marvel movies, "Bumblebee", "Ant Man and the Wasp", and "Venom" all have been assets in her life to attribute to her continued work in film. She is working in the highly rated Netflix show, "13 Reasons Why", in seasons 3 and 4 as a Sheriff Deputy.

Over the years, she has graced the runways, magazines and film in Milan, New York, and in Los Angeles. She also traveled to Europe, South America and in many parts of the United States representing many companies from Avon, Natori, Christian Dior, Valentino, Lovable, Wacoal, Lee Jeans, Levi's, Mossimo, Gottex, La Blanca, NASCAR, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Coravin, Mahindra, Land Rover, Jaguar, Lexus, Lamborghini to many others. Her face and image has also been transformed into cartoons, being transformed for computer generated video games and software systems. She has a long list of other credits over the years from eyewear and jean campaigns, fit modeling, voice overs, hand modeling, body double and many other credits including television and commercials.



Gail is married to Michael O'Brien, a motivational speaker, real estate broker and author of Amazon's best selling book, "Fearing Nothing." They have three children: a daughter, Faith and boy/girl twins, Christian and Hope.

Rachel Crow was born on 23 January 1998 in Mead, Colorado, USA. She is an actress, known for Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (2017), Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh (2016) and Rio 2 (2014).

Teresa Navarro is known for Sense8 (2015), Birth of the Dragon (2016) and Enter the Fire (2018).

Abby Quinn is an actress and singer-songwriter from Michigan. She attended Carnegie Mellon University for acting. Abby has been acting in both film and television since 2012. She has appeared in Law and Order SVU, Better Call Saul, and in "Arkangel", an episode of Black Mirror directed by Jodi Foster. She recently played Mabel alongside Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser in the 2019 reboot of Mad About You. Abby starred in the Gillian Robespierre directed film, Landline, alongside Jenny Slate, John Turturo, and Edie Falco. Abby also starred in After the Wedding alongside Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and Billy Crudup. This film is directed by Bart Freundlich and was the Sundance Film Festival opener in 2019. Abby plays Annie Moffat in Greta Gerwig's Little Women (2019). Abby's upcoming projects include Good Girls Get High (HBO Max), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix), and Radium Girls. Abby is also a singer-songwriter and wrote the song "I Knew You for a Moment" for the film After The Wedding.

Emily Green is known for UNCLE (2021), Dominion (2015) and On the Rocks (2016).

Katherine Rodriguez is known for Perfect (2018), American Gigolo (2022) and There's No Such Thing as Vampires (2020).

Alessia Franchin is known for Trilogia II: I skoni tou hronou (2008).

Born to immigrants in New York City, Lucy Liu has always tried to balance an interest in her cultural heritage with a desire to move beyond a strictly Asian-American experience. Her mother, Cecilia, a biochemist, is from Beijing & her father, Tom Liu, a civil engineer, is from Shanghai. Once relegated to "ethnic" parts, the energetic actress is finally earning her stripes as an across-the-board leading lady.

She graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1986 & enrolled in NYU. However, she was discouraged by the dark and sarcastic atmosphere, so she transferred to the University of Michigan after her freshman year. She graduated w/ a degree in Asian Languages & Cultures, managing to squeeze in some additional training in dance, voice, fine arts & acting. During her senior year, she auditioned for a small part in a production of Alice in Wonderland and walked away with the lead. Encouraged by the experience, she decided to take the plunge into professional acting. She moved to L.A., splitting her time between auditions & food service day jobs. She eventually scored a guest appearance as a waitress on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). That performance led to more walk-on parts in shows like NYPD Blue (1993), ER (1994) & The X-Files (1993). In 1996, she was cast as an ambitious college student on Rhea Perlman's ephemeral sitcom Pearl (1996).

She first appeared on the big screen as an ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire (1996) (she had previously filmed a scene in the indie Bang (1995), but it was shelved for 2 years). She then waded through a series of supporting parts in small films before landing her big break on Ally McBeal (1997). She initially auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which went to Portia de Rossi. However, writer-producer David E. Kelley was so impressed w/ her that he promised to write a part for her in an upcoming episode. The part turned out to be that of growling, ill-tempered lawyer Ling Woo, which she filled w/ such aplomb that she was signed on as a regular cast member.

The "Ally" win gave her film career a much-needed boost-in 1999, she was cast as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson action flick Payback (1999) & as a hitchhiker in the ill-received boxing saga Play It to the Bone (1999). The following year brought even larger roles: first as the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei in Jackie Chan's western Shanghai Noon (2000), then as one-third of the comely crime-fighting trio in Charlie's Angels (2000).

When she's not hissing at clients or throwing well-coiffed punches, she keeps busy w/ an eclectic mix of off-screen hobbies. She practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses &plays the accordion. In 1993, she exhibited a collection of multimedia art pieces at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo (New York), after which she won a grant to study & create art in China. Her hectic schedule doesn't leave much time for romantic intrigue, but she says she prefers to keep that side of her life uncluttered.

Meredith Kathleen Hagner is an American actress. She began her career portraying Liberty Ciccone on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (2008-2010), which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 2009. Following her departure from As the World Turns, she appeared as a series regular on the FX drama Lights Out (2011) and the TBS sitcom Men at Work (2012-2014).

Shyrley Rodriguez is known for Knives Out (2019), The Get Down (2016) and Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018).

Isla Lang Fisher was born on February 3, 1976 in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher, who worked as a banker for the U.N. She spent her early childhood in Bathgate, Scotland, before moving to Perth, Australia with her family in the early 1980s. From a young age, Isla showed an interest in both acting and writing. At nine years old, she was appearing in Australian TV commercials. She landed some small parts in the Australian television series Bay City (1993). This led to a bigger part in the television series Paradise Beach (1993). When that show ended, she landed a role in the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away (1988). While working on that show, she indulged in another of her passions, writing, and published two best-selling novels, "Seduced By Fame" and "Bewitched". In 1997, she was picked by the readers of FHM magazine as #35 on the list of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World", and in 2003, she placed 26th.

Isla has since appeared in the films Wedding Crashers (2005), The Lookout (2007), Hot Rod (2007) and Definitely, Maybe (2008), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), and Now You See Me (2013).

Catherine Keener is an American actress, Oscar-nominated for her roles in the independent films Being John Malkovich (1999) and Capote (2005). Acclaimed in her community for her quirky roles in independent film and mainstream such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Keener got her start as a casting director in New York City.

Catherine Ann Keener was born in Miami, Florida, and was raised in Hialeah, FL. She is the daughter of Evelyn (Jamiel) and James Keener, who owned an auto shop. She is of Lebanese (mother) and English, Scottish, and German (father) descent. Keener attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She began taking acting classes when she was unable to sign up for a photography class. After graduating, Keener managed a McDonalds in New York City before becoming an assistant casting director and soon relocating to Los Angeles.

Not long after, Keener told her superior of her aspirations for acting and she landed a one-worded role as a waitress in About Last Night (1986). Two years later, she landed a role in a film called Survival Quest (1989), where she met her future husband, Dermot Mulroney. After struggling for years in the industry, Keener landed a role in an independent film, opposite the unknown Brad Pitt, in Johnny Suede (1991). Her ascent in independent film began as she starred in Living in Oblivion (1995) and Walking and Talking (1996) before her mainstream break with Being John Malkovich (1999) in 1999, which earned Keener her first Oscar nomination. Since then, Catherine Keener has starred in several critically acclaimed films.